PowerFlex 520-Series USB Firmware Flash - "Error reading bin file"

[Geospark]

Hi,

Quick one passing through as I'm quite busy at the moment...

Two-day head scratcher here trying to flash upgrade a bunch of out-of-the-box FRN 5.002 PF525 drives to latest FRN 7.001 (at time of writing).

The downloaded firmware file is of the newer *.DMK file type which I've explained here before a couple of times.

The USB App, which we open by running the "PF52XUSB.EXE" file directly off the drive control module connected via USB to our PC, will not recognize DMK files. Therefore, we must use the DMK Extraction Tool to first extract the older NVS & BIN files from the DMK file, and then point the USB App to the NVS file within the ControlFlash directories.

This should work but instead I was getting a message stating "Error reading bin file <path to file>" and crapping out.

Searched the KB a good bit and found a few articles which mostly told me things I already knew or had already tried. I had another go today and struggled most of the day once more (just 4:30pm here now). Eventually I went back to the KB and this time came across the following...

ID: BF26779 | Access Levels: Everyone
PowerFlex 525 Flashing Update Error for v7.001 When Using Logix PLC Firmware Supervisor or The PF52XUSB.EXE Application

How it didn't show up yesterday, I don't know?

Anyway...

In there it says the downloaded DMK file "Firmware_for_PowerFlex_525_v7.001.dmk" contains non-standard filenames for the packed NVS & BIN files contained inside...

pf525keypad-nvs-PF525App_07_001_08-7.1.8.nvs
pf525keypad-nvs-PF525App_07_001_08-7.1.8.bin

When you point the USB App to the above extracted nvs file, you get the error above.

From the technote, you may either download the attached correctly named files, or manually edit the files, which I did...

Rename them as...

PF525App_07_001_08.nvs
PF525App_07_001_08.bin

Also edit the NVS file using Notepad and change the incorrect "DataFileName" entry used to reference the renamed BIN file...

DataFileName = PF525App_07_001_08.bin

After these changes the error was gone and I successfully flash updated all the drive modules.

It'll be next week before they go into the MCC with 3 phase power applied to finish the flash update to the power sections. So luckily I had some time to sort this in advance.

The above is in case anyone else comes across this error and their head starts getting itchy too!

Regards,
George

 

[Jim3846]

This DMK files are for Control Flash PLus (windows based) app
ControlFlash is the dos based app

There is a DMK extraction tool with the Control flash plus.

I have problems with newer versions of firmware only being friendly with the Plus app.

 

[dmroeder]

Ugh, new firmware, new AOP's, another misadventure in downloading from their website. Sad face emoji.

My favorite part here is how you have to edit the firmware with notepad.

 

[Geospark]

...My favorite part here is how you have to edit the firmware with notepad.

On the same page here Dustin! Amazing how many times we still have to use this simple little text editor to sort a multitude of more complex issues.

So underrated as an "essential" tool, especially in our world. Microsoft actually made Notepad and Paint "optional" features in Windows 10. Next they'll be telling us they intend to drop them all together?

Let them try!

G.

 

[drbitboy]

On the same page here Dustin! Amazing how many times we still have to use this simple little text editor to sort a multitude of more complex issues.

So underrated as an "essential" tool, especially in our world. Microsoft actually made Notepad and Paint "optional" features in Windows 10. Next they'll be telling us they intend to drop them all together?

Let them try!

G.

There is always emacs; I edited a linux shared object the other day (roughly equivalent to a .DLL). Also, Notepad++ is a third-party freebie.

 

[Geospark]

This DMK files are for Control Flash PLus (windows based) app
ControlFlash is the dos based app

There is a DMK extraction tool with the Control flash plus...

I'm not sure where you are getting the "dos" reference from, but the above thinking would be incorrect, my friend. They are both Windows based software products and both use DMK files. The newer DMK files were not introduced with ControlFLASH Plus, or solely to be used with ControlFLASH Plus. They were introduced with a newer version of ControlFLASH. ControlFLASH Plus is an updated version of ControlFLASH, but it does not replace it. They both now use DMK files which just provide a method of individually downloading and registering firmware kits without the need to also install a particular version of ControlFLASH software. That's not the sole reason they exist, just a main one.

From a previous post of mine, quoting Rockwell...

"ControlFLASH Plus is a more feature-packed version of ControlFLASH, enabling you to flash one or multiple devices at once, manage firmware revisions and locations, and manage device revisions and favorites."

