Firmware Upgraded Smok xPro m80

[TheBloke]

Cool. Is the top and bottom stainless or black?

Definitely not black - yeah stainless I guess, silverish but definitely a different finish to the sides that you can see in the photo.

I would have preferred the black, but silver was the only one they had left in stock by the time I noticed it was back in - or it was the one they received first, perhaps, as they now have the others in stock too.

On an unrelated note - I was slightly worried before I received the unit, as shortly after I ordered a review popped up on the site, stating that his unit died as soon as he upgraded the firmware. Since upgrade, he says it just reports "check atomiser."

Now that I've received it, I think I've realised what he did.. he must have got the v6 unit same as me (his review appeared day after I ordered mine), then he downgraded it to v5 because he had heard you're supposed to upgrade the firmware as soon as you get the unit!

Poor guy! I'm going to leave a review on that site ASAP today warning people not to mess with the firmware, and report it to the vendor as well.

Does serve as a reminder as to how chaotic and unorganised the vaping world still is - little proper communication from vendors, people having only Youtube videos and gossip to base important decisions on.

We would have had no idea that there was a new version coming unless rowsley had spotted that 'v6' on the smok site - which until today we weren't even sure wasn't a typo.

They should have a front-page message informing all customers about this, and vendors should be telling everyone on purchase.

Getting better day by day, I suppose - and there is something to be said, excitement-wise, for being on the cutting edge (Not that I can talk really, as I feel I'm very late to the party just starting out in 2015; really wish I'd started vaping a year earlier!)

 

[rowsley]

Sorry, what I meant is the different tops. Here is pics of what I mean.

Black tops

Stainless

And as I mentioned before especially on the blacks. Some buttons are stainless and I've seen some with buttons all black. I dont understand the changes.

 

[rowsley]

Oh well. Either is fine I just wondered why some are different than others. I already ordered a camo wrap from jwraps for mine. Its gonna looks nice. Now if it would just get here. Vendor said sent it Friday, but USPS says its still pre shipment.

 

[TheBloke]

Mine looks like the second picture.

However I am not convinced that there is a separate black top. I reckon that top photo is showing stainless tops, at such an angle that it looks black-ish.

When you first asked the question, I glanced down and thought "oh, yeah it is kind of black." Then I tilted it in the light and realised it was definitely stainless, just in certain lights/angles it can look dark.

I took another picture, from a similar-ish angle to the stock Smok photo you posted. You can see how dark the top looks:

It basically acts like a mirror. Maybe that's not stainless? But it's definitely not black.

Here's the bottom, which appears to be the same material. Different angle so it looks much more steel-like:

 

[rowsley]

Thank you, you're probably right. Looks good either way.

 

[TheBloke]

Hey guys

I've completed the first preliminary tests of temp control, using Smok Ni200 coils

I've broken these results out in to their own thread, so they can be at the top of the thread and I can update the OP.

Here's the new thread: Smok XPro M80 Plus - new version, v6 firmware: temperature control testing results

Spoiler: So far, with Ni200 stock Smok coils, TC is doing something useful and is worth having!

 

[Sykriss]

Hi, I just got my M80 + in the mail yesterday and I believe I may have actually downgraded the firmware, now that I read about a v1.06 version. In the process of doing so, now my + button will not work. Is there any way one of you with a v1.06 could use Smok's program to save a config isp so I can re-flash it to 1.06? At the moment my device is stuck at 42 watts in wattage mode (I can turn the wattage down, just not up, so I'd rather not turn it down from 42 watts so I can at least get that out of it). I can still use mech mode and it fires my .2 ohm atomizer at around 65 watts so I know the boost chip is still working fine. Smok's quality support line claimed it had failed, but clearly it has not. So this is what I ask of someone kind enough to help me. Download Smok's ISPTool that they use for updating the software on these devices: https://www.dropbox.com/s/zdalsze1umu7zly/M80+Fireware+Soft.zip?dl=0

Plug your device into your PC and let it automatically install the drivers. Afterwards, open up the ISPTool located in (by default) C:\Program Files (x86)\Nuvoton Tools\ISPTool. When it opens, hold the reset button and the fire button for three or more seconds, then release the reset button but continue holding the fire button, then click Connect in the program. Continue holding the fire button throughout this process. Once it is connected, simply click file and save config. This will save both the data and .hex information into a config I can use to re-flash my device to 1.06. This won't harm your device as you are not modifying any data on it, simply saving what it has into a .isp. I would greatly, greatly appreciate it if someone could do this for me. Thanks so much.

