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Edited: Oct 02

Mk4 Firmware Upgrade Instructions

With the introduction of the Mk4 units, we've also introduced a new way to command the 3D Chameleon and new expansion capabilities. In order to take advantage of these new features, you'll need to update your firmware AND the BOOTLOADER. To update the Bootloader, make sure you have the Arduino IDE installed, go to the Tools Menu and select the "Programmer" you have. Once you've done that, select "Tools|Burn Bootloader". This is necessary for the new firmware to work. If your firmware doesn't respond after burning it, it's most likely because you haven't completed the bootloader successfully. Simply try it again. Select Your Programmer from the Tools Menu:

Select "Burn Bootloader":

You can reprogram your electronics with the new firmware by downloading the new firmware (attached to this thread), installing the Arduino environment and then running the following command from the location of your downloaded (and extracted) firmware. "\Program Files (x86)\Arduino\hardware\tools\avr\bin\avrdude.exe" -v -p m328p -c usbtiny -U flash:w:SelectorFirmwareMk3.1.

hex:i -C "\Program Files (x86)\Arduino\hardware\tools\avr\etc\avrdude.conf" Please note, I am use the Adafruit USBTiny programmer, but you can use anything you choose... you'll need to update this command to reference your own programmer in that case. You can also use any operating system you choose, but be sure to also update the paths in the command to match your OS specific requirements. Be sure to update the "Bootloader" in the Arduino environment to insure the clock speed of the 3DChameleon is updated to the new Mk4 timing. For the Adafruit USBTiny programmer, make sure to only use the Adafruit drivers... the Zadig drivers WILL NOT WORK on real Adafruit devices.(https://learn.adafruit.com/adafruit-arduino-ide-setup/windows-driver-installation) Chris Riley did a great video on upgrading the 3DChameleon's firmware over on his YouTube channel here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G7YNcXE9gfU&pp=ygUVM2QgY2hhbWVsZW9uIHByaW50aW5n Also, check out his step by step instructions here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1-OkkDjHdcTeN9WLbiT6VLYRj_YzjyalHT2G0v7SsgG4 Don't forget to like and subscribe to his channel. He has other great videos on the 3DChameleon as well. Bill

(PS, This Zip file contains 4 versions of the firmware... Normal (180 degree servo), Reversed Direction Servo, 270 Degree Servo and Reversed 270 Degree Servo.)

46 answers0 replies

46 Comments

kevin_busch

Oct 05

Hi I have the 3d chameleon and an arduino uno3. I followed the instructions on chris basement for upgrading the firmware to the latest version MK4. I had no errors and everything seemed to go as instructed.

Right now when I connect my chameleon back up and try to operate it by pressing the button to command the filament change nothing happens but I do hear a single pulse sound from a stepper. it doesnt matter how long i press it nothing else happens.. The green light comes on the chameleon as before. Of course the chameleon was working as intended before the firmware upgrade. I want to use the screen and the 3d clippy hence the reason for the firmware upgrade.

In the above article that Bill wrote he mentions the boot loader.. But the chris basement video doesnt mention this at all. So my question is what the correct way to upgrade the firmware? Do I need to follow bills instruction to upgrade the boot loader then follow the chris basement video for the firmware? what went wrong here?

Below is a snippet of the firmware upgrade too.

C:\Users\KEVIN PC\Desktop>avrdude -Pcom4 -b19200 -cavrisp -pm328p -v -e -U flash:w:SelectorFirmwareMk4.ino.hex:i

avrdude: Version 6.3-20190619

System wide configuration file is "C:\Program Files (x86)\Arduino\hardware\tools\avr\etc\avrdude.conf"

Using Port : com4

Using Programmer : avrisp

Overriding Baud Rate : 19200

AVR Part : ATmega328P

Chip Erase delay : 9000 us

PAGEL : PD7

BS2 : PC2

RESET disposition : dedicated

RETRY pulse : SCK

serial program mode : yes

parallel program mode : yes

Timeout : 200

StabDelay : 100

CmdexeDelay : 25

SyncLoops : 32

ByteDelay : 0

PollIndex : 3

PollValue : 0x53

Memory Detail :

