Upgrading ARC4?

Is it possible to 'upgrade' the ARC flashlights with new software revs as they come out? For instance, right now they're at v.2, but what happens if they come out with a subsequent release that has new features?

That's a great question. I seem to thing I read somewhere they are updatable, but it seems a little unlikely to me.

Where's the Arc guys ? They'll know.

The firmware is upgradable, bt the light needs to be sent back to ARC. IIRC you get 1 free upgrade when you buy an ARC4 from them.

[ QUOTE ]
kakster said:
IIRC you get 1 free upgrade when you buy an ARC4 from them.

[/ QUOTE ]

IIRC this does not apply to "seconds".

Interesting. How do they do that, I wonder. Is it a matter of completely replacing the old circuit board with a new one - including a new LED, or do they 'patch' the software? If the latter, one would wonder if it's something that we could do with common chip programming tools to update the firmware.

All Arc4s are designed to be software upgradeable. When you removed the battery pack (as you would to change the battery), you may notice some programming contacts around the positive contact. We have a special connector at our factory that interfaces with those pins and updates the software.

Both the firsts and seconds can be updated. The firsts come with one free update while the seconds costs 20$ per update.

Updates can consist of new funtions or even improved output characteristics. The software we have been shipping for awhile is pretty refined but there may be some tweaks we haven't discovered yet. It is nice to have the upgrade feature there instead of just making the light obsolete.

Of course, eventually the light will become obsolete, all technology eventually does. But with the upgrade feature, we designed our light to not become obsolete as quickly as non-unpgradeable lights. Just like you, we hate having to replace our equipment (computers, cell phone, etc) too often. This feature is designed to increase your comfort level with at least one of your cutting edge possesions. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

Hope this helps..

Peter

Peter -

Thanks so much for the insight. Very cool! I sent an Email to your sales department yesterday inquiring after dealer status for nonprofit organizations, and would be grateful to hear back. It came under my NJCSD.ORG domain address.

Thanks!

Nice to know. I talked with mary @ arc and was told rev3 is coming hopefully in mid october. i hope this light If I buy it, wil the top line model for awhile. do you have anything round the corner i should wait for? this would be my first highend light, and really don't want to buy it and have a new model released right after i buy a+4. VDG

The ability for software upgrades was one the main reasons to buy an Arc4 for me and I'm eagerly waiting for them.

Peter wrote in one post that the new software version will be available in August, but it is probably postponed due to other issues (moving, new switch).

I hope that there will be an upgrade facility in Europe.

Peter, is it planned that there are more 'upgrade points' in the future?

Like PeLu, the software upgrade was one of the reasons also for me to buy it /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/popcorn.gif