SeaTrac
Upgrading Beacon Firmware
7
•
If programming still fails, ensure that a screened serial communications cable is used, and both the
Beacon and PC are located away from any sources of electrical interference that may be corrupting the
data messages.
3.1.
Resetting to Defaults
If you are having trouble connecting the programmer to the beacon, and you are sure the Beacon has power and
is connected to the correct serial port, it may be that you have changed the Beacon’s serial communication baud
rate (speed) setting.
This setting is stored within the Beacons permanent memory, and can be reset to the factory default value of
115200 baud by the following procedure…
Please note that resetting the Beacon to default will loose all user settings and calibration data. Please
refer to the Beacon’s user manuals for details on how to reset and recalibrate the hardware.
To reset the Beacon to factory defaults…
•
Turn on the power to the Beacon and check it has booted into the main application
–
the status LED on
the base of the Beacon housing should be flashing Green.
•
Hold the “reset magnet” over the magnetic sensor at the base of the Beacon (see Beacon user manual
for details).
•
As the magnet is moved into place, the Green status LED should start quickly flashing Red to show the
presence of the magnet.
•
Hold the magnet in place for 5 seconds until the status LED stops flashing, and become permanently
illuminated red. At this point the defaults have been applied.
•
Cycle the power to the beacon to ensure the new communications and some of the calibration settings
are re-applied to hardware.
3.2.
Bootloader mode
On power-up the Beacon will start its Bootloader application firmware, initialise hardware then start the main
application firmware running.
However, if power was interrupted during the ‘update’ stage of the programming procedure, or another issue has
caused this firmware to become corrupt, then the main application may fail causing the beacon to freeze and
become unresponsive.
Activatin
g ‘Bootloader Mode’, prevents the Bootloader firmware from starting the main application, and as the
Bootloader application is stored in a separate part of memory to the main firmware, it is unlikely it will have been
corrupted.
To activate Bootloader mod
e…
•
Turn off the power to the beacon,
•
Hold the “reset magnet” (south pole) over the magnetic sensor at the base of the Beacon (see Beacon
user manual for details).
•
Power up the beacon keeping the magnet in place. The Beacon’s status LED should stay flashin
g red.
