K-500: Firmware update not found

Belushi · 03-07-2014, 09:05 AM

Hi folks!
I just read here that a new firmware for my K-500 is out (which is a great little cam, btw., that blew me away after 8 years of *IST DL2).
I downloaded the update and copied it to a freshly formatted SD-card. But the cam does not recognize it and does not offer the update-option!

The steps I did:
1. Download and unpack the zip.
The unpacked file is named "fwdc223b.bin" and has an exact size of 12.845.056 bytes.

2. Formatted an SD-card using the cam.

3. Copied the file to the card using a card reader. (Root, of course; no sub-dirs there after formatting

)

4. Put card in cam and powered on.
Oh yeah, battery is 100% full (using the orignial one delivered with the cam, no alkalines or else).

5. Opened the menu and went to "Firmware Info/Opt."
It shows me that I have 1.0

That was it. Nothing else. No way to go on!

According to the video tutorial as well as the PDF that can be dowloaded with the firmware I have to press the "right" button another time to open the update screen. But that does not happen.
I tried playing around with that, used another SD card and even swapped the battery (using "AA" with the adapter I have) - but nothing helped: The update screen does not come up.
Oh yeah, before I forget - I found 2 copies of the file; one via the german support site and one from ricoh-imaging.jp.com. But they seem to be the same.

What have I missed? Or is there a problem with the update file?
Is it necessary to update to 1.01 first?! (would be stupid) And if yes, where to get THAT?

It's not that I do really need the update, but usually they improve general performance or quality a little bit by tweaking or optimizing some stuff; so even if I don't own any hardware that is introduced here I'd be glad to have it

Thanks for any help in advance!

B.

Parallax · 03-07-2014, 09:12 AM

Originally posted by Belushi

4. Put card in cam and powered on.
Oh yeah, battery is 100% full (using the orignial one delivered with the cam, no alkalines or else).

I don't have a K-500, but every Pentax DSLR I've had requires you to hold the menu button in while turning the camera on to install firmware. (i.e.. press and hold the menu button with the camera off and continue to hold it down as you turn the camera on.)

Belushi · 03-07-2014, 09:19 AM

Originally posted by Parallax

I don't have a K-500, but every Pentax DSLR I've had requires you to hold the menu button in while turning the camera on to install firmware. (i.e.. press and hold the menu button with the camera off and continue to hold it down as you turn the camera on.)

Yeah, true for most older models.
But not for the K500, K30 and some others.

Just watch that vid here:

You Tube

Thanks anyhow!

Parallax · 03-07-2014, 09:31 AM

Well, I'm stumped.

Belushi · 03-07-2014, 09:33 AM

I just found 2 other guys with different cams that seem to have more or less the same problem.

May be it was a "bad patch" day at Ricoh's!

I will wait a few days and then try it again with a fresh download...

Parallax · 03-07-2014, 09:39 AM

Maybe try downloading from here: New Firmware Adds Support for Pentax Teleconverter - Pentax Firmware - PentaxForums.com
I know they should be the same, but it can't hurt to try.

Belushi · 03-07-2014, 09:42 AM

Originally posted by Parallax

Maybe try downloading from here: New Firmware Adds Support for Pentax Teleconverter - Pentax Firmware - PentaxForums.com
I know they should be the same, but it can't hurt to try.

That's a link to ricoh-imaging.co.jp, one of the two sites where I got the file from.
So it is one of the two I already tried. (Btw., I'm pretty sure ricoh-imaging.de redirected me to the .co.jp!)
Thanks anyhow!

---------- Post added 03-07-14 at 05:47 PM ----------

I am new here and therefore not allowed to edit posts:
There is a typo in my first one, saying the download-url was ricoh-imaging.jp.com.
Stupid me, of course it was ricoh-imaging.co.jp!

adwb · 03-08-2014, 12:54 AM

5. Opened the menu and went to "Firmware Info/Opt."
It shows me that I have 1.0

Where it shows the current version that should be in a green bar on the screen
If you use the right rocker it should take you to the next scree, that's what my k30 does, same camera different name,
Is that option not there for you?

Belushi · 03-08-2014, 07:03 AM

Originally posted by adwb

5. Opened the menu and went to "Firmware Info/Opt."
It shows me that I have 1.0

Where it shows the current version that should be in a green bar on the screen
If you use the right rocker it should take you to the next scree, that's what my k30 does, same camera different name,
Is that option not there for you?

Well, there's no green bar on my screen, just the message "Kamera v1.0" (in german, b/w text). But I don't think that matters - except the green bar indicates that an update has been found on the SC-card.

You are right, now it should be possible to press "right" again to open the update screen.
But nothing happens!

It seems that the cam does not recognize the .bin file!
However, I'm shure I picked the right one and exactly followed the instructions (copy to root of SD-card etc. etc.) And yes, I did unpack the archive first. I even tried both .exe and .zip versions which ended up to be the same .bin, obviousliy.

But nothing...

Yesterday night I dropped a support request at ricoh-imaging; let's see what the tell me. I don't think there will be a reply before monday.

Have a nice weekend!
B.

