H9000 GEN2 update failing on Firmware update

[homer]

Hi all,

I have installed the new cards which arrived this morning and I am facing some issues.

1) I replaced the cards and as I am used to working with electronics I have been wearing the anti-static wristband as explained in the installation video. This worked out well and everything should be ok. I need to add that I have a madi expansion board on top which I had to remove in order to get to the slots.

2) I have downloaded the installer for the new 3.x firmware and put it on USB that I previously formated in FAT32 and extracted on to the USB drive so that there are the 2 files mentioned in the root directory only.

3) I power up the unit pressing Check and X as explained and everything goes according to plan until the USB drive is supposed to be read. I get a message that the updater could not be downloaded from the Eventide website along with some message. I am presented with Cancel and Ok options but at this point the unit does not react anymore and I need to shut it off.

4) Reading on the thread about GEN2 I read that it is not necessary to use the new firmware and update. Yet when I just start the machine it powers up and move ahead until on the EVENTIDE H9000 screen the progress bar goes to 100%. After that the machine is not moving and basically I can only shut off.

Would appreciate to understand possible issues or things to take care of to make it work.

Thx

[tbskoglund]

Hello,

That error message usually is a result of the USB drive not being formatted correctly.

The H9000 comes with a correctly formatted USB drive for updates, do you still have this? It is best to use that drive.

Regarding #4: I’m not sure where you got this information. You must update to the 3.X firmware for the Gen2 modules to work, otherwise your H9000 will not start up.

[pdxken]

I had the exact same problem with my USB stick, if you’re on macOS this should help:

 

pdxken wrote:

Just installed mine, the only snag I ran into was loading the firmware update from a USB stick. I loaded the update on the stick, did the H9000 startup sequence, but it’d error out. Turns out that when using the macOS Disk Utility to format the stick, you MUST use Format: “MS-DOS (FAT)” and Scheme: “Master Boot Record” options; no other options will work for this purpose. After I did that, it recognized the update on the stick and proceeded with the update as expected.

[homer]

Hi all,

in fact after reading the big GEN2 thread I came across the answer that you were giving me by myself. As such I solved the problem in the meantime using the original drive. Thank god the original bag with all the accessories inside, including the drive, was still around in our storage room….

Nevertheless, reflecting upon the situation once again I realize that in any case the only way to get my unit back to live in case of a problem is to use the USB interface and I would definitely would like to know as a user what it is that makes one drive work and the other fail. I mean the drive I initially used was of the same specs as the drive that came with the unit (32GB, USB 2.0) and as no drive >32GB can be formatted in FAT32 at least on WINDOWS that is a limiter.

The only parameter in FAT32 you can take care of as a user then is “cluster size” and that is usually set to standard. I did take some time to figure out what would be the best cluster size and some would recommend 16KB as being a good compromise to be compatible with most devices.

Now that being said, I would really like to have a recommendation from you guys @ EVENTIDE about what works and what doesn’t. Ideally and that being shared as notes in both the upgrade user guide and user manual. I mean, would a USB 3.x work if it is formattable in FAT32, too? Things like that should be on your end as a manufacturer to test and update regularly. IMHO it should not be up to your clients to figure out for themselves which 7$ drive will allow them to get their 7000$ unit come back to life once it bricked for whatever reason.

To have my own peace of mind I going to order the same brand and type once again today on Amazon as we speak but I really do think someone on your end should to the engineers who implemented the interface to the unit in order to come back with recommendations about what works and what doesn’t, specifically regarding what to look out for regarding the FAT32 options.

Hope you get my point. Thanks for your support up to this point anyway!

Regards

[tbskoglund]

Sorry, I’m not sure what formatting options you tried. I’ll update the instructions so that we only recommend using the provided drives.

We provide the USB drive for this reason, I’m glad you still had it in the packaging. We provide very fast and reliable support for the H9000, so if someone runs into an update issue, we will have them taken care of immediately.

 

[homer]

Hi all,

I used FAT32 and 16kB as cluster size to format the SANDISK.

