Updating Firmware
Alcorn McBride Inc. regularly releases new firmware and software updates for our products. These updates include new features, improvements, and bug fixes.
If it ain't broke, don't fix it.
If your product is installed and working without any issues, we recommend that you do not update your software/firmware.
Updating Firmware
This guide is for products programmed with WinScript Live - RidePlayer, RidePlayerX, BinloopX, V4X, and V16X. For other products, firmware update instructions are included in the release notes.
Using WinScript Live
WinScript Live is the primary method of updating firmware on your device. To do so, open WinScript Live and click on the Connect button in the toolbar to open the Connection Manager. You'll see all the devices visible on your network, and the current firmware versions. Select the device that you'd like to update, and click on the "Update" button in the bottom right panel of the connection manager.
For BinloopX, this process will update all of the modules in your BinloopX to the same firmware version.
Using an SD Card
If power is lost during a firmware update, your device can get into a state where it can't be updated from WinScript Live. In this case, you can download the firmware files directly from our website, https://alcorn.com/support/firmware/.
Unzip the downloaded archive file. Inside, you'll find ".NEW" files. You can place the .NEW file directly on the SD card of your device and power cycle, and the firmware update will begin. After the update is complete, the file will be renamed to OS.SAV and can be optionally removed from the SD card.
For BinloopX, when updating from an SD card, you must complete this process for each of the modules in the BinloopX - each has it's own MicroSD card slot.
Version Numbers
WinScript Live and the bundled firmware follow a "Major.Minor.Patch" versioning scheme. This translates to the following:
Major - If the major version changes, you should expect major compatibility differences with older firmware and software. You should always match the major version between your version of WinScript Live, and the firmware of any Alcorn McBride devices that you are using. Major version changes happen rarely.
Minor - If the minor version changes, there are likely new features or changes that require the firmware and WinScript Live version to match in order to work properly. We recommend that you match the minor versions between WinScript Live and your devices, but it's not always necessary. If you have a situation where you'd like to mix minor version, you can always email [email protected] and we can advise you on any potential issues.
Patch - The 'Patch' version changes when we make a bug-fix, but compatibility isn't affected. You can safely mix firmware and software versions that have matching "Major" and "Minor" version, but differ in patch version. BUT, of course, you're missing out on a potential bug fix if you stay on an older version.
Let's look a few examples:
WinScript Live v5.11.0 and V16X firmware v6.10.0
In this case, the Major versions differ. Large changes have been made between these versions that likely break compatibility. In this case, you should either update the V16X firmware to v5.11.0, or update WinScript Live to v6.10.0.
WinScript Live v6.11.0 and V16X firmware v6.11.1
Only the patch version differs. You shouldn't expect any compatibility issues, though you might be missing out on a bug-fix with the slightly older WinScript Live version.
WinScript Live v5.8.0 and V16X firmware v5.9.0
The Minor version differs. This might work fine, or we might have added a great new feature in v5.9.0, and WinScript Live v5.8.0 doesn't have the ability to configure it. The safest thing to do here is update WinScript Live to v5.9.0 and breathe easy. If something is preventing you from doing so, take a look at the release notes to see what changed.
Release Notes
Release notes are available from the firmware and software download pages on our website by clicking on the icon circled below.
