i tried to update Genius firmware from 22.4 to 22.5 through OpenWareLaboratory.
it was seeming ok since “Firmware upload complete” was shown on display. however, after rebooting the module, it doesn’t work at all. display black, can’t connect from WebUSB DFU neither, and nothing appear on Device Manager on windows 11. i tried to short “boot” on back, but still no response. I disconnect all other modules, so it shouldn’t be power problem.
any help is appreciated ! thank you in advance.
Genius doesn’t use DFU bootloader. That’s only present on OWL1 and AC/DC (and other upcoming hardware based on Xibeca board).
When you’re in bootloader mode, there’s a MIDI interface called “OWL-BOOT”. If it doesn’t appear, it could be that current firmware build has broken something related to USB. I can’t confirm this on Genius, but it seemed to happen to me with the same release for AC/DC. So that’s very likely.
You could try to force bootloader mode is press button 1 while device is booting. This should prevent the firmware from loading and then you can try flashing again or restore previous firmware that worked.
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thank you so much for your support.
in my case, booting with button 1 doesn’t work. it seems pc doesn’t recognize Genius by USB anymore. so probably firmware broken.
i’ll report here if anything change !
You’re correct that the problem with no USB device is related by firmware. But button 1 press is checked by bootloader before firmware runs. I think I’ve used that to force bootloader on Genius in the past, but can’t confirm at the moment as I’m away from all hardware until the end of the month.
I’m not sure if the failing USB in firmware causes some problems for Windows or you could be preventing the reboot by powering module via USB cable. So maybe something like this should be done:
- unplug USB cable
- press button 1
- reboot module
- wait a few seconds
- plug USB cable
Or try rebooting PC before step 5 here just to be sure that OWL MIDI device is the first thing it sees.
thanks a lot again for your kind suggestion.
unfortunately Genius doesn’t wake up in any try. probably i should contact Rebel Technology.
Sure, you can write to info at rebeltech dot org. Martin is not actively working on eurorack stuff at the moment, but hopefully he can find a way to resolve this. In worst case, I’ll be traveling to Japan this July and can take a programmer with adapter for flashing Genius.