S.O.S - D1100 Bricked
 

I am so frustrated at the moment. I called Mcintosh to ask them how to upgrade the firmware version of my D1100 (1.02 to 1.03 which is the latest). They told me how to do it and sent me a file which I had to use on my PC.

I connected the D1100 to my Windows PC using a USB cable as instructed, unzipped their file and put the D1100 on update mode (typed a special code in the setup process). At this point, my computer froze, lost control over the mouse and had to disconnect the Mcintosh USB in order to regain control over computer.

The Mcintosh remained in "Update Mode" which I could not cancel or stop unless I disconnected it from power. After doing this, it would not boot up anymore. I tried microprocessor reset but it does not help. The D1100 is dead.

Does anyone have an idea on how to get it to work again? This is supposed to be such a simple process, but I should have suspected not to do it by myself...

Thank you in advance!

Killergurt-

Sorry to hear about this. Unless someone else here has some experience you may well have to wait until Monday morning to call your dealer or McIntosh directly.

Sorry to hear that Roy. :tears:

Isn't that a crazy coincidence that Snowmass is being released on Monday. :scratch2:

Hopefully someone will chime in to help.

Does it turn on at all?

Ron

Try doing a reset with all components and cables disconnected to it.

Ron

The red light is on, but it will not turn on. So frustrating.

I agree as that is really your only option until Monday.

Hey Ron,

Tried but no change. Thanks for suggesting it.

If bricked and under warranty I would spend tomorrow boxing it up in the original box and call for a RMA Monday. They will most likely have to flash the firmware or possibly change that IC if corrupted.

I know this is frustrating, but you'll get through it. Anything else you can swap in its place temporarily?

Mike

Thanks Mike. I purchased it used, so not sure about warranty. Currently no other DAC to replace it with. I will call a service center on Monday.

Try This. It worked for my c2500.

Solutions to common C50 Software update problems:
1. Choosing a computer
The right computer unfortunately means everything. The proprietary driver used by the IC manufacturer to communicate with the microcontroller has some difficulties running in Windows 7 on an AMD computer. It seems that any other combination works just fine. The good news is that this is only a temporary problem until the IC manufacturer resolves its issues.
If you attempt to perform the update using a WIN7 OS on an AMD computer, the software will cause the C50 to lockup and not recover without removing the bottom cover!!
2. Unlocking a ‘Bricked’ C50
So if you did not heed the warnings above and the C50 is now unresponsive do the following:
a. Disconnect the AC power.
b. Remove the bottom cover – Yes turn the unit over.
c. Locate the main microcontroller. It is the square IC approx. 1cm across on the control PCB.
d. Locate the two buttons adjacent to the microcontroller labeled “PROG” and “RESET”.
e. Press and hold the “PROG” button while also plugging in the AC power cord. This will take some dexterity.
f. Hold the “PROG” button for at least 10 seconds to properly load the default boot loader.
g. After 10 seconds remover the AC power cord and release the button.
h. Re-apply the AC power once again.
i. The unit will be on – sort of… The front panel display will be dark and all the red LEDs will be lit. This is expected. The unit is now in update mode and should accept the firmware update.
j. NOTE: When the update software is run and the unit is discovered, the attached device model will be listed as “unknown”. This is expected. Just answer all prompts in the affirmative.
3. I loaded the software and connected the C50 but the computer could not find the drivers:
When Windows tries to find the driver and fails it will give the user two options:
a. Find the drivers automatically (which just failed).
b. Allow the user to specify the location of the driver.
Select the second option and browse to the following location (this may vary depending on OS): C:\Program Files (x86)\McIntosh Laboratory\McIntosh C50-V2.00 Firmware Update\driver
Now let Windows load the driver.
4. I loaded the software and connected the C50 but the computer loaded a GPS Camera Driver:
If Windows does not find the update drivers on its own and the computer is internet connected, it will automatically look elsewhere for a driver.
For this application we are using the default CDC driver provided by the microcontroller IC manufacturer. Unfortunately, there is a GPS Camera manufacturer who did the same thing but also registered theirs with Microsoft.
The good news is that it doesn’t matter. It is precisely the same driver under a different name and will work fine with our updater.
5. I loaded the software, put the C50 in update mode, connected the two via USB cable, and discovered and loaded the correct driver but the updater still says “scanning”.
This is actually a rare occurrence but it can happen. By all accounts everything should work but does not. Follow these steps in this order and retry along the way:
a. Exit the updater and disconnect the C50.
b. Restart the computer ( let it fully boot up)
c. Reconnect the C50 (listen for the tone or verify the driver is loaded in device manager)
d. Restart the updater.
e. If this fixes the problem you are done.
f. If the updater is still stuck in “scanning”, go to item #2 above and follow the procedure for unlocking the C50.