"Important: ControlFLASH Plus only supports the firmware update for devices supporting the Common Industrial Protocol (CIP). To perform updates of non-CIP devices, use the ControlFLASH tool."

ControlFLASH Plus uses the newer FactoryTalk Linx communications and browsing services and is intended to be used more with newer CIP Ethernet based devices or USB endowed hardware. As stated, if you need to flash legacy devices then use the original ControlFLASH tool. They can both be installed on the same system.

ControlFLASH Plus (latest) supports enhanced concurrent flashing of up to 20 devices regardless of their topology (with certain exceptions).

ControlFLASH Plus will build an inventory based on the firmware files found in user-selected local search folders. Also, if connected to the Internet, it can log in to the "Product Compatibility and Download Center" (PCDC) and download firmware files and bundles. It will also show real-time Important Notices, Copyright info and Release Notes for the firmware files.

------------------------------------------------------------------------
The following excerpt from a previous post of mine briefly explains the changes introduced in ControlFLASH...

Version 13 of ControlFLASH introduced a new method of downloading and installing firmware kits onto workstation computers...

Prior to version 13, ControlFLASH software was supplied with Control Hardware Firmware Kits. To use a certain product firmware you had to download that firmware as a full Kit, including the necessary version of ControlFLASH software. This Kit is presented as an MSI Windows Installer package. As newer Control Hardware Firmware Kits were released, so too were newer compatible versions of ControlFLASH software. Essentially, the different Firmware Kits are embedded in the version of ControlFLASH software they were released with.

Once downloaded, and the MSI Setup.exe is executed, ControlFLASH is installed and then the binary files for these Kits can be found in the many numbered folders within the ControlFLASH software directory, if you care to view them. You cannot download separate Firmware Kits and "simply" add them to ControlFLASH. You must install them with the compatible version of ControlFLASH required. Sometimes this could mean installing an older version of ControlFLASH over a newer version just to use a particular older Firmware Kit.

Since version 13, or above, ControlFLASH is still released with a Control Hardware Firmware Kit for all current product firmware at that time. However, if you have already installed ControlFLASH v13, or above, then you can now download newer individual Firmware Kits and expose them to the existing software. There is now no need to download and install ControlFLASH each time you download a new Firmware Kit.

The format these new v13 and up Firmware Kits are downloaded as is a compressed archive, similar to a *.zip file. However, their file extension is *.dmk. This stands for Device Management Kit. It is a digitally signed file which contains the firmware binaries for the related product. These files are descriptively named so as to quickly identify which product and revision they relate to - Example: 1756-L73_28.011.dmk. ControlFLASH must digitally verify each dmk file so as to help prevent malicious tampering or exploitation.

If you wish, you can view the compressed contents of these dmk files using the likes of 7-Zip.

There are a couple of ways to deploy these new Device Management Kit files on a workstation with a compatible version of ControlFLASH already installed...

The ControlFLASH search path - the newer versions of ControlFLASH now provide a search path where storage folders of your choosing can be added to the search path list. These folders are then automatically scanned for Firmware Kit files when ControlFLASH is run. The root directory for the ControlFLASH software is automatically added to the search path list at installation -

32-bit: C:\Program Files\ControlFLASH
64-bit: C:\Program Files (x86)\ControlFLASH

You can place all the dmk files in this root directory if you wish. However, if you prefer not to clog up the program software directory, then optionally you may create or choose a specific folder to store all the dmk files that you may acquire over time, and add this folder to the search path list.

Alternatively, the newer versions of ControlFLASH software also provide a standalone tool known as the DMK Extraction Tool. This tool allows you to browse to the dmk file location and extract the contents into the ControlFLASH directories, ready for use.

Which ever method you choose to expose the dmk files to ControlFLASH, the newly added Firmware Kits should then be available for use the next time the ControlFLASH software is run.

This change at v13 in how ControlFLASH interacts with the Firmware Kits will have a cut-off, or crossover point with the downloadable firmware revisions available for many products. For instance, this is why revision 16 firmware for your MicroLogix downloads as the familiar MSI Windows Installer package which includes a pre v13 version of ControlFLASH. This appears to be the cut-off point for this particular device. Once you download newer revision firmware for this device, they are most likely being delivered as standalone Device Management Kits (dmk).

