Being Firm About Firmware

I had a couple of calls this week about firmware issues. A couple of customers complained that their HMI's displayed a Firmware error window after download.
No surprise, as this was after they installed the new EB8000 V4.33.
The firmware error screen can appear anytime a new EB8000 version is released. This is because the firmware in the HMI is not able to handle some of the new features in the newer software.
The solution to this problem is easy. Just click the Firmware check box in the Download dialog.




You might have noticed the note just below it to remind users to do this. In reality, most of us just click through the download without thinking, because the software is just that easy! Even I have fallen prey to the forgotten firmware update! But I recognize the problem and realize what I forgot to do. A second download with the firmware box checked always solves the problem.
After the firmware is updated the check box can be disabled which speeds the download process.

While I am on this topic, just a note about the Font files check box. If you are downloading the same project after a brief edit, the Font files check box does not need to be enabled. However, if you added a new font type in your project be sure to have it checked for your first download. If you leave it unchecked and the HMI cannot find your font, it uses its own default font. This leads to text that is too large, small, or off-center.
Note: Font files for downloading can be found in the "...\EB8000\font" folder. Be sure this folder is in the EB8000 folder and is not write protected by Windows.