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Reid
Ha`aha`a
Andorra
1526 Posts |
 Posted - 02/05/2007 : 06:54:02 AM
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Craig or Mark (or anybody),
I finally got around to upgrading Sarah's H4 to ver. 1.20 from 1.00. However, I was confused by the Zoom H4 download page and the downloaded, included PDF readme. So, I did not, explicitly, download and install ver 1.10, because I assumed (I know, *never* assume), that, since the 1.20 PDF noted the 1.10 bug fixes, that the 1.20 patch was cumulative. Do you know if that is actually true? If it isn't true, is there a way to do upgrade sequentially now that ver. 1.20 is installed and working?
I hunted all through the Zoom FAQs and the Zoom H4 Forum and could find nothing about this. If this is a mystery for everybody, I will post on the Zoom forum, too.
...Reid |
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cpatch
Ahonui
USA
2187 Posts |
Posted - 02/05/2007 : 07:46:29 AM
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| In all my years of working with computers, I've never run across an incremental firmware upgrade. |
Craig
My goal is to be able to play as well as people think I can. |
Edited by - cpatch on 02/05/2007 07:55:43 AM |
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Lawrence
Ha`aha`a
USA
1597 Posts |
Posted - 02/05/2007 : 09:17:55 AM
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quote:
In all my years of working with computers, I've never run across an incremental firmware upgrade.
Hey Craig... Don't forget about Microsoft Security Patches!
They are issued several times a month and they are incremental!
If you have your MS automatic updates turned on and you are connected to the web, they downloaded and install automatically. However you can also download them and install manually as I do (much more secure than the automatic updates)
Eventually these patches are rolled into a service pack update that is cumulative, but that can take years to happen.
MS is not the only one that does incremental updates, lotsa other folks do also!
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Mahope Kākou...
...El Lorenzo de Ondas Sonoras |
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cpatch
Ahonui
USA
2187 Posts |
Posted - 02/05/2007 : 11:35:11 AM
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| Microsoft Security Patches are OS patches, not firmware upgrades. |
Craig
My goal is to be able to play as well as people think I can. |
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Mika ele
Ha`aha`a
USA
1493 Posts |
Posted - 02/05/2007 : 1:14:19 PM
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| Craig (in case you didn't surmise) is a computer engineer for a BIG computer company as his vocation and is a PODCASTER Extraordinaire as one of his avocations. |
E nana, e ho'olohe. E pa'a ka waha, e hana ka lima. |
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Lawrence
Ha`aha`a
USA
1597 Posts |
Posted - 02/05/2007 : 3:28:35 PM
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quote:
Microsoft Security Patches are OS patches, not firmware upgrades.
Purely a semantic differentiation, I consider anything that improves the stability or functionality of the software/firmware to be an Upgrade!
(it usually, but not always, is not a DownGrade!) 
Now you are saying: "but firmware is associated with hardware and typically burned into flash ROM". Yes- but not always, for instance Hard Disk Drive "firmware" mostly resides on the boot tracks and is loaded dynamically on power-up (into RAM). For all intents and purposes the drive code is a full real-time OS, but is also considered to be firmware. Incremental updates, rather than complete images are sometimes issued to the factory (and certain field depots) for such "firmware" improvements.
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Mahope Kākou...
...El Lorenzo de Ondas Sonoras |
Edited by - Lawrence on 02/05/2007 3:39:21 PM |
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JeffC
Lokahi
USA
189 Posts |
Posted - 02/05/2007 : 7:42:14 PM
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Yeah, whatevah. So I did the upgrade today, firm, soft, floppy, whatevah, and I have something to relate: Downloading the upgrade was a piece of cake. I did it to the hard drive being careful to note where I was putting it. Then I tried to follow the instructions as they were portrayed on the upgrade page (which is nearly identical to what they have in the manual on approximately p.84). I ran into problems, which caused me to sweat and fret (and there was no music involved with the fretting...)
For the record here, I am a perfectly competent scientist type who can use a computer very efficiently to do my work, but who does not revel in the inner workings of computer "stuff." When things don't work smoothly from the soft, firm, hard, blah, blah, blah standpoint, it gives me pause.
So I very carefully read and reread the instructions because I didn't want to end up with a non-functional H4. I was not to be easily enlightened by what the instructions had to tell me. I did verifiably load the upgrade onto the SD card (step 2 in the instructions), but could not get the thing to power up into the version up window shown on the webpage. I finally had to get on with my day, and only later (away from the heat of battle) did I (perhaps) connect the proper dots. On the webpage it says (in step 3) in red font that the unit must be connected to AC current at this point as you hold the input/menu button down as you power up the unit. I got the version upgrade window to open once, but then got an error message.
I am a scientist ("back of pal...") and I only have a sample size of one (and about a half hour of frustration) but no control, so I don't know if I am absolutely correct, BUT here is what I would recommend: After you successfully download the upgrade file and copy it onto the root directory of SD card (and you will, by the way need to have the card inserted into the H4 unit in step 2 to do so, despite the instruction in step 3 that you should insert the SD card at that point...), disconnect the H4 from the computer, power down, take a break. Then plug the unit in to the AC adapter and follow step 3 (for the record, this did not work flawlessly the first time I tried it, but did work OK the second time). The Version Up window opened, I said OK, it loaded the upgrade and I am now good to go. It could be that my buttons were not working correctly; it could be that I was getting annoyed and pressing them too hard and they were therefore not working correctly, or it could be something else. Or the clue could be in the red font that says "During the version update process, the H4 needs to be powered by a supplied AC adaptor." During all of the early tries the unit was still plugged via USB to the computer, which feeds power to the unit.
