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Firmware Reset

This page installs the latest firmware and web interface on a regulator over USB, directly from Chrome or Edge browser.

Use it to:

  • recover a unit that no longer responds or failed partway through an update — including one whose low-level startup components are damaged (the installer rewrites those too),
  • put a known-good current release on a unit regardless of what state it is in,
  • bring the built-in recovery firmware copy up to date. Normal over-the-air updates replace only the running firmware; this installer also refreshes the separate recovery ("Factory Golden") copy the regulator falls back to if the main copy is ever damaged.

What is kept, what is replaced

Replaced: the firmware (both the running copy and the recovery copy), the low-level startup components, and the web interface files.

Kept: everything you have put into the regulator — all settings, calibration, commissioning results, logged history, WiFi credentials, and the link to your cloud account. After the reinstall the regulator starts up exactly as it was, just on current firmware.

One important choice during the install: the installer may ask whether to erase the device. Decline — do not erase. Declining is what keeps everything listed above. Erasing wipes all settings and the regulator's link to your cloud account, and restoring that link requires contacting support — it is not something you can redo yourself.

If you also want a clean-slate settings reset, do that after the reinstall, from inside the app: Setup → System → Security & Maintenance → Erase All Memory → Restore Defaults. That erases settings, WiFi credentials, and calibration while deliberately preserving your cloud account link — see Cloud Account Management.

What you need

  • A laptop or desktop running Chrome or Edge. Safari and Firefox do not support browser access to USB serial ports, and phones and tablets cannot do this at all.
  • A USB-C data cable. Some charge-only cables look identical but carry no data — if no device ever shows up in step 4 below, the cable is the first suspect.

Procedure

  1. Engine off. Unplug everything from the regulator (all plugs).
  2. Connect the USB-C cable between the computer and the regulator.
  3. Click Reinstall Firmware below.
  4. Your browser opens a small popup listing serial ports. Select the regulator — on Windows it appears as "USB JTAG/serial debug unit", on macOS as "cu.usbmodem…" — and click Connect.
  5. The installer connects, shows what it is about to do, and asks you to confirm. If it asks whether to erase the device, decline (see above — erasing loses your settings and cloud link). It then writes and verifies the new firmware with a progress bar. This takes a few minutes. Do not unplug the cable while it runs.
  6. When it reports success, the regulator restarts on the new firmware and reconnects to your WiFi on its own. No reconfiguration is needed.

Unplug everything except the USB cable tethered to the computer

Unplug everything except the USB cable tethered to the computer.

The regulator reports its running firmware version to the cloud every time it boots, so your cloud dashboard reflects the new version automatically the next time the regulator is online — there is nothing to confirm manually.

This browser cannot access USB serial ports — use Chrome or Edge on a laptop or desktop. This page must be loaded over HTTPS for USB access to work.

Troubleshooting

Nothing in the port list. Swap in a known data-capable USB-C cable, try a different USB port, and unplug/replug. Close anything else that might be holding the Serial port open (the Arduino IDE's serial monitor is the usual culprit), then click the button again.

The install fails partway through. Unplug the cable, plug it back in, and run the same button again. An interrupted install is always recoverable: the regulator's USB install channel is built into the chip itself and works no matter what state the firmware is in, so retrying the button always gets a clean second attempt.

The browser crashes right as the install finishes (Mac). A known Chrome/Edge bug on macOS, triggered when the regulator restarts at the end and its USB port disappears. By the time the progress bar reaches 100% the new firmware is already fully written and verified, so nothing is lost — reopen the browser, unplug the regulator, and carry on. Your cloud dashboard will confirm the new version the next time the regulator is online.

The browser shows the "not supported" message. You are on Safari, Firefox, or a phone/tablet. This procedure needs Chrome or Edge on a laptop or desktop.

The regulator seems dead afterwards. Power-cycle it (its normal power, not just the USB cable). If it still does not come up, run Reinstall Firmware once more. If that also fails, email joe@xengineering.net.