Arturia Forums
Hardware Instruments => MiniFreak => MiniFreak - Technical Issues => Topic started by: Pieter-Jan Kuyten on December 03, 2022, 07:31:10 pm
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I just bought an Minifreak, which was delivered today. After installing the ASC tool and downloading the Minifreak V app and starting it, it said I needed to update the firmware of the Minifreak from version 1.0.0 to version 1.1.0.
I started the update process and after a while the app told me that the firmware update was done. But looking at the Minifreak it was still flashing a set of LEDS. I let it continue on for about 20 minutes but the state of the Minifreak didn't change. So i restarted the Minifreak.
After this the Minifreak would only show the Minifreak logo animation for a few seconds before the mini display turned black and nothing else lit up on the Minifreak. Nothing seems to work now.
Rebooting the Minifreak gives me the same behavior.
I assume that despite the claim of the app, the firmware update failed. Does anybody have any tips or hints to get the Minifreak back into working order?
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After being contacted by a mod of this forum with a trick to start the Minifreak in bootloader mode (he asked me not to reveal how to do this, so don't ask) I was able to restart the update process, but unfortunately the behavior was the same.
I've tried this trick a few times and then downloaded the firmware directly from the website (not letting the app download it) and tried the update yet again. After the upgrade was successful (according to the app) the Minifreak still didn't boot up itself, so I let it sit for 7 hours and then did the power off/power on trick.
After this the Minifreak didn't start up at all, not even with the bootloader trick, so I think it is now completely bricked.
This feels like a hardware failure to me, so I hope their will be a response by the Arturia support team that allows me to exchange this one for a new one.
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Hello Pieter-Jan Kuyten,
I'm sorry to hear that.
The bootloader mode is not a secret , press and hold Shift + Octave < and boo the unit.
If your unit doesn't start and displays a black screen, it means the firmware update failed, the unit is not bricked.
Try to repeat the bootloader + firmware update, in Standalone, DO NOT UPDATE IN A DAW !
If you still have issues with that, please contact our support.
Kind regards.
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Just chiming in, that I am experiencing the same issue. Tried doing the firmware update online and offline (via standalone), screen turns on, freezes, then off, no life on the freak. Sending request in...
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Update, tried doing boot loader again with a different usb port... now device will not post at all, no screen activity or anything. Ticket is in, will update with a resolution if one is found.
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After short troubleshooting, getting sent to After Sales Support... Looks like a swap out?
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I managed to arrange a swap of the defective unit for a new unit with my supplier today. I had to wait a while because they had to get a new supply of units from their distributor.
I hooked up the new unit, registered it with Arturia, played around for a short while and then started Minifreak V again. And yes it was running in stand alone mode, before you ask.
It again told me that I needed to update the firmware from v1.0.0 to v1.1.0 and I let it do the upgrade. After the application told me that it was done and had rebooted the MiniFreak, I saw again the dreaded pulsating Assign page 1 LED still blinking, just like last time.
I think you can guess the rest, after a few more attempts with the bootloader mode it is now in a state that it doesn't want to enter that mode again. The difference with the first one is that on power on the animated Minifreak logo keeps spinning i.s.o the display staying blank.
There seems to be a fundamental issue with either the update process, the file used for updating or the flash memory used on the Minifreak.
I don't know which of these items is causing the problem, but the fact that I now have a second bricked Minifreak and that at least one other user has had the same issue happen to him, leads me to believe that this is a more widespread problem than just one single unit being faulty!
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I had similiar problem. After firmware update to 1.1.0 application (stand alone minifreak V) told me, upgrade is finished, but LED on hardware was blinking with blank display. I was waiting (just in case) about 10 min. and then turned off and on. Fortunately, minifreak loaded OK and when checked firmware version, it was also OK (1.1.0)...but minifreak freaked me out ;D
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I think you got lucky and dj_doughy and I got unlucky. I hope Arturia can clear up what is causing these failures, because as it now stands it seems to be a very dangerous thing to do an update to the firmware on a Minifreak!
I don't know if you will be as lucky when the next firmware update comes out though. Maybe that one will then brick your Minifreak!