Block Poll Page Polled

Memory Type Mode Delay Size Indx Paged Size Size #Pages MinW MaxW ReadBack

----------- ---- ----- ----- ---- ------ ------ ---- ------ ----- ----- ---------

eeprom 65 20 4 0 no 1024 4 0 3600 3600 0xff 0xff

flash 65 6 128 0 yes 32768 128 256 4500 4500 0xff 0xff

lfuse 0 0 0 0 no 1 0 0 4500 4500 0x00 0x00

hfuse 0 0 0 0 no 1 0 0 4500 4500 0x00 0x00

efuse 0 0 0 0 no 1 0 0 4500 4500 0x00 0x00

lock 0 0 0 0 no 1 0 0 4500 4500 0x00 0x00

calibration 0 0 0 0 no 1 0 0 0 0 0x00 0x00

signature 0 0 0 0 no 3 0 0 0 0 0x00 0x00

Programmer Type : STK500

Description : Atmel AVR ISP

Hardware Version: 2

Firmware Version: 1.18

Topcard : Unknown

Vtarget : 0.0 V

Varef : 0.0 V

Oscillator : Off

SCK period : 0.1 us

avrdude: AVR device initialized and ready to accept instructions

Reading | ################################################## | 100% 0.03s

avrdude: Device signature = 0x1e950f (probably m328p)

avrdude: safemode: lfuse reads as 62

avrdude: safemode: hfuse reads as D9

avrdude: safemode: efuse reads as FF

avrdude: erasing chip

avrdude: reading input file "SelectorFirmwareMk4.ino.hex"

avrdude: writing flash (12426 bytes):

Writing | ################################################## | 100% 14.05s

avrdude: 12426 bytes of flash written

avrdude: verifying flash memory against SelectorFirmwareMk4.ino.hex:

avrdude: load data flash data from input file SelectorFirmwareMk4.ino.hex:

avrdude: input file SelectorFirmwareMk4.ino.hex contains 12426 bytes

avrdude: reading on-chip flash data:

Reading | ################################################## | 100% 8.03s

avrdude: verifying ...

avrdude: 12426 bytes of flash verified

avrdude: safemode: lfuse reads as 62

avrdude: safemode: hfuse reads as D9

avrdude: safemode: efuse reads as FF

avrdude: safemode: Fuses OK (E:FF, H:D9, L:62)

avrdude done. Thank you.

kevin_busch

Oct 12

Replying to

Edit:

The issue was resolved with burning the bootloader. I selected various ones and the only one that worked was the Arduino isp atmega. Then I loaded the firmware as before and it’s working again.

Luís Alves

Sep 29

Hi Guys

I am trying to update using a usbasp and I am getting this error.

Can anyone help me out ?

pioqn

Sep 22

Flashed SelectorFirmwareMk4.ino.hex to MK3 with USBTiny (last programmer used in the video) - flash ok, but board doesn't work, it turns on, but if I press the switch - no reaction.

Should I use different firmware?

kevin_busch

Oct 05

Replying to

Hey did you get this working? Im having the same problem but I used an UNO3..

Felipe Goncalves

Aug 26

Bill ,

I got one of the 1st version of the MK2 back in MRFF2021 I can use the firmware 3.1 no problem but if I try the MK4 it will not work . I can go back to 3.1 no problem .

What Am I missing to get it to work with MK4 ? I really want to add a display to my setup.

Thanks .

Chris Hallgren

Jul 11

For the mac people using an Arduino Board and Example 11. Make sure your programmer is arduino_as_isp so your command would be

"avrdude -p m328p -c arduino_as_isp -P /dev/cu.usbmodem1433201 -v -e -U flash:w:/Users/challgren/3dprint/3dchameleon-mk4/SelectorFirmwareMk4.ino.hex:i"

Josh Gebbie

Jul 09

I've got a USBasp trying to do this, so I understand the instructions are going to be a bit different, but Im so lost. I thought I knew what I was doing, but I guess not. Any help with using a USBAsp to program the MK4?

