Upgrading
Like all Adder products, the internal software (firmware) of the unit is designed
to be easily upgraded in order to take advantage of a continual process of
improvement and innovation. A specialised upgrade cable is required to
connect the Adder unit to the serial port of a suitable system. The cable may be
purchased from your supplier, direct from Adder or created using the
pin-out
given later in this guide.
You can discover the current version of your Adder unit in two ways, either
using the upgrade application (discussed later) or within the configuration mode
as discussed next.
To discover the current firmware version
1 Enter configuration mode: Press and hold the
SELECT
button until the
SYSTEM
readout shows
c
.
2 You need to discover the three digits of the firmware release individually, as
follows:
• Press
to discover the first firmware release digit.
• Press
to discover the second firmware release digit.
• Press
to discover the third firmware release digit.
At each stage, the
SYSTEM
readout will momentarily show
=
and then the
relevant digit, before returning to the
c
prompt. For example, the respective
digits 1, 4 and 6 mean that the firmware version is v1.46.
3 Once completed, press to exit from configuration mode.
To upgrade the Adder unit
1 Download the latest firmware upgrade file from the Adder website:
www.
adder.com
. The upgrade files are compressed using pkzip format which
you will need to decompress them. If you do not have pkzip, go to
www.
pkware.com
to download the latest version. Place the decompressed
upgrade files onto the Windows system that will be connected (via a vacant
serial port) to the Adder unit.
2 Remove power from the Adder unit. If any systems are active, either switch
them off or remove their keyboard link connectors from the Adder unit. If an
optional power supply is used, remove it.
3 Connect the upgrade cable between the remote control socket on the right
side of the Adder unit rear panel and a vacant serial port on the system
containing the upgrade files.
4 On the underside of the unit, click mini switch 7 to its ON position.
5 Re-apply power to the Adder unit and switch on the system to be used for
the upgrade. The
SYSTEM
readout will show .
7 Click the
Browse...
button and locate the TXT file that accompanied the
upgrade utility. Highlight the TXT file and click the
Open
button.
8 Click the
Advanced...
button and in the subsequent dialog, ensure that the
Serial Port
entry matches the port to which the upgrade cable is attached.
Also select the
Program and verify
option. Click the
OK
button.
9 Click the
Query Unit
button to check the name and version of the current
firmware - the application will interrogate the unit via the upgrade cable.
Once the version information is displayed, check that the
Intended Target
Units
field matches the
Unit Connected
field and the
New Firmware Version
field exceeds that of the
Current Firmware Version
.
10 Click the
Upload Now
button to begin transferring the upgrade data from
the system to the Adder unit. The progress of the upload is shown in the
status bar (indicating the advancement of the current task) and the progress
bar (indicating the progress of the upload as a whole). The
SYSTEM
readout
will show
u
.
During the upload, all buttons become disabled except for the
Abort
button. The upload can take as long as fifteen minutes. Should you need to
abandon the upload at any stage, click the
Abort
button.
Following the upload, a verification will be carried out and the results
displayed within the upgrade application window.
11 When complete, switch off the Adder unit, disconnect the upgrade cable,
return mini switch 7 to its OFF position and resume operation of the Adder
unit in the usual manner.
6 Locate and run the application ‘KVMUploader’ to display this window:
