Upgrade Details
The firmware of the PFE Advanced 10/100 Outputs has been strongly developed recently and especially the new delay parameter for the Terminal function leads to the fact that the memory chip for the non-volatile values, also called EEPROM, is no longer sufficient for older devices.
If old devices with installed Terminal function receive a firmware update, the Terminal function is no longer available until the old and too small memory chip is exchanged for a new one with a larger capacity. When the device was developed, chips with this capacity were not yet available.
All devices with an ‘RD‘ at the end of the serial number are already equipped with the larger memory chip. This changeover took place in July 2014.
The new memory chip is now located on a miniaturized circuit board, which is soldered in place of the old chip.
To replace the chip, the device has to be completely disassembled.
To make this even more worthwhile, we would like to take a further step and replace the humidity sensor in the affected devices with a new, digital humidity sensor as well. The old sensor can remain in place and only the new sensor will then be used for measurement.
This procedure also makes sense because humidity sensors are generally subject to a certain amount of aging. The old sensor was also discontinued by the manufacturer some time ago.
The new sensor is much more accurate, has a high resolution and is digitally queried. Its aging is only +/- 0.25% rH per year.
New firmware automatically detects if the new sensor is present. Once the new sensor is installed, the device then displays the exact relative humidity in percent (0 to 99%). Via radio, only whether the 30% threshold is exceeded or not is transmitted. With a new radio protocol, which is planned, the exact percentage value will then also be transmitted. The exact humidity value is very helpful. For example, 35% indicates that the desiccant is already well saturated, while a value of 95% is much more alarming and suggests water ingress.
We have managed to integrate the new humidity sensor into the miniature board as well, which also carries the new memory chip.
We offer both modifications as a bundle. For a price of 129.00 Euro net per device, the following work will be carried out:
- Acquiring of device configuration
- Complete disassembly of the device
- Desoldering of the old memory chip
- Removal of tin residues
- Soldering in the new miniature circuit board instead
- Changing of certain components on the main board to make the new sensor and memory chip work
- Updating of two microcontollers with new firmware
- Reassembling of the device
- Restoring of the device configuration
- Performance of a function test
- Documentation of the changes made in the device database
With these modifications, also older devices are updated regarding EEPROM memory and humidity sensor technology. We see this as a great service to the customer, who is not forced to buy new devices to be technically up to date.
All newly produced units have of course recently been equipped with the new humidity sensor.