Luke I'm in the same boat as you, except I bought two of the chargers, so only $400 gone already

I don't mind spending extra on an interface to enable an upgrade of the firmware of something (like my CastleLink) if I CHOOSE to do so, but I now HAVE to spend time & money updating these chargers just to get them to work properly in the first place. Items like the Castlelink just plug in & off you go, updating this is not so simple as you cannot just buy an interface from the manufacturer & plug it in, you have to assemble one from bits yourself, hoping you have done it correctly, open up the charger etc etc... Is my warranty still valid if I zap my charger in some way if I get it wrong? Probably not.

Whilst Junsi has been great in adressing user requests for menu adjustments/new features etc & full marks to him for doing so, the charger should work fine as a charger without basic problems in the first place. If you want to install a later firmware to get a new feature & have to faff about with adaptors & bits of wire at your own risk to do so, then that's fair enough for those of us that are happy to do such things, but I don't think you should have to do so just so it works ok. Display problems & power supply issues should have been sorted out before the product was released to the market surely.

I know how to upgrade the firmware has been covered many times in this thread, but I am also confused a little as differend adaptors have been used by different people, so I'm a little lost in it all. If someone could maybe make a sepaerate idiot guide thread on how to do it this would greatly help us all out who are worried about getting it wrong & screwing the charger up in some way. Something like, buy this item from ebay, connect this pin to here, that pin to there, press this, do that etc etc.

Don't get me wrong I do actualy like the units despite all this. Wacking in 10A to my A123 packs is great at the field, it's just a shame they have a few issues & I can't simply shove a USB lead in the socket & upgrade it easily.

Hello Junsi, All,

i received today 2 charger 1010B for friends. The PCB of this version is a new one (version 3) and i cannot found the 5V and GND on this board to sold my RS232-TTL cable.

Can you please give us the new connection pins to use ?

Fabrice

Originally Posted by ukpaul

Luke I'm in the same boat as you, except I bought two of the chargers, so only $400 gone already

I don't mind spending extra on an interface to enable an upgrade of the firmware of something (like my CastleLink) if I CHOOSE to do so, but I now HAVE to spend time & money updating these chargers just to get them to work properly in the first place. Items like the Castlelink just plug in & off you go, updating this is not so simple as you cannot just buy an interface from the manufacturer & plug it in, you have to assemble one from bits yourself, hoping you have done it correctly, open up the charger etc etc... Is my warranty still valid if I zap my charger in some way if I get it wrong? Probably not.

Whilst Junsi has been great in adressing user requests for menu adjustments/new features etc & full marks to him for doing so, the charger should work fine as a charger without basic problems in the first place. If you want to install a later firmware to get a new feature & have to faff about with adaptors & bits of wire at your own risk to do so, then that's fair enough for those of us that are happy to do such things, but I don't think you should have to do so just so it works ok. Display problems & power supply issues should have been sorted out before the product was released to the market surely.

I know how to upgrade the firmware has been covered many times in this thread, but I am also confused a little as differend adaptors have been used by different people, so I'm a little lost in it all. If someone could maybe make a sepaerate idiot guide thread on how to do it this would greatly help us all out who are worried about getting it wrong & screwing the charger up in some way. Something like, buy this item from ebay, connect this pin to here, that pin to there, press this, do that etc etc.

Don't get me wrong I do actualy like the units despite all this. Wacking in 10A to my A123 packs is great at the field, it's just a shame they have a few issues & I can't simply shove a USB lead in the socket & upgrade it easily.

Couldn't have said it better myself..
Having just spent the last 2 hour reading trying to figure out what I am suppossed to do to get the charger to work properly.. (I mean upgrade).. and I'm not any closer yet..

Looking for the "upgrade your icharger for dummies" thread..

Sorry to hear your 2 chargers out, you must be twice as frustrated as I am..

Luke

Originally Posted by LKC

Sorry to hear your 2 chargers out, you must be twice as frustrated as I am..

Luke

Well yes & no. It's not the end of the world As I said, basicaly I do like the units, it's just a little disapointing after splashing out mucho $ already. I guess I just don't want to zap their brains out &/or lose any warranty etc...

Just like to echo what LKC and UKPaul have said - these things should work straight away. I have never done any circuit board work before and am not very electronically minded. I can't even download the zip from page 1, It says file corrupted. An idiots guide would be useful, but I'm not even sure about doing it then. If you screw if up you're stuffed.

I also really like the unit, but with my limited skills, I'm tempted to return it to the retailer and wait a few months and buy again, when all the bugs are gone.

Originally Posted by aliboy

I can't even download the zip from page 1

I couldn't view it either, I was having enough trouble working out what this RS323 TTL converter is.. lol

Originally Posted by kgfly

OK, thank you. So does that mean that new stock of 106B ship without C47 ?

i am going to buy 106B, can anyone remind me what C47 problem is?

Thanks.

Originally Posted by rizky_p

i am going to buy 106B, can anyone remind me what C47 problem is?

Thanks.

Hello

yes of course (post 663, page 45)

"The LCD blank and error message shown maybe caused by the capacitance C47 during discharging progress, the C47 may produce disturbance in a discharging progress,how about removing the C47 near a strew on the PCB to settle this problem."

Fabrice

How to upgrade ?
There are two links on the first page for downloading the upgrader. One in the text and one as an attachment. Currently only the one in the text works properly: http://www.jun-si.com/UploadFiles/Upgrader_V11.rar

If you have already downloaded the .zip file, just change the suffix from .zip to .rar and you should then be able to open it.

I recommend you use the adapter and connections described by Phoenex a few posts back: http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showp...&postcount=778

Junsi - The downloader attachment in the first post that is shown as a WinZip file is not and should be renamed as .rar or removed.

Originally Posted by ukpaul

You're not wrong there, 154F on mine using a temp gun, too hot to touch for more than a couple of seconds. That was with the unit not flat to, but resting on it's edge. Might be even higher if it's flat on it's back. The design is not great when discharging for getting rid of the heat.

Junsi,

Would you please comment on this discovery of 154F? Seems to me this is way too hot for the case temp with delicate components inside.

Originally Posted by kgfly

I recommend you use the adapter and connections described by Phoenex a few posts back: http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/show...1&postcount=778

Can someone in the know, confirm for me this is the same adaptor as the one phoenex linked to. ? or if this one should work
The only difference I can see is:
phoenex linked: (FT232BM/BL)
V's
linked below: (FT232BL)

Thanks
Luke

http://cgi.ebay.ca/USB-to-RS232-Sign...QQcmdZViewItem

Yes, that one should be fine.

Originally Posted by LKC

Can someone in the know, confirm for me this is the same adaptor as the one phoenex linked to. ? or if this one should work
The only difference I can see is:
phoenex linked: (FT232BM/BL)
V's
linked below: (FT232BL)

Thanks
Luke

http://cgi.ebay.ca/USB-to-RS232-Sign...QQcmdZViewItem

Same unit and the same vendor.

Originally Posted by Phoenex

Junsi,

Would you please comment on this discovery of 154F? Seems to me this is way too hot for the case temp with delicate components inside.

FYI I just read that the new Xtrema balancer gets to 190F !

Originally Posted by kgfly

Yes, that one should be fine.

Originally Posted by phoenex

Same unit and the same vendor.

Thanks, I placed the order.
I WILL make this upgrade happen

Luke