Incidentally, v14.01 of ControlFLASH introduced the ability to use RSLinx Enterprise, as well as RSLinx Classic, to browse to devices requiring a flash upgrade. RSLinx Enterprise supports communications for flash procedures using USB or Ethernet only.
---------------------------------------------------------------------

Lastly, on the DMK Extraction Tool - this tool was, as per the above, introduced with a certain version of ControlFLASH, and not with ControlFLASH Plus. If ControlFLASH needs to update a device using a method which requires the older NVS/BIN files with newer firmware that was downloaded in DMK format, the Extraction Tool is used to extract these files from the DMK file. My example method above is one such way which still requires the older format - USB Utility to flash a PowerFlex 520-Series drive.

If, alternatively, I had the PowerFlex 525 drives all powered up, I could use ControlFLASH and the DMK format to flash them individually over Ethernet.

Alternatively again, if I had them all powered up and networked (which they will be), I could flash them all as a CIP group using ControlFLASH Plus.

Options, options.

I hope that clarifies things more so than confuses them?

Regards,
George

 

[Geospark]

There is always emacs; I edited a linux shared object the other day (roughly equivalent to a .DLL). Also, Notepad++ is a third-party freebie.

I knew someone would float in with a "there are plenty of 3rd-party options for Notepad" comment.

There are, indeed. My point wasn't so much that they would leave us wanting if they removed the traditional Notepad app. It was more how Microsoft are treating it as a now optional feature, that's all. They obviously do not see its value the way we do. This type of app's value, I mean.

For something so simple and resource light, yet still very useful to many, I cannot see why it would even be considered to be made optional. What was to be gained, memory, space? That logic doesn't add up to me? Maybe more users had gravitated away to the likes of Notepad++, etc. I'm not sure? I'm also not sure without researching it if they track app usage as standard in Windows 10 and you'd have to turn tracking off to prevent it? Statistics like that could have swayed them, perhaps?

Something drove this decision, but what?

MS Paint too. They planned to remove it in a Windows 10 update a while back but then quickly reversed that decision under mounting pressure. I definitely still use it from time to time. I know I've thrown many, many MS Paint edited images up here over the years. Simple, quick, effective...KISS.

Fighting for these legacy apps being relevant in general is what I'm about here, more so than any one app or whether we can use something else. They are synonymous with Windows now, are they not?

Notepad (and yes others like it) are cool apps though. Text to Speech? No problem? Type the following in Notepad and save it as a .vbs file and run it. Then type what you would like your computer to say...

Dim message, sapi
message=InputBox("What do you want me to say?","Speak to Me")
Set sapi=CreateObject("sapi.spvoice")
sapi.Speak message

My computer just told a colleague to go "f" himself!

Sorry, I've got the Friday funnies! :site:

G.

 

[drbitboy]

As @Geospark notes, the DMK file is actually a .ZIP file. See the initial PK in the image below.


So with a tool like 7-zip, one could make the changes suggested in the OP directly in the DMK file, and then perhaps the original method would work, although in that case there may be more places where the invalid filenames need to be changed e.g. _rels\.rels.

 

[drbitboy]

I knew someone would float in with a "there are plenty of 3rd-party options for Notepad" comment.

Even though I mentioned the third-party stuff, I agree it makes no sense from a usability perspective to remove such basic, simple, useful tools. And absolutely I agree about paint; any of my stuff here is almost always Paint. Although why Paint had to change to the ridiculous ribbon controls for the illiterate instead of [File Edit ...] hierarchical text menus is completely beyond me; just another stale f@rt hanging around from Steve Job's lionized legacy of lunacy, I guess.

Something drove this decision, but what?

If Notepad's absence makes some clueless soul more likely to plonk down 90$/y for Office 365, I can see why they try.

 

[Geospark]

...If Notepad's absence makes some clueless soul more likely to plonk down 90$/y for Office 365, I can see why they try.

There may be some in that category all right?

For me though, I have Office 365 ProPlus here, with all the bells and whistles, free through work. I still would not want Notepad taken away.

I'd be more thinking they'd look to remove (the still there) WordPad app to "corner that market" by trying to force users to Word, etc.? Funny though, I've hardly ever used WordPad in my time compared to Notepad, other than to open larger files Notepad can't handle. It's either Notepad or Word for me.

 

[drbitboy]

The only time I used WordPad was when line termination was <LF> only and not <CR><LF>, as WordPad would detect the both cases and Notepad would only pick up on the latter.


I don't know if that is still the case.