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Still waiting to hear from After sales support. :'(
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I did get some response from Support, but I'm also talking to my supplier again.
I did notice that they responded to my first support ticket (the one for the first broken Minifreak) with a remark that the initial plugin would make updates failed when run from a DAW. Unfortunately in my update attempts on both Minifreaks I was running Minifreak V standalone, so if it indeed is a broken updater issue it wasn't fixed in the latest Minifreak V update.
They did sent me a offline updater script for the Minifreak, but since my second one was already bricked by the time it arrived, i can not say that that will fix the issue (unless I get a third one to replace my second one that is).
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I had a talk with someone who successfully managed to update his Minifreak using a setup close to mine (AMD Ryzen 5000 series CPU and running windows 11). He couldn't quite remember if he had the "no reboot after update" issue, but if he did he stopped Minifreak V before powercycling his Minifreak.
jojkobojko, do you remember if you also closed down Minifreak V before doing the power-cycle?
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As I remember, I had opened Minifreak V all the time. As I wrote, the whole update process went well until the end, when Minifreak (hardware) refused to reboot (blank display and LED blinked). I was waiting about 10 min. then I restarted Minifreak hardware manualy. One interesting thing...I have Ryzen 5000 series and running windows 11 as well. I was also thinking about one thing, I had Minifreak connected to usb hub...maybe that could be problem...I don't know, but as you wrote before, it is serious problem and very dangerous thing to do an update. And I understand your frustration.
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Still waiting to hear from After sales support. :'(
Still waiting…
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I had a talk with someone who successfully managed to update his Minifreak using a setup close to mine (AMD Ryzen 5000 series CPU and running windows 11). He couldn't quite remember if he had the "no reboot after update" issue, but if he did he stopped Minifreak V before powercycling his Minifreak.
jojkobojko, do you remember if you also closed down Minifreak V before doing the power-cycle?
I also have a Ryzen 5000 series CPU, but I'm on Windows 10. I've done several 10s of firmware updates of two different MnFs on this setup, using a hub, and have not had any issues. The MnF needed a power cycle one time, like jojkobojko, but the update was fine. If you repeatedly get failed updates on two different MnFs, things might point to some issue with your system(?) Perhaps you have access to a different computer to try the update with? Did you have any luck with the offline updater script?
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The exact same thing happened to me right now. Tried to update firmware, but the update failed. Not it doesn't start. After the logo it goes black. Tried the shift + < oct with no effect.
Im on latest MacOS.
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I'm starting to get the feeling that there either is a bad batch of Minifreaks out there or the updater is not working correctly. Credo is the third person with a bricked Minifreak in this forum thread.
To answer DrJustice: The second Minifreak was already in a completely bricked state by the time I got the standalone updater, so I couldn't try it out. The first Minifreak was completely bricked as well and was exchanged for the second one, so that one also wasn't able to be used with the standalone updater.
The major issue here is not that the update fails, but that it also takes the boot-loader itself with it after a number of update attempts. Since Credo reports that he was using a Mac for the update, the idea of a series of bad Minifreaks seems to become more likely.
I'm not ruling out computer system issues at this point, but seeing as this issue is more widespread than just me, it starts to feel like hardware issues are the more likely cause.
Maybe the factory received a batch of bad flash memory modules? Or there is a solder connection issue that only became problematic after a few heat/cold cycles? I know that memory modules can become quite warm during the flashing process, so a weak solder joint could become an issue after a few update attempts when the chip got really warm.
Currently I'm waiting to hear back from both my supplier (who is contact with the importer) and from Leo at Arturia Support to see what can be done for a speedy resolution of this issue. I expect that my first Minifreak should have made it back to Arturia for now for a postmortem check. Maybe that will make the issue more clear and a strategy for resolving the issues will become clear.
I just hope it won't take too much time!
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OK Pieter-Jan - let's just hope this mystery gets solved ASAP 👍
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OK Pieter-Jan - let's just hope this mystery gets solved ASAP 👍
You and me both!
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I solved this.
Booted up using shift + < oct, then opened the standalone Minifreak V software. It detected the synth and suggested Firmware update. I used the downloaded file. The machine booted successfully when finnished.
