Updating a Studio Engine flash card from Type 1 to Type 2

[clarknovak]

Hello Axians,

As you may be aware, we have updated the hardware base of our Studio Engine a couple of times.

The legacy format is what we call a "Type 1" firmware platform, originally using Intel/P4 or ASUS/Core Solo hardware, from introduction until approximately till the end of 2008.

At that time, we introduced the "Type 2" firmware platform, which uses Advantech/Core Duo hardware; this has been shipping around the beginning of 2009.

Beginning with Studio Engine software Version 2.5, it is necessary for "Type 1" units to be converted to the "Type 2" firmware platform so that software releases can be standardized. The good news is that no hardware changes are required - just a software replacement.

Specifically, the change from Type 1 to Type 2 is accomplished by rewriting the unit's onboard CompactFlash memory. This is not hard to do in the field, but the operation does erase all user configurations, so a backup of your config must be made and restored after the conversion is done.

Since an improved backup file format is in use on the "Type 2" platform, the old Type 1 configuration backup files cannot be used directly - but we have made a conversion tool to transfer your old settings to the new format.

The rest of this post will describe how to convert your backup configuration and install the Type 2 CF image on your Studio Engine.

First, start by downloading the converting tool at this link:
ftp://beta.zephyr.com/pub/Axia/Updates/ ... _Type2.zip

To convert your backup to Type 2, the procedure is as follows:

• 1. Unzip "convert_cfg.zip" - a directory called "convert_cfg" will be created.

• 2. Copy the Type 1configuration backup file that needs to be converted into the "convert_cfg" directory. Let's say it's named "Axia_Engine_Config-20_Jul_2010_11-33.zip"

• 3. Execute the converter script "convert_cfg.bat" with the Type 1 configuration backup file name as a parameter.

  Code: Select all

  Command line: convert_cfg.bat Axia_Engine_Config-20_Jul_2010_11-33.zip

A new configuration backup file will be created in the new format, and a prefix "converted_" will be automatically added to the output file name, i.e.:

Code: Select all

converted_Axia_Engine_Config-20_Jul_2010_11-33.zip

Now that you've converted your configuration data, you'll use the AWRITE tool "rewrite" the CF image on your Engine. This tool is found in the following ZIP file: http://axiaaudio.com/manuals/files/Elem ... hCards.zip .

Depending on the hardware version you have, you will select one of the upgrades below:

• Intel / Pentium 4: download ftp://beta.zephyr.com/pub/Axia/Updates/ ... lP4.img.gz
  ASUS / T1300, T2500: download ftp://beta.zephyr.com/pub/Axia/Updates/ ... N4L.img.gz

Use the AWRITE utility to write the Type 2 CF image to your flash card (we recommend procuring a new one and setting your old one aside), then install it in the Studio Engine and boot the unit. From this point, you can push your "converted" backup file and recover your configuration settings.

All future software upgrades to the Engine will be accomplished using the normal Web interface.

[clarknovak]

Support notifies me that if the front panel on your Studio Engine is running firmware version 1.02 or older, you cannot perform the Type 2 upgrade in the field.

To determine if the front panel has this firmware, on boot, the flash screen will show either the Telos logo or text such as "PC Audio Engine". If this is the case with your hardware, please contact Support@AxiaAudio.com to have us update your unit for you.

[Jon]

Is there a means of identifying the hardware in use without popping the engines open?

Clarifying the question: The desginations in the the hardware section of the engine. Pentium 4 is obviously the Intel board. Assuming the other designation to look for is Core Solo?

Thanks

[clarknovak]

Jon, thanks for asking.

In the Installation notes, posted at http://www.axiaaudio.com/downloads/file ... 2.5.4a.pdf , the ID procedure is:

Type 1 Studio Mix Engine
- Shipped until approximately January 2009
- Incorporates Intel or ASUS mainboard
- Uses 256MB compact flash card
- Originally shipped with 2.4.8 or lower software

Type 2 Studio Mix Engine
- Shipped after approximately January 2009
- Incorporates support for AIMB, ASUS and Advantech mainboards, identified in Engine System web page as “Core Duo”
- Uses 1 GB compact flash card
- Originally shipped with 2.4.9 software (or later)

I'll query our peeps in Manufacturing and see if they can supply me with a range of serial numbers, but until then, this method should do the trick.

[Andrew_KOOP]

If we decide to use a new CF card are there any particular specs that it needs?

Thanks,

[AXIA_milos]

Silicon sd4100 is a 1GB Compact Flash card. Contact Support at AxiaAudio.com for assistance in acquiring cards.

[nickditlov]

Yesterday I have performed the procedures according to the first post here. All worked out fine, both the conversion utility and awrite program. Just want to add here 2 notes.

1. My demo Engine, purchased in the fall 2008, is running on ASUS N4 motherboard but on the System web page of Engine it shows "Core Duo T2500", rather than Core Solo. Anyway the image for ASUSN4L worked fine for me.
2. AWRITE is running on Windows 7 only when launched in compatibility mode with XPSP3. And the procedure of writing image to CF is very sloooooow - took me about 1 hour (forgot to mention that I have used 2GB card, could not find 1 GB).

Next week I am at the facility which runs 7 Element/MixEngine studios, so I think this could be time consuming. Tried to write CF on my Linux Ubuntu lap top with "dd if=<image file> of=/dev/sdc" command and it took approx 20 minutes for one card. Much better in my situation. But of course you should keep unzipped image of the CF card on board.

[nickditlov]

I have just updated 7 MixEngines (night work). The only problem with the procedure is that four of the seven Engines failed to load converted configurations at once. Sometimes you need to do it twice, at one of the Engines I have repeated restore procedure 5 times until it was successful. I used Mozilla Firefox first, then it was Google Chromium (on my Ubuntu laptop), but that did not help. Anyway, the result was successful.

[clarknovak]

Thanks for the update, Nick. Sorry the process was not smoother, but this is something that only needs to be done once.

[nickditlov]

Clark, that's no problem. But I think it is good to know about that little issue before... Just to know that such things could happen and not to get nervous thinking that you are doing something in a wrong way. Everything went fine in the end and everybody is happy!

[edhartley]

That link for the "convert_cfg.zip" gave me an empty (0kb) .zip file. Is there another place I can get it?

[AXIA_milos]

ftp server is currently down and is being rebuilt with new hardware. A temporary server has been established for the duration of the outage:

ftp://beta.zephyr.com/~tlscorp/pub/Axia ... _Type2.zip

[CorneyGWB]

When I try to download the converting tool it either gives me an error or downloads as a 0kb file.
I have tried IE and FF on two different computers.
I also tried to get to the FTP site with Filezilla and all it gave me was an empty folder directory.

Please help!

thanks

[AXIA_milos]

ENGINE 2.5-SERIES
ftp://beta.zephyr.com/~tlscorp/pub/Axia ... _Type2.zip

OR

ENGINE 2.6-SERIES
ftp://beta.zephyr.com/~tlscorp/pub/Axia ... _Type2.zip