Belushi · 03-15-2014, 03:02 AM

Hi folks!

The Ricoh support did not answer to my request, so I tried again myself to find a solution.

I FOUND IT, and it is blatant stupid:

The update was recognized and worked when NOT(!) formatting the the SD-card in the K-500, but using my cardreader and Windows!

Win XP's "format" window suggested to use "FAT" for the 1GB card (not FAT32 nor exFat), so I just confirmed (no "quick format", of course, and keeping the volume label "K-500") - and it worked like a charm!

Cam shows V1.02 now and is ready to work. If I find something important to mention about the update, I'll post it.

Thanks to those who tried to help, and I hope this imformation is of use for others with similar problems!

Parallax · 03-15-2014, 05:08 AM

Thanks for the update. Moral of the story: Use a card larger than 2GB. Apparently the camera formats as fat32.

Belushi · 03-15-2014, 07:23 AM

Originally posted by Parallax

Thanks for the update. Moral of the story: Use a card larger than 2GB. Apparently the camera formats as fat32.

Hello Parallax,

I DID try a "big" card first which was the 16GB "Extreme" from Sandisc I bought along with the cam, and it did not work either.
The 1GB card came in later. Ok, here's some interesting stuff:

The following has been tried using firmware 1.0:
16 GB formatted on cam: Does NOT work
1GB formatted on cam: Does NOT work

1GB formatted using cardreader (FAT aka FAT16): WORKED!
16GB could obviously not been tested because the cam was already updated to 1.02.

Of course, the same cards where used for the tests.

And now the funny stuff!!!!!!

With firmware 1.02 installed, the update DOES WORK with both cards when they are formatted in the cam!!!!!!
(A small green arrow shows up at the right of "firmware info" page and update screen can be entered.)

To me, that looks like a bug in V1.0?????

If yes, Pentax aka Ricoh Imaging will have some severe fun with it!

Parallax · 03-15-2014, 07:34 AM

That's just bizarre. I'm glad it all worked out in the end.

Belushi · 03-15-2014, 07:44 AM

Originally posted by Parallax

That's just bizarre. I'm glad it all worked out in the end.

Too true, Parallax.

Let's see if somebody else stumbles about that problem and can confirm the above!

03-07-2014, 09:05 AM	#1
Belushi New Member Join Date: Mar 2014 Location: Berlin Posts: 17	K-500: Firmware update not found Hi folks! I just read here that a new firmware for my K-500 is out (which is a great little cam, btw., that blew me away after 8 years of *IST DL2). I downloaded the update and copied it to a freshly formatted SD-card. But the cam does not recognize it and does not offer the update-option! The steps I did: 1. Download and unpack the zip. The unpacked file is named "fwdc223b.bin" and has an exact size of 12.845.056 bytes. 2. Formatted an SD-card using the cam. 3. Copied the file to the card using a card reader. (Root, of course; no sub-dirs there after formatting ) 4. Put card in cam and powered on. Oh yeah, battery is 100% full (using the orignial one delivered with the cam, no alkalines or else). 5. Opened the menu and went to "Firmware Info/Opt." It shows me that I have 1.0 That was it. Nothing else. No way to go on! According to the video tutorial as well as the PDF that can be dowloaded with the firmware I have to press the "right" button another time to open the update screen. But that does not happen. I tried playing around with that, used another SD card and even swapped the battery (using "AA" with the adapter I have) - but nothing helped: The update screen does not come up. Oh yeah, before I forget - I found 2 copies of the file; one via the german support site and one from ricoh-imaging.jp.com. But they seem to be the same. What have I missed? Or is there a problem with the update file? Is it necessary to update to 1.01 first?! (would be stupid) And if yes, where to get THAT? It's not that I do really need the update, but usually they improve general performance or quality a little bit by tweaking or optimizing some stuff; so even if I don't own any hardware that is introduced here I'd be glad to have it Thanks for any help in advance! B.

03-15-2014, 03:02 AM	#10
Belushi New Member Join Date: Mar 2014 Location: Berlin Posts: 17 Original Poster	Problem solved!!! Hi folks! The Ricoh support did not answer to my request, so I tried again myself to find a solution. I FOUND IT, and it is blatant stupid: The update was recognized and worked when NOT(!) formatting the the SD-card in the K-500, but using my cardreader and Windows! Win XP's "format" window suggested to use "FAT" for the 1GB card (not FAT32 nor exFat), so I just confirmed (no "quick format", of course, and keeping the volume label "K-500") - and it worked like a charm! Cam shows V1.02 now and is ready to work. If I find something important to mention about the update, I'll post it. Thanks to those who tried to help, and I hope this imformation is of use for others with similar problems!

