Why it happens
The main reason the firmware flashing process fails is a connectivity issue. This issue can come from the operating system, hardware, or software, so figuring out why it's happening can be tricky.
The good news is that in a few steps, you fix it in most cases.
How to solve it
Before starting the troubleshooting process, it's very important you:
- Have the latest version of Bazecor Installed. You can download it at http://dygma.com/bazecor
- Use the provided Dygma cables. The short cables should be used to connect the Neuron to the sides, while the long 150cm cable should be used to connect the Neuron to the computer.
- Make sure the keyboard is connected directly to the computer. Don't connect it to a KVM, USB HUB, or any other device that acts as an intermediary between the computer and the keyboard.
- If you have a wireless keyboard, ensure that both sides of the keyboard are turned off.
- Ensure you are connected to the Internet; you must connect to the GitHub repository where the firmware version is stored. Be aware that some antivirus or operating systems may block Bazecor's connection to the Internet.
- If you use a laptop, ensure it's connected to a power source.
Troubleshooting steps
Let's start the troubleshooting steps:
- Close Bazecor, disconnect, reconnect the keyboard, and reopen Bazecor. The classic "Have you tried turning it on and off again?" solves the problem 50% of the time.
- Swap the cables from the left to the right side and flip the connectors from the keyboard side to the Neuron side and vice versa.
- If the firmware update process is not starting when you press the top-left key, please try changing that key to ESC with Bazecor.
- If none of the previous work, please try flashing the firmware on a different computer.
These steps may seem arbitrary, but a connectivity issue can come from software timeouts (how long it takes the computer or software to process information), hardware issues (like a connector misbehaving), or operating systems (not giving enough power to the keyboard).
If nothing above worked or you bricked your keyboard
In the weird scenario that nothing above helped, there are two ways of forcing your Neuron to flash.
Factory flasher tool
This flasher tool is the one we use in the factory to flash all the keyboards.
- Download and install the app from this link.
- Open the app.
- Connect only the neuron to your computer
- Disconnect any other Dygma keyboard and make sure Bazecor is closed.
- Open FlasherTools.
- Go to Advanced > Enable features in the menu bar
- Press Skip Step under Serial Number Input
- Select the firmware that you want to flash. If you want to flash the default firmware, skip to step 12. If you want to flash the Defy v2.0 firmware or the Raise 2 v1.2 firmware, continue reading.
- Download the Defy v2.0 firmware or the Raise 2 v1.2 firmware at the bottom of this article.
- Once downloaded, unzip the file. If you’re on Windows, make you unblock the files before extracting them.
- Press the folder icon and select the parent folder where you have unzipped the folder (for example, Downloads).
- Press Flash Neuron. The flashing process will start.
- Once it's finished, connect the sides with the short cables.
- Press Flash sides and tap the Top-Left Key.
- If pressing ESC doesn't work, activate Force Sides Flash.
- Wait for the sides to flash.
- Press Apply layers.
- Press Pair Sides.
- Close the flasher tools and Open Bazecor.
- Restore your backup on Bazecor under Preferences > Backups.
If the flashing process fails at some point, try again. In some rare scenarios, it takes a few tries to flash correctly. If you're on Linux, you might need to accept the pop-up offering to mount the neuron as a Drive.
If nothing seems to work, combine the bootloader method with the flasher tools.
Bootloader mode for the standard neuron
This process restarts the Neuron and returns it to factory settings. It may be a bit tricky, so be patient and careful.
- Ensure that you have one of the cables connected directly to the computer
- Find a small hole in the side of the Neuron.
- Hold the reset button in that hole with a pin as you connect the cable from the computer to the Neuron.
- Open Bazecor, select the keyboard, and if you've properly reset the Neuron, the following message should appear:
- Press the "Update Firmware" button. The process won't take more than a few minutes.
- After updating the Neuron's firmware, connect the sides and update the firmware again. This will update the firmware of your keyboard sides.
As mentioned above, you can combine the flasher tools with the Bootloader method.
Bootloader mode for the Y-shaped wired-only neuron
- Ensure that you have one of the cables connected directly to the computer
- Find a small hole in the back of the Neuron.
- Hold the reset button in that hole with a pin as you connect the cable from the computer to the Neuron.
- A new RPI-RP2 Drive will open on your computer
- Inside the zip files attached to this article, you'll find a .uf2 file; drag it into the RPI1-RP2 drive.
- After updating the Neuron's firmware, you'll need to open Bazecor and restore a backup from Preferences > Backups.
If the keyboard's sides are flashing red after updating the firmware of the neuron, it's because they have different firmware. Make sure to flash the neuron with the same firmware as the sides. All our firmware is available to download on Github: https://github.com/Dygmalab/Firmware-release
If none of the above works, please email us at support@dygma.com.