PSA: Firmware upgrade released for BP 18 Li 5,2 ASI

[Paul_HKI]

Version 22 firmware upgrade released via the Festool Work App for the 5,2 ASI.  I guess the 3,1 and 6,2 ASI are probably also covered, but all my batteries are 5,2's so I can't confirm that.  BT update to v. 5.1 and adds support for configuring the TPC and TDC 18/4 drills.

Simple update, takes a couple of minutes per battery...

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[squall_line]

App is NAINA, correct?  Even though it's a piece of software?

 

[Ron B]

I don't get all of these "upgrades".  All I want is when I pull the on switch of my Festool, it signals the dust extractor to also turn on.  How does that require 22 upgrades?  What exactly do these "upgrades" do if it already worked properly 21 upgrades ago?

 

[Chainring]

App is NAINA, correct?  Even though it's a piece of software?

Yep. If you have an Android device, it's available on some of the APK mirror sites.

 

[Paul_HKI]

I don't get all of these "upgrades".  All I want is when I pull the on switch of my Festool, it signals the dust extractor to also turn on.  How does that require 22 upgrades?  What exactly do these "upgrades" do if it already worked properly 21 upgrades ago?

My batteries came with release 19.  So 2 weren't public and probably a lot before that.

And there's nothing that says you have to update.  Use what you have if that's what you like and it works.

I'll take the updates.  More efficient BT protocols, future-proofed compatibility and the host of useful functions made available via the Work App are enough for me to spend 20 minutes this morning updating 9 batteries while I had a cup of coffee and watched some YouTube videos.

It's hardly a hardship.  ;D

 

[notenoughcash]

i have 2.  i did them.  dont know what it does.  but it took 2 mins each battery.  i doubt festool will be moniterring me with them, e.g. cameras, but if they did, all they would see a vast majority of the time is the side of a systainer.........................

 

[jeh]

Firmware updates are the last thing I want on tools no matter what the improvement is. At some point we will hear about a bricked battery. I can see other issues happening like battery X only being able to be used with a series of tools due to compatibility issues beyond the connector.

 

[Chainring]

Firmware updates are the last thing I want on tools no matter what the improvement is.

You're willing to accept Bluetooth enabled batteries being frozen in time and no fixes able to be deployed? Hardware and software are always pushed out perfect, right?

 

[jeh]

Firmware updates are the last thing I want on tools no matter what the improvement is.

You're willing to accept Bluetooth enabled batteries being frozen in time and no fixes able to be deployed? Hardware and software are always pushed out perfect, right?

I'll rephrase...I do not want batteries that require firmware updates, but do want a battery that I can reliably charge and use and tell they reach EOL. Tools need to just work and not be dependent on firmware updates.

 

[Paul_HKI]

There's absolutely no NEED to update the firmware, at this point in time.  Unless, I suspect, you have a TPC or TDC and want to manage it also via the BT interface of said battery. 

If you like what you have, just run it as it is.

If you want to update your batteries, there's an update available. 

The whole notion that someone will buy a bluetooth equipped battery and not want to update it, ever?  Makes no sense at all.  None.

 

[squall_line]

The whole notion that someone will buy a bluetooth equipped battery and not want to update it, ever?  Makes no sense at all.  None.

And yet, that's how Festool treats its customers in North America, because we have no way to update their batteries, tools, or anything else that requires their app to do so.

Can't even have it done at a dealer.

Maybe they could be shipped to Indiana to be updated?  I certainly wouldn't spend the money to ship all of my batteries in for a firmware update even if that was the only way to do so.

 

[Paul_HKI]

The whole notion that someone will buy a bluetooth equipped battery and not want to update it, ever?  Makes no sense at all.  None.

And yet, that's how Festool treats its customers in North America, because we have no way to update their batteries, tools, or anything else that requires their app to do so.

Can't even have it done at a dealer.

Maybe they could be shipped to Indiana to be updated?  I certainly wouldn't spend the money to ship all of my batteries in for a firmware update even if that was the only way to do so.

That's a crazy situation alright.  Sorry fellas, I forgot about that.

 

[FestitaMakool]

They dont have an app in my country either, I believe there’s several countries Festool are highly present in that don’t have their native app.
Wonder what they’ll do about it; Festool..  [poke]

 

[Chainring]

I'll rephrase...I do not want batteries that require firmware updates, but do want a battery that I can reliably charge and use and tell they reach EOL. Tools need to just work and not be dependent on firmware updates.

Firmware updates are a consequence of having Bluetooth connected batteries. Don't want Bluetooth, nor any potential firmware updates? Easy. Purchase batteries that do not have Bluetooth. Or, just keep on keeping on with the Bluetooth enabled battery and never update the firmware.

I'm in IT and as part of my security duties, I have to look at everything. One common thought I come across from folks in the industry is, "If it ain't broken, don't fix it." I see that lots for BIOS updates, firewall updates, switch updates, etc... Lots of times, there's compatibility updates, performance updates and stability updates in those firmware releases. And the big one, security fixes. Personally, if a device has any connectivity, I welcome updates. It's the devices that are thrown out there and never updated where I'm wary.

Don't like updates? Don't do 'em. I'll take 'em.

 

[illosia]

Hello there. A great upgrade. I am grateful to you for this. Good luck with your efforts. I will definitely follow the sequel.

 

[Paul_HKI]

Some more insight which might be helpful for those who haven't yet the possibility to see it themselves via the Work App.  I hope it's of interest.

In relation to actually using the capability of these BT batteries and tools for more than just starting up a CT, here's some of the info available in the Work App, something I'd hope Festool will make available elsewhere also.

I can get an overview of all my batteries and current status, whether or not they're installed in a tool, charge status, temperature etc.

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I can pick a battery and flash the LED indicators to identify which one in the set I'm looking at on the app, or to help find it in a van, dark space, whatever..

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If I want to see what kind of usage the battery has had, I can see the number of charge cycles, how many times it's triggered the CT, whether it's had overheating instances etc.  This is a newer battery and I don't know why it has experienced an overheating instance, so it's one that'll go back to Festool, for example..

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If I'm working anywhere I might either leave a battery behind, or where someone might pick it up and walk off with it, I can enable proximity alarms and receive a notification if the battery goes out of range.  Totally up to me if I want to use it or not, but the option is there.  I can also set it alert me if I'm leaving my workshop and the batteries I'm taking are flat.  Not an issue with many available in my case, but I can certainly see how that could save the day for someone.

And as you can see, I'll also get an alert when a connected BT equipped tool throws an error.  That includes things like over-temp and suction loss on my CT's.  Useful options for tech-savvy users anyway, with practical uses, not just as novelty functions.

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If I'm prepared to keep my kit up to date with an occasional firmware update, and of course being in the fortunate situation where this app is available to me, it would seem to be a good idea to do so considering the expense of buying this gear in the first place. 

All that said, you can always just work with what you have until it doesn't work for you, but plenty of folks will want to have these facilities available to them.  I think it's only a matter of a little time before they make the Work App available in the US and RoW (Rest of World) also.  This is the way things are going and I reckon that's a good thing. 

 

[DeformedTree]

how on earth does updating the firmware work?  So very confused.

And no, stuff should not need an update. The problem is people have got so conditioned to the idea of this sort of update they don't think anything of it. So now manufactures can ship buggy product, or product that hasn't planned ahead, and "fix it with an update".

 

[Paul_HKI]

how on earth does updating the firmware work?  So very confused.

You just pair the battery with your phone, same as with a car-kit, BT headset etc.

Launch the app and update the battery.  It takes 2 minutes or thereabouts to complete.

And no, stuff should not need an update. The problem is people have got so conditioned to the idea of this sort of update they don't think anything of it. So now manufactures can ship buggy product, or product that hasn't planned ahead, and "fix it with an update".

It's not always because of bugs.  Sometimes it's because of new tech being released that didn't exist at the time of the earlier firmware/software on a device.  For example, updating the firmware on the battery let's the Work App communicate with the new drills, pieces of kit that didn't exist when those batteries were originally designed and released to the market.  But the fact that the firmware is upgradeable means that you can essentially do more with the battery now than they did when they were a new 'smart' device.

I know that's something that'll be a bit love/hate in some ways.  I do understand that, very much so.  At the same time, this sort of upgradeability is the kind of thing that could one day let us choose to pair and authorise our tools and batteries so that if they're stolen, they won't work in the hands of a thief or a new 'owner', unless they log in to the Work App and re-authorise them using your pin or password etc.  That kind of potential future capability, and it's just a possibility I'd see somewhere down the line using this exact combination of BT 5.x equipped tools and a smartphone app, well it's enough to justify a few minutes to update the firmware and so on should that time come. 

The thing to bear in mind all along is that these upgrades are optional anyway.  Nobody at Festool has designed the new tools to require that you update the firmware on your older BT batteries to have the tool do its job just the way it should right out of the box.  They're all added value capabilities, so it's all up to the owner to do what they want regarding updates. 

 

[Paul_HKI]

From Festool International on YouTube:

"Install available software updates to work with the latest functions of the tools at any time. The updates can be easily downloaded and installed on the respective battery pack via the smartphone using Bluetooth®."

 

[DeformedTree]

how on earth does updating the firmware work?  So very confused.

You just pair the battery with your phone, same as with a car-kit, BT headset etc.

Launch the app and update the battery.  It takes 2 minutes or thereabouts to complete.

So, that is ridiculous.  I've never had anything bluetooth need an update.  A power tool and a phone should never have anything to do with each other.  Those without smart phones or unwilling to install random apps on them are going to be angry.

At least items like cameras, it's drag and drop a file with a memory card, power up the camera and it does it.  No specific computer requirements, OS requirements, app requirements, etc.  Maybe festool could have had the batteries have a USB port or such on them where they could be mounted and a person could just download the firmware file, drop it in there, unmount it and be done.

No idea what a "car kit" is.