The exact same thing happened to me right now. Tried to update firmware, but the update failed. Not it doesn't start. After the logo it goes black. Tried the shift + < oct with no effect.
Im on latest MacOS.
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I solved this.
Booted up using shift + < oct, then opened the standalone Minifreak V software. It detected the synth and suggested Firmware update. I used the downloaded file. The machine booted successfully when finnished.
You were lucky then, I guess we'll have to remove you from the bricked list then.
Did the Minifreak reboot by itself? When the Minifreak V software said it would reboot the Minifreak? No need for a power-cycle when the app said it was done?
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To add to my information so its all in one place.
Windows 11, i7 11700k processor, update was attempted on usb3, then usb2, then it bricked itself. No lights, no screen, no response to bootloader command. Just the pop it makes on the speakers when it gets power, and then nothing.
Ticket is open with Arturia support, sitting in the “after sales support” queue. Have attempted to reach out to get an update after a week, no response. Been 5ish days since i sent that email.
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I solved this.
Booted up using shift + < oct, then opened the standalone Minifreak V software. It detected the synth and suggested Firmware update. I used the downloaded file. The machine booted successfully when finnished.
You were lucky then, I guess we'll have to remove you from the bricked list then.
Did the Minifreak reboot by itself? When the Minifreak V software said it would reboot the Minifreak? No need for a power-cycle when the app said it was done?
The update took perhaps 2-3 minutes. Then the software diologue said Wait for reboot. I waited for about 60 sec and the Minifreak rebooted without my help.
I would add that the trick was probably to reboot the machine by hand initially using the shift + < oct combo AND then start the standalone application and wait for the update diologue (or click the FW update button, not sure...)
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"then I restarted Minifreak hardware manualy"
NEVER EVER RESTART THE MINIFREAK WHILE ITS UPDATING
It's better to quit minifreak V and relaunch, and retry.
At worse reboot the computer, but never shut down the unit.
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I know that very well! (if you reacted to my message). I restarted Minifreak AFTER update was 100% (not while its updating). Minifreak V application finished update process but nothing happened (just LED blinked and display was blank). And I was waiting next 10 minutes AFTER update was finished (just in case) and then restarted MF. Or what can I (We) do, when update is finished, but MF refuses to restart?
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"then I restarted Minifreak hardware manualy"
NEVER EVER RESTART THE MINIFREAK WHILE ITS UPDATING
It's better to quit minifreak V and relaunch, and retry.
At worse reboot the computer, but never shut down the unit.
Well, that is all very nice to know, but since that information isn't provided anywhere the only option left after having the Minifreak sit in the update finished state (but not rebooting) for seven hours was to power cycle it and hope for the best. I don't know how long you think sitting in this state doing update after update attempt is sensible, but at some point in time a reboot seems to be the only logical thing to do.
What I don't understand is why the bootloader is wiped by the update process? The bootloader should never be touched. It should be in a separate part of the flash memory and never be touched. Most devices that can be updated remotely have a bootloader and and A and B firmware section, so that running A updates B and should that fail it falls back to A, should it succeed it switches to B. But the bootloader is never touched. Unless targeted specifically from a running A or B partition, but only under extreme circumstances (security issues or major bugs in the bootloader).
But I'll take your advice to heart and the next Minifreak will not be powercycled until an update attempt is successful.
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"then I restarted Minifreak hardware manualy"
NEVER EVER RESTART THE MINIFREAK WHILE ITS UPDATING
It's better to quit minifreak V and relaunch, and retry.
At worse reboot the computer, but never shut down the unit.
The minifreak v standalone said “update complete! Rebooting minifreak”…. From a standpoint that sounds like the update finished, it tried to push a reboot but didnt/couldnt, so power cycled. Then it fails. Just an observation
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The minifreak v standalone said “update complete! Rebooting minifreak”…. From a standpoint that sounds like the update finished, it tried to push a reboot but didnt/couldnt, so power cycled. Then it fails. Just an observation
Indeed, the issue is not that we rebooted the Minifreak during the update, the issue is that the Minifreak V software said it was done with the update, but for some reason hadn't rebooted the Minifreak. So either the check on completion of the update process is not correct and the user is misinformed about the state of the update or there is no check on completion and Minifreak V is just assuming that the update is complete.
