52 replies to this topic

[HalfEazy]

Good Evening,

 

I initially ordered my Nexstar Evolution on December 24th, but after some cosmetic and functional defects of the OTA, I didn't get to use it until february. Everything was going fine until about a week ago, on the night of the lunar eclipse. My mount suddenly made a weird sound and neither of the motors were responding.

 

I have been in communication with some higher up individuals at celestron since I had previous issues. I contacted them and was told to send in for a repair, which I thought was ridic since the mount only has about 5 hours total use time. I brought up the known issue with that one certain chip on the board, and the guy at celestron told me its a known loop issue and they sent out a firmware as a fix. The only thing is that the firmware only works if the loop hasnt taken effect.

 

They are waiting on a new order of evolution mounts but I got them to agree to send me a new one from a box on that they have on hand. My question is if anyone knows anything or thinks that they new shipment of mounts will have some sort of change to the board to avoid this issue?

 

I wasnt sure if I should get a new replacement mount now or try and wait for the new shipment.

 

anways, what are your guys thoughts on this firmware update?

 

The firmware update im referring to is: 7.18.5028

 

Thanks and ClearSkies!

 

Andrew

[mlord]

There's nothing wrong with the circuitry on the Evo that I can see, but if the firmware has a bug in handling the L293DD, then yes.. it could easily cause chip failures.

 

Eg.  If the motor direction needs to change, the firmware will have to first STOP the motor before starting it again in the new direction.  Failure to do so could burn out the driver(s) in the chip.

 

This might explain why the Jan/Feb 2025 update was very suddenly rushed out the door.

Edited by mlord, 22 March 2025 - 07:42 PM.

[MeteorBoy]

Hi Andrew,

 

I had the same problem as you appear to have, failure of chip L293DD.

 

It failed on me in mid-slew when the mount was 2 years and 8 months of age.  This required returning the mount to Celestron for an out-of-warranty motor board replacement (that contained this failed chip).  The repair was completed on Jan 13, 2025 just before the new motor control (MC) firmware update was available to help prevent this issue!  As such I received the mount with my original old firmware version dated April, 2020 (which was already two years old when I bought the telescope new).  Celestron did not update the MC firmware now 4.5 years old during the 2.6 months they had my 'scope in for repair.  Nor did they update my hand-control (HC) firmware.  Instead, they wiped it clean and then reinstalled the original 5.5 year old firmware version!

 

So just hours ago and after many hours of research and learning, I figured out how to update both the HC and MC firmwares and did it myself.  I found the whole firmware update process very confusing but did manage to successfuly update both to the latest versions.

 

With the latest HC firmware now in place I had to re-program all of my user data and preferences.  After testing it on the mount, all seems to operate normally.  Hopefully this chip won't fail again!

 

I don't know which mount would be best for you to accept.  When my mount was with Celestron for 2.6 months I also asked them for a replacment mount because at the time they had no spare MC boards to fix my mount with (how does a Repair Dept not have repair parts?).  They ignored my request.

 

I hope Celestron will be more responsive with you.

 

Ken

[HalfEazy]

Hi Andrew,

 

I had the same problem as you appear to have, failure of chip L293DD.

 

It failed on me in mid-slew when the mount was 2 years and 8 months of age.  This required returning the mount to Celestron for an out-of-warranty motor board replacement (that contained this failed chip).  The repair was completed on Jan 13, 2025 just before the new motor control (MC) firmware update was available to help prevent this issue!  As such I received the mount with my original old firmware version dated April, 2020 (which was already two years old when I bought the telescope new).  Celestron did not update the MC firmware now 4.5 years old during the 2.6 months they had my 'scope in for repair.  Nor did they update my hand-control (HC) firmware.  Instead, they wiped it clean and then reinstalled the original 5.5 year old firmware version!

 

So just hours ago and after many hours of research and learning, I figured out how to update both the HC and MC firmwares and did it myself.  I found the whole firmware update process very confusing but did manage to successfuly update both to the latest versions.

 

With the latest HC firmware now in place I had to re-program all of my user data and preferences.  After testing it on the mount, all seems to operate normally.  Hopefully this chip won't fail again!

 

I don't know which mount would be best for you to accept.  When my mount was with Celestron for 2.6 months I also asked them for a replacment mount because at the time they had no spare MC boards to fix my mount with (how does a Repair Dept not have repair parts?).  They ignored my request.