 

[TheBloke]

Damn! I knew that was going to happen. In fact I think you might be the second person I know that it's happened to - I mentioned earlier that there's a guy who left a comment against the product on the site I bought it from, who looks like he got the same batch as me, who said his device showed "Check Atomiser" after he applied firmware.

Different symptom to yours, of course. But anyway, I just knew that the way Smok have handled this - telling the whole world to upgrade firmware, then pushing out a basically stealth upgrade which must not be upgraded - would cause a lot of pain. I've already emailed my vendor to warn them and suggest they put a message on the purchase page.

Anyway, all right I'm going to give it a go for you - with the caveat that if I am at any point in the slightest bit worried that it might do anything to my device, I'm going to abort.

That's another thing Smok have done rather badly - providing a raw engineer's tool to do firmware upgrades. Any user could brick their device in seconds with this tool. Of course in this case it might just save your ...! But it's hardly a sign of a careful company, providing to end users the same flash tool they use internally.

Anyway, I'll report back in a few minutes on the firmware pull.

 

[retird]

Hi, I just got my M80 + in the mail yesterday and I believe I may have actually downgraded the firmware, now that I read about a v1.06 version. In the process of doing so, now my + button will not work. Is there any way one of you with a v1.06 could use Smok's program to save a config isp so I can re-flash it to 1.06? At the moment my device is stuck at 42 watts in wattage mode (I can turn the wattage down, just not up, so I'd rather not turn it down from 42 watts so I can at least get that out of it). I can still use mech mode and it fires my .2 ohm atomizer at around 65 watts so I know the boost chip is still working fine. Smok's quality support line claimed it had failed, but clearly it has not. So this is what I ask of someone kind enough to help me. Download Smok's ISPTool that they use for updating the software on these devices: https://www.dropbox.com/s/zdalsze1umu7zly/M80+Fireware+Soft.zip?dl=0

Plug your device into your PC and let it automatically install the drivers. Afterwards, open up the ISPTool located in (by default) C:\Program Files (x86)\Nuvoton Tools\ISPTool. When it opens, hold the reset button and the fire button for three or more seconds, then release the reset button but continue holding the fire button, then click Connect in the program. Continue holding the fire button throughout this process. Once it is connected, simply click file and save config. This will save both the data and .hex information into a config I can use to re-flash my device to 1.06. This won't harm your device as you are not modifying any data on it, simply saving what it has into a .isp. I would greatly, greatly appreciate it if someone could do this for me. Thanks so much.

Can Smok not take care of this with you? Can they not fix this?

 

[TheBloke]

Can Smok not take care of this with you? Can they not fix this?

They could if he didn't mind sending the device back and waiting for a return.

As for them supplying the v6 firmware file to him, I would bet lots of money he'll never get them to do that. If I were him I'd be doing the same thing to be honest - he has a chance that it'll be fixed in 20 mins, versus 15 days, and it's very unlikely to make it worse than it already is, though of course that possibility cannot be ruled out entirely.

 

[retird]

They could if he didn't mind sending the device back and waiting for a return.

As for them supplying the v6 firmware file to him, I would bet lots of money he'll never get them to do that. If I were him I'd be doing the same thing to be honest - he has a chance that it'll be fixed in 20 mins, versus 15 days, and it's very unlikely to make it worse than it already is, though of course that possibility cannot be ruled out entirely.

Was just wondering.... if you can give him the file why can't Smok???

 

[TheBloke]

Once it is connected, simply click file and save config. This will save both the data and .hex information into a config I can use to re-flash my device to 1.06. This won't harm your device as you are not modifying any data on it, simply saving what it has into a .isp. I would greatly, greatly appreciate it if someone could do this for me. Thanks so much.

Sorry man, don't think it's going to work.

The option on the File Menu is just "Save Project". It saves the settings in the ISP tool, it does not read from the device.

I tried it anyway, and it created a 2KB "config.isp" file - the .hex file for the v0005 firmware is a 92KB file, so this cannot be a dump of the firmware. I opened that file and it's in a .ini format, stuff like:

[NU_SYS]
NU_LASTCONFIG0=0xFF0FFF7C
NU_LASTCONFIG1=0x0000F000
NU_LASTOPMODE=1
NU_LASTPORT=USB
[NU_PATH]
NU_APROM=C:\Program Files (x86)\Nuvoton Tools\ISPTool\code.bin

Followed by hundreds of null bytes.

There's no other option I can see in the program to read from the device:



(click for bigger image)

The Load File options are for reading a local data file, which is then flashed with Start. There's no Write File, there's nothing at all to do anything besides flash.

I found a description of the tool from the supplier (the people who make the chip that Smok uses, I believe):

ISP is the acronym of In-System Programming, which makes it possible that the user can update the program memory under the app control without removing the mounted MCU chip from the actual end product. Nuvoton provides an ISP solution through the USB or COM port of a host PC. As long as the Nuvoton standard ISP code is programmed in LDROM and the configuration bit „CBS‟ is configured as Boot from LDROM, the user can easily use the ISP function to update the MCU‟s APROM and DataFlash, and even the configuration bits.

I also checked the manual that comes with it:

Step 5: In the Program area shown in the following figure, select one from APROM, DataFlash, APROM+DataFlash, and Erase All. The APROM selection is to program APROM image only. The DataFlash selection is to program Data Flash only. The APROM+DataFlash selection is to program both APROM and Data Flash. The Erase All section is to erase the whole chip, including User Configuration.

Both only have mention of being able to write various kinds of data, not read it.

If you can think of anything else, or find an equivalent tool for reading, then I'm happy to try it, but otherwise I'm out of ideas - sorry

 

[TheBloke]

Was just wondering.... if you can give him the file why can't Smok???

Well it turns out that I can't.

But my point was that trying to get a foreign manufacturer, who already failed to tell most people that they had updated their device with new firmware, to send you their firmware file to apply yourself, is likely to be an exercise in frustration and disappointment.

That's true of most companies, I'm not picking on Smok particularly here (though frankly they have handled this thing very badly already.) And that's not completely unreasonable - they really don't want a v6 firmware file floating around, that maybe some v5 users will try to upgrade to and then brick their device.

Anyway it's all moot because I can't read it anyway, he'll have to send it back. Well, unless he can indeed get Smok to send him the file But I seriously doubt that.

(If you want any idea of how Smok do customer service, go check their Facebook page. Full of people asking about v6 firmware, can they upgrade to it? what does it do? And complaining that they have had no response at all from Smok about this. I just linked a bunch of them to this forum because it has more info than Smok are providing at the moment!)

 

[rowsley]

I just went through all the U.S. sites that are currently selling these, and dont have the update information listed. I emailed them all letting them know the situation.

I really would hate for a bunch of people to buy these and end up downgrading them. Hopefully the message gets out soon. I emailed Smok also.

 

[Ry4life]

Any one know if fasttech is selling the upgrade boxs?

 

[rowsley]

Its still a pre order but yes I would say that they would most certainly be the upgraded version.

 

[Ry4life]

Actually they have the gold one in stock ..says it ships next day ..but I want grey BUT I SUPPOSE I COULD GET A WRAP FOR IT
!

 

[rowsley]

Well maybe ask them just in case. Could been old stock from last batch. I dont know

 

[TheBloke]

Yeah, you'd think that being based in China they'd get the new stock before anyone else, or certainly no later.

You'd also hope that if they had old stock, Smok would have asked them to return it and only sell the new updated version.

But there's no guarantee of anything.

I would say that if they were out of stock until mid-end last week and now back in stock, then that matches the pattern of the vendors we've discussed in the US and UK, and it's pretty likely to be the updated version that they're selling now.

But as rowsley said, asking is safest - given it's going to take multiple weeks to arrive from FastTech anyway, you can take a day or two to confirm it.

I'd hate to get the older version now I've seen the newer and realised that TC is usable (EDIT: maybe usable), especially knowing that it's almost certainly never going to have any further firmware updates, when there's at least the possibility of further updates to the newest hardware on v0006 (though still unlikely in my view.)

 

[Ry4life]

Guess I'll just ask and see . The answers you get are sometimes more confusing then anything