Either way, the only way to go forward is to reboot the Minifreak manually. And I waited a considerable time each time after Minifreak V told me the update was complete, that is until the point (after several update attempts) that the Minifreak wasn't even booting in bootloader mode anymore.
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Hello,
Hello.
I'm very sorry to hear that....
Manually rebooting the Hardware is what causes the bricking.
DON'T REBOOT THE UNIT MANUALLY !
Sorry to insist on that.
If the unit won't reboot after updating:
- Quit and relaunch MiniFreak V and try the update again
- If it's not working, reboot the computer but don't shut down the MiniFreak
Also, make sure you are using a cable directly connected to the computer.
I have a feeling that the issue is happening on windows 11 only, do you confirm?
Know that we are currently working on a fix for MiniFreak V.
We will make sure to tackle this issue, give proper info on how to and what not to do.
If you have further recommendations for us or info on your setup, please share them as it might help us a lot.
Again i'm very sorry to hear you have experienced such a difficult time, i hope you'll have fun soon with a functioning unit.
Kind regards.
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Yes, I can confirm windows 11 as my native running system.
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Hello,
Hello.
I'm very sorry to hear that....
Manually rebooting the Hardware is what causes the bricking.
DON'T REBOOT THE UNIT MANUALLY !
Sorry to insist on that.
If the unit won't reboot after updating:
- Quit and relaunch MiniFreak V and try the update again
- If it's not working, reboot the computer but don't shut down the MiniFreak
Also, make sure you are using a cable directly connected to the computer.
This would have been good to know beforehand. Being technically sound, I feel dumb for not thinking of that.
And yes, i am on windows 11
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...
Manually rebooting the Hardware is what causes the bricking.
DON'T REBOOT THE UNIT MANUALLY !
Sorry to insist on that.
...
Also, make sure you are using a cable directly connected to the computer.
...
I have a feeling that the issue is happening on windows 11 only, do you confirm?
Know that we are currently working on a fix for MiniFreak V.
We will make sure to tackle this issue, give proper info on how to and what not to do.
If you have further recommendations for us or info on your setup, please share them as it might help us a lot.
...
Hi Matthieu,
my config for fw-update was:
MiniFreakV was the first you advertised on your website ( not the next version ...).
Linux running the MiniFreakV on Win11 in a VM (virtual-box).
USB direct connected to host PC.
As far as I can recall the update process took a while. MiniFreakV message was something like: "Update finished, wait for reboot..."
But the Minifreak did not reboot for 5 minutes. So I switched Minifreak (hardware device) off and did a restart.... started ok with the new firmware. No bricked device.
Maybe it helpes in finding that problem...
One question I have: If one must not reboot the device manually - what is one supposed to do when the device is not doing anything and a restart of MiniFreakV does not help - leave the device switched on for ever??
regards mario
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dj_doughy, have you heard anything from After Sales support yet?
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dj_doughy, have you heard anything from After Sales support yet?
Nope! I have replied back to the email saying they were going to send it to after-sale support, but still nothing after 2 weeks. Might just open a new ticket.
Been broken almost longer than it's been working... Really want to use it on my live sets but for now, it just looks pretty?
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I also got the "Passed over to the After Sales support" mail on the 19th and haven't heard anything from this "After Sales support team". I saw your saga in this forum thread and was wondering if they always take that long. Seeing as you are now on day 20 of the first mention of having been referred to this seemingly mythical "After Sales support team", I have very little hope that this will be resolved soon via them.
I guess I'll have to contact my supplier again after Christmas to see if I can resolve this via them again.
I do know that I'll not update the third unit (if I manage to get one that is) anytime soon. Too risky right now!
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I had similar issues with the firmware update, here's what got me into a failed firmware update state:
- Started firmware update in MiniFreak V (not DAW) on Windows 10
- Firmware version was listed, clicked on button to start download and installation
- Walked away, came back to a flashing MiniFreak keyboard, with the dialog saying something like "waiting for reset"
- Manually reset MiniFreak **caused failed firmware state** (don't do this!)
