CT7

CT7 instrument can be controlled either by front panel display with navigation switch or from a PC, when USB serial connection is established.  Connection to PC must be activated from the front panel menu.

Before April 2025 update: 

When at power-up CT7 DSP processor can not communicate with the  front panel , the CT7 freeze : the DSP waits forever for answers from the Display module and the display is stuck on  dancing rainbow waiting for ‘go ahead’ from DSP.   The only way out is to send back the instrument to OPO

April 2025 firmware update:

A timeout based recovery connection to PC is introduced.  Timeout triggers after 12-15s and is signaled by 3 bips regardless non-reactive display.  A degraded-functionality allows for firmware upload for both DSP and Smart OLED Display.

Potential sources of trouble during update

• ·         Loss of configuration: Configuration data of the old firmware is overwritten by the code of the new firmware (and vice-versa)
  
• ·         Lock-up: New firmware DSP 2016 and 2022 does not communicate with older Smart Display firmware
  

CT7 firmware with PC-LINK recovery function

• ·         The 2016 style CT7  firmware 2.0.07 of 2025-04-18 and later
  
• ·         The 2022 style CT7  firmware 2.1.07 of 2025-04-18 and later
  
• ·         OLED Display  firmware version 1.2.16 of 2023-05-28  and later
  

CT7 2016 vs 2022

         

       2016                                             2022

Procedure

When  recovery PC-Connection is established

• Always begin with DSP firmware upload (CT7-Console, see manual) 
  
  • Restart instrument
    
• If Display is still stuck on rainbow at power-up, upload  OLED firmware v1.2.16 (or later)
  
  • Restart instrument ( with reset button)
    

On each step feel free to ask OPO for assistance.

Detailed explanation of upgrade process

The need for  major upgrade

Originally CT7 was designed to work with predefined “once forever” wavelengths selection, allowing for simply hard-coded labels and individual LED current setting by resistors. During instrument life, we have observed increasing number of requests for use of specific wavelengths used for reflectivity measurements. In practice it means a specific LED selection. Each LED comes with  his own nominal operational current, voltage etc.  It was necessary to implement parameters for  LED driving current and names of the channel.

No more hardware-dependent or hard-coded values.

To cope with ‘on-demand’ LED selection, in 2022,  the  CT7  electronics has been redesigned to allow for software controlled  LED current and  channel names.  LEDs are  now  software defined. The LED source composition is stored within the CT7 instrument itself. When connected to PC, is also provided  to CT7-Console as column labels.

The 2022 modification changes  the way DSP controls the LED source and communicates with Smart OLED display.

As a result, there are 2 sets of   DSP firmware which are  compatible only with their own hardware version. Fortunately, we have managed to develop  Smart Display firmware compatible with both.

Important notice :  power-up procedure

During  the power-up procedure the DSP communicates with Smart OLED Display and reads CT7 configuration from CT7 nonvolatile mass memory ( SD card on Smart Display module).  Firmware  prior to April 2025:  If the power-up communication is not successful, the old firmware DSP waits forever for responses from Smart Display. The instrument does not boot.

Potential sources of trouble during update

 - Loss of configuration: Configuration data of the old firmware is overwritten by the code of the new firmware (and vice-versa)

 - Lock-up: New firmware DSP 2016 and 2022 does not communicate with old Smart Display firmware – you can not use front-panel control

Solving update related problems

Loss of configuration

The configuration variables are stored in different addresses of FLASH memory for both,  uploading program for 2022 version will overwrite with code addresses of data of 2016 version. When read, the code will be interpreted randomly as numbers ( =garbage data).

To avoid losing the configuration we advise to export CT7 parameters to a text file using  CT7 Console ( see CT7 Management pane, ‘Export Params’) before attempting any upload.  The full configuration can be than imported to CT7 after firmware modification. 

In a case when exporting parameters was omitted, there is a factory settings file named

CT7_Param_SN00220034.txt  ( example for CT SN 220034)

 

You may obtain it from :

·         CT7 folder tree installed from USB key provided with the instrument (folder ‘CT7/Config’ )

·         the  CT7-USB key, folder  ‘CT7/Config’,

·         OPO, upon simple request

 

Upload error

The downside of the upgrade is that we have now the old and the new firmware which are not fully exchangeable. The new DSP firmware does not talk with the old Smart OLED Display.  Any error in upgrade procedure  may lead to instrument lock-up that can only be solved by shipping CT7 back to OPO.

The solution is obvious but nobody has thought about it. Until now!   -  auto PC-Link connection!

We have introduced a timeout on connection DSP to  Smart OLED Display. If DSP can not retrieve configuration from Display, it activates connection to PC. From CT7-Console it is then possible to upload correct version of DSP and OLED firmware.