New AL Priority 2 Sensor, Wont Update Firmware?

hey all (mainly BRP hehe)! got a new ALP 2 sensor with GPS and hifi control unit installed yesterday and having lots of issues with it.

i tried to update the control box firmware, the control set firmware (for hifi) and the setup file and it takes the setup file but seems to ignore the rest. i've formatted (full format, not quick) a FAT32 usb drive from Kingston (and used another one from SanDisk) and placed just those three files on it. it will do some of the beeps but not all (mainly, it will never go to uploading the firmware). it takes the setup file because i can see the LED dim down per my settings, but won't go any further.

any ideas?

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Originally Posted by spitcool

hey all (mainly BRP hehe)! got a new ALP 2 sensor with GPS and hifi control unit installed yesterday and having lots of issues with it.

i tried to update the control box firmware, the control set firmware (for hifi) and the setup file and it takes the setup file but seems to ignore the rest. i've formatted (full format, not quick) a FAT32 usb drive from Kingston (and used another one from SanDisk) and placed just those three files on it. it will do some of the beeps but not all (mainly, it will never go to uploading the firmware). it takes the setup file because i can see the LED dim down per my settings, but won't go any further.

any ideas?

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Use the hifi menu and determine what version of the firmware is on the ALP cpu. It might already be up to date. Also, make sure you are using a USB 2 or USB 1 device NOT a USB 3 as some have been known to not work properly. I doubt that is the issue because the setup.alp file took without issue. Also, did you register your unit? I'm sure you've tried restarting multiple times so I suspect they are already up to date, but confirm to make sure...

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Originally Posted by Mirage

Use the hifi menu and determine what version of the firmware is on the ALP cpu. It might already be up to date. Also, make sure you are using a USB 2 or USB 1 device NOT a USB 3 as some have been known to not work properly. I doubt that is the issue because the setup.alp file took without issue. Also, did you register your unit? I'm sure you've tried restarting multiple times so I suspect they are already up to date, but confirm to make sure...

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i have been using USB2 drive (and tested for USB3), and did register my unit. is there something about registering that changes the firmware? even before registering it was able to download the firmware.

what's the process for checking hifi unit firmware? i can't seem to find the proper service menu code. when doing the control box firmware, it shows on 1.1.6.

will go try again and get a video of what happens and post back (when trying to upgrade firmware)

Mirage, see:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rBWpqI8mU_Y

this shows, new factory reset, let it boot, new downloads of all setup files, firmwares (hifi), and it gives 5 long beeps with solid red LED, then downloads the setup file and does nothing else :/ hopefully not a bad control box, that would make it DOA :(

Ok. I see. BRD is out at the moment, but will be back shortly. I'll ping him and let him know what's up. I suspect it has something to do with the serial. You asked previously if the serial registration affects the firmware and the answer is yes. Each firmware is uniquely identified by it's registration. If it's not registered it will not allow you to update. BRD will have to look at the serial number and see what's up with it. PM him the serial number please.

will do, thanks mirage. one thing i noticed. on my box, there is no "U" before the serial number.

sending PM now :)

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Originally Posted by spitcool

will do, thanks mirage. one thing i noticed. on my box, there is no "U" before the serial number.

sending PM now :)

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Sent you a PM

thanks. my question towards serial and firmware was more to this:

i can download firmware now, it's about 500KB. when my serial is "activated", does that filesize increase? or is it changed to work properly? i would assume that if my serial isn't activated then i couldnt even get to the page to update firmware, but i have no idea :) thanks again for the help here, i'm about to drive from SF to austin, tx and really would love to have my "parking sensors" in good working order ;)

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Originally Posted by spitcool

thanks. my question towards serial and firmware was more to this:

i can download firmware now, it's about 500KB. when my serial is "activated", does that filesize increase? or is it changed to work properly? i would assume that if my serial isn't activated then i couldnt even get to the page to update firmware, but i have no idea :) thanks again for the help here, i'm about to drive from SF to austin, tx and really would love to have my "parking sensors" in good working order ;)

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We are closed on the weekends and the factory in Croatia is also closed so not much we can really do until Monday. Try a brand name USB 2.0 USB Stick like a Sandisk or similar USB 2.0 drive. The voice pack is not even loading which leads me to believe the drive is your issue. Try a different drive (Brand Name) and download new files. Also make sure the file names are not renamed from your computer. You can also try to verify the extension cable is not the problem by connecting the drive directly to the CPU's USB Port.