This is how I recovered it, from reading this thread.
- Boot into bootload mode, press and hold shift + octave <
- MiniFreak boots to a blank screen with one light lit (think it was Assign 1)
- Open MiniFreak V software
- Go to Firmware Update
- No current firmware listed
- Click on button to begin firmware update
- MiniFreak flashing again after update complete, waiting for reset
- Observed no way to close the software, not responsive (can't X)
- Used task manager to kill the MiniFreak V software process
- Observed MiniFreak rebooted on its own after process killed, and is working fine
- Observed in MiniFreak V software that the current firmware matches latest
- All functions work so far as expected
I don't suggest to use this as a guide without consideration, but it is what worked for me and I believe helped me avoid a lengthy RMA process, so hope it helps others think through this and save their MiniFreaks. I love this instrument already, and so I was very worried when my update process failed.
If I were to do this from scratch, I would probably kill the MiniFreak V software once it reached the "waiting for reboot state" and see how that worked. That seems to be inline with what Arturia mentioned to do in this thread already, and at least for my recovery effort I did not have to retry the update, killing the software was good enough to reboot and the firmware update was complete.
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I had similar issues with the firmware update, here's what got me into a failed firmware update state:
- Started firmware update in MiniFreak V (not DAW) on Windows 10
- Firmware version was listed, clicked on button to start download and installation
- Walked away, came back to a flashing MiniFreak keyboard, with the dialog saying something like "waiting for reset"
- Manually reset MiniFreak **caused failed firmware state** (don't do this!)
This is how I recovered it, from reading this thread.
- Boot into bootload mode, press and hold shift + octave <
- MiniFreak boots to a blank screen with one light lit (think it was Assign 1)
- Open MiniFreak V software
- Go to Firmware Update
- No current firmware listed
- Click on button to begin firmware update
- MiniFreak flashing again after update complete, waiting for reset
- Observed no way to close the software, not responsive (can't X)
- Used task manager to kill the MiniFreak V software process
- Observed MiniFreak rebooted on its own after process killed, and is working fine
- Observed in MiniFreak V software that the current firmware matches latest
- All functions work so far as expected
I don't suggest to use this as a guide without consideration, but it is what worked for me and I believe helped me avoid a lengthy RMA process, so hope it helps others think through this and save their MiniFreaks. I love this instrument already, and so I was very worried when my update process failed.
If I were to do this from scratch, I would probably kill the MiniFreak V software once it reached the "waiting for reboot state" and see how that worked. That seems to be inline with what Arturia mentioned to do in this thread already, and at least for my recovery effort I did not have to retry the update, killing the software was good enough to reboot and the firmware update was complete.
Sounds like reasonable "workaround". Coming from a technical background, that isn't the first time I've seen something finish its work when a process is killed... Might try this if I don't hear back from my second ticket that I had opened and I just contact sweetwater and get a replacement.
Wish I had known that if you close the software, it won't fuck it up as bad as turning the unit off and trying again.
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dj_doughy, you and me both!
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I finally received my RMA information for shipping back the Minifreak to Arturia. Now to find enough packing material to safely ship it.
dj_doughy, I kept asking on my support ticket about a response from After Sales, so maybe you have to do the same if Sweetwater is not able to help you.
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I finally received my RMA information for shipping back the Minifreak to Arturia. Now to find enough packing material to safely ship it.
dj_doughy, I kept asking on my support ticket about a response from After Sales, so maybe you have to do the same if Sweetwater is not able to help you.
I got my RMA info as well and am trying to find a box to ship it in as well, haha! Looks like I'm gonna have to bust out my CAD skills (cardboard aided design)
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I got my RMA info as well and am trying to find a box to ship it in as well, haha! Looks like I'm gonna have to bust out my CAD skills (cardboard aided design)
Luckily I still had the box that the supplier shipped the orginal Minifreak in, which was being used for collecting waste paper for recycling, as looking around the internet the only suppliers of boxes of sufficient size were selling them in minimum quantities of 10 pieces. I brought it to a UPS pickup point yesterday and it should be finding its way to Arturia in the south of France on Tuesday, 3rd of January.