 

I hope Celestron will be more responsive with you.

 

 

That is sad to hear to be honest. Celestron has been very responsive, but their product seems to have bad quality control. When it functions properly it's great, but it seems a lot of people have this issue.

 

I got them to replace my mount with a new one as it's only a few months old and I was scared of other damage from the fail.

[mlord]

.. an out-of-warranty motor board replacement (that contained this failed chip). 

That (quoted) is the reason your Evo came back with out-of-date firmware.  They didn't "wipe it", but rather just replaced the circuit board containing processor, memory, firmware, etc.. with an unused one from the factory.

 

Celestron doesn't "repair" boards as far as I can tell; they just replace them.  If no replacement is in stock, they WAIT for the next batch rather than doing a 10-minute repair (chip replacement).

[HalfEazy]

That (quoted) is the reason your Evo came back with out-of-date firmware.  They didn't "wipe it", but rather just replaced the circuit board containing processor, memory, firmware, etc.. with an unused one from the factory.

 

Celestron doesn't "repair" boards as far as I can tell; they just replace them.  If no replacement is in stock, they WAIT for the next batch rather than doing a 10-minute repair (chip replacement).

The evolution that I bought on December 24th came with out of date firmware, both on the MC and HC

[mlord]

Yes, that is normal and expected.  They have the circuit boards manufactured in batches.  The factory installs firmware on them at time of manufacture, which can be several years earlier than the date a retailer gets hold of the product.  And the mount can sit in distribution centres, retailers shelves, etc.. for 1-2 years before you buy it.

 

So OF COURSE the firmware can be out of date when purchased.

Edited by mlord, 23 March 2025 - 08:46 AM.

[MeteorBoy]

Hi Fly Me,

 

I do appreciate you're expertise on this subject.

 

One would expect as a matter of good customer relations, that firmware should as a matter of good company policy be updated when they already have the product in their hands.  This is also why they, "Cleaned and re-greased the gears..., etc, etc".  It is far easier for Celestron who is set up to do this, than to expect their customers to engage in a learning curve and do it themselves.  In order for me to update the firmware I had to download and install the HC motor driver, Java and their CFM software in order to do this taking a number of hours.

 

I think they wiped the HC firmware (and replaced it with the same out-dated version) because upon powering it up the HC first asked for my language of preference and I then had to reprogram it with all of my user perferences, location, etc.  I would also expect that Celestron's wiping the HC and MC firmware would be standard repair practice in the event that operational difficulties such as mine (which also involved a separate tracking issue), might be due to corrupt firmware.

 

Your input is always appreciated.  Thanks!

 

Ken

Edited by MeteorBoy, 23 March 2025 - 06:45 PM.

[rrpallechio]

This is the first I have heard that there is a new firmware update available for the Evolution. I've applied firmware updates before. Is there anything different about the process from the last time I did it:

 

Download CFM - I already have the current CFM and JAVA

 

Connect HC to mount

 

Power on mount

 

Connect the USB port on the HC to my laptop

 

Run CFM jar file

 

Watch it run and click if prompted

[mlord]

There is no user on this site called "Fly Me", just as no one is called "Vostok 1" either! 

 

..

that firmware should as a matter of good company policy be updated when they already have the product in their hands.

There are two schools of thought on that one.  For sure, they did do a factory-reset on the hand-controller, to see if that fixed any issues before they got into the hardware bits, but they didn't reload the firmware.

 

But some people deliberately claim to prefer specific versions of firmware on their stuff, so Celestron could either:

 

1. Update it anyway, with or without asking permission first.  More effort, more time.

2. Or, just leave it alone.  After all, the end-user can do the update if they want.

 

Personally, I'd prefer they update everything when they have the chance, but they don't always do that.

Edited by mlord, 23 March 2025 - 08:39 PM.

[mlord]

Is there anything different about the process from the last time I did it:

 

Download CFM - I already have the current CFM and JAVA

..

No need to re-install anything.  Just make sure your current CFM has "Options: Allow Program Update" checked -- this will allow it to download/install the latest firmware versions.

 

Also, go into "Options: Select Devices.." and de-select everything that you don't want it to reload firmware on -- safer that way.

[MeteorBoy]

There is no user on this site called "Fly Me", just as no one is called "Vostok 1" either! 

