How to Update 828 Mk 2 firmware from 1.00 to 1.01

[drzygote]

I have two 828 MkIIs which are both firmware 1.00. These have caused me many problems over the years, many dropouts and odd behaviours- I use them both with Macs and PCs. I found out from a very helpful person how to update to firmware 1.01 without replacing any eprom chips or suchlike. Im not sure that this will iron out any of your problems, since I know 1.01 owners, hell even 828 Mk3 owners get their fair share of oddness too. But hey, I've torn out out what little hair I have left over these units and will try anything.

(You need to do this on a Mac-if you havent got one, try and borrow one, please also note I do not have the expertise to tell you how to reinstall firmware 1.00 should you wish to do so)

So here is how:

1.Download the below linked file

https://docs.google.com/leaf?id=0B2Z-8L ... ZGNh&hl=en

2.Unzip the folder, it contains two files.

3.Power on 828 MkII with 'cursor' button held down which switches the unit into firmware upgrade mode.

4.Open the Terminal (under Utilities in the Applications folder).

5.Drag the 'DownloadFlash' file into the terminal.

6.Type [-w][space][-f][space] then drag '828Mk2_1.01.bin' file onto terminal.

7.Press enter/return. It takes a minute or so.

8.Power cycle the 828. Bob's your uncle.

Below is what my terminal screen looked like at the end of the process:

joe-bloggs-MacBook-Pro:~ drzygote$ /Users/drzygote/Desktop/\ 828\ ROM\ v1.01/DownloadFlash -w -f /Users/drzygote/Desktop/\ 828\ ROM\ v1.01/828Mk2_1.01.bin
Comparing...
Didn't match at address 0000 (90982E02 != 90A22E02)
Writing 16384 quadlets...
Verifying...
Done.
joe-bloggs-MacBook-Pro:~ drzygote$

I hope this is helpful. I've yet to see if it has solved my problems because most of them are intermittant, but I hope it helps someone.

Peace

Dr Zygote

[nick danger]

My mkII has generally worked well, so I don't see any immediate need for an upgrade. But are there advantages to upgrading other than more stable performance?

[muranyia]

My 828 mkII does very nasty things so i'm definitely interested in a firmware upgrade. Is the file that you posted for a USB or a FireWire model? (Does it matter?)

Also, i'd be interested in downloading my existing firmware first, and eventually, downloading a newer one (1.05?) from someone's unit. Does something like 'DownloadFlash' exist? If so, can you post it please?

(Bottom line: this MOTU is a nightmare...!)

[Pappy725]

When did MOTU post this update? I've never seen anything about a firmware update for the 828mkII. Truly bizarre.

Pappy

[nick danger]

I don't know this for a fact, but my understanding is that the firmware update for the 828mkII has never been offered for download by MOTU. At some point, firmware was updated, but was factory installed.

If I'm wrong, someone please correct me. And I'd still be interested in hearing an answer to my question posed above-- is there any advantage to doing this firmware update? Any disadvantage?

[Pappy725]

My 828mkII works great still, it's just that since I got my MBP, it isn't recognized by MOTU Audio Setup. My 8Pre is so I can still record and get work done, I would just like to have the 828 first in the FW chain and the 8Pre lightpiped into the 828, the way I was using it with my PowerBook 1GHz. I guess I'm going to have to spring for an Express card that has a FW 400 bus on it. I wonder why MOTU never released this for the 828?

Pappy

+1 on the advantages or disadvantages.

[Pappy725]

Well, I gave it a try today, but since my MBP doesn't see my 828mk2, when I hit enter Terminal said it couldn't find a device in firmware upgrade mode. Oh well, back to the drawing board.


Pappy

[nick danger]

Do you think it's your 828mkII or the MBP that's the problem? Maybe if you could do the firmware update on the 828 on a different computer that could see it, your MBP could thereafter see it.

[Pappy725]

I'm not sure which one it is. RIght after I got the MBP and discovered the problem I took it to the Apple store in San Antonio and spent 2 1/2 hours with a genuis, even got MOTU tech support on the phone twice. It only saw the 828 once. Next I'm gonna try an Express card with a FW400 slot on it and see if that works.

Pappy

[wonder]

I'm on Snow Leopard and the terminal said I needed to install ROSETTA to run DOWNLOAD FLASH.

Any workarounds?

[mikehalloran]

I'm on Snow Leopard and the terminal said I needed to install ROSETTA to run DOWNLOAD FLASH.

Any workarounds?

Install Rosetta. It is on the Snow Leopard DVD and can be downloaded.

The 1.01 patch must be a PPC app instead of Universal Binary. Which makes sense as old as it must be. My 828mkII is probably 5 or 6 years old and has v1.01.

Rosetta is the only way that PowerPC applications can run over 10.6.x.

[Pappy725]

Mike, did your 828 come with v1.01? I guess mine is probably 8 years old. I don't have Rosetta installed and I didn't see that message, of course Terminal didn't see the 828 so the updater couldn't run.

Pappy

[Jez_Wright]

Any ideas how I can go about doing this in 2021 on Catalina? I tried to run the update in terminal but got "bad cpu type in executable". Probably cos it's a 32 bit exec file... Would something like Crossover work here or do I need to access a mac running Mojave?

[mothra]

32 bit or not, its not for Intel, its for PowerPC CPUs. Crossover only runs Windows applications in a Wine wrapper.

[Jez_Wright]

Ahhh right I get you. So basically need a Mac pre-2006 to run the file... Is there any way to do a firmware upgrade with a modern day mac?