In the EROS architecture, all processors have a bootloader pre-installed, which means they can all be easily upgraded by the customers.

Seed Robotics policy is that of continuous improvement and, for that reason, we may release firmware upgrades from time to time, either to address potential issues or to add new features.

Firmware upgrades are free of charge and all customers are entitled to them during the support cycle of their products.

If you are using Main Board firmware version 23 or older (which introduced support for BULK_READ and SYNC_WRITE enabling compatibility with major frameworks), we recommend that you check the firmware version of each of the Internal actuators after you update the main board firmware.

If any of your Internal Actuators is running a version older than 20, we strongly recommend updating them too. Updating the firmware on the Internal actuators is a separate procedure and you can find instructions on how to that on a dedicated page. The present document covers the Mainboard firmware only.

The latest firmware version for the EROS Architecture can be obtained by contacting support@seedrobotics.com

The Release notes with Full Changelog are available here: EROS firmware Changelog
You may want to read this file before upgrading your firmware.

Older firmware versions are archived under http://storage.seedrobotics.com/firmware_eros/. Downgrading (installing an older version) is strongly discouraged. If you are considering downgrading, please check with our Support team (support@seedrobotics.com) before attempting it.

Pre Requisites

In order to upgrade the firmware of your unit you will need:

• A USB micro-B cable to connect to the unit's USB port
• The firmware loader tool from the TyQT. TyQT is available pre compiled for Windows and Mac; for Linux, download the file with the source code, and refer to the included README file for instructions on how to compile it.
• If you are using a Windows version earlier than Windows 10, you need to install the necessary Virtual COMM Port drivers; If you are using Linux you need to add udev rules. Check the USB Connection set-up instructions, where you will find the details on how to setup the device drivers for the USB connection, necessary to perform the upgrade procedure.

Upgrading

1. Download the Firmware file
2. Open TyQT
3. Remove the small cover located on the side of your unit, near the back. RH4D units have a snap-in cover; for RH8D, RH7D, RH5D and RH2D units you need to remove a small bolt on the side to remove the cover.
4. Connect the USB cable to the hand and to your Computer
5. Wait for the board's processor to show up on the TyQT list. (it should show up as “Teensy”)
6. Click the “Actions” menu and select “Upload New Firmware”.
7. Select the firmware file to Upload and click Open

The Firmware installation procedure begins: the Teensy icon in the TyQT window turns orange and you will see a progress bar in the TyQT window. Once the upload is complete the icon turns Black again and the unit reboots automatically. Congratulations! You have upgraded your firmware.

Confirming the new version is running correctly

If you wish to confirm the new version is running correctly you have two options:
(1) Open a Console Terminal and enter the about command. The first lines should show you the firmware version.
(2) You can also use the Dynamixel Protocol or STP Protocol and read the memory position 2 on the control table of of the main board. This will return the running firmware version. (3) You may also use a GUI Tool such a the Robotis Dynamixel Wizard or the herborist (pypot) tool to check the installed firmware version.

• If you select the wrong firmware file for your model, you will most likely experience a symptom where communication through the main interface (the connector at the back of the hand) does not return any reply. If this is the case, you can go back and re-install the correct firmware for your unit.

Using TyQT, the firmware update procedure is quite stable and has had a 100% success rate in all our tests.

However if you do run into an issue not covered here, or would simply like some additional guidance, please get in touch with our Technical Support (support@seedrobotics.com) and we'll be happy to assist you.