After firmware update to 1.1.0 minifreak does not to boot correctly anymore

[Pieter-Jan Kuyten]

I just bought an Minifreak, which was delivered today. After installing the ASC tool and downloading the Minifreak V app and starting it, it said I needed to update the firmware of the Minifreak from version 1.0.0 to version 1.1.0.
I started the update process and after a while the app told me that the firmware update was done. But looking at the Minifreak it was still flashing a set of LEDS. I let it continue on for about 20 minutes but the state of the Minifreak didn't change. So i restarted the Minifreak.

After this the Minifreak would only show the Minifreak logo animation for a few seconds before the mini display turned black and nothing else lit up on the Minifreak. Nothing seems to work now.
Rebooting the Minifreak gives me the same behavior.

I assume that despite the claim of the app, the firmware update failed.  Does anybody have any tips or hints to get the Minifreak back into working order?

[Pieter-Jan Kuyten]

After being contacted by a mod of this forum with a trick to start the Minifreak in bootloader mode (he asked me not to reveal how to do this, so don't ask) I was able to restart the update process, but unfortunately the behavior was the same.

I've tried this trick a few times and then downloaded the firmware directly from the website (not letting the app download it) and tried the update yet again. After the upgrade was successful (according to the app) the Minifreak still didn't boot up itself, so I let it sit for 7 hours and then did the power off/power on trick.

After this the Minifreak didn't start up at all, not even with the bootloader trick, so I think it is now completely bricked.

This feels like a hardware failure to me, so I hope their will be a response by the Arturia support team that allows me to exchange this one for a new one.

[Matthieu_Arturia]

Hello Pieter-Jan Kuyten,
I'm sorry to hear that.
The bootloader mode is not a secret , press and hold Shift + Octave < and boo the unit.
If your unit doesn't start and displays a black screen, it means the firmware update failed, the unit is not bricked.
Try to repeat the bootloader + firmware update, in Standalone, DO NOT UPDATE IN A DAW !
If you still have issues with that, please contact our support.
Kind regards.

[dj_doughy]

Just chiming in, that I am experiencing the same issue. Tried doing the firmware update online and offline (via standalone), screen turns on, freezes, then off, no life on the freak. Sending request in...

[dj_doughy]

Update, tried doing boot loader again with a different usb port... now device will not post at all, no screen activity or anything. Ticket is in, will update with a resolution if one is found.

[dj_doughy]

After short troubleshooting, getting sent to After Sales Support... Looks like a swap out?

[Pieter-Jan Kuyten]

I managed to arrange a swap of the defective unit for a new unit with my supplier today. I had to wait a while because they had to get a new supply of units from their distributor.
I hooked up the new unit, registered it with Arturia, played around for a short while and then started Minifreak V again. And yes it was running in stand alone mode, before you ask.

It again told me that I needed to update the firmware from v1.0.0 to v1.1.0 and I let it do the upgrade. After the application told me that it was done and had rebooted the MiniFreak, I saw again the dreaded pulsating Assign page 1 LED still blinking, just like last time.

I think you can guess the rest, after a few more attempts with the bootloader mode it is now in a state that it doesn't want to enter that mode again. The difference with the first one is that on power on the animated Minifreak logo keeps spinning i.s.o the display staying blank.

There seems to be a fundamental issue with either the update process, the file used for updating or the flash memory used on the Minifreak.

I don't know which of these items is causing the problem, but the fact that I now have a second bricked Minifreak and that at least one other user has had the same issue happen to him, leads me to believe that this is a more widespread problem than just one single unit being faulty!

[jojkobojko]

I had similiar problem. After firmware update to 1.1.0 application (stand alone minifreak V) told me, upgrade is finished, but LED on hardware was blinking with blank display. I was waiting (just in case) about 10 min. and then turned off and on. Fortunately, minifreak loaded OK and when checked firmware version, it was also OK (1.1.0)...but minifreak freaked me out 

[Pieter-Jan Kuyten]

I think you got lucky and dj_doughy and I got unlucky. I hope Arturia can clear up what is causing these failures, because as it now stands it seems to be a very dangerous thing to do an update to the firmware on a Minifreak!

I don't know if you will be as lucky when the next firmware update comes out though. Maybe that one will then brick your Minifreak!

[dj_doughy]

Still waiting to hear from After sales support. 

[Pieter-Jan Kuyten]

I did get some response from Support, but I'm also talking to my supplier again.

I did notice that they responded to my first support ticket (the one for the first broken Minifreak) with a remark that the initial plugin would make updates failed when run from a DAW. Unfortunately in my update attempts on both Minifreaks I was running Minifreak V standalone, so if it indeed is a broken updater issue it wasn't fixed in the latest Minifreak V update.

They did sent me a offline updater script for the Minifreak, but since my second one was already bricked by the time it arrived, i can not say that that will fix the issue (unless I get a third one to replace my second one that is).

[Pieter-Jan Kuyten]

I had a talk with someone who successfully managed to update his Minifreak using a setup close to mine (AMD Ryzen 5000 series CPU and running windows 11). He couldn't quite remember if he had the "no reboot after update" issue, but if he did he stopped Minifreak V before powercycling his Minifreak.

jojkobojko, do you remember if you also closed down Minifreak V before doing the power-cycle?

[jojkobojko]

As I remember, I had opened Minifreak V all the time. As I wrote, the whole update process went well until the end, when Minifreak (hardware) refused to reboot (blank display and LED blinked). I was waiting about 10 min. then I restarted Minifreak hardware manualy. One interesting thing...I have Ryzen 5000 series and running windows 11 as well. I was also thinking about one thing, I had Minifreak connected to usb hub...maybe that could be problem...I don't know, but as you wrote before, it is serious problem and very dangerous thing to do an update. And I understand your frustration.

[dj_doughy]

Still waiting to hear from After sales support. 

Still waiting…

[DrJustice]

I had a talk with someone who successfully managed to update his Minifreak using a setup close to mine (AMD Ryzen 5000 series CPU and running windows 11). He couldn't quite remember if he had the "no reboot after update" issue, but if he did he stopped Minifreak V before powercycling his Minifreak.

jojkobojko, do you remember if you also closed down Minifreak V before doing the power-cycle?

I also have a Ryzen 5000 series CPU, but I'm on Windows 10. I've done several 10s of firmware updates of two different MnFs on this setup, using a hub, and have not had any issues. The MnF needed a power cycle one time, like jojkobojko, but the update was fine. If you repeatedly get failed updates on two different MnFs, things might point to some issue with your system(?) Perhaps you have access to a different computer to try the update with? Did you have any luck with the offline updater script?