|
|
| Author |
Message |
victorf
Joined: 01 Jan 2006
Posts: 342
Location: Schenectady, New York
|
|
Posted: 23 November 2008, 20:17 PM Post subject: Updating older ZX-24s |
 |
|
I have been away from my development work using the ZX-24 for some time now. I am sliding back into it and need some advice. I have several ZX-24s that are at least a year old and possibly older. I would like to upgrade their VMs and also be sure I have the latest development IDE and I am not sure how I should proceed. What should I download?
Any enlightenment will be appreciated.
Vic |
|
| Back to top |
|
 |
dkinzer
Site Admin
Joined: 03 Sep 2005
Posts: 2499
Location: Portland, OR
|
|
Posted: 23 November 2008, 20:41 PM Post subject: Re: Updating older ZX-24s |
|
|
| victorf wrote: | | I would like to upgrade their VMs and also be sure I have the latest development IDE and I am not sure how I should proceed. |
If you haven't modified any of the files in the installation directory (typically C:\Program Files\ZBasic), then you can simply download the latest installer from the Downloads Page and reinstall everything. If you're not sure whether you modified anything or not, you could just rename the existing directory before running the install procedure.
Note that if you have made changes to the User Options file, those changes will be preserved since that file is not stored in the installation directory and is never overwritten by an install.
As for the VM, simply download the .zvm file (on the same Downloads Page) corresponding to the ZX device(s) that you have and run the firmware upgrade procedure. Alternately, you can send the devices here and we'll update them for you. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
victorf
Joined: 01 Jan 2006
Posts: 342
Location: Schenectady, New York
|
|
Posted: 24 November 2008, 13:44 PM Post subject: |
|
|
Thanks for the quick reply.
I guess the real question becomes how do I know if I have a ZX-24 or a ZX-24a. I assume they each require a different VM download. Is there a way to visually determine what I have?
Can I safely download and install the ZBasic Installer v2.6.5?
What is the safest way to install the the VM? I had some problems in the past.
Any enlightenment will be appreciated.
Vic |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
dkinzer
Site Admin
Joined: 03 Sep 2005
Posts: 2499
Location: Portland, OR
|
|
Posted: 24 November 2008, 15:26 PM Post subject: |
|
|
| victorf wrote: | | [H]ow do I know if I have a ZX-24 or a ZX-24a. |
The ZX-24a has a yellow dot in one corner of the CPU chip as shown in the picture on the ZX-24a product page. Other 24-pin ZX devices have other dot colors but the ZX-24 has no paint dot.
The other way of determining the device identity is to connect the serial port and launch the IDE. Choose 'Device Options' from the Options menu and then click the 'Identify Device' button. The identity will be displayed to the left as the "Connected Device:".
| victorf wrote: | | Can I safely download and install the ZBasic Installer v2.6.5? |
Yes but review my earlier response regarding optionally renaming the previous installation directory.
| victorf wrote: | | What is the safest way to install the the VM? |
The first step is to ensure that your power supply is a solid 5 volts if you're feeding it regulated power via pin 21. If you're feeding it power via pin 24, make sure the supply is a steady 7 to 12 volts. The VM can be updated using either the IDE or the zload utility but it is essential that the device not be disturbed during the update process.
If you run into a problem, you can send the devices here and we can reprogram them. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
|
ZBasic Home
Forum Rules
Memberlist
Usergroups
RSS Feed
Site Search
Links
Download
Digests and Subscriptions
Profile
Log in to check your private messages
Log in
Register