Make sure your file names on your drive are the following:

U1234567.Bin
Setup.alp
UCSTHIFI.BIN
VOICEPCK.ALP

Tom

Had a similar problem (using USB 3.0) which was corrected by using a USB 2.0 stick (with BRD's patience and help)

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Originally Posted by BestRadarDetectors

We are closed on the weekends and the factory in Croatia is also closed so not much we can really do until Monday. Try a brand name USB 2.0 USB Stick like a Sandisk or similar USB 2.0 drive. The voice pack is not even loading which leads me to believe the drive is your issue. Try a different drive (Brand Name) and download new files. Also make sure the file names are not renamed from your computer. You can also try to verify the extension cable is not the problem by connecting the drive directly to the CPU's USB Port.

Make sure your file names on your drive are the following:

U1234567.Bin
Setup.alp
UCSTHIFI.BIN
VOICEPCK.ALP

Tom

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Hey @spitcool, BRD has a point here. The Voice pack should load regardless as there no encryption on it. Get a very generic USB stick like a Sandisk (I believe you said you have a Kingston which should still work, but if you can try a Sandisk just in case). Also, as BRD mentioned try to remove any extensions or anything between the CPU and the USB stick. If it works the voice will start coming through. Make sure your files are named like above on the root of the USB stick.

yeah, i have about 6 USB sticks sitting here right now. ill try another one, brand new, USB2 sandisk. just got a shipment of new USB drives today and no go :/ i think my unit is DOA for a 1000+ mile trip i have monday :/

I had issues loading the firmware into my ALP until I got a budget USB stick. The SANDISK high end stick didn't work. Go figure.

ha, good to know. ill go buy a good one and a piece of shit one :)

Attachment 3870

^^ that's what i have in the USB stick. are the files case-sensitive? this is on a lower end kingston USB stick. USB2.0 8GB

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Originally Posted by spitcool

Attachment 3870

^^ that's what i have in the USB stick. are the files case-sensitive? this is on a lower end kingston USB stick. USB2.0 8GB

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Try loading only the Firmware & Setup file. When the VoicePak is on the same drive it will update the Controller & Voice Pack first before the firmware. If there is an issue with the voice pack or controller firmware it will stop there so try bypassing them and only load the setup file and the firmware file. Also, The serial number you supplied me was sold to a dealer, He let you pick up your vehicle without the system running properly?

also possibly try formatting the usb drive (full not quick) fat32 on another computer to be sure to remove any preloaded files that may be interfering with the update, and load the files from there. make sure to disconnect the usb drive from your computer before you pull it out. just some more ideas, hope things work out!


Sent from my iPhone 6+ using Tapatalk

yeah, thanks TeamQuack . i did that, using an 8gb USB2.0, formatted on my windows laptop, copied files over, ejected drive, waited until prompt then moved over. every time i get the 5 beeps and solid red LED, then it just goes back to parking mode. i think it hates me :( haha

Use a small flash drive. 8gb or less. Kingston will work fine. I use Kingston and PNY. I had problems trying the larger ones. Do a factory reset on the unit then update the firmware. it will go back to parking mode after the update. next you need to load your setup file. I'm one of the first to install one of these systems and there has been a lot of update since it came out. I had a problem with 2 units bricking after update. I think it was caused by not doing a factory reset first.

how was it bricked? did it not even turn on?

IIRC this was a bug at the time due to some new hardware that had been implemented. It is no longer an issue.

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Originally Posted by spitcool

yeah, i have about 6 USB sticks sitting here right now. ill try another one, brand new, USB2 sandisk. just got a shipment of new USB drives today and no go :/ i think my unit is DOA for a 1000+ mile trip i have monday :/

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Sandisk(16Gb) USB 2.0 is all I've ever used & never had a problem(on my AL-P), also I've never bothered to Format any of them,either. Between my own & helping another member each(done 10-11 updates) & every one was successful.

The only time I (we) had a prob. occur was last week in NY. Friend had 2 PNYs... a 32Gb & a 64G that were labeled "2.0/3.0" compatible. We had no luck making them work...whether Formatted or not, just a complete failure.

cool thanks man. well, if anyone is in the bay area and want to give it a shot, let me know and ill get you some beer on my way over ;) having tried 8+ USB drives and different styles, i think that my unit is DOA, but ill give BRD a all in the morning and see what happens...

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Originally Posted by BestRadarDetectors

Try loading only the Firmware & Setup file. When the VoicePak is on the same drive it will update the Controller & Voice Pack first before the firmware. If there is an issue with the voice pack or controller firmware it will stop there so try bypassing them and only load the setup file and the firmware file. Also, The serial number you supplied me was sold to a dealer, He let you pick up your vehicle without the system running properly?