Josh Gebbie

Jul 09

Replying to

If anyone tried it this way, it was extremely easy once I figured it out. Manually had to download AVRDUDE from github/website https://www.nongnu.org/avrdude/

Then, when i had the path for AVRDUDE, I could just flash right to the board once I confirmed a few things.

Check device signature to make sure it was connected to the Chameleon

avrdude -c usbasp -p m328p -v

Then, flash the firmware once you have the path for that.

pioqn

Sep 22

Replying to

Did you upgrade mk3 to mk4?

What firmware file did you use?

Joe Bol

Jun 14

Do units that were received within the last couple weeks come with MK3 or MK4 firmware preinstalled?

Nabio N

Jul 09

Replying to

I have the same question also? How to know which firmware is on the machine?

Joe Bol

Jul 10

Replying to

Mine came with MK3, I flashed it to MK4 and all is working great.

pioqn

Sep 22

Replying to

What file did you use? I flashed SelectorFirmwareMk4.ino.hex and 3DChameleon doesn't work...

Luís Alves

Jun 13

Hi Guys

Nice to meet you all

I have just get my 3d chameleon and I'am trying to update the firmware

I have an arduino mega 2560 and when i type this command

avrdude -P com8 -b 19200 -c avrisp -p m2560 -v

I get this error

avrdude: Version 6.3-20190619

System wide configuration file is "C:\Program Files (x86)\Arduino\hardware\tools\avr\etc\avrdude.conf"

Using Port : com4

Using Programmer : avrisp

Overriding Baud Rate : 19200

AVR Part : ATmega2560

Chip Erase delay : 9000 us

PAGEL : PD7

BS2 : PA0

RESET disposition : dedicated

RETRY pulse : SCK

serial program mode : yes

parallel program mode : yes

Timeout : 200

StabDelay : 100

CmdexeDelay : 25

SyncLoops : 32

ByteDelay : 0

PollIndex : 3

PollValue : 0x53

Memory Detail :

Block Poll Page Polled

Memory Type Mode Delay Size Indx Paged Size Size #Pages MinW MaxW ReadBack

----------- ---- ----- ----- ---- ------ ------ ---- ------ ----- ----- ---------

eeprom 65 10 8 0 no 4096 8 0 9000 9000 0x00 0x00

flash 65 10 256 0 yes 262144 256 1024 4500 4500 0x00 0x00

lfuse 0 0 0 0 no 1 0 0 9000 9000 0x00 0x00

hfuse 0 0 0 0 no 1 0 0 9000 9000 0x00 0x00

efuse 0 0 0 0 no 1 0 0 9000 9000 0x00 0x00

lock 0 0 0 0 no 1 0 0 9000 9000 0x00 0x00

calibration 0 0 0 0 no 1 0 0 0 0 0x00 0x00

signature 0 0 0 0 no 3 0 0 0 0 0x00 0x00

Programmer Type : STK500

Description : Atmel AVR ISP

Hardware Version: 2

Firmware Version: 1.18

Topcard : Unknown

Vtarget : 0.0 V

Varef : 0.0 V

Oscillator : Off

SCK period : 0.1 us

avrdude: AVR device initialized and ready to accept instructions

Reading | ################################################## | 100% 0.03s

avrdude: Device signature = 0x000000 (retrying)

Reading | ################################################## | 100% 0.03s

avrdude: Device signature = 0x000000 (retrying)

Reading | ################################################## | 100% 0.03s

avrdude: Device signature = 0x000000

avrdude: Yikes! Invalid device signature.

Double check connections and try again, or use -F to override

this check.

avrdude done. Thank you.

I have check and recheck all connections but i always get this error

Any Ideas ?