03-15-2014, 07:23 AM	#12
Belushi New Member Join Date: Mar 2014 Location: Berlin Posts: 17 Original Poster	Bug in firmware V1.0? Originally posted by Parallax Thanks for the update. Moral of the story: Use a card larger than 2GB. Apparently the camera formats as fat32. Hello Parallax, I DID try a "big" card first which was the 16GB "Extreme" from Sandisc I bought along with the cam, and it did not work either. The 1GB card came in later. Ok, here's some interesting stuff: The following has been tried using firmware 1.0: 16 GB formatted on cam: Does NOT work 1GB formatted on cam: Does NOT work 1GB formatted using cardreader (FAT aka FAT16): WORKED! 16GB could obviously not been tested because the cam was already updated to 1.02. Of course, the same cards where used for the tests. And now the funny stuff!!!!!! With firmware 1.02 installed, the update DOES WORK with both cards when they are formatted in the cam!!!!!! (A small green arrow shows up at the right of "firmware info" page and update screen can be entered.) To me, that looks like a bug in V1.0????? If yes, Pentax aka Ricoh Imaging will have some severe fun with it!

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03-07-2014, 09:12 AM	#2
Parallax Senior Moderator Loyal Site Supporter Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: South Dakota Photos: Gallery Posts: 19,333	Originally posted by Belushi 4. Put card in cam and powered on. Oh yeah, battery is 100% full (using the orignial one delivered with the cam, no alkalines or else). I don't have a K-500, but every Pentax DSLR I've had requires you to hold the menu button in while turning the camera on to install firmware. (i.e.. press and hold the menu button with the camera off and continue to hold it down as you turn the camera on.)

03-07-2014, 09:31 AM	#4
Parallax Senior Moderator Loyal Site Supporter Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: South Dakota Photos: Gallery Posts: 19,333	Well, I'm stumped.

03-07-2014, 09:33 AM	#5
Belushi New Member Join Date: Mar 2014 Location: Berlin Posts: 17 Original Poster	I just found 2 other guys with different cams that seem to have more or less the same problem. May be it was a "bad patch" day at Ricoh's! I will wait a few days and then try it again with a fresh download...

03-07-2014, 09:39 AM	#6
Parallax Senior Moderator Loyal Site Supporter Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: South Dakota Photos: Gallery Posts: 19,333	Maybe try downloading from here: New Firmware Adds Support for Pentax Teleconverter - Pentax Firmware - PentaxForums.com I know they should be the same, but it can't hurt to try.

03-07-2014, 09:42 AM	#7
Belushi New Member Join Date: Mar 2014 Location: Berlin Posts: 17 Original Poster	Originally posted by Parallax Maybe try downloading from here: New Firmware Adds Support for Pentax Teleconverter - Pentax Firmware - PentaxForums.com I know they should be the same, but it can't hurt to try. That's a link to ricoh-imaging.co.jp, one of the two sites where I got the file from. So it is one of the two I already tried. (Btw., I'm pretty sure ricoh-imaging.de redirected me to the .co.jp!) Thanks anyhow! ---------- Post added 03-07-14 at 05:47 PM ---------- I am new here and therefore not allowed to edit posts: There is a typo in my first one, saying the download-url was ricoh-imaging.jp.com. Stupid me, of course it was ricoh-imaging.co.jp!

03-08-2014, 12:54 AM	#8
adwb Veteran Member Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Bristol UK Photos: Gallery Posts: 1,636	5. Opened the menu and went to "Firmware Info/Opt." It shows me that I have 1.0 Where it shows the current version that should be in a green bar on the screen If you use the right rocker it should take you to the next scree, that's what my k30 does, same camera different name, Is that option not there for you?

03-08-2014, 07:03 AM	#9
Belushi New Member Join Date: Mar 2014 Location: Berlin Posts: 17 Original Poster	Originally posted by adwb 5. Opened the menu and went to "Firmware Info/Opt." It shows me that I have 1.0 Where it shows the current version that should be in a green bar on the screen If you use the right rocker it should take you to the next scree, that's what my k30 does, same camera different name, Is that option not there for you? Well, there's no green bar on my screen, just the message "Kamera v1.0" (in german, b/w text). But I don't think that matters - except the green bar indicates that an update has been found on the SC-card. You are right, now it should be possible to press "right" again to open the update screen. But nothing happens! It seems that the cam does not recognize the .bin file! However, I'm shure I picked the right one and exactly followed the instructions (copy to root of SD-card etc. etc.) And yes, I did unpack the archive first. I even tried both .exe and .zip versions which ended up to be the same .bin, obviousliy. But nothing... Yesterday night I dropped a support request at ricoh-imaging; let's see what the tell me. I don't think there will be a reply before monday. Have a nice weekend! B.

03-15-2014, 05:08 AM	#11
Parallax Senior Moderator Loyal Site Supporter Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: South Dakota Photos: Gallery Posts: 19,333	Thanks for the update. Moral of the story: Use a card larger than 2GB. Apparently the camera formats as fat32.

03-15-2014, 07:34 AM	#13
Parallax Senior Moderator Loyal Site Supporter Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: South Dakota Photos: Gallery Posts: 19,333	That's just bizarre. I'm glad it all worked out in the end.

03-15-2014, 07:44 AM	#14
Belushi New Member Join Date: Mar 2014 Location: Berlin Posts: 17 Original Poster	Originally posted by Parallax That's just bizarre. I'm glad it all worked out in the end. Too true, Parallax. Let's see if somebody else stumbles about that problem and can confirm the above!