Saturday, August 8, 2015

Count to five firmware update 0.931 for Rev h,i boards

This is a small update for the firmware that shipped on revision h and i pcbs. If you were part of the May/June preorder you will have a rev j board, and this update is not for you. If you have a unit from before that run, this update is specifically for you as you most certainly have a rev h or i board.

Changes/bug fixes:
  1. Three new quantizations. Original options were not quantized, chromatic and perfect fifths/octaves. The three new options are whole tone scale, diminished triad and augmented triad. 
  2. You no longer have to "tap" to set the quantization in mode 1, you "hold" the soft switch then move the DIR 1 knob. The position of the DIR 1 knob upon release of the soft switch determines the quantization. For most rev i boards, this is similar to the firmware that shipped, but very old boards shipped with the "tap" style firmware. Note that this still only holds in mode 1, but sets the quantization globally (all modes).
  3. When the DIR 1 knob is not quantized, the expression pedal when assigned to DIR 1did not give a full sweep for 10k expression pedals. This is now fixed. (thank you TK for pointing this out).
  4. Mode 3 punch in position has changed. In the original firmware overdubs in mode 3 would always start at the beginning of the recorded sample. This has now been changed. Overdubs will now punch in at the position of the sample that the DIR 1 head is at. 
  5. "Offset" trim pot functionality handled in software. You no longer have to worry about the position of this pot. As a corollary, the calibration mode previously entered by booting the pedal with the soft switch down has been removed from the firmware.
How to update your device:

You will need the following prerequisites:
  1. A windows based computer.
  2. A usb A to usb mini cable
  3. A count to five with a revision h or i pcb. The silkscreen will read "xyz rev h" or "xyz rev i" on the pot side of the pcb in the corner. Please do not use this update on rev j boards since the hardware is slightly different and your unit will not function correctly after updating.
  4. STM Dfuse software available (free) here.
  5. The new firmware release available  here.
  6. A Philips head screwdriver.

Then do the following steps:

  1. Unzip and Install the STM Dfuse software and restart your computer if necessary. 
  2. Locate and load the program "Dfuse Demo (v3.0.4)". It should have the following path by default "Program Files (x86)\STMicroelectronics\
    Software\DfuSe v3.0.4."
  3. Disconnect power from your count to five.
  4. Remove the back plate by removing the 4 screws.
  5. Locate the mini USB jack which is beside the large IDC header close to the bottom of the pedal.
  6. Connect the usb cable to your computer and the pedal.
  7. Apply 9V power to the count to five. The usb cable must already be in place before powering up in order to communicate with the computer. Ie make sure steps 6 and 7 are done in the correct order.
  8. Windows should now detect the device. Allow windows to automatically find the driver online, it may take several minutes the first time you connect the pedal to your computer.
  9. Once the device is properly initialized go back to Dfuse Demo and click on the "Choose" button that is under the "Upgrade or Verify Action" section of the window (lower right). A window opens and you must select the firmware. Locate the firmware you downloaded with the .dfu extension from step 5 of the prerequisite.
  10. Click on the "Upgrade" button just beside the "Choose" button you used in step 9. A warning will come up about how the device is plugged in in dfu mode and it is impossible to know if the file is correct for the device... Click yes to continue anyway. Two things should happen in the progress bar now, first an erase, then an upgrade. Once the upgrade completes, disconnect the USB cable and power, exit Dfuse, then replace the backplate. The unit is now updated.

3 comments:

Roreek said...

Thanks for making this update available Scott.
Are the three new quantizations in addition to the existing 3, or do they replace them?

Scott said...

@Roreek

They are in addition to the original 3. Previously the order when turning the DIR 1 knob from fully CCW to CW was none->chromatic->fifths/octaves. Now it is none->chromatic->whole->diminished->augmented->fifths/octaves.

nic said...

this is cool scott and think I get most of all the updates, except the punch in timing one but I'm sure it'll make more sense when I use it.
but no mac version? :(
I have access to parallels but ...