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You did not answer my post.

sorry, must have missed that. but yes, the system is not working properly, and i did purchase it from a dealer (aleks) who installed it. either way, i need your help to get it working ASAP. i am leaving to go on a road trip and purchased this system for that trip. right now, this system is useless to me as it is 100% non functional :(

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Originally Posted by spitcool

sorry, must have missed that. but yes, the system is not working properly, and i did purchase it from a dealer (aleks) who installed it. either way, i need your help to get it working ASAP. i am leaving to go on a road trip and purchased this system for that trip. right now, this system is useless to me as it is 100% non functional :(

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Alek should not have let you leave the shop with the system not working and all dealers should stock additional parts if problems arise. He should have swapped the CPU for you. Everything is activated and good on our end, Have him contact us if he does not have a new CPU to swap for you..

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Originally Posted by BestRadarDetectors

Alek should not have let you leave the shop with the system not working and all dealers should stock additional parts if problems arise. He should have swapped the CPU for you. Everything is activated and good on our end, Have him contact us if he does not have a new CPU to swap for you..

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ok, ive just sent him an email, but i think you're missing the point.

i'm moving to texas. tonight. i'm leaving the area with my car. how is aleks supposed to fix the problem and troubleshoot with me over 1000 miles away? you sold the product, i'm asking you for help and to support your product. at the end of the day, i may just end up having to call american express and they can take care of it for me, but i prefer to have your product in my car, so again, i'm asking for your help.

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Originally Posted by spitcool

ok, ive just sent him an email, but i think you're missing the point.

i'm moving to texas. tonight. i'm leaving the area with my car. how is aleks supposed to fix the problem and troubleshoot with me over 1000 miles away? you sold the product, i'm asking you for help and to support your product. at the end of the day, i may just end up having to call american express and they can take care of it for me, but i prefer to have your product in my car, so again, i'm asking for your help.

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A dealer that installs our product is also supposed to support the product and not let you walk out of the shop with a system that is not working properly. They should have installed the firmware and when you picked it up all you should have had to do was install a settings file to customize it to your preferences. Being that he is local to where you are at now, The ideal scenario would be for him to replace the CPU for you and as a dealer he should be stocking product and have a unit on hand locally.

When I sell a radar detector as BRD and it has a problem the customers will come back to me during the 30 day return period and its our responsibility to replace it for the customer and not the manufacture. If he calls the manufacture during this 30 day return period Escort (Just for example) would tell the customer to go back to the BRD and have them swap it out for a new one.

Your product does have a warranty and we will support you regardless but you are in a situation where the dealer should be able to help you locally. If you are moving 1000 miles away we can certainly work with you to get your unit replaced where you end up but you had a problem on a weekend where all carriers are closed and logistically there is nothing we can do to get you a replacement unit today.

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Originally Posted by spitcool

ok, ive just sent him an email, but i think you're missing the point.

i'm moving to texas. tonight. i'm leaving the area with my car. how is aleks supposed to fix the problem and troubleshoot with me over 1000 miles away? *you sold the product, i'm asking you for help and to support your product. at the end of the day, i may just end up having to call american express and they can take care of it for me, but i prefer to have your product in my car, so again, i'm asking for your help.

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*- I hear your frustration, but this attitude will not be productive nor resolve the situation.

Would you like to try to break this down to 2 or 3 USB drives & separate steps to see where the problem is occurring ?

RedRocket, i understand, and i've done that. ive tried 14 USB drives in the past 3 days, different mfgs, models, sizes, USB specs, and so forth.

in the end, the unit was swapped out and the one i have installed now works fine. i see that you and everyone else is saying i needed to try different usb drives, and see what steps, and i figured you all would assume i'm an idiot, which is why i posted a video. unfortunately, no one was really helpful despite me stating facts and what my process for fault isolation was. documentation is sparse for these units unfortunately. BRD represents these products for the USA and is therefore responsible for their support, which he told me in the end he was willing to take care of the issue via a phone call.

in the end, i came here asking for help, and got a lot of good ideas to try, but tried them all and nothing worked (including using different USB drives, only setup file, only firmware, only voicepacks).

a few suggestions for the units: provide additional indicators of failures. some beeps and lights are fine, but this firmware is only using a fraction of it's capabilities in beep speed and LED colours for fault isolation. if the manufacturer or authorized reseller for a region has requirements before it leaves a shop with a customer, that should be verified in writing and presented to the customer at the completion of an install. in the documentation, stating that the customer needs to do certain items to enable LID told me that i was responsible for the unit (registering, updating firmware, etc) when it left the shop. in states like california, i would assume this is a requirement given these products are illegal in certain states.

take my feedback or not, this wasn't a good experience for me. in the end though, i guess it doesn't matter because this is the only unit on the market that can do certain things that most of us are looking for, so consumers are stuck with it.