Chris Hallgren

Jun 13

Can anyone explain the steps to burn a bootloader? I have both an Adruino Uno R3 and TinyUSB but have had no luck.

Bill

May 12

Oh, and for those that need to go back to the Mk3 firmware, here is the zip file for it. Please note, once you update the Bootloader to the latest, you'll need to install this as a Breadboard 328P using the internal oscillator... otherwise the clock speed will be incorrect.

To set up your Arduino Environment, follow the instructions here for the Minimal Circuit (Eliminating the External Clock): https://docs.arduino.cc/built-in-examples/arduino-isp/ArduinoToBreadboard/

Bill

Edited

Paul Vilbig

May 08

Hi has anyone done this on mac? I have follow videos and I am at a stand still. Any adivce?

373224

May 10

Replying to

Paul, I’ve successfully done this on a Mac. Where are you having problems?

What board/programmer are you using?

Paul Vilbig

May 10

Replying to

Thank you for the help! I managed to get it working with the pc so I’m leaving well enough alone lol

bobbyb

May 15

Replying to

Took me a while to find the commands. I am using a USBtiny. I updated the bootloader from the arduino IDE, and here are the locations/commands I used to perform the update from the terminal. I keep the files in iCloud (multiple systems) and that's where the 'Mobile\ Documents/com\~apple\~CloudDocs/' came from.

cd ~/library/arduino15/packages/arduino/tools/avrdude/6.3.0-arduino17/bin

$ ./avrdude -v -p m328p -c usbtiny -U flash:w:~//Library/Mobile\ Documents/com\~apple\~CloudDocs/Documents/3D\ Printer\ Stuff/3DChameleon/M4ProFirmware/SelectorFirmwareMk4.ino.hex:i -C ~/Library/arduino15/packages/arduino/tools/avrdude/6.3.0-arduino17/etc/avrdude.conf

Thomas Randolph

May 08

Quick question. I don't see the AVRTools nor AVRdude in my Arduino setup. Is this something I need to get separately?

Thomas Randolph

May 08

Replying to

Nevermind. I had the latest 64-bit version of the IDE installed and it does not have the AVR Tools. I uninstalled and installed the Legacy version 1.8.19 and the tools were there. Sorry for any confusion. I was able to successfully upgrade the Mk4 with my Arduino UNO.

bobbyb

May 07

I'm looking for some clarification on firmware versions. I purchased my unit in December, and it seems to have the Mk4 firmware. Do I need to upgrade it? After I solder the headers on, can I plug everything in and it just works? Or is there and 'Mk4 Pro' firmware to make the screen and cutter work? Or are they out there as 'hidden' features? How can I check the firmware version? (I have a USBTiny that should be here tomorrow, along with the screen. Just looking for some guidance on the new stuff and a full step=by=step to enable it.

Bill

May 09

Replying to

No... we've never published the Mk4 firmware before this. You only have the Mk3 firmware if it was from December.

Bill

las_vegas

May 06

Unfortunately, I'm at a complete loss. I've done extremely minimal work with Arduino. I have a FTDI232 adapter, but have little clue how it's connected or how to interface the Aduino IDE to it. Chris's video does well explaning how to do it with a UNO board with Windows, but doesn't explain at all what the purpose of each connection is. I have no clue how one would update the Bootloader, let alone send the firmware to the device.

EDIT: I have the FTDI driver installed properly and avrdude does run from terminal. I haven't used it in a long time, but even then I followed step by step instructions without a clue as to what I was doing.

Edited

las_vegas

May 10

Replying to

Okay… I'm ready to just give up.

I initially tried with the FDTI adapter I already had. Every attempt with it failed. It just couldn't see the m328p connected.

Then I pulled out an Arduino Mega 2560 I had. I tried hooking it up with the Mega's ports 50-53 and also the pins 10-13 with USE_OLD_STYLE_WIRING defined in ArduinoIDE code, Again, it just couldn't see the 3D Chameleon board.

