LTO Flash! Update: Firmware, jzintv, bug fixes and more!

[+intvsteve]

So, I get the prompt and it redirects me to the intvfunhouse.com page for downloading the software. I can then download the whole program rather than a firmware update file. Am I supposed to reinstall the entire program again? I thought it would just be a firmware update.

Thanks

Apologies for confusion here.

 

There are two separate entities:

1. Cartridge firmware
2. User interface software you run on your computer

Now that a new version of the UI software (computer-side) has "gone live" you will be informed that it is available when you start the program on your computer. This can be turned off.

 

Now it wouldn't be one of my posts without a lot of bonus info, so here you go! A breakdown of the two different "software entities" involved in this update.

 

1. Cartridge FIrmware

The cartridge firmware runs in the cartridge itself whenever it is connected to a power source. It runs on the processor inside your LTO Flash! cartridge and does a few things, such as:

• Manages the USB port on the cartridge, recognizes if the cartridge is plugged into an Intellivision console (or not)
• Provides features when running games, such as the Intellivision II and ECS compatibility options
• Implements and manages the file system on the cartridge
• Launches the ROM browser that runs on your Intellivision
• ... and more ...

2. User Interface Software

This is the application you run on a computer to arrange your ROMs into a menu layout to put on your LTO Flash!, provides a graphical "front end" to jzintv, and can use to download games to an Intellicart.

 

These two software entities can be updated independently of each other.

 

When LTO Flash! was initially launched, a few copies had been sent out when an extremely rare, but real, bug was found in the firmware. So at that point, both software entities had been released to customers. In effect, a "zero-day" patch was going to be needed. The challenge then is:

 

How do we tell users to get a firmware update?

 

Not all customers are active on this forum, or Facebook or the many other sites out there. The only information included directly with the cartridge informs the user to go to my site for the UI software, and a link to the LTO site, IIRC. We didn't want to just hope that users might find a post online, or happen to intvfunhouse or the LTO site and just notice a note that a firmware update could be downloaded, too.

 

The approach was to include a copy of the latest firmware with the UI software, and have the UI check the firmware version on the cartridge to see if it's up-to-date.

 

The UI software also checks the INTV Funhouse website to see if there is a newer version of itself when it starts, too. It does this by checking a URL at the website for the current version on the website, which it compares to the version of the program itself. Depending on the preferences in the UI app, you may be informed that there is a newer version of the app available. If you don't like this behavior, you can turn it off in the "General" application settings:

 

You can also change many other behaviors, especially regarding what happens when you connect your cartridge to the computer while the UI software is running.

 

Closing Comments (finally!)

I'm always tinkering with the UI software and have lots of feature ideas. There are also bugs and behaviors that can be improved based on suggestions from users, etc. It so happens that recently, an update to firmware coincided with my plans to (finally) release another update to the user interface, so we once again did both at once.

 

I wanted to get some "field" testing of this update before triggering the prompts out in the field, so instead of making the version "official" I marked it as "beta". A beta version will not report as an update - it must be discovered "the old fashioned way" by checking my website.

 

When an update is available, in Windows I suggest uninstalling the old version and installing the new one. On Mac, just replace the existing one with the new one. Your ROM list, menu layout, etc. is all stored separately from the application itself so that information will be retained. But, as they say, back up anyway, just in case. All the information stored is in your Documents folder, in a folder called 'LTO Flash'.

[Bamse]

Wow, very detailed

 

So, if I download and install the most up to date UI, will it erase everything I already have (rom menu etc)? Also, will it update the firmware on the Flashcart automatically if and when I download and install the latest UI?

 

Sorry for my ignorance

[+intvsteve]

Nothing is erased.

[+intvsteve]

If your cart needs a firmware update, you will be asked to install it when you plug it into the computer while the UI is running.

[Bamse]

So I just run the downloaded exe file and install that.

 

Great, thank you

 

Just read your post again and you had already answered my questions. I have Windows so I'll uninstall and then install the new UI.

 

Thanks again

Edited March 6, 2019 by Bamse

[blainelocklair]

Intysteve,

 

Thanks for putting in so much work on this. I love my LTO Flash, and having the updates make it even better!

 

- Blaine

[Bamse]

So I uninstalled and reinstalled the new UI and that seems OK. I get the message that the new firmware is available but when I click to continue I got a message saying the firmware couldn't be updated.

So I restarted the PC and when I restarted the UI and clicked on yes for the firmware upgrade the firmware upgrade worked instantly . there was a lot of updating of files when I connected the lto cart but after a while that finished updating and all works perfectly now

Thanks for all your help and efforts on this, it's very much appreciated.

 

EDIT : Think I was on quite an old firmware before. Its so much faster now to make changes, add or remove roms. Excellent.

Edited March 7, 2019 by Bamse

[intvnut]

EDIT : Think I was on quite an old firmware before. Its so much faster now to make changes, add or remove roms. Excellent.

 

I know the GUI underwent a lot of performance optimizations between the original release and the beta-test versions. That likely explains the speedup.