Some newer SNAP PAC controllers and brains MUST use PAC firmware R9.5g or higher

Applies To:

PAC Firmware for:
SNAP-PAC-S1
SNAP-PAC-S1-FM
SNAP-PAC-S2
SNAP-PAC-R1
SNAP-PAC-R1-FM
SNAP-PAC-R1-B
SNAP-PAC-R2
SNAP-PAC-R2-FM
SNAP-PAC-EB1
SNAP-PAC-EB1-FM
SNAP-PAC-EB2
SNAP-PAC-EB2-FM
SNAP-PAC-SB1
SNAP-PAC-SB2
G4EB2

Versions Affected:

PAC firmware R9.5f and lower

Symptoms:

Some SNAP PAC products have new flash components.

Note: This KB article does not apply to:

Wireless SNAP PAC controllers and brains (-R1-W, -R2-W, -S1-W, -S2-W, EB1-W, EB2-W).
SNAP PAC controllers and brains with a Hardware Revision date before April 2, 2018.
G4EB2 units with Hardware Revision prior to Nov 12, 2018.

To find your device's Hardware Revision date, start PAC Manager, then click Tools > Inspect:

For G4EB2 brains, if the values in the I/O Unit Hardware Revision (Month, Day, Year) fields indicate a date prior to November 12, 2018, then this KB article does not apply to your device.
For all other listed controllers and brains, if the values in the I/O Unit Hardware Revision (Month, Day, Year) fields indicate a date prior to April 2, 2018, then this KB article does not apply to your device.

Starting in April 2018, the SNAP PAC products listed in the Applies To section began to include new flash components. The units are shipped with PAC firmware R9.5g (or higher) and should not be downgraded to a lower firmware version, because PAC firmware versions R9.5f and lower are not compatible with the new flash component.

The newer controllers and brains also ship with a new bootloader (which the new flash component needs):

R6.2c (R-series controllers only)
R6.1c (S-series controllers only)
R1.3b (EB- and SB-series brains only)
R1.2d (G4EB2 brains only)

Does my product have the new flash component?

Only the products listed above have the new flash component—and only if they have a hardware revision date on or after April 2, 2018 (or after November 12, 2018 for the G4EB2), as viewed in PAC Manager. These products will display the words, "Requires firmware R9.5g or newer" on the MAC Address label (affixed to the side of the unit).

If you can't easily view your product's MAC Address label, you can use PAC Manager to check the unit's Hardware Revision fields. Click Tools > Inspect to open the Inspect Opto 22 Device window.

For G4EB2 brains, if the values in the I/O Unit Hardware Revision (Month, Day, Year) fields indicate a date on or after November 12, 2018, your product has the new flash component.
For all other listed controllers and brains, if the values in the I/O Unit Hardware Revision (Month, Day, Year) fields indicate a date on or after April 2, 2018, your product has the new flash component.

You can also use PAC Manager to find out which bootloader your device has:

Click Tools > Inspect to open the Inspect Opto 22 Device window.
The bootloader version is displayed in the Loader Version field.

If your controller or brain has the new flash component, do not install any firmware version lower than R9.5g. Opto 22 also recommends using the newest version of PAC Manager when updating your product's firmware.

What happens if I install firmware R9.5f or lower?

If you use PAC Manager R10.0a or higher to attempt to install firmware R9.5f or lower, a message will be displayed, and PAC Manager will prevent you from installing the firmware.

If you use PAC Manager R9.6c or lower, you'll experience issues such as:
- The unit may take a long time (two minutes or more) to reboot after the firmware downgrade.
- The unit will not store files, strategies, or brain configuration to flash.

To recover, you'll need to use the Failsafe Bootloader Mode to install the PAC firmware R9.5g or higher. For details, see "Replacing Damaged Firmware" in the PAC Manager User's Guide (form 1704).

In addition, if you have an R-series controller, you may also experience these issues:
- The downgrade may fail, with or without a warning message, the host port may stop responding, and your controller may become unresponsive.
  To recover, you'll need to follow the Workaround instructions in KB82101.

Questions?

Contact: Opto 22 Product Support.
Phone: 800-835-6786 or 951-695-3080
Email: support@opto22.com

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