TOPIC:

I've submitted a support ticket, but wanted to get this on the forum in case I'm missing something simpleMy Mini DSP Flex Balanced will not connect properly to the Mini DSP Device Console 1.1.6 and the LCD screen does not work.  I believe I have a corrupt firmware on the unit, but cannot fix and overwrite it.

I’ve tried to trouble shoot doing all steps below on both a Windows 11 and Windows 10Pro computer.

The first odd part is the unit is recognized by the Mini DSP software has a 2x4 HD, not a Flex unit.  Screen shot attached.

When I connect to the unit, it notifies me I need a firmware update to version 1.5.  If I proceed, the software will install the firmware and the unit will reboot.  Once I reconnect, I get prompted that I still need to update the firmware to version 1.5 and end up in loop.If I choose to “Decide Later”, the software tells me I need to recover the firmware and initiate to defaults.  I’ll run through the steps and end up in the same loop and the unit will not get fixed nor fully connect to the software to access the options to refresh XMOS or Firmware.  I only end up in the loop of being notified I need to recover firmware and the unit reconnects, and I repeat.

I’ve also tried updating the firmware through the Firmware upgrade tool.  The unit is recognized, but fails on firmware update (see attached screenshot) with error code 0xEE000003

I’ve uninstalled and reinstalled all software and the USB driver is up to date.  Firewall is Off in Windows

Please note the screen of the Flex is typically black, with the red power LED lit.  Sometimes on a reboot, I get a scrambled look on the screen (see screenshot)

Any advice or tips would be greatly appreciated, hoping the unit is not “bricked”
Thank you!

Some further information..  Looks like the culprit could be that I cannot update the XMOS firmware.  It's at 1.5 and will not allow me to flash to 1.59.  Is there a way to do this through a terminal such as Putty?

Hi skrzyj, I have the exact same issue with mine, it happened while the console tried to upgrade it to 1.5, it recognize it as 2x4HD now and not flex and can't upgrade the firmware through DFU tool anymore, also the display went off. 
Did you fixed yours ? and if so how ? I also submitted a ticket and still waiting for a respond.
 

The Dev team got back to me pretty quickly.  There was nothing remotely they could assist with, so I had to ship the unit back to Hong Kong.  I haven't heard if they've had any success in reflashing the unit, but they've only had it a few days since it took awhile to get there.  Since this happened to you as well, there must be a bug in their software that allows the Flex units to get flashed with 2x4HD firmware.  I'm not sure how that can occur because there should be a check to verify the firmware being loaded is for the specific hardware.  It's like loading Windows onto a Mac by accident..  Anyways, once the incorrect firmware is loaded, the unit is basically bricked and has to be sent in for repair.  

It would be great if the devteam could officially respond to all Flex owners hat there may be the "possibility" of a failure under similar installation procedures as your own.
I can understand the marketing dangers when a product has a simple but tragic outcome but I believe customers and prospective customers would honour the integrity of a company that is always truthful, honest and does it best to support the product when these thing occur.

These wonderful products have enabled us at a very reasonable cost to get cost effective performance out of our audio systems.
Just providing room compensation PEQ has reveled the speaker designers good work.

Hope you both get your units back quikly in working order and a fix is found.

I just received an update that the dev team was able to install the proper firmware. They also fixed a scratch on my display as a courtesy that was my fault for not packaging the product well when I shipped it to Hong Kong. 

The Dev team was great and quick to respond for me. Hopefully the possible firmware installation issue is fixed in a future software update. 

Yeah I got the same response from them, that it s not something that they can fix remotely and I need to ship the Flex back! They assume that I uploaded the wrong file but it was done through their console, I have both HD and Flex products and I m sure something got mixed up there, I appreciate the customer service but it is gonna cost me more than half of the price of a Flex to ship it back to Hong Kong! and that is if I don't have to pay for return too which would cost more than just buying a new one ! This is just not right that something this disastrous can happen this easily! I used to work as IT and it wasn't my first time upgrading a firmware, never had such issue.

Glad you got yours fixed tho @skrzyj

I had the same concern when I realized it was shipping back to Hong Kong, but it didn't end up being too bad.

I'm not sure where you are located, but I'm in the states, and USPS was the cheapest at around $50 to ship.  UPS, Fedex etc all wanted around $200.

Also, it doesn't look like they are charging me return shipping.

Good luck!

Yeah I'm in Austin, I was looking at DHL and UPS, gonna check USPS, thank you!

That's great service from an overseas vendor.
I will be mentioning this fact when discussions around service from overseas manufacturers are mentioned.
It re-assures me that Minidsp are proactive in servicing their products where there are no local distributors.
I will be purchasing another 2X4HD and looking at a Flex that has more inputs to purchase in the future.

Wanted to report the latest.  Mini DSP shipped the unit back via DHL (at no cost to me) and it only took 2 days to get delivered!  They also replaced the front face that was damaged during shipping (my fault) at no charge to me.  The unit is working great and is back in place controlling my dual Fathom 212v2s and they sound fantastic.  Thank you to the Mini DSP team for the great service and turn around time!  Much appreciated! 

Good luck to everyone who ran into the same issue as me, but rest assured you'll be back up and running in no time.