Micro 4/3 Olympus/OMDS Firmware updates and battery charge level

John King

Member of SOFA
Location
Beaumaris, Melbourne, Australia
Name
John ...
Just updated my E-M1 MkII from v.3.3 to v.3.7.

First attempt: After nearly an hour of nothing happening, a little thought crept into my head about the battery being 100% full.

Surely not? Mine was showing 98% at the start.

With enormous trepidation, I turned the camera off. Disconnected it. Switched on. Firmware was still at v.3.3.

Hmmm. Perhaps they really, REALLY mean battery at 100%.

Second attempt: Put in a fully charged battery, showing 100% capacity.

Restarted the update.

It finished successfully in about two minutes.

OMDS really do mean that your battery must be 100% full ... !
 
Just updated my E-M1 MkII from v.3.3 to v.3.7.

First attempt: After nearly an hour of nothing happening, a little thought crept into my head about the battery being 100% full.

Surely not? Mine was showing 98% at the start.

With enormous trepidation, I turned the camera off. Disconnected it. Switched on. Firmware was still at v.3.3.

Hmmm. Perhaps they really, REALLY mean battery at 100%.

Second attempt: Put in a fully charged battery, showing 100% capacity.

Restarted the update.

It finished successfully in about two minutes.

OMDS really do mean that your battery must be 100% full ... !
While I strongly agree with you that firmware updates on an Olympus / OMSystem camera should be performed with a fully charged battery, I would like to note that I have successfully applied firmware updates on my Olympus cameras with battery levels of as low as 83%. I performed the most recent update on my OM-1 (from 1.3 to 1.4), starting with a battery level of 93%.
 
Interesting replies, thank you all.

I have read one other post where someone had precisely the same experience as I had, with a 98% charged, OEM battery. Cannot remember the camera model, but otherwise identical experience, and since updating Olympus Workspace to OM Workspace.

Weird!

But OMDS state that one condition for updating firmware is a 100% charged battery. Perhaps they have also experienced this odd behaviour during testing?
 
Just updated my E-M1 MkII from v.3.3 to v.3.7.

First attempt: After nearly an hour of nothing happening, a little thought crept into my head about the battery being 100% full.

Surely not? Mine was showing 98% at the start.

With enormous trepidation, I turned the camera off. Disconnected it. Switched on. Firmware was still at v.3.3.

Hmmm. Perhaps they really, REALLY mean battery at 100%.

Second attempt: Put in a fully charged battery, showing 100% capacity.

Restarted the update.

It finished successfully in about two minutes.

OMDS really do mean that your battery must be 100% full ... !
John, I wonder if there was some sort of communication break either between the computer and camera (USB cable), OM Workspace and their server or OM Workspace and the camera. That could account for the camera not being bricked.

I have completed several firmware updates with varying degrees battery percentages without a hiccup, especially with 98% battery.
 
John, I wonder if there was some sort of communication break either between the computer and camera (USB cable), OM Workspace and their server or OM Workspace and the camera. That could account for the camera not being bricked.
William, I watched the entire download process (both times, as I always do - never trust a computer ... ), and was using the same (OEM) USB3 cable both times.

The update itself does not rely on an internet connection. However, it does rely on the computer to camera connection. The only change I made was to unplug the camera, change the battery, then plug the camera back into the USB3 cable.

Both first and second batteries were OEM.
I have completed several firmware updates with varying degrees battery percentages without a hiccup, especially with 98% battery.

So have I, mate. With this camera too, FTM.

Sometimes, weird things happen. Gives me the heebie jeebies when they happen during a firmware update though.
 
That is why my SOP is to NOT update firmware (camera or computer) unless I have to.
Murphy is my uncle, and I don't want him to visit, any more than he already does.
More generally, Murphy's Law is "whatever can happen will happen", good, bad or inconsequential. We always seem to gloss over the things that happen as predicted or expected in the normal course of events.
 
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