These tips apply to capsule 2 and vision core lights.
Most people are updating their new firmware with no issues, but as with all technology, things don’t always work perfectly.
Most issues have been with Windows. If you are encountering problems, here are some troubleshooting tips below that might help.
If the tips below don’t help, please email us at support@flowtoys.com with screenshots of what is happening, what machine and operating system you are running. We will fix bugs as quickly as we can.
Troubleshooting:
Make sure you are using a good USB cable. Many usb cables only do power, no data. The cables we include do power and data, unless they are breaking/wearing out or defective.
Make sure there is no debris/damage in your USB jack that might prevent good data connection.
If you have a Mac, you might see a message that says "FlowtoysUpdater-osx-###.pkg cannot be opened because it is from an unidentified developer. macOS cannot verify that this app is free from malware." This is normal for small-time apps like ours. Simply right-click the app and select “open”. You only need to do this once and it will open normally after that. More info from apple here.
Open the updater, select your prop type and go to the next step BEFORE connecting your capsule/vision light.
Capsule lights must be off and disconnected from any cable for 1 full minute to automatically connect when plugged in to your computer. No need to wait longer, just 61 seconds will do.
If it's still not connecting, try a "soft reset" while plugged in - click here for soft reset instructions for capsules or for clubs/vision.
If the reset doesn't work, you can "save" P5M10 to connect. Navigate to page 5, mode 10 (bright red) and hold for about 7 seconds until the light is back on, then let go.
If it's still not working, try restarting your computer.
If you have trouble installing or updating the updater, or connecting to a prop by USB, it might be getting blocked by your antivirus software. Either temporarily disable the software, or try adding the flowtoys updater and/or USB device (prop) to the “trusted” “safe” or “excluded” list in your anti-virus and/or operating system. For example: https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/4028485/windows-10-add-an-exclusion-to-windows-security
USEFUL TIPS FROM OTHER USERS:
We’ve had a few people fix the issue by simply re-starting their computer, or switching their USB cable.
One user reported: "I realized that my computer wasn't recognizing it properly via USB, so I ejected it rather than just pulling the cable out. Disconnected it, turned it off, gave it a minute, reconnected. And that did the trick!”
Another user said: "When you're on the connect screen with the usb cable plugged in, you only have a few seconds to connect to capsule to the pc before the upload button greys out (goes back to being un-clickable)."
A great Windows/PC tip from Arnaud from Belgium:
When I was connecting my capsule, it was lighting blue 1 second (maybe less), then quickly switching to green.
The problem is, each time you connect something new on usb, Windows is configured (by default) to try to find and install the more accurate driver. During this driver research, it seems that the usb props cannot be detected by the firmware updater.
Solution:
Disable this driver update mechanism, by following the steps below. Don’t forget to enable it again after the firmware updates.
1. On your PC desktop, right click on “computer” icon and (left) click on “properties”.
2. Click on "Advanced system settings"
3. Select the "Hardware" tab and then click on "Device Installation Settings”
4. In the “Device Installation Settings” form, select “No, let me choose what to do” (instead of “yes …”)
Then select the 3rd choice: “Never install driver software from windows update”.
5. Save your changes
That’s it! Now you can update your props. Don’t forget to enable again the auto "download driver software" (windows) after the firmware update.