Instructions

31 ·
MC3000
· 30
MC3000
PC LINK
FIRMWARE UPDATE
The visualization of data helps with the understanding of battery performance or the details of
charging algorithms. The free PC Link software offers convenient operation and overview of the
charger from a Windows computer; it may also be needed for downloading and installing the
latest firmware updates. The software automatically retrieves the program settings of each slot,
and with the click of a mouse the user can simultaneously monitor the most important quantities of
the four slots through real-time graphs and, for example, track all charge and discharge capacities
of an extensive cycle program. For more detailed analysis or post-processing the user could
export the data to *.CSV-spreadsheet format and import the file to M$ Excel or other third-party
software applications.
In order to connect the charger to the computer and use the PC Link software, the user is required
to use a USB cable which is not included in this package. The cable should be a high-quality
premium USB data cable (Anker, Remax, BlitzWolf, a.o.) to ensure data integrity, and must be
terminated on one end with USB type A plug for the connection to the PC and the opposite end
with Micro-USB type B plug which connects directly to the charger at the PC Link port.
As with any other smart piece of software, handling the program itself is intuitive and self-
explanatory; no help file or usage documentation is available. For information on technical options
and parameters of the device, please refer to the corresponding sections in this device manual.
In the present PC software version it is not possible to combine several programs, e.g. -2A
discharge to 3.6V followed by -1A discharge to 2.8V, to a single composite program. In the
meantime the user could program different charge steps in separate program numbers and carry
out the combination of steps manually.
The latest version of the SkyRC PC Link software for Windows PC can be downloaded from
www.skyrc.com. Free third-party MC3000 compatible PC Link software for Win/Mac/Linux could
be found on lmgtfy.com.
It is not necessary to update the firmware of a device because in most cases the user is good to
go with the firmware version delivered ex factory. However firmware updates are an opportunity
for the company to make small changes, expand the code and let the user profit from continued
development without extra cost. User submitted suggestions for incremental changes in the
firmware will be gathered, evaluated and decided upon on a regular basis. In principle various
methods for the transfer of the update to the device would be technically possible, for example an
updating procedure involving the PC Link software as follows:
Remove all batteries, disconnect all USB cables and power cables, deactivate Bluetooth
everywhere, close and exit all software and hardware on your Windows PC which access the
USB communication. Connect the device to its power supply.
Use the PC Link premium USB data cable to connect the device to your Windows PC. In
many cases no further device drivers or USB drivers need to be installed. Launch the official
PC Link software and test the functionality of the software.
In the PC Link software click on Firmware Update and wait patiently until the automatic
download+updating has completed. WARNING: The updating is a sensitive process and
takes up to 1-2 minutes. During this entire period the LCD screen stays blank, and older
production units appear completely dead. Do NOT interrupt the data transfer, the power
supply, and do NOT disturb the process, the device, the PC, for example by plugging or
unplugging other USB devices or activating Bluetooth or similar, at any time during the
updating procedure because this would lead to permanent damage of the device!
Depending on the firmware version the updating process may conclude with an automatic
soft reset, or not. The user is at liberty to check the update success and, if needed, perform a
manual Factory Reset on top, see GSV.
No need to power off or reboot the device, your updated MC3000 is yet ready for operation.
Go ahead and enjoy the updated code.
Attention: Note that in general a firmware update or factory reset inflicts loss of all user-saved
settings in SPV and GSV, other than user calibration data. On the one hand the updating
procedure tries to keep the user-entered settings intact whenever possible, on the other hand
major changes in the code entail a soft reset perforce. Hence before performing a firmware
update, be prepared to bye-bye.
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The actual currently possible firmware update procedure can deviate from the procedure
presented above. Please find the latest information regarding this topic on www.skyrc.com.