Updating IGC100 Firmware

QUICK START

The IGC Update program will prompt you through the entire update
process.  The details in the rest of this document are primarily
for troubleshooting.  To begin the process:

1)  Remove your IGC100 from your vacuum system and place it close
        to the PC you will use to update the firmware.
2)  Attach one end of the RS232 cable that came with your instrument
        to a free COM port on the PC and the other end to the IGC100.
3)  CLOSE ALL OPEN WINDOWS ON YOUR PC - No other program should be
        running while IGC Update is running.
4)  Run IGC Update

PLEASE NOTE: You may have to re-size the IGC Update window or drag
                it into the center of your screen.

Overview

The IGC Update program will:

1) Save your calibration and most of your settings
2) Put new firmware on the IGC100
3) Restore the calibration and most of your settings

The update program will prompt you through the entire process.  This
document is provided in case you run into trouble and need more details.

Before updating your IGC100 firmware, the update program must store
information about your instrument.  This information includes the
calibration of the instrument and the instrument's settings.  These data are
taken from the instrument via the RS232 interface.  Once the calibration and
instrument's state are stored in files on your computer, the new firmware is
sent.  Once the new firmware is burned into the flash memory of the
IGC100, then the calibration is sent to the instrument.  The instrument must
be restarted in order to force the IGC100 to use the calibration data.  Once
this is accomplished, the last step is to restore the instrument's state.

Preparation

Before you begin, remember that the IGC100 is completely non-functional
during a firmware update.  No pressure readings, process control or any
other functions are possible during the update.  It is best if you completely
remove the IGC100 from your vacuum system and place it next to the PC
you plan to use to perform the update.  If this is impossible, you may wish
to have a helper stay at the instrument and have that person follow your
instructions while you run the update program.

Before running the program, you may find it helpful to practice getting the
IGC100 into a state in which it can accept new firmware.  Attach a power
line cord to the instrument and press the red power button to boot the
instrument.  Next, press the red button to turn the instrument off.  The
display should be dark, but the LINE indicator should still be lit.  Press and
HOLD the black keys labeled IG1 and DEGAS.  While continuing to hold
these keys with one hand, press and release the power button once with
your other hand.  If you are successful, the display will remain dark and the
LED (light emitting diode) assigned to channel 1 of the process control
group will illuminate.  If you weren't successful, you probably just restarted
the instrument.  In either case, start over by pressing the red POWER
button, and the instrument will re-start normally.  Practice this a few times
so you feel comfortable with the procedure.

Once you are comfortable with getting the IGC100 ready to accept new
code, reboot the instrument.  From the "Pressure" display, touch the Menu
button to get to the "Main" display.  Then touch the "Remote" button,
followed by the "RS232" button.  You should now be in a display labeled
"Main/Remote/RS232".  Verify the following:
Baud rate	= 115200
Parity 		= None
Word length	= 8
Flow Control	= Hardware

Attach one end of the RS232 cable that came with the IGC100 to the
instrument and the other end to a COM (serial) port on your PC.  Make sure
that no program or hardware is using this serial port.

You are now ready to begin the update; run the IgcUpdate.exe from your PC.

Data Storage

You will follow some prompts from the IGC Update program verifying that
you do indeed wish to replace your current version of firmware with the
version contained within the IGC Update program.  Then the program will
store the calibration data from the instrument in a file on your computer's
hard drive.  This file is labeled "igc-cal.txt" and will show up in the same
directory that the IGC Update program resides in.  Once the calibration is
stored, the update program will query the IGC100 settings one by one and
store them in another file.  These system settings (also called the
instrument's state) are stored in a file labeled "igc-ste.txt".  Once these
files are stored, the program is ready to send new firmware.

Sending New Firmware

The IGC Update program will now prompt you to place the instrument into
the state in which it can accept new code.  Just as you practiced in the
"preparation" section of this document, press and hold the black keys
labeled IG1 and DEGAS with one hand.  Then, while holding these keys
down, press the red POWER button once.  The update program will
instantly recognize that the instrument is ready for new code, and will begin
sending the firmware over the RS232 line.  While this is happening, the
green POWER indicator light will flash and the green indicator for channel
one of process control will light.  The new firmware is broken into eight
checksummed  pieces.  Once the first piece is sent, the POWER indicator
will stay steady for a moment.  If the checksum is correct, the IGC100 asks
the update program for the next piece and the POWER indicator begins
flashing again.  To indicate the progress, the indicator for channel 1 goes
out and channel 2 lights up.  Things continue this way until the 8th piece is
sent and the indicator for channel 8 is illuminated.  Once the checksum for
this last file is verified, the instrument boots up using the new firmware.

Restoring the Calibration

Your instrument is running the new firmware, but it is using a default
calibration.  The calibration data specific to your instrument must be sent
and stored in the instrument.  The IGC Update program recognizes that the
new firmware has been successfully loaded and then sends the calibration
data.  In order to force the instrument to use the calibration data, the
instrument must be restarted.  The IGC Update program will turn the
instrument off for you, and the display will go dark.  Simply press the red
POWER button to reboot the instrument and use the correct calibration
data.  The instrument will beep a few times and let you know that "the
instrument lost settings while the power was off".  This is normal and is the
result of invalidating the battery-backed up random access memory in order
to force the instrument to load the calibration data from flash memory.
Now that the calibration is restored, the final step is restoring your
instrument's settings.

Restoring the Settings

The IGC Update program will automatically send the data stored in the
"igc-ste.txt" file to your instrument once the IGC reboots and uses the
calibration data.  This data covers the vast majority of user settings.  You
will notice that the labels for gauges and process control channels are in all
upper case.  RS232 traffic to the IGC100 is not case sensitive and all data
becomes upper case.

Congratulations on updating your firmware.  If you encounter problems,
contact Stanford Research Systems at (408)-744-9040 between 9AM and 5
PM pacific standard time.
