Base station boot firmware version mismatch

[mikeyale]

We have a new Neuropixels 1.0 rig I'm trying to set up. I tried SpikeGLX first but am also trying Open Ephys.

When I start up the Neuropixels-PXI plug in, I get these messages:

Neuropix-PXI(1)::Neuropix-PXI
[Neuropixels-PXI] Scanning for devices...
[Neuropixels-PXI]   Found 1 device.
[Neuropixels-PXI]   Opened BS on slot 4
[Neuropixels-PXI]     Searching for probes...
[Neuropixels-PXI]     Found 0 probes.
[Neuropixels-PXI] Checking for V1 basestations...
[Neuropixels-PXI]   Found V1 Basestation
Base station boot firmware version mismatch: 186.173.61453, expected >= 1.0.130
Num engines: 2

And then it doesn't let me interact with the base station at all, including not giving me the option of updating the firmware.

I loaded the firmware using SpikeGLX, but the firmware files are binary same to the ones in the Neuropixels-PXI plugin's firmware directory.

Any idea what's going on?

[jsiegle]

It's not actually a problem with the firmware. Open Ephys is correctly detecting the basestation with the updated firmware, but when it doesn't find any probes connected to that basestation, it checks for basestations with the older (V1) firmware, and that's what triggers the firmware mismatch error.

Can you try reseating the flex in the headstage, or using a different set of cables / headstages? The headstage test dongle unfortunately doesn't work with the newer firmware, so you'll just have to check different combinations of components until you find something that works. If it seems like none of your probes are detectable (this has happened to another user), let me know.

[jsiegle]

@medengineer, we should add a check so the plugin doesn't rescan for V1 basestations on slots where a V3 basestation was correctly detected.

[mikeyale]

Josh, Thank you very much for your quick response. It seems very likely we have a faulty part. Unfortunately, we so far have only one cable and head stage, but we should be getting more soon and have asked another lab to check out the parts we do have. We did reset the flex into the headstage multiple times. Thanks, Mike S.

…

On Sun, Apr 4, 2021 at 2:48 PM Josh Siegle ***@***.***> wrote: It's not actually a problem with the firmware. Open Ephys is correctly detecting the basestation with the updated firmware, but when it doesn't find any probes connected to that basestation, it checks for basestations with the older (V1) firmware, and that's what triggers the firmware mismatch error. Can you try reseating the flex in the headstage, or using a different set of cables / headstages? The headstage test dongle unfortunately doesn't work with the newer firmware, so you'll just have to check different combinations of components until you find something that works. If it seems like *none* of your probes are detectable (this has happened to another user), let me know. — You are receiving this because you authored the thread. Reply to this email directly, view it on GitHub <#19 (comment)>, or unsubscribe <https://github.com/notifications/unsubscribe-auth/AJ3EQVJTDIFVAPYKUCHRTYDTHCX7JANCNFSM42K34QVQ> .

[jsiegle]

One thing to keep in mind is that it's possible for the flex-to-headstage connection to seem solid even when it's not fully seated. It's recommended to rock the cable left to right slightly before closing the ZIF connector, in order ensure that it's pushed into place.

[jsiegle]

The latest version of the plugin (0.3.2) won't try to connect to the same basestation twice, thereby triggering a firmware version mismatch error. If no probes are detected, it will just return a grayed-out version of the plugin editor.

[mikeyale]

Josh, Thank you for remembering me and sending your reply on to me. We checked in another lab and the probe worked in their setup. Does the new version mean we should be able to work properly if I update to the latest ephys plugin, or should I perhaps first uninstall everything in order to start fresh, and make sure I have the probe plugged in when I first use the software? (We haven't tried anything in a while since we are waiting for more probes which we've ordered to arrive). Thanks, Mike S.

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On Thu, Apr 29, 2021 at 4:51 PM Josh Siegle ***@***.***> wrote: The latest version of the plugin (0.3.2) won't try to connect to the same basestation twice, thereby triggering a firmware version mismatch error. If no probes are detected, it will just return a grayed-out version of the plugin editor. — You are receiving this because you authored the thread. Reply to this email directly, view it on GitHub <#19 (comment)>, or unsubscribe <https://github.com/notifications/unsubscribe-auth/AJ3EQVNB3XOKGF7JNDGSKRDTLHBGNANCNFSM42K34QVQ> .

[jsiegle]

Hi Mike,

If you install the latest version of Open Ephys (0.5.4), the plugins you previously installed will still be available – you don't have to start completely fresh. You can then upgrade to the latest version of the Neuropixels plugin (0.3.2) via the built-in plugin installer. Let me know if that works!