Firmware update of Oculus Multibeam sonars

Introduction

Typically, you should not have to update the firmware of your Oculus Multibeam sonar. However, firmware versions older than v224 have a known issue where the multibeam does not report the correct IP address if the Blueye ROV is powered on before the Surface Unit is powered on.

The multibeam receives a new IP address over DHCP from the Surface Unit, but the firmware announcing the IP address on the network does not update. This will result in the user being unable to connect to the multibeam from the Oculus ViewPoint software.

If your Oculus Multibeam runs firmware older than v224, we highly recommend updating it.

How to check the firmware version

When connecting to the sonar, you can determine the firmware version of your Oculus Multibeam sonar using the Oculus ViewPoint software.

How to update the firmware

We recommend using the latest version of Oculus ViewPoint v2 to view the sonar image. However, to update the firmware of the sonar, you have to use Oculus ViewPoint v1. You can install Oculus ViewPoint v1 and v2 side-by-side on the same computer.

1. Download the latest version of Oculus ViewPoint v1 (v1.23.1 at the time of writing): https://www.blueprintsubsea.com/oculus/support.php
2. Download the latest version of the Oculus firmware (v244 at the time of writing): https://www.blueye.no/permalink/oculus-firmware
3. Ensure you have 50% battery power on the Blueye ROV and Surface Unit before starting the update
4. Connect Oculus ViewPoint v1 to the multibeam and hit the Wrench icon to open the settings window.
5. Click the Update tab in the settings Window, then click the Update button to select the Oculus_224_Release.firmware file.
   
6. The update starts automatically, giving you progress information as it flashes the firmware.
   
7. If, for some reason, the update fails, please try again. If the update continues to fail, please get in touch with Blueprint Support: https://www.blueprintsubsea.com/contact-us
8. After completing the update, you can close ViewPoint v1 and switch back to ViewPint v2. Connecting to the multibeam sonar should show that the firmware version is now v224.