When we released the firmware update for the POV.1 we found out from our Macintosh users that there was an unexpected issue. When the POV.1 updates it will look one the SD card and expect to see two files, the VIO folder, and the .elf update file. If it finds other files the unit will lock up. When ever a Macintosh accesses a removable drive it will put two hidden files on the drive. To fix this we have released a patch to delete the hidden files off of the Macintosh for you. For instructions see below.

• Please download the file at:

http://www.vio-pov.com/files/html_emails/firmware_update_sdhc/v1_3Upgrade.dmg

• This will take you a new page that will prompt you to Save the file.

• If you have downloaded the file via the Safari web browser the .dmg file will automatically open when the download is complete. If you are using the Firefox web browser you may be given an option to open the file or download it. We recommend downloading the file and then opening it.

• Format a 1GB or 2GB SD card using the POV.1. IMPORTANT! – Be sure to back up all files on the SD card as this will erase the card. SD cards larger the 2GB will not work.

• Connect your POV.1 to your Mac via the USB cable, and make sure the unit has powered on and the POV.1 screen reads USB MODE.

• A removable media drive will appear on the desktop labeled “Untitled”. This is the POV.1.

• Double click on the .dmg file labeled “v1_3Upgrade” if it was not opened after the download.

• You will then see a new icon on your desktop labeled “v1_3Upgrade”, and this window will appear:

• Slide the file labeled “v1_3Upgrade.elf on to the icon labeled “Untitled” (You can also drag the file to the actual drive on your desktop if you prefer).
• Double click on the file labeled “Firmware_Patch”
• Close the Terminal window when it displays “Process completed”.
• Power down the POV.1 and disconnect the POV.1 from the USB cable.
• Remove the SD Card from the POV.1 and Lock the SD card, using the lock tab on the left side of the card. (Pins and label facing up).
• Re-Insert the locked SD Card into the POV.1.
• Hold down the Settings button on the recorder and press the Power button on the recorder simultaneously. Release once the LED status indicator begins to strobe red.

• The LED status indicator will strobe red repeatedly and then stop.
• There will be two brief faint strobes after the indicator light has gone off for a few seconds. Once the two faint strobes are done, the firmware has been updated.
• Power-on the recorder and check Firmware version on the INFO SCREEN, which is in the SETTINGS menu to confirm update success (FW Version 1.3).

One of the most frequently asked questions we here in Customer Care at V.I.O. is when will we be able to use larger capacity cards. Currently the POV.1 can only use SD cards and not SDHC cards. What is the difference between the two? I will look into this after the jump.

The SD (secure Digital) card is a small FLASH based card that is about 32mm x 24mm in size and about 2mm thick. The memory size of the SD card ranges from 8MB to 2GB officially. While there are 4GB cards available as SD cards, they are technically SDHC cards.

The reason the POV.1 can only use the SD card, and cannot use the larger cards is because of the file system used by the POV.1. The file system used on SD cards and the POV.1 is FAT16, which has a maximum partition size of 2GB. While it is possible to work around this usually it is done via the computer, which already has more memory and processing power than the POV.1. We have been informed of some tricks that can be used to allow the POV.1 to use 4GB SDHC cards, but that has not been tested or approved. This “4GB work around” which is mentioned in the FAQ calls for the card to be formatted using the FAT16 file system and 64KB cluster sizes. While this will allow the POV.1 to use 4GB cards, V.I.O. does not currently support this workaround. Also not that the process for doing this so far only works on a Windows computer. (Sorry Mac users)

The new SDHC (Secure Digital High Capacity) allows for faster transfer speeds and larger capacities than the SD format. While both cards use the same physical card layout, the SDHC cards is formatted with a file system called FAT32. FAT32 allows for larger file sizes, up to 4GB, and physical disk sizes of up to 2TB (2,000GB). The SD Association’s SDHC guidelines currently limit the size of SDHC cards to 32GB for this generation.

Since the POV.1 uses a FAT16 file system it cannot “see” the larger sizes easily. We are working on improving the POV.1 via a firmware update, and we hope to expand the size limit to 8GB in the near future (by November). While in theory this switch to FAT 32 should allow for the POV.1 to use the 16GB cards, this has not yet been tested. Due to the size and other limits placed upon the POV.1 we cannot simply switch to FAT32 to unlock the larger file sizes. We originally thought we would need to change the hardware of the POV.1 in order to use the SDHC cards, but that problem has been solved and all POV.1 units should be able to upgrade to the upcoming firmware.

I hope this has been informative, and as always if you have any questions please feel free to call or e-mail us at anytime

Ian M

Customer Care Team

V.I.O. Inc.

Links:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sd_card

http://www.sdcard.org/home

http://www.lexar.com/

http://www.sandisk.com/

http://community.vio-pov.com/customercare/2008/08/19/sd-cards-a-recommendation/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fat16