Hopefully the turn around times for a repaired or replacement unit won't be too long. After a month I'd like to be able to play on the thing for more than 1 hour!
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... finding its way to Arturia in the south of France on Tuesday, 3rd of January....
Just got mine shipped out in a modified dell all in one box to California. Awaiting a return with bated breath
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Just got mine shipped out in a modified dell all in one box to California. Awaiting a return with bated breath
UPS notified me that they received mine on Monday morning. I haven't heard anything since then.
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Just got an automated e-mail stating that they'd received my Minifreak and are looking into the issue. They'll come back to me within 5 working days with more information.
I guess its busy at After Sales support as UPS told me they received it a week ago!
--- update ---
Just got a mail that my Minifreak will be shipped back to me today!
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Same thing just happened to me. Windows 10, Ryzen 5600x. Minifreak V said "Update complete, wait for reboot...", and then changed to "Update complete.". But my Minifreak never rebooted. Waited 10 minutes and then risked it and cut the power, and now it will just show "Arturia minifreak" when starting up and then the screen goes black along with all LEDs.
Just got it today.... RIP :(
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Update:
Was able to install in bootloader mode from file, but had to still manually reboot the device.
Now the device comes on and it seems like it should be working, but its producing no sound on its own. Linked to Microfreak V it still works though.
Also the "shift" button does not work, and i can't select a preset more than once. Very weird behaviour. I will try to update it again from this state i suppose.
UPDATE 3:
Seems to be working. I installed the firmware (from file) again onto this half working state. It still never rebooted, but this time i closed Minifreak V after it was done (Never even got an update complete, it just closed the update window on its own). After closing Minifreak V, i still had to manually reboot my Minifreak, which was scary. I also made sure to unplug the USB cable before booting it up again, just to be safe.
So just to reiterate everything that happened to me:
1. Tried to update to latest firmware (1.1.0.1080) using the green button.
2. Minifreak wouldnt reboot even after the "Update complete" message, so i forced rebooted it.
3. Minifreak would not boot further than the initial screen showing the name of the product.
4. Booted into bootloader mode using Shift + < Octave.
5. Installed Firmware from file while in bootloader mode. (Firmware version was showing as blank in Minifreak V).
6. Still had to manually reboot.
7. Tried Minifreak again and it booted up normally, but it didnt play the "bootup animation" with the LEDs, and everything was kind of broken and no sound was made. Minifreak V was controllable from it though. Shift button would not work.
8. Reinstalled the firmware AGAIN from file in this weird broken state. Closed Minifreak V after update was done and manually turned Minifreak off.
9. Unplugged USB connection just to be safe.
10. Booted Minifreak and now it is working with the latest firmware.
Interesting note: On my first firmware update, there were a bunch of different LEDs on. Those same LEDs were NOT on during other firmware installs. During the other firmware installs, some LEDs would instead come on and off depending on the progress of the update. I wonder if the LEDs that were lit up during the first update was an error code of some kind. (because its obvious that the LEDs are conveying information during the updates, for arturias internal support).
Sad edit:
Some presets seem to crash Minifreak, it just refuses to make any sound until reboot when selecting for example Preset 89 or 125. :(
Final update:
Tried to reinstall firmware again, and now Minifreak is completely frozen on the startup logo. Can't access bootloader anymore. Bricked.
Guess i'll have to contact support. What a crap day.
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Update:
Was able to install in bootloader mode from file, but had to still manually reboot the device.
Now the device comes on and it seems like it should be working, but its producing no sound on its own. Linked to Microfreak V it still works though.
Also the "shift" button does not work, and i can't select a preset more than once. Very weird behaviour. I will try to update it again from this state i suppose.
UPDATE 3:
Seems to be working. I installed the firmware (from file) again onto this half working state. It still never rebooted, but this time i closed Minifreak V after it was done (Never even got an update complete, it just closed the update window on its own). After closing Minifreak V, i still had to manually reboot my Minifreak, which was scary. I also made sure to unplug the USB cable before booting it up again, just to be safe.
