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Updating v3.1 to the latest firmware

1/25/2024

I've had quite a few folks ask me if it's possible to update the DIY or Assembled v3.1 to the latest code (now v3.21). Good news: YES! Bad news: it's a bit complicated, so bear with me. I just had a customer try out these instructions from scratch and it worked. I plan to release a video tutorial as well, but it'll be a few weeks.

Side note: this latest firmware now includes an update to the brightness scale to improve night driving. Brightness = 1 is now 25% as bright as it used to be. Scale has changed from 1-15 to 1-60 for a lot more adjustability. 15 and 60 (the highest brightness) is still the same though, it didn't get any brighter at max brightness.

First - download the latest firmware. (as of 25 Jan 2024)

chippernut_shiftlight_v3_22_7mar2024a.ino
File Size:	70 kb
File Type:	ino

Download File

Install the Arduino IDE. https://www.arduino.cc/en/software
Install the CH340 USB UART chip driver and install that. https://learn.sparkfun.com/tutorials/how-to-install-ch340-drivers/all
Then download my 3.1 zip package here: Library Files
Follow the Arduino instructions to install the libraries included with that Zip. I prefer the "manual" method personally. https://docs.arduino.cc/software/ide-v1/tutorials/installing-libraries
Then you'll open the Arduino IDE.
Open the attached firmware file.
Connect your Shift light via USB cable.
In the Arduino IDE, In the Tools Menu, Select the board "Arduino Nano"
In the tools menu, under bootloader, select "ATmega328P (Old Bootloader)"
Then after a few seconds you should see the Port section become active, open it and select whatever port it displays.
This is where most people have issues. Getting the IDE to connect to the arduino. In my experience, the first time is always the most difficult. If it doesn't work, unplug everything, reboot, and start back at step 5.
Once you get the port active, click the blue checkmark icon for "Compile" and it should compile without errors. If it does, send me the text output in the bottom black area. It's likely a library issue.
Once it compiles, you should see a couple lines of white text indicating the program size and memory used.
Then click the blue arrow icon to upload. It's normal if it fails the first time. Just try again. If it keeps failing the upload, push the reset button on the shift light Arduino just before it starts to upload. Timing is key. Then it should take.
You'll see a bunch of lights flashing, then the shift light will boot up. Because it's a fresh install, you might need to go in the shift light menu system, to the very last menu option, and reset the shift light to clear out the old memory presets because some memory locations changed from 3.1 to 3.2. This will cause issues if you don't reset.

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Updating v3.1 to the latest firmware

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