IPS-3 User Manual
16
Appendix A: Upgrading the Firmware in your IPS-3
Playback Designs is constantly innovating new algorithms and methods for audio processing and from time to
time may release new firmware for the IPS-3 that may further enhance the sonic performance or add new
features. New releases will be distributed as audio wave files. They can be played into the IPS-3 just like any
other audio file. The IPS-3 processor will automatically detect this file and update the firmware. No audio will
be audible as the processor will automatically set the volume to 0.
The IPS-3 contains 2 processors and hence there may be 2 separate files available, one for each processor.
Before updating the firmware in the IPS-3 you should check what version is currently installed to make sure it
is indeed an older version. The chapter Setup Menu explains how to find the firmware version. It is displayed
with 2 numbers. Each number represents the version for one processor.
Upgrade Procedure:
1. Power on IPS-3.
2. Connect your computer with the included USB cable to the PC input on the rear panel.
3. Load the wave file with the update firmware into your player software on your computer.
4. Play the file.
5. The front panel will indicate WRITING FLASH. It is important that at this point you no longer
touch the system, nor your PC, nor the remote, don't change the input, don't turn the power
off. Go have a cup of tea, because it will take about 2 minutes for this to finish.
6. Once playback has finished the front panel will return to either normal display or it will say
WRITING FAILURE. A failure can happen when you didn't obey the instructions in the
previous steps or your PC had a dropout during playback. If this failure happens, don't panic,
but follow the next steps precisely:
a. DO NOT POWER OFF the IPS-3.
b. Disconnect your computer from the IPS-3.
c. Push the RESET button on the rear panel.
d. Wait for the Soft Start to finish and re-connect the USB cable.
e. play a normal audio file to make sure everything is still working normally.
f. Stop playback and go to step 3.
7. If playback of the update file has finished and the front panel does not display any error
message, but indicates normal operation then stop playback and disconnect the USB cable.
8. power off the IPS-3.
9. power on the IPS-3 and proceed to normal operation.