Yesterday, I broke down and purchased a TinyISP board, since so many have had success with it, Of course, with my luck, flashing the bootloader failed again. I even tried booting directly into Windows and used the instructions to flash the bootloader with the same results.

I've concluded nothing is going to work with this board. I don't even want to hook it up again to see if MK3 still works. At this point, I'm just not interested anymore.

373224

May 15

Replying to

It can be frustrating purely because there’s so many ways to do it.

Search for Zadig and that’ll help you install the right drivers in windows.

I’m on discord and can help with the process if you’d like.

https://discord.gg/g82MX5tt

Mickie Sanford

Jul 28

Replying to

I tried to join your discord and it says invite expired or I don't have permission to join can you help me

Isaiah Ester

Feb 05, 2023

Any eta on having mode 3 preinstalled for production units? I may put the Mk3 I just bought on another printer if I can get this (Don't have an Arduino so no way to load myself atm). But I would like to implement this so I can have the Chameleon mounted to the back of my P1P and a single longer ptfe tube running into the printer through the back.

Bill

Jan 18, 2023

I've updated the parent thread to include the new 3.1 firmware. This firmware adds one more mode of operation, Mode 3. Pressing for 10 pulses cycles through modes 1, 2 and now 3. Mode 1 and 2 are unmodified (with Mode 2 being the default.) Mode 3 is very similar to Mode 2, except for that it requires you to press the button for the entire time you want the filament to load or unload. This allows you to have the Y adapter any arbitrary distance from the extruder/hotend. Your gcode would press the button, wait for your programmed amount of time, using the G4 S{seconds} command, which will tell the 3D Chameleon to load/unload for that distance in time (1 second = 1 inch = 2.5 cm.)

To enable it... just press the button until you get 10 pulses and a response of 3 vibrates. To switch to any color, press the button for that number of pulses... the selector will move to the previous color and wait. It's waiting for you to press the button to start the motion, and it will continue that motion until you release the button. The selector will then move the new color to load and again, pause... waiting for you to press the button a final time for the full duration of the loading. You must time this sequence to coincide with your extruder loading, so that they both occur for about 1" to get a good proper load.

I'll be making a video of it later this week.

Bill

Pyper

Jan 16, 2023

Very excited about this new firmware!

Alfred Weippert

Nov 09, 2022

Hi Bill, I have the MK2 and would like to upgrade to the MK3 including the new firmware. Can you put together a kit including the MK3 parts upgrade and the control board preprogramed with the new firmware. I do not have the parts or expertise to do the firmware myself. I'm in Canada. Thanks

Bill

Jan 20, 2023

Replying to

We already have the Mk3 upgrade kits... if you want to purchase it, ship me your electronics and I'll include them updated when I ship the kit to you. The only thing I don't have is the shipping price for the upgrade kits, which is dependent on your address... but I'll let you know the price details and let you decide which method you want to pay for. Bill

Bill

Nov 02, 2022

Here's a PDF document on how to do the firmware upgrade on the 3D Chameleon's electronics using an Arduino. Many thanks to Laurence Bang for putting this together!

Michael Despault

Nov 09, 2022

Replying to

Hey @Bill , I happen to have a Pi Pico Microcontroller. I'm assuming the chip that comes with the 3d Chameleon is an AVR microcontroller? If so, do you foresee any issues flashing the firmware with my Pi Pico (as opposed to an Arduino)? I would follow a guide such as this: https://learn.adafruit.com/program-an-avr-or-arduino-using-raspberry-pi-gpio-pins

Laurence Bang

Nov 29, 2022

Replying to

I had to reflash my firmware and i had a spare pi zero, so i tried it as per the guide. It works. sudo avrdude -p atmega328p -C ~/avrdude_gpio.conf -c pi_1 -v -e -U flash:w:SelectorFirmwareMk3.hex:i

Bill

Nov 01, 2022

Also, if you need to revert to the Mk2 firmware, you can download this file and use the same command as above, but reference the Mk2 file instead. Bill