Firmware update won’t work

My OP-Z will not update the firmware. I have tried everything over and over again it just does nothing… I don’t even know which firmware I have…

What did you do the update it, and at what stage does it fail?

1 Like

Hi and thanks for responding.
I first updated then opened the OP-Z app. Then while pressing the screen button powered the OP-Z on…waited…waited …nothing. This was done with the OP-Z connected to my MacBook via usb. So then I disconnected it and tried the same procedure via wifi…nothing …tried again about 5 times. Then I ejected the app, and reopened it and tried again a few times with and without usb connection. Then I switched over to my iPad and went through the whole scenario several times on that, but it would never update or even tell me which firmware I’m running…just a waste of time because I want to try some sampling and make some music…

Have you tried following the instructions on TE website?

You don’t need the app for anything, so I don´t see what you were trying to do.

Need to download the update file from:
https://teenage.engineering/downloads/op-z

OP-Z OS updates

how to update:
(connect through usb to the computer)

  1. hold the SCREEN button while powering up. this will put your
    OP-Z in upgrade mode.
  2. drop the firmware file in the root folder of the OP-Z disk.
  3. eject the disk.
  4. wait for the upgrade to finish, do not turn off the synth.
  5. upgrade is completed when the four leds are green (under the dial wheels). the unit will restart automatically after 5 seconds.
2 Likes

I’ve tried all that thanks,…

I’m guessing by your answer that it did not work. I’m also guessing by you lack of information that maybe you don’t actually wan’t to solve the issue? Anyhow I’ll bite.

1- forget about any app, put your Ipad away.
2- sit infront of your mac or Pc, with the usb c cable and the op-z at hand.
3- Turn on the computer. Download the update from.the link I provided before. Save the file somewhere where you can find it.
4- Use the usb cable to connect the op-z to the mac/computer. The op-z must be off at this point.
5- Switch on the Op-Z while holding the screen button on the top side of the op-z device.
6- The op-z should appear as a disk (like whenever you plug a usb memory stick or external hard drive to your computer).
7- Place the update file on the folder that just opened or appeared as you turned on the op-z, this is the ‘root’.
8- Eject the device from.the system, I don’t own mac but I’m guessing alt click on the usb device or some sort of eject icon.
9- Do nothing and observe as the Op-Z does some light show showing a kind of progress bar as it updates.
10- Still do nothing, it will show green lights under the dials when finished.
11- Do nothing, the device will restart on its own
12- The update has been.done!! If you want to check the version, take out your phone or Ipad (now is the moment) and switch on bluetooth and location, open the Op-z app, it will prompt you to press the bluetooth button behind the op-z, press it. If it connects it will tell you the version of it’s firmware. If it doesn’t connect and this is your actual problem, well…

Now, try this steps please, if it does not work, please tell us exactly which step doesn’t work in a clear and simple manner.

Otherwise, why create this thread?

3 Likes

Thank you so much for your helpful info. So far I have received Mail Delivery Subsystem Delivery Staus Notification (Failure). Message not delivered…
I’m not good at understanding this kind of stuff, but I will follow your instructions to a tee and try to move forward. …OP-Z has taken on a ‘life’ of its own…

Jimifive

Is this just somebody testing a chatbot?

CB

2 Likes

lol i kinda wondered that myself for a second. the response in the other thread made me wonder

2 Likes

How can I tell what firmware I have? Just got my op-z today. Just want to make sure I’m current.

The app will tell you, when you connect to it.

CB

1 Like

Hi Jimifive,

To try and help you with the email problem, it sounds like you are receiving automated emails from this forum (to your gmail, hotmail, whatever it is you use) informing you when someone has responded to you here. That’s all normal. I get those emails as well.

However, you can’t just reply to those emails and expect the person here on the forum to get it. It doesn’t work that way. Those emails are just notifications really, not messages you can reply to. If you want to reply to someone on this forum you have to come back here to the forum and reply here, on whatever thread it relates to.

That post above from @Hart does detail what you need to do, so if you follow that carefully you should be fine.

Hope you get on with the OP-Z. It’s a fantastic machine.

I replied to one email (by accident) but I keep getting those messages and I’m not even hitting reply. I have messaged people from the forum and I still get those weird automated emails. Not a big deal though. Yeah, I watch he’d some videos about op-z and played with for about 3 hours last night. It’s cool. The only hangup I have is, I’m scared it’s gonna break. Especially the back panel…

Why? It’s not THAT flimsy… Why are you so worried about breaking it? When the back plate is installed correctly I don’t think it can break, it should be totally flush with the unit.

Well, it’s NOT totally flush with the unit and I just got the thing. And it seems THAT flimsy to me. Maybe you got a better one. If you don’t have anything to add or any help to offer, maybe you should ignore my posts…

I just tried updating my OP-Z to 1,2,45, following the instructions carefully, and it failed. After scratching my head for a while, I remembered what I did to get it to work last time. So I’m posting it here partly because if it fails the same way next time and I do a Google search to figure out why, maybe I’ll see my own answer and remember what I did.

Here’s the symptom: Per instructions, hold the screen button down, turn on the OP-Z, wait a while, connect the OP-Z to my computer. The virtual disk appears as it should. Copy the firmware to it, eject it.

This should trigger the firmware update. It doesn’t. If I wait a while, power cycle it, and hold down screen and power it on again, I see that the firmware has disappeared from the root folder and the update log shows no progress.

So what to do? Here’s the answer.

  1. Hold down Screen and turn on the OP-Z.
  2. Connect it via USB to the computer. Virtual drive appears.
  3. Copy firmware to root folder of virtual drive.
  4. Eject the OP-Z.
  5. HERE’S THE SECRET: Press the Play button on the OP-Z. That will install the new firmware even if ejecting the OP-Z didn’t cause it to start.
6 Likes

Goddamnit TE… why do I have to digg the internet for 45 minutes to find this secret? Why isnt the TE site mentioning that you have to hit fricking PLAY! I stared at a blinking white LED for 45 minutes, afraid to brick the machine when I cancel it now… the flashing indicated to me it was updating, while in fact it was just waiting for me to start it?!

This weird ux design choice aside… why on earth isnt this mentioned on the update website…

thanks so much, Ark!

3 Likes

Wow I have never had this issue but I am glad I know about the fix if it ever happens!

1 Like