 

There are two schools of thought on that one.  For sure, they did do a factory-reset on the hand-controller, to see if that fixed any issues before they got into the hardware bits, but they didn't reload the firmware.

 

But some people deliberately claim to prefer specific versions of firmware on their stuff, so Celestron could either:

 

1. Update it anyway, with or without asking permission first.  More effort, more time.

2. Or, just leave it alone.  After all, the end-user can do the update if they want.

 

Personally, I'd prefer they update everything when they have the chance, but they don't always do that.

 

Hi mlord (I hope I now have that right!),

 

I apologize.  I thought it was a user name, I didn't see the mlord above.

My company builds computer-controller water pumps.  They always wipe and reinstall firmware when doing physical servicing.  Many of our updates improve on pump performance.  Motor and pump energy consumption is often the largest operating cost in a factory so companies like that.  It's done online automatically.  If the end user doesn't want updates they can software choose that but few do.

 

Cheers!

Edited by MeteorBoy, 23 March 2025 - 09:30 PM.

[RickylMcc53]

All,

            Just an FYI, I updated my firmware on My Evolution today. I did run into problems, after installing CFM , I ran the update and it loaded 11 modules and then said update failed.  At this point, the hand controller could not find the mount when powering up. I started to get worried at this point, did I brick the mount ?....  Then after trying to reset using the button on the arm, taking the battery off to kill all power, none of this was working, I had trouble getting the CFM to even connect to the mount. I don't believe it was going into boot mode when holding down the Celestron Button while powering up. After several attempts, I was able to get it to try the updates again, it installed the 11 updates, then said update failed, memory corrupt.  The hand controller was still not talking to the mount, but  the hand controller did update to the latest revision.  The last thing I tried,  is once CFM found the mount and controller, I went into options and only selected the mount or Motor controller board, and de-selected the hand controller and many of the other options I did not need to update. I then ran the update, the mount reset and was working normally again. Just wanted to share this in case someone else runs into trouble updating their mount. I would say it is not for the faint of heart, being that these mounts are somewhat expensive. 

 

                          Ricky

[Martinbruce]

I have a 4 y/o EVO 8 which still works, however every time I read one of these posts I find that I’m gashing my teeth at how easy it could be IF Celestron built into the software an easy way to upgrade firmware or to fix bugs. It has built in WiFi! Perhaps, they could have employed a whizbang kid from the Geek Squad to get this done? That their software can’t connect to the internet at this point in time troubles me. My laptop, home computer, iPad, iPhone all have regular updates. I understand that Tesla cars do the same thing.  I am thankful that we have CN and some wonderful people here to help. Hats off to Mlord, Ricky, the OP, and others! Thank you. 

[rrpallechio]

I received an email from Celestron today informing me of, "an important firmware update that will help improve your telescope’s tracking and electrical stability."

The update provides:

 

• Enhanced Protection: Reduces the risk of motor control board issues.
•  Improved Performance: Refined tracking and stability.
•  Automatic Shutdown: Aux-powered devices will turn off if the battery level gets too low, preserving power for essential operations.

 

I've never received an email from Celestron recommending a firmware update, so I figured it must be important. So I decided to update. It was an adventure.

 

I cabled my NexStar + Hand Control to the mount.

I cabled my StarSense Auto Guider to the mount.

I cabled my NexStar + Hand Control to my laptop via a USB cable.

 

I fired up CFM. It started and notified me that there was an update and prompted me to download it. So I downloaded the update. Then, before unzipping the update, I shut down CFM and attempted to delete the older version. 

 

It wouldn't delete. Windows said it was still in use. I opened up Task Manager and looked at all the running tasks. I didn't see CFM. It might have been there, but I didn't look too deep. I just restarted Windows 11.

 

Windows 11 restarted and I was able to delete the old version of CFM. Then I unzipped the new CFM and double clicked on the jar file. CFM started and after informing me all packages had been downloaded it began looking for devices. It found one. And continued to look. The update button was greyed out. CFM just sat there supposedly looking for devices.

 

I shut CFM down. Then checked my cabling. SSAG connected to the mount, check.

NexStar + HC connected to the mount, check.

NexStar + HC connected to the laptop, check.

 

So I started CFM again. Same result. It found one device, then couldn't find any others and the update button remained greyed out.

 

I checked everything again and then looked at the mount and discovered I had forgotten to turn it on.

 

I shut down CFM again.

I turned on the mount.

I started CFM.

 

CFM found the first device, then the second, then the third and then the fourth and then the update button turned color.

 

I clicked the update button. CFM started updating package 1 of 11. Then package 2 of 11. Then, about half way through package 3 of 11 I got a Windows Blue screen with a message that diagnostics were being collected and Windows 11 would restart when that was done.

 

Windows 11 restarted.

 

I started CFM. It found the devices. I pressed Update.

 

All the packages updated. Then another update started, I assume for the SSAG, I don't know.

 

So now I have the latest firmware on my mount. If the clouds ever go away I'll test it.

[JethroXP]

I received an email from Celestron today informing me of, "an important firmware update that will help improve your telescope’s tracking and electrical….”

Thanks, I got the same email this morning and came here looking for insight in other’s experiences, this was exactly what I was looking for.  I also have a StarSense auto alignment device but I don't use it anymore so its packed away.  Was it updated as well?  If it was I figure I’ll attach it just to ensure it’s on the latest firmware.

Edited by JethroXP, 03 April 2025 - 09:03 AM.

[mlord]

The update Celestron is alerting Evolution owners to, is for the mount firmware.  Not the hand-controllers or accessories.  So one can go into CFM, Options, Devices, and uncheck the hand-controllers and other accessories.  Then the update should go very quickly and not risk harming other stuff.

 

Afterwards, if one wants to compare the existing firmware version numbers on the hand-controllers, to the versions in the Packages sub-folder of CFM, then this will indicate whether or not those are also out-of-date.  In which case, re-run CFM to update ONLY those, unchecking everything else in Options,Devices.

 

It is rumoured that this urgent Evolution update is to help prevent burning out the L293DD motor driver chips, as well as to help prevent running down the built-in battery too low for it to be rechargeable.  That first point is important, if true, but don't expect Celestron (or their lawyers) to admit that's what it does.

Edited by mlord, 03 April 2025 - 09:17 AM.

[JethroXP]

Thanks mlord, makes me wonder if perhaps they were losing money to a high volume of returns and repairs.  They are really pushing this hard, they even have a special version of CFM, CFM3, that they are telling people to use in a top level post on their support page.  Never seen them do anything like this before.

[DyDyMT]

Just to throw out my experience.  My Evo 8 Edge is brand new (used between clouds maybe 4 times).  I don't know what all the talk about CFM stuff is - all I did was get that email yesterday, downloaded the file extracted, connected my computer to the mount via wi-fi, the prompt found it (I don't use hand controller - just my cell phone), and I hit update - it updated and gave me a green check mark and that was it.  All worked as the instructions said (although, I did have to toggle the tiny switch by the aux plug-ins to go direct wi-fi).

 

Am I supposed to save this CFM or something?  

[mlord]

.. they even have a special version of CFM, CFM3, that they are telling people to use in a top level post on their support page.

Could you please provide links for each of those (CFM3, and the "top level post") ?
 

[mlord]

Am I supposed to save this CFM or something?  

No, you (like me) are one of the people that simply follows directions and things work perfectly, so you can re-do it again in the future if need be.  Not everyone has that gift. 
 

[rrpallechio]

Thanks, I got the same email this morning and came here looking for insight in other’s experiences, this was exactly what I was looking for.  I also have a StarSense auto alignment device but I don't use it anymore so its packed away.  Was it updated as well?  If it was I figure I’ll attach it just to ensure it’s on the latest firmware.

It did two sets of updates. I don't know what the second set was for, I just assumed it was the SSAG (I replaced the autoaling camera with the SSAG some time ago.)

[rrpallechio]

No, you (like me) are one of the people that simply follows directions and things work perfectly, so you can re-do it again in the future if need be.  Not everyone has that gift. 
 

Facepalm! I didn't read the email closely enough and didn't see the pointer to CFM3. Guess I'll redo it today using that procedure. I wonder if that firmware is different from what I updated to yesterday.

[JethroXP]

Could you please provide links for each of those (CFM3, and the "top level post") ?
 

Right here at the top of the page.  The link to CFM3 is in the PDF that link sends you to:

https://www.celestro...rs-and-software

[mlord]

Ah, okay.  Nothing special about that "CFM3", other than it appears to contain pre-packaged Java etc.. for MS-Windows users.  The regular .jar file inside it still works fine on Linux.