First of all, it is good to hear that you are considering putting a respective note into the manual etc. and I definitely appreciate the level of speed that you and the team are responding to issues, like the one I had with the shipping going somewhere else.

Yet, that recommendation alone is not cutting it in real life. I means stuff gets lost and breaks, so in that case the recommendations doesn’t really help, right? I mean if we wouldn’t have a proper storage of all the gear and things needed to have the gear running I would have been and in deep doo doo as I was only considering to take a 2hrs break from my usual schedule to get this done and then to finish on some project. In the end it was a thin line between success and having to sort out an issue that costs money if you are paid by the hour.

As such I really think you should take some time to make tests on your side to see what works and where things could break apart, specifically if there is anything about FAT32 to take care of. Put an apprentice on the case and let him spend a day on the matter and it will make a huge difference to you and the user community and probably less time to spend for you to sort out that kind of problems. Whatever, just a proposal from an old dude that works in the business of keeping clients happy, too.

[tbskoglund]

Thanks for your suggestion.

[monads]

@homer probably missed my post on 10/26/25 below thread link?  Yes was painful.  Hoping Network Mode is re-instated also.

H9000 Gen2 DSP Upgrade

[homer]

@monads

I was actually referring to this thread and if you were the person suggesting the fix I owe you a beer if we should ever meet in real life

[monads]

I’ll take the beer if ever meet up!  LOL.  Just glad you got it sorted out.  I went through the same troubles, spare blank USB stick, formatted correctly, multiple failed attempts.  Eventide Support was exceptional in providing support over a weekend however and all fixed using the brand new USB drive that came with the unit (that I never even opened/used until required for the update) on the first attempt!!  I wasted 3hrs trying to troubleshoot before i.e. formatting USB stick on different computers, did I install something wrong? Trying the Network Update? etc.  Nope.  Just needed to use the Eventide USB drive provided with the unit.

[tbskoglund]

Sorry for the update frustrations and thanks for your patience. I’ve updated the install instructions clarify this for future users.

I’d invite you both for a beer on me but unfortunately the brewery next to Eventide HQ closed down earlier this year…

[monads]

^Even worse the brewery didn’t survive!?  But thanks for updating the install instructions and hopefully added blurb regarding Network Mode/Recovery not Active for this update.  Again I did appreciate the support outside normal business hours during a weekend when I had the issues.  All good here now 🙂

[drxcm]

I’ve having a similar problem.

Hardware installed easily enough using wrist bracelet.

I used the supplied Sandisk USB stick to try the firmware update.

I get to the “Download and Install” vs “Cancel and Restart” screen.

The lower left soft key does nothing.

Every other key on the device provides a haptic feedback sound except the left lower softkey.

So my only option is to “Cancel and Restart”

 

Tried a couple of times.

I’m now wondering if I have a hardware fault with that softkey or is it something else.

I haven’t tried to go back to Gen1 cards, and would appreciate any advice on how to proceed.

 

Please see attached video

 

[tbskoglund]

Sorry to hear this and thanks for sharing the details.

The bottom right soft key not triggering the click or the update is suspicious. Unfortunately, the only way to test if this soft key works properly will be to reinstall the Gen1 modules and then do some basic tests to see if it is working. That is the best step to take next.

Let me know what happens once you try that.

[drxcm]

Thanks for the quick response.  I just put the Gen1 cards back in and rebooted the H9000.

It appears my left lower softkey is still non-functional.  Not sure how long it’s been like this as I always use the Emote software to control it.

Guess this means service is needed, and I can’t install the Gen2 firmware otherwise?

 

[drxcm]

Hopefully this can be done as a warranty repair.  For all I know that soft key has never worked, I don’t think I’ve ever needed to use the front panel controls.

Right now my Gen2 upgrade kit is back in it’s box!

[tbskoglund]

Thanks for trying this and sorry for the inconvenience. Please email support@eventideaudio.com and we can sort this out there.

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