Frequently Asked Questions

Important note: These instructions are specific to the navX2-MXP / navX-MXP. For the navX2-Micro / navX-Micro, follow these instructions.

Updating the "Generation 2" navX2-MXP or "Classic" navX-MXP firmware is a straightforward process, and should be performed if the currently-loaded firmware version is lower than the version required for a particular feature.

For details on determining your Type and Model, please see Which navX-Model sensor do I have?.

Determining the currently-loaded firmware version

The currently loaded firmware version number can be determined:

• in the navXUI when the “Board Info” button is pressed
• via the software libraries
• via the “Currently-loaded Firmware Version” tab of the firmware tool described below

Requirements

• "Classic" navX-MXP: navX-MXP Circuit Board (rev. 3.3 or higher)
• "Generation 2" navX-MXP: navX2-MXP Circuit Board (rev. 4.1 or higher)
• PC with USB 2.0 port running Windows 7 or greater.
• Mini-USB Cable

Updating the Firmware

• Download the latest build.
• Unpack the contents of the navx-mxp.zip file and run the setup.exe program, which will install the navXUI, as well as all necessary device drivers for communicating over USB with the device, as well as some additional tools. In addition, the setup program will install the latest firmware at the following location:

[Installing User Home Directory]\navx-mxp\firmware

For example, if you installed the navX Software while logged in as user name "Robot", the directory name will be C:\Users\Robot\navx-mxp\firmware.

• Within that directory, select the sub-directory for the matching Generation:

Generation	Sub-directory name
Classic	classic_navX
Generation 2	gen2_navX2

• Within the sub-directory matching your board's generation, the firmware file will be named using this pattern:

navx-mxp_X.Y.ZZZ.hex

(X = Major Version Number Y = Minor Version Number Z = Revision NUmber)

1. Connect a USB-mini cable from a Windows PC to the navX-MXP circuit board. Be sure that the CAL button is held down when connecting the cable - if the CAL button is pressed when the board powers up, it will enter "Firmware Update Mode".
2. From your Start Menu, select “Kauai Labs” and then “navX-MXP” and click on the run the navXFirmwareUpdater, and follow the directions included in the program.
3. Once you have downloaded the firmware, you can use the “Currently-loaded Firmware Version” tab of the navXFirmwareUpdater to verify the version number you have just installed.

Troubleshooting

In certain cases, the "Update Firmware" button may not be enabled, even though a firmware file matching your board's generation has been selected.

For the "Update Firmware" button to be enabled, the firmware file has to be selected, and the board also needs to be recognized by the PC as being in DFU (Device Firmware Update) mode.

You can verify that the device is in DFU mode by looking at the Windows Device Manager. After holding down the CAL button and plugging in the USB cable, you should see this:




If the "STM Device in DFU Mode" indicator is present, the device should be accessible, and the "Upload" button should be enabled.

In some cases, users have reported that the DFU drivers aren't getting automatically installed with the navX software installer. This might occur if the permissions are not correct. So if you're having trouble seeing the "STM Device in DFU Mode" indicator, you can try reinstalling the DFU drivers from the dfu subdirectory in the Kauai Labs Program Files directory. This is shown below: