Info Bricked Kosmik...

Discussion in 'Kontronik ESC'S' started by MadBird, Jun 23, 2015.

By MadBird on Jun 23, 2015 at 10:14 PM
  1. MadBird

    MadBird Well-Known Member

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    Well I don't know about anyone else, but I've had a shitehouse day... Went to update my KOSMIK 200 with the latest firmware so that I could change the BEC voltage and now she's bricked. :mad:

    Okay then. I've prefixed this thread as 'Info', so I shall explain WTF happened. I'm in a bit of a story telling mood, so if you just want the cold hard facts without any if the dribble then proceed to the last paragraph in this post. Please also note that this really only applies to old KOSMIKS from the first batch with V2.6 firmware (possibly 3.0 as well). My Kosmiks serial no. is 00131.

    Background (for dramatic effect): I bought the Kosmik second hand last year and had been flying it quite happily with stock settings in Mode 4. I then decided to change the BEC voltage up to 8V so that I could run a 2S Lipo buffer pack and with that I bought a second hand ProgDISK. I didn't get around to using the Progdisk for a few months and when the time come to sit down and have a tinker the Progdisk up and shiz the bed! Fark... I thought there goes a hundred bucks! Fark... Fark... fracking Fark!!
    Anyway I sent the Progdisk back to the mother ship in Germany and they told me it was rooted and that they didn't make them any more and that I had to buy a ProgUNIT albeit at a discounted rate, phew! Long story short - Sent money, received Progunit, all good now, happy days! BTW all this hoo-ha with the Progdisk was in about November last year.

    Jump forward to this past week: So I haven't been flying much since December 2014 and had not had the E7SE in the air at all in that time let alone connected the buffer pack and changed the BEC voltage like I had planned. I pulled her out of the shed last week and have since put about a dozen flights in and am starting to get my mojo back.
    Last night I decided to fire up the Progunit to change the BEC voltage and have a squiz at what else is in the settings. Due to the older firmware I wasn't able to get the K-KONFIG software to open up the parameters for me to change them so I decided I needed to update the firmware. I read through the software download page on the Kontronik website and could see no reason why the update would not work for my ESC. I downloaded and ran the 4.5.1 update and everything went smoothly. After the update I was able to edit all of the parameters in the K-Konfig software and I was happy. That was until I went to power up the ESC to reprogram Mode 1 and Mode 4 and there was no fracking beeps from the ESC. (Insert more profanities here) I checked the log and it was saying that it was 'Wating for a signal'.
    I jumped online and had a look around and could not find anything obvious, so I decided to re-flash the firmware. Same events transpired, flash worked fine, software config was functioning, but no bloody beeps.
    After some more stuffing around trying different things I finally had enough and emailed Kontronik explaining my predicament and went to bed.

    Today: Received an email from Thomas, whom I also dealt with when my Progdisk died, explaining that I had to send the ESC back to Germany for repair as they could not perform a long distance diagnosis. I was a little perplexed that they would not even try to help me via email, so tonight I did some more research and found out that apparently the first batch of Kosmiks had a hardware issue that could only be fixed by sending them back and for whatever reason this hardware issue prevents successful upgrading of the firmware. So after all of that I can't fly the E7SE any more until I get the Kosmik repaired. :rolleyes:
    I'm a little peeved that there was no disclaimer with the firmware release indicating to check the current firmware and confirm that it would work. I tell you that they better bloody well not expect me to pay for this... Steam my appear from my ears if they do!
    On a lighter note, in the hope of a short term solution I did send Hobby Wing a cheeky email asking them if they needed anyone in Australia to beta test their soon to be released 160, but alas I have not heard back from them. Oh well you don't no if you never ask. :)

    In summary: If your KOSMIK is a first batch model with V2.6 firmware do not update the firmware until it has been updated/modded by Kontronik first or that shite aint gonna work no more!
     
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Comments

Discussion in 'Kontronik ESC'S' started by MadBird, Jun 23, 2015.