So again, I would recommend: download the file and copy to the H4, then power down. Disconnect from your computer, plug into AC power (I also made sure to remove the batteries, just because I was having so much fun), then go to step 3. It should work like a charm.
Best of luck.
Jeff |
Jeff
Making Trout Country safe for Slack Key! |
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cpatch
Ahonui
USA
2187 Posts |
Posted - 02/05/2007 : 8:15:10 PM
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| Yep, I pointed out the warning about the AC adapter on the previous page of this thread (for the previous update) but it's well worth pointing out again. Glad to hear you finally got it working. (As I mentioned in my previous post, I managed to render another brand's recorder unusable by ignoring this step.) |
Craig
My goal is to be able to play as well as people think I can. |
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Reid
Ha`aha`a
Andorra
1526 Posts |
Posted - 02/06/2007 : 03:45:54 AM
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Jeff, I know it was frustrating for you, but, I had to laugh at your detailed account: it was quite amusing, after a fashion. If you read the Zoom H4 forum, it turns out that nearly everybody had similar problems.
http://www.2090.org/zoom/bbs/
Step by step instructions that tell you how to do things like that (and other functions) are given there. You may have to read a lot of speculation and actual technical experimentation first, but they usually get to the bottom line.
On the forum, every once in a while, they get a response from Zoom in fractured English that causes a whole thread that tries to decipher what Zoom really meant. It would be hilarious, if it didn't mean so much to the people who are trying to use the thing.
I suggest that everyone who has an H4 read that forum to understand the little bugger's operation. For instance, its record level setting is downright screwball. There are 2 controls - a switch and software controlled by the jog that produces arbitrary numbers. If you set the numbers below 100, at a higher switch setting than actually needed, you get distortion. There is a whole story about it at:
http://www.2090.org/zoom/bbs/viewtopic.php?t=7997&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=17
In general, as Mark said, or intimated, in his review, the H4 is an overly complex device that does certain things very well. And the unintuitive controls make it much harder.
That said, if you use it just for tracking (which we do), you can set up the control options that you don't really ever have to change. That eliminates a lot of frustration.
...Reid |
Edited by - Reid on 02/06/2007 03:47:53 AM |
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JeffC
Lokahi
USA
189 Posts |
Posted - 02/06/2007 : 07:41:42 AM
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Glad my post could at least provide some amusement. I know this is nothing new under the solar panels, but for those of us who don't really enjoy plowing through multiple forums to figure out how to make some contraption work, you'd think instruction manuals could at least be written carefully enough to catch all the necessary steps. I don't even mind fractured English, just give me the necessary steps.
OK, I'm all better now.  |
Jeff
Making Trout Country safe for Slack Key! |
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Lawrence
Ha`aha`a
USA
1597 Posts |
Posted - 02/06/2007 : 07:43:49 AM
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quote:
For the record here, I am a perfectly competent scientist type who can use a computer very efficiently to do my work, but who does not revel in the inner workings of computer "stuff." When things don't work smoothly from the soft, firm, hard, blah, blah, blah standpoint, it gives me pause.
ClassMethod.enable_Rant_Mode();
A good sentiment, after all, a smart design is one that anyone can use, including an idiot. If it can only be used by a smart person (or a very patient one with a good memory) then it was designed by idiots. (...Even if the designers did not think of themselves that way, Ph D's or not!)
ClassMethod.disable_Rant_Mode_Enable(); 
On the other hand, these Zoom people were probably not expecting folks to have to upgrade very often, and the general procedure is common.
P.S - you forgot flabbyware |
Mahope Kākou...
...El Lorenzo de Ondas Sonoras |
Edited by - Lawrence on 02/07/2007 07:41:25 AM |
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JeffC
Lokahi
USA
189 Posts |
Posted - 02/07/2007 : 08:27:38 AM
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Maybe I get wound up about this kind of stuff because a lot of our work involves writing reports that will be read by non technical people (i.e., folks who have specialties other than ours). We spend a lot of time (and have to go through substantial reviews) to ensure that our writing is comprehensible these readers and doesn't miss any critical steps. I can't remember the song, but one line from it is "...it may be too much to expect, but it's not to much to ask." (anybody recognize the lyric???)
Flabbyware. I like it. I understand girdles are coming back into style, too |
Jeff
Making Trout Country safe for Slack Key! |
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cpatch
Ahonui
USA
2187 Posts |
Posted - 02/07/2007 : 09:28:54 AM
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quote:
Originally posted by JeffC
I can't remember the song, but one line from it is "...it may be too much to expect, but it's not to much to ask." (anybody recognize the lyric???)
Not Too Much To Ask by Mary Chapin Carpenter
(Never underestimate the power of Google.) |
Craig
My goal is to be able to play as well as people think I can. |
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JeffC
Lokahi
USA
189 Posts |
Posted - 02/07/2007 : 10:02:00 AM
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| That's it! Thanks Craig. That disc has a couple of inches of dust now. It's not in the current play pile (which is of course entirely slack...) |
Jeff
Making Trout Country safe for Slack Key! |
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