So just to reiterate everything that happened to me:
1. Tried to update to latest firmware (1.1.0.1080) using the green button.
2. Minifreak wouldnt reboot even after the "Update complete" message, so i forced rebooted it.
3. Minifreak would not boot further than the initial screen showing the name of the product.
4. Booted into bootloader mode using Shift + < Octave.
5. Installed Firmware from file while in bootloader mode. (Firmware version was showing as blank in Minifreak V).
6. Still had to manually reboot.
7. Tried Minifreak again and it booted up normally, but it didnt play the "bootup animation" with the LEDs, and everything was kind of broken and no sound was made. Minifreak V was controllable from it though. Shift button would not work.
8. Reinstalled the firmware AGAIN from file in this weird broken state. Closed Minifreak V after update was done and manually turned Minifreak off.
9. Unplugged USB connection just to be safe.
10. Booted Minifreak and now it is working with the latest firmware.
Interesting note: On my first firmware update, there were a bunch of different LEDs on. Those same LEDs were NOT on during other firmware installs. During the other firmware installs, some LEDs would instead come on and off depending on the progress of the update. I wonder if the LEDs that were lit up during the first update was an error code of some kind. (because its obvious that the LEDs are conveying information during the updates, for arturias internal support).
Sad edit:
Some presets seem to crash Minifreak, it just refuses to make any sound until reboot when selecting for example Preset 89 or 125. :(
Final update:
Tried to reinstall firmware again, and now Minifreak is completely frozen on the startup logo. Can't access bootloader anymore. Bricked.
Guess i'll have to contact support. What a crap day.
You can contact the support, they sent me an archive with the firmware in executable file (on windows it's a .bat).
The first time I got some "device not found" (something like that) during the process, but it didn't work
I had my minifreak looping on the splashscreen logo, but I was able to boot it in bootloader mode.
I ran again the .bat and it worked fine, it also self rebooted after few minutes (and I think this part is really important).
Finger crossed for you
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You can contact the support, they sent me an archive with the firmware in executable file (on windows it's a .bat).
The first time I got some "device not found" (something like that) during the process, but it didn't work
I had my minifreak looping on the splashscreen logo, but I was able to boot it in bootloader mode.
I ran again the .bat and it worked fine, it also self rebooted after few minutes (and I think this part is really important).
Finger crossed for you
Unfortunately when the Minifreak is no longer able to boot in bootloader mode, the standalone updater will also no longer see the Minifreak. That's what happened with my second one. Only a RMA to Arturia will be able to get the Minifreak back in working order, I'm afraid.
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You can contact the support, they sent me an archive with the firmware in executable file (on windows it's a .bat).
The first time I got some "device not found" (something like that) during the process, but it didn't work
I had my minifreak looping on the splashscreen logo, but I was able to boot it in bootloader mode.
I ran again the .bat and it worked fine, it also self rebooted after few minutes (and I think this part is really important).
Finger crossed for you
Unfortunately when the Minifreak is no longer able to boot in bootloader mode, the standalone updater will also no longer see the Minifreak. That's what happened with my second one. Only a RMA to Arturia will be able to get the Minifreak back in working order, I'm afraid.
Support just responded with a generic "contact the reseller first". So guess i'll have to do that. Hopefully they can replace it and i don't have to wait for mine to be repaired.
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Support just responded with a generic "contact the reseller first". So guess i'll have to do that. Hopefully they can replace it and i don't have to wait for mine to be repaired.
It's how I replaced the first borked unit, by swapping it with a new unit from the supplier. That is usually faster than having to RMA it to Arturia.
If your supplier is willing to exchange it for a new unit, take that option with both hands!
I just hope that Arturia either makes the offline updater available for more people or fixes the broken updater code in Minifreak V! Otherwise I expect this issue to hit more people before long.
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Just got an automated e-mail stating that they'd received my Minifreak and are looking into the issue. They'll come back to me within 5 working days with more information.
I guess its busy at After Sales support as UPS told me they received it a week ago!
--- update ---
Just got a mail that my Minifreak will be shipped back to me today!
Same, but no info on shipping back yet.
I think a takeaway so far from all of this is:
If your firmware is stuck at 100% and the freak is not rebooting automatically, do not reboot the minifreak, restart the software, use the standalone vst, and/or restart the computer and try it again while the freak is still on.
