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Are there any known issues when downgrading the VSA firmware?

When downgrading firmware on the E4406A there is an issue with the firmware upgrade program. You must first completely uninstall any previous installation of the upgrade program before installing an older version.

This is because older versions of the Installshield don't overwrite existing files with more recent dates. As a result, installing an older version over a newer version will cause the installation to have a combination of firmware files from different versions. If this happens it will cause the instrument to crash upon reboot after the firmware update is complete.

Below are a list of steps to correct this situation for instruments that don't work after older firmware has been installed over newer firmware.

1) Uninstall the E4406A Update Program from your PC.

The reason why you have to completely uninstall the E4406A update program is that when installing an older version of the software over a newer version of the software, not all of the files are over-written because they have an older date code.

2) Re-download and install the latest firmware version

3) Start the E4406A Update program

4) Connect up a PS2 keyboard to your E4406A.

5) Turn on the E4406A and continually press the back space key on the external keyboard and on the keypad. This will stop the boot process and get you to the following prompt:

Main Menu: Enter Command >

6) If the keypad stopped the boot process and not the keyboard, then you will need to enter the command: 52 from the keypad and then cycle the power of the instrument. Then you will be able to stop the boot process from the keyboard.

7) At the "Main Menu: Enter Command >" prompt, enter the command: in la

8) Record the LAN station Address but leave out the middle "-". For instance, my instrument reports the address: 0060b0-b2e186, but without the dash it is: 0060b0b2e186

9) Connect your E4406A to the Local Area Network or Cross-Over Cable

10) From the E4406A Update Program, press Next until you get to the Instrument IP Address screen. Enter the IP address you want your E4406A to use and Press NEXT.

11) The Update program will display a "Could not Connect to Instrument Screen". Check the checkbox for Non_Functional Instrument and press NEXT

12) The Update Program will display the screen to Enable External Keyboard. Click "Next", since you already have have the keyboard enabled.

13) The Update Program will then prompt you to enter the Hardware Address. Enter it and click Next.

14) Navigate to the folder on your PC where the Update program saved the configuration files from the last time you ran the program. It should be something like: C:\E4406A\US00000036\24-Feb-05-1-03-PM\Config

15) Ensure that the file size of EEPROM1 is not 0 bytes. If it is, then try to find a previously stored Configuration for your instrument. If you can't find one, then choose the latest saved configuration; however, the instrument will display an error 51 after you reboot informing you that the synthesizer cal coefficients are missing, which means that a service center needs to run the Synthesizer Adjustments for the instrument to recreate the file.

16) Enter the directory into the "Select Directory to Restore Config Files" screen an click NEXT

17) On the next screen choose the personalities you want to load and click NEXT.

18) When you get to the next screen in the upgrade program, then go over to the instrument and type: sea

19) The instrument will list the available boot paths:
Path Number Device Path Device Type
P0 LAN 141.121.90.79.3.254 141.121.90.79
P1 FLASH

If you only see the FLASH as a bootable device and you don't see your PC's IP address, then try one of the following:

a) Try using a different PC
b) Try disabling any secondary LAN cards
c) Try disabling any firewall software on your PC
d) Try using a cross-over cable
e) Try using a Hub
f) Verify that your PC's IP address and the IP address you chose for your instrument are the same for the first three fields

20) Click Next on the Update program. Then on the keyboard connected to the instrument, type: bo p0

21) The firmware update process will start.

22) When the process is complete, Reboot your instrument and the firmware should work.

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