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Originally Posted by spitcool

RedRocket, i understand, and i've done that. ive tried 14 USB drives in the past 3 days, different mfgs, models, sizes, USB specs, and so forth.- There you go, wrongly assuming what/how I was going to suggest you & I try to walk thru your issues.

in the end, the unit was swapped out and the one i have installed now works fine.- (HALLELUJAH !) i see that you and everyone else is saying i needed to try different usb drives,- (nooo, another incorrect assumption on your part) and see what steps, and i figured you all would assume i'm an idiot,- (that's a rather broad indictment...speaking for myself,I DIDN'T) which is why i posted a video. unfortunately, no one was really helpful despite me stating facts and what my process for fault isolation was. documentation is sparse for these units unfortunately. BRD represents these products for the USA and is therefore responsible for their support, which he told me in the end he was willing to take care of the issue via a phone call.

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It appears your problems began w/ the Installer, then compounded by neither of you Registering the Control Box as required, which beget the missteps afterwards.
I'll go out on a limb w/ an assumption...I'll bet you never read any of the Stickies for "install,how-to,problem resolution" Threads which contain a wealth of info to avoid self-inflicted problems.

actually, the control box WAS registered. and the mis steps afterwards were lack of information for troubleshooting, for which i was giving very clear information and symptoms as well as a video.

and i did read all the stickies, and the manuals.
There you go, wrongly assuming...

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Originally Posted by spitcool

actually, the control box WAS registered- (at what point in time ?). and the mis steps afterwards were lack of information for troubleshooting, for which i was giving very clear information and symptoms as well as a video.

and i did read all the stickies, and the manuals.
There you go, wrongly assuming...- hahaha, egg on my face, but I can take it out on the limb I climbed.

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Then obviously the Installer was the root cause & you having read all Stickies being now fully familiar w/ process, should have been able to easily correct their error in giving a non-working unit in the first place.

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Originally Posted by spitcool

actually, the control box WAS registered. and the mis steps afterwards were lack of information for troubleshooting, for which i was giving very clear information and symptoms as well as a video.

and i did read all the stickies, and the manuals.
There you go, wrongly assuming...

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Originally Posted by RedRocket

Then obviously the Installer was the root cause & you having read all Stickies being now fully familiar w/ process, should have been able to easily correct their error in giving a non-working unit in the first place.

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No need to continue the back and forth arguing. The customer has a working unit and the dealer did what he needed to do to take care of the issue which is how it should have been handled anyway. I have not spoken with the dealer and they did not ask for an RMA but if the unit comes back we can test it and see what the issue was.

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Originally Posted by BestRadarDetectors

The customer has a working unit and the dealer did what he needed to do to take care of the issue which is how it should have been handled anyway.

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Ditto the Hallelujah & Amen. :peaceful:

OP, glad your unit is working properly. Have a safe and ticket free trip, and please let us know if you run into any encounters!

Closing thread.

Needed to post a followup on this thread for anyone that reads it in the future and wants to know what happened. The CPU that was installed was not defective in any way. The shop that installed the system had a few different CPU's on hand and installed one but gave the customer the serial number of a different unit he had ordered on the same order. Since the serial numbers were not valid the customer could not update the firmware. The original returned CPU was installed in another vehicle with the correct serial number and is working just fine. As a rule of thumb if you have a new install always verify the serial number on the bottom of the unit if you are having any issues updating.

Maybe there needs to be a distinct error code/beep/voice alert (on HiFi) when there is a serial number mismatch between the CPU and the firmware on the USB. It would make this sort of mistake a lot easier/quicker to troubleshoot anyway.

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Originally Posted by BestRadarDetectors

Needed to post a followup on this thread for anyone that reads it in the future and wants to know what happened. The CPU that was installed was not defective in any way. The shop that installed the system had a few different CPU's on hand and installed one but gave the customer the serial number of a different unit he had ordered on the same order. Since the serial numbers were not valid the customer could not update the firmware. The original returned CPU was installed in another vehicle with the correct serial number and is working just fine. As a rule of thumb if you have a new install always verify the serial number on the bottom of the unit if you are having any issues updating.

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Tks for the follow-up, I was still wondering about this & remained firm in believing it was ser. # related,somehow.