This page explains how to install firmware version 1.18 onto your BlackTip DPV. To check firmware compatibility, read the paragraph below or see our full firmware release list here.
Check your BlackTip's serial number, located on the scooter's tail plate:
- If your scooter's serial number is HIGHER than "001-2700", DO NOT INSTALL VERSION 1.18!
- You will already have version 1.19 installed on your BlackTip. Installing version 1.18 onto a new scooter may result in failure or damage.
- If your scooter's serial number is LOWER than "001-2701", VERSION 1.18 IS COMPATIBLE!
- Check that you do not have firmware version 1.18 already installed on your scooter (unless you are planning on reinstalling a fresh version of the same firmware). You may not need to install this firmware at all if your serial number label already reads "Software Version: 1.18" immediately underneath the serial number.
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v1.18 has the following key features:
- Revised "Safe Start" methodology
- More reliable than attempting to detect water
- Battery imbalance checking can be disabled
- Helpful if your batteries constantly trigger a mismatch error
Occasionally the characteristics of the motor vary enough that using a generic set of motor parameters for all scooters isn't always the best solution. There are slight variations in the wire thickness and other aspects that create small differences and can cause a problem with the scooter starting. V1.18 is designed for you to set the values for your specific motor. This step is optional and can be skipped if you do not need to tune your motor.
This firmware contains the latest version of the "Safe Start" feature. We have been making improvements based on user feedback and have changed it slightly. It no longer tries to detect if it is in water to enable the gears, it now detects if anything is blocking the propeller (like your hand) for 3 seconds, and if it finds nothing, then the gears are enabled. If it does find something stopping the prop inside the 3 second window, it turns the motor off. Let us know how you like it!
Some batteries constantly trigger the battery imbalance error, so we added the ability to turn this off. you do this by changing the $x value to zero. More instructions on using the $ values can be found in the video and pocket guide.
The process below needs to be done with your scooter fully cooled, close to the minimum normal temperature you dive at. Don't do it just after a dive, or if you have been running the scooter on the bench for a while. Here at Dive Xtras, we leave the scooter overnight in the shop so it's cool (about 12-15° centigrade or 50-60° Fahrenheit).
- Download the latest version of the VESC tool (we currently use v3.0)
- https://vesc-project.com/
- If you encounter compatibility issues in the future, you can find version 3.0 here
- Download the new firmware v1.18.bin and save it somewhere local on your computer
- Follow the process on the video here:
NOTE: During the download step for installing the firmware onto your scooter, we recommend clicking on the "Download All" button instead of the "Download" button shown in the video. This process will likely take a few minutes longer, but it seems to reduce the chance of some files not transferring correctly. See the image below for an illustration of what we're talking about.
- Download the pocket guide for v1.18 here:
This version retains all the existing options to change settings on your scooter such as:
- Starting Gear
- Select which speed gear your scooter will start up in
- Number of Gears
- Change the amount of speed gears you can cycle up/down through
- Gear Speeds
- Change the velocity of a specific gear, or all of them