    1. HungryHungryHippos

      HungryHungryHippos Well-Known Member

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      If it makes you feel better each and every one of my electric helicopters is out of action.

      I have been flying a .50 SX-H Hyper engine, with the lowest possible quality muffler, one that I scabbed out of a Twister Pantera 50 combo kit (kawlity++).
       
    2. smakmeharder

      smakmeharder Administrator

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      WOW @MadBird this is tragic. I have a kosmic as well and I wont update it, it runs fine. I work in IT so i know that unless there is a good reason, sometimes updating is not the best thing to do unless you are 100% sure. Still as a consumer product you would expect the update was tested on all versions and if not it should have WARNINGS written all over them.
       
    3. MadBird

      MadBird Well-Known Member

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      Luckily I still have the 380 and the N7.
       
    4. MadBird

      MadBird Well-Known Member

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      Yeah I'm usually of the same school of thought when it comes to not touching things that are working perfectly. My main reason was just so I could add a lipo buffer pack instead of having to use a NiCAD or NiMH pack for the stock 5.6V BEC setting. If the Progdisc hadn't died then I probably would have left the firmware as is and not been in this predicament.

      A warning from the manufacturer would have been nice...
       
    5. smakmeharder

      smakmeharder Administrator

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      I dont know what version my kosmic is.... it probably is one of the older ones as its over a year old now.
       
    6. MadBird

      MadBird Well-Known Member

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      It will tell you what version it is in the log file.

      2.6
      // KONTRONIK Log-File V2.3: \KO_LOGS\LOG_1.DAT
      // KOSMIK 200+ HV, Firmware V2.6, DeviceID: 0023002A3530470633363631

      4.5 (4.5.1)
      // KONTRONIK Log-File V4.5: \KO_LOGS\LOG_33.DAT
      // KOSMIK 200+ HV, Firmware V4.5, DeviceID: 0023002A3530470633363631 //
       
    7. utrinque

      utrinque Well-Known Member

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    8. MadBird

      MadBird Well-Known Member

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      What company does offer a lifetime replacement warranty? I would think that a 24 month repair or replacement warranty is more than reasonable for an ESC.

      According to a statement that Kontronik made in 2012 when this problem was first discovered the unit can be shipped back at 'any time without charge' for the hardware upgrade. Mind you that is an upgrade done to the returned unit not a replacement unit.


      Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
       
    9. MadBird

      MadBird Well-Known Member

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      Well Hobby Wing have declined my offer to beta test their pre-production 160 V4 in the absence of my K200. :(
      I suppose they didn't actually decline my offer, they just indicated that beta testing has recently finished and that the release is very soon.
       
    10. simon

      simon Well-Known Member

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      Just buy a yep 180 (cheap as chips), they work well, the bail out is not there but everything else is all good
      Simon
       
    11. MadBird

      MadBird Well-Known Member

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      Yeah it's definitely an option if I get stuck, but in all honesty I'm happy to wait for the Kosmik if it's only going to take two or three weeks to get back. I've been there and done the yep thing on my Warp 360 and I honestly can't say anything bad about them. It would be nice if the 180 had a BEC though.
       
    12. MadBird

      MadBird Well-Known Member

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      Well after about three weeks 'in transit' my K200 has finally made it back to it's Deutsch birth place. Hopefully they'll get her all fixed up and shipped out the door in the next couple of days.
       
    13. MickyD

      MickyD Well-Known Member

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      Dude, if you like you can have my YEP 120 to get you in the air if you like. Free
       
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    14. MadBird

      MadBird Well-Known Member

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      Cool!! Thanks for the offer bro!

      Before I take you up on it I'll wait a couple of days to see how long it will take get the K back. I've got plenty on at the moment and wont be flying much for a couple of weeks anyway.
       
    15. MadBird

      MadBird Well-Known Member

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      The witch is back! w00t!!

      IMG_2240.JPG
       

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