Text preview for : Model 6487 Firmware Upgrade Notice vA06.txt part of Keithley Model 6487 Firmware Upgrade Notice vA06 Keithley 6487 fw A08 Model 6487 Firmware Upgrade Notice vA06.txt
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Firmware Upgrade Procedure for Instruments with Flashable Program Memory
Introduction
Firmware upgrades may be needed to correct bugs, implement enhancements,
or for compatibility with instrument drivers or accessory programs like
ExceLINX. Consult the documentation for your product to see what firmware
version is required for the functions/modules you intend to use, then
follow the steps below to upgrade if desired.
Step 1. Determine the firmware revision of your instrument
The firmware revision is briefly displayed during the power-on
sequence of the instrument. When the instrument's power is
turned on, all display annunciators will be illuminated for a
short period. Then the firmware revision is displayed briefly
as follows:
mmmm: yyy (zzz)
where:
mmmm is the product model number
yyy is the firmware revision (e.g. A01) of the product
zzz, if present, represents display processor firmware
To determine the firmware revision via remote control, use
the *IDN? query command. After sending the *IDN? command and
addressing the instrument to talk, the following response is
sent to the computer:
KEITHLEY INSTRUMENTS INC., MODEL mmmm, xxxxxxx, yyy/zzz
Where: mmmm is the product model number, xxxxxxx is the serial
number, yyy is the firmware revision, and zzz is the display
firmware revision.
Step 2. Determine next action
Based on the firmware revision of your Model mmmm, choose the
appropriate course of action:
Review the product documentation or special firmware
file ("FW_27xx.txt" for 2700/2701/2750/2790, "FW_64xx.txt"
for 6485/6487/6514) to determine the firmware level
required to use the Instrument Driver, ExceLINX software
or (in case of 27xx) the switch modules being used.
Compare the required firmware version to the version
presently in the instrument (as determined by step one.)
If the installed firmware revision is the same as required
or higher*, no update is needed. Otherwise, proceed to step
3 to perform the upgrade.
* What is a higher firmware?
Keithley's firmware numbering convention is a letter followed
by two numbers, eg A03. The letter represents a major
revision, typically due to a hardware change. Within each
letter, releases are numbered sequentially, so A06 is higher
than A05. However, the numbering restarts at 01 if a letter
change occurs, so B01 is higher than A02
If the new firmware has a different letter than the currently
installed firmware, the new file is probably not compatible with
your instrument's hardware. DO NOT attempt to install the new
firmware -- call a Keithley applications engineer to discuss
possibilities for upgrading your unit.
Step 3. Upgrade firmware
Please read first:
- Have only one instrument attached at the time of flashing.
The PC will scan to find the address of the unit to program,
but having additional instruments connected will cause the flash
operation to fail.
- If an attempt is made to install a firmware file for a
different instrument (i.e., install 6487 firmware into a 2750),
the flash operation will give an error message. No harm is done
to the attached unit.
- In most cases, instrument calibration is not affected by
upgrading firmware. Exceptions will be noted clearly in the
documentation accompanying the flash program files.
- In units which support both DDC and SCPI commands, such as
6485/6487/6514, select SCPI mode. Flash operations use SCPI!
To perform the firmware upgrade, a personal computer connected
to your instrument is required. The PC must be at least Pentium
class running Windows 98 or later.
The firmware can be installed via the IEEE-488 bus or
the RS-232 interface:
IEEE-488 Bus - If using the IEEE488 bus, a Keithley, CEC, or
National Instruments IEEE-488.2 interface board must be
installed in the PC. Use an IEEE488.2 cable to connect the
interface board to the instrument.
RS-232 interface - If using the RS-232 port, use an RS-232C
cable to connect the communications port to the instrument.
When using RS-232 interface, the RS-232 cable must be a
straight-through cable, not a null modem cable.
Perform the following steps:
Download the "mmmm yyy Firmware upgrade.exe" file from
the Keithley Web site, www.keithley.com to a temporary
directory on your PC.
From Windows, click Start>>Run>>Browse.
From the dialog box, navigate to the temporary
directory and select the "mmmm yyy Firmware upgrade.exe"
file. Click OK or Open. This will unpack the files
required to install the flash upgrade utility.
From Windows, click Start>>Run>>Browse.
From the dialog box, navigate to the temporary
directory and select the Setup.exe file. Click
OK or Open.
Follow all the prompted instructions to install the
upgrade utility.
From Windows, click Start>>Programs>>Keithley
Instruments>>Model mmmm Flash Upgrade yyy, and
follow all prompted instructions.
Known Issues:
When using RS-232 interface, The user may get a timeout error
at 99% (after instrument resets):
"Timeout Error: Error In Programming Model mmmm!".
This error can be safely ignored.
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End of Flash_FW.txt