How to Update the FLEX-1500 Firmware
Content provided by: FlexRadio Systems Engineering
This is a step-by-step guide for manually upgrading or "flashing" the FLEX-15000 firmware.
Upgrading the firmware for your FLEX-1500 software defined radio is a two step process. First you must download the firmware files to your PC using the PowerSDR v2.x Integrated Installer (setup) package. When you run the PowerSDR v2.x Integrated Installer, it automatically installs the FLEX-1500 firmware binaries to your computer as part of the installation process without needing any user intervention.
Second, you must use the FLEX-1500 Firmware Loader program that is installed with the firmware to actually program the flash memory in your FLEX-1500 SDR with the new firmware binary.
NOTE: The instructions and screen shots used below are only representative examples of the screens you will see when upgrading your firmware in regards to file names, serial numbers and firmware version numbers. Please use the appropriate file and firmware version for your actual upgrade.
Upgrading the FLEX-1500 With New Firmware
Step 1: Run the PowerSDR v2.x Integrated Installer program to install PowerSDR 2.x and all of the ancillary drivers and software needed to operate your software defined radio. If you already have the latest version of PowerSDR v2.x installed, re-executing this step is not necessary.
Step 2: Power up the FLEX-1500 and do NOT start PowerSDR.
Step 3: Locate the correct FLEX-1500 firmware and Firmware Updater on your computer. The FLEX-1500 firmware and Firmware Loader are installed in the same folder as PowerSDR v2.x application program. Since each different version of PowerSDR 2.x is installed in a unique folder using it's version number, make sure that you are access the latest version to get the latest version of fimware.
If you installed PowerSDR v2.x using the default paths, then you will find the application folder in the following locations.
For Windows XP, and 32-bit Vista and Win7:
C:\Program Files\FlexRadio Systems\PowerSDR v2.x.x (where x.x is the minor version revision numbers)
For 64-bit Windows Vista and Win7
C:\Program Files (x86)\FlexRadio Systems\PowerSDR v2.x.x (where x.x is the minor version revision numbers)
Using Windows Explorer or an equivalent method to display the contents of a folder or directory, find and open the latest version of the PowerSDR v2.x.x application folder.
When you list the contents of the PowerSDR v2.x.x application folder, you will find two additional folders labeled 1500 Driver32 and 1500 Driver64 respectively.
Depending on if you are using a 32 or 64-bit operating system, change directories to the appropriate 1500 DriverXX folder and list the contents.
Step 4: Start the FLEX 1500 Firmware Loader program. Located in the FLEX-1500 DriverXX folder is a program called FLEX-1500 Firmware Loader.exe This is the program that must be run to update the FLEX-1500 firmware.
If you are running Windows XP, then double left click on the program to execute it.
If you are running Windows Vista or Win7, you must run this program with elevated user rights of a system administrator. If you are logged on with a user account that has administrator level privileges, then double left click on the program to execute it.
Otherwise, right click on the FLEX-1500 Firmware Loader.exe file name to display options menu and select the option Run as Administrator. You will be prompted to enter in administrator level credentials (password) to execute the program. If you are not prompted, then your user ID you are logged on as already has administrator level privileges.
NOTE: Do not run any other programs found in the 1500 DriverXX folder unless instructed. Doing so can make your FLEX-1500 inoperable and will require a call to the FlexRadio Support department to rectify the situation.
Step 5: If the FLEX-1500 is properly communicating with the PC, the following screen will appear. Otherwise you will get a screen that says "No Hardware Found" before the FLEX-1500 Firmware Loader screen is displayed.
Make a note of the information displayed at the bottom of the screen. This is the radio's serial number and the Current Revision which is the installed firmware version number (not the version being installed). In the example above, the FLEX-1500 serial number is 2410-0075 and the Current Revision is 0.1.7.4.