I mean, this according to what the people who had successfully fixed the issue and the arturia support on this form have sad, so far.... Just a note for those scrolling through this thread...
Maybe update your first post with this line?
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You can contact the support, they sent me an archive with the firmware in executable file (on windows it's a .bat).
The first time I got some "device not found" (something like that) during the process, but it didn't work
I had my minifreak looping on the splashscreen logo, but I was able to boot it in bootloader mode.
I ran again the .bat and it worked fine, it also self rebooted after few minutes (and I think this part is really important).
Finger crossed for you
That's why I was speaking about the .bat file, not the standalone app.
But I guess you were more unlucky than me with your unit :(
Unfortunately when the Minifreak is no longer able to boot in bootloader mode, the standalone updater will also no longer see the Minifreak. That's what happened with my second one. Only a RMA to Arturia will be able to get the Minifreak back in working order, I'm afraid.
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Well, mine is now back, fixed and updated!
Thank you Arturia!
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Got a new one in the mail today, but i'm scared of updating it...
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Got a new one in the mail today, but i'm scared of updating it...
How did you fare with the new one? Still afraid to do the update? I did notice that MiniFreak V was updated last week, but there was nothing in the release notes about fixing the update process though.
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Hi, I'm new to this forum. The exact same thing happened to me today, I was trying to backup my presets with MiniFreak V and got this pop-up saying I needed to update the firmware, so I did. After the update process finished my MiniFreak did not reboot itself so I waited... and nothing. Then I did what I think anyone would: I rebooted it manually, and to my surprise it had no sound. I panicked and now I am in this forum seeing it is a common issue, I'm surprised how Arturia hasn't fixed this yet. I don't know what to do now. Should I try something else to recover it or straight up try to get a replacement from the dealer?
Edit: Apparently it works now after I gave it a couple more tries. This is what I did:
First I did an offline firmware upgrade (using the file from the MiniFreak Resources website) with the MiniFreak on bootloader mode (power on while holding the buttons Shift + Octave Down). The MiniFreak didn't reboot itself after the install, so I turned it off manually. When I powered it on it booted as normal but it didn't make any sound, but at least the MiniFreak V software recognized it this time! MIDI did not work though.
On second try I did another install using the same offline file, but this time with the device turned on normally (no bootloader mode), since this time MiniFreak V recognized it being plugged through USB. After the install the synth didn't reboot itself neither this time. So I turned it off manually again, unplugged it and, oh surprise! Now there was sound! MIDI works too! I have gone through different presets, saved my own, even did a backup of my sound bank in my PC, and everything seems to work just fine. On boot up it shows version 1.1.0.1080.
Since I was not the first one to encounter this issue and definitely will not be the last, I think Arturia should take some action in avoiding that new users suffer the same misfortune. I don't know what went wrong on my first try but there seems to be something wrong with the upgrade process. After this I am not upgrading to a new firmware until Arturia can guarantee us that it will not brick the devices.
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Hi,
I feel the same way. Arturia really needs to fix the update process in Minifreak V. The way it is now is way to scary because rebooting the Minifreak through a power cycle after the update is supposedly finished is not the way forward as it is more likely to brick the Minifreak than it is to successfully complete the update process.
And the advise to shutdown Minifreak V after the update is "finished" is not something that most of us would think of and up to now I haven't seen any guarantees that it will correctly finish the update in all cases.
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So I contacted support and this is what they replied:
Do keep in mind that the unit should never be manually rebooted if not rebooted automatically at the end of the update procedure,
You should rather close the Minifreak V and reopen it to start the update again, and if this does not help only then reboot the unit but necessarily in bootloader mode.
Restarting the device without bootloader is what could potentially brick the unit itself.
We are indeed heavily working on those issues to ensure this has been addressed for the next firmware update and aleviate any risk of any unit being bricked.
So, apparently we should not manually reboot the MiniFreak after a firmware update, but rebooting to bootloader mode is safe (?
Looking back, probably that was what revived mine mine as I first rebooed it in bootloader mode after the first "successful" firmware update...
Either way, they seem to be working on fixing it. Hopefully a new firmware patch or MiniFreak V update will do. Now we wait.