If this information is not displayed, then there is a problem with the FLEX-1500 USB driver properly communicating with the radio hardware. Do not continue executing this procedure! Contact the FlexRadio Support Department immediately to resolve the communication problem between the FLEX-1500 and PC hardware before continuing.
Step 6: If everything is working properly, left click on the Update button.
The Update button will turn RED while programming and updating. See the screen shot below
The Update button will turn yellow while the firmware installation is being verified.
Step 7: After the firmware installation has been successfully verified, you will be prompted to power cycle the FLEX-1500 in order for the firmware changes to take effect. See the screen shot below.
Step 8: Left click on the OK button to acknowledge the power cycle request. The dialog box shown above will close.
Step 9: Close the FLEX-1500 Firmware Loader program by Left clicking the white X in the red box located at the top right hand corner of the program screen.
Step 10: Turn off the power to the FLEX-1500. Wait a few seconds and then power the FLEX-1500 back on. Your FLEX-1500 is now operational with the latest firmware.
Verifying a Successful Update of the FLEX-1500 Firmware
The FLEX-1500 must restart before the new firmware is initialized.
To verify the firmware version, you can check in the PowerSDR setup program (see KB article How to Determine the FLEX-xx00 Firmware Version) or you can execute steps 2 through 5 and note the installed firmware version in the bottom of the FLEX-1500 Firmware Loader screen.
Accessing the Firmware Release Notes
At this time, firmware release notes are not delivered with FLEX-1500 firmware updates.
This KB article may reference additional files that are available on the FlexRadio Systems web site Downloads page. Please use the URL(s) below to download the referenced materials.
An Adobe Acrobat Reader may be required to open the file. You can download Adobe Acrobat from here. Image may be NSFW.
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KB Source Document(s):
None Referenced
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.![]()
| System Dependencies | |
| Minimum PowerSDR Version: | Firmware dependent - v2.0.0.0 and higher |
| Applicable Hardware: | FLEX-1500 |
Content provided by: FlexRadio Systems Engineering
This is a step-by-step guide for manually upgrading or "flashing" the FLEX-15000 firmware.
Upgrading the firmware for your FLEX-1500 software defined radio is a two step process. First you must download the firmware files to your PC using the PowerSDR v2.x Integrated Installer (setup) package. When you run the PowerSDR v2.x Integrated Installer, it automatically installs the FLEX-1500 firmware binaries to your computer as part of the installation process without needing any user intervention.
Second, you must use the FLEX-1500 Firmware Loader program that is installed with the firmware to actually program the flash memory in your FLEX-1500 SDR with the new firmware binary.
NOTE: The instructions and screen shots used below are only representative examples of the screens you will see when upgrading your firmware in regards to file names, serial numbers and firmware version numbers. Please use the appropriate file and firmware version for your actual upgrade.
Upgrading the FLEX-1500 With New Firmware
Step 1: Run the PowerSDR v2.x Integrated Installer program to install PowerSDR 2.x and all of the ancillary drivers and software needed to operate your software defined radio. If you already have the latest version of PowerSDR v2.x installed, re-executing this step is not necessary.
Step 2: Power up the FLEX-1500 and do NOT start PowerSDR.
Step 3: Locate the correct FLEX-1500 firmware and Firmware Updater on your computer. The FLEX-1500 firmware and Firmware Loader are installed in the same folder as PowerSDR v2.x application program. Since each different version of PowerSDR 2.x is installed in a unique folder using it's version number, make sure that you are access the latest version to get the latest version of fimware.
If you installed PowerSDR v2.x using the default paths, then you will find the application folder in the following locations.
For Windows XP, and 32-bit Vista and Win7:
C:\Program Files\FlexRadio Systems\PowerSDR v2.x.x (where x.x is the minor version revision numbers)
For 64-bit Windows Vista and Win7
C:\Program Files (x86)\FlexRadio Systems\PowerSDR v2.x.x (where x.x is the minor version revision numbers)
Using Windows Explorer or an equivalent method to display the contents of a folder or directory, find and open the latest version of the PowerSDR v2.x.x application folder.
When you list the contents of the PowerSDR v2.x.x application folder, you will find two additional folders labeled 1500 Driver32 and 1500 Driver64 respectively.
Depending on if you are using a 32 or 64-bit operating system, change directories to the appropriate 1500 DriverXX folder and list the contents.
Step 4: Start the FLEX 1500 Firmware Loader program. Located in the FLEX-1500 DriverXX folder is a program called FLEX-1500 Firmware Loader.exe This is the program that must be run to update the FLEX-1500 firmware.
If you are running Windows XP, then double left click on the program to execute it.
If you are running Windows Vista or Win7, you must run this program with elevated user rights of a system administrator. If you are logged on with a user account that has administrator level privileges, then double left click on the program to execute it.
Otherwise, right click on the FLEX-1500 Firmware Loader.exe file name to display options menu and select the option Run as Administrator. You will be prompted to enter in administrator level credentials (password) to execute the program. If you are not prompted, then your user ID you are logged on as already has administrator level privileges.
NOTE: Do not run any other programs found in the 1500 DriverXX folder unless instructed. Doing so can make your FLEX-1500 inoperable and will require a call to the FlexRadio Support department to rectify the situation.
Step 5: If the FLEX-1500 is properly communicating with the PC, the following screen will appear. Otherwise you will get a screen that says "No Hardware Found" before the FLEX-1500 Firmware Loader screen is displayed.
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.![]()
FLEX-1500 Firmware Loader.
Clik here to view.
FLEX-1500 Firmware Loader.
Make a note of the information displayed at the bottom of the screen. This is the radio's serial number and the Current Revision which is the installed firmware version number (not the version being installed). In the example above, the FLEX-1500 serial number is 2410-0075 and the Current Revision is 0.1.7.4.
If this information is not displayed, then there is a problem with the FLEX-1500 USB driver properly communicating with the radio hardware. Do not continue executing this procedure! Contact the FlexRadio Support Department immediately to resolve the communication problem between the FLEX-1500 and PC hardware before continuing.
Step 6: If everything is working properly, left click on the Update button.
The Update button will turn RED while programming and updating. See the screen shot below
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.![]()
FLEX-1500 Firmware Loader updating the firmware
Clik here to view.
FLEX-1500 Firmware Loader updating the firmware
The Update button will turn yellow while the firmware installation is being verified.
Step 7: After the firmware installation has been successfully verified, you will be prompted to power cycle the FLEX-1500 in order for the firmware changes to take effect. See the screen shot below.
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.![]()
FLEX-1500 power cycle notification
Clik here to view.
FLEX-1500 power cycle notification
Step 8: Left click on the OK button to acknowledge the power cycle request. The dialog box shown above will close.
Step 9: Close the FLEX-1500 Firmware Loader program by Left clicking the white X in the red box located at the top right hand corner of the program screen.
Step 10: Turn off the power to the FLEX-1500. Wait a few seconds and then power the FLEX-1500 back on. Your FLEX-1500 is now operational with the latest firmware.
Verifying a Successful Update of the FLEX-1500 Firmware
The FLEX-1500 must restart before the new firmware is initialized.
To verify the firmware version, you can check in the PowerSDR setup program (see KB article How to Determine the FLEX-xx00 Firmware Version) or you can execute steps 2 through 5 and note the installed firmware version in the bottom of the FLEX-1500 Firmware Loader screen.
Accessing the Firmware Release Notes
At this time, firmware release notes are not delivered with FLEX-1500 firmware updates.
This KB article may reference additional files that are available on the FlexRadio Systems web site Downloads page. Please use the URL(s) below to download the referenced materials.
An Adobe Acrobat Reader may be required to open the file. You can download Adobe Acrobat from here. Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
KB Source Document(s):
None Referenced
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
