Win a Pentax Limited Lens: Raffle Now Live!

maxxxx · 04-16-2015, 09:12 PM

I have updated formware quite a few times before but today it seems the update went wrong. These are the steps I took:

- Checked battery. Showed all bars.
- Put firmware on SD card.
- Turned on camera with menu button pressed
- Got a message similar "Battery level low. Can't update date firmware".
- Replaced battery
- Turned camera on
- Top LCD shows battery level for moment then goes blank

It seems the camera is bricked. Is there a way to "hard reset" the camera like you can do with some computers to get everything back to the original state?

Last edited by maxxxx; 04-17-2015 at 06:29 AM.

Adam · 04-16-2015, 09:29 PM

Not that I know of- I think you'd have to send it in. What the battery low when you initiated the update?

maxxxx · 04-16-2015, 09:35 PM

Originally posted by Adam

Not that I know of- I think you'd have to send it in. What the battery low when you initiated the update?

No, the battery indicator showed all bars.

Sandy Hancock · 04-16-2015, 09:45 PM

OEM battery?

**davidreilly3207** · 04-16-2015, 10:35 PM

I'd say firmware update did not take place and I would charge original battery overnight and try it. Second battery may be bad. Battery level indicators can read good with bad batteries as the measuring circuit places no load on the battery.

**ivanvernon** · 04-16-2015, 10:37 PM

Exact same thing happened to me with my K-5ii. The repair quotation by C.R.I.S. was $175, but Pentax agreed to cover the labor but not the part,, reducing cost from $175 to $80. Then C.R.I.S. shipped the failed camera to the new warranty shop, which finally fixed the camera and returned it to me for no charge. This whole process took about four months. I will never update firmware again unless it is done by repair facility as part of CLA or other service where I am not personally exposed to the risk of damage.

**crewl1** · 04-16-2015, 11:04 PM

Is the card door closed when you are trying to restart it?

Originally posted by maxxxx

- Top LCD shows battery level for moment then goes blank

Prakticant · 04-16-2015, 11:15 PM

I'd restart your camera again and again couple of times or/and upgrade again, if not I'd try to switch-on into service-menu (some play with SD-cards door open, pls check other threads).
You may play with card-slots (Slot 1, Slot 2, other slot empty ) in a FW upgrade.
Think about external power unit (genuine Pentax? OEM/third party?) to power-supply your camera, which is cheaper than shipping your camera to the service center.

-----

Originally posted by maxxxx

- Checked battery. Showed all bars.
- Put firmware on SD card.
- Turned on camera with menu button pressed
- Got a message similar "Battery level low. Can't update date firmware".
- Replaced battery
- Turned camera on
- Top LCD shows battery level for moment then goes blank

biz-engineer · 04-16-2015, 11:46 PM - **1 Like**

The problem is that the battery indicator is not accurate at all. For example, if a battery is full discharged and you charge it for 30 minutes, and insert it again in the camera, battery indicator indicates "battery full". It may not be enough to see the battery indicator. It is safer to charge the battery until the green led switches off.

Sandy Hancock · 04-17-2015, 01:44 AM

Originally posted by biz-engineer

The problem is that the battery indicator is not accurate at all. For example, if a battery is full discharged and you charge it for 30 minutes, and insert it again in the camera, battery indicator indicates "battery full". It may not be enough to see the battery indicator. It is safer to charge the battery until the green led switches off.

+1 to that. I don't rely on the camera's battery charge icon; I remove the battery and charge it until the charger says it is full before doing a firmware update.

Whether it would have avoided this event is, however, moot.

Al_Kahollick · 04-17-2015, 03:53 AM

Seems to me since the update never started, the problem lies in either the batteries or the camera circuitry itself. Try another battery / power source, if still no response, you may have a warranty claim.

sterretje · 04-17-2015, 05:14 AM

Originally posted by mdave13

I'd say firmware update did not take place

Originally posted by Al_Kahollick

Seems to me since the update never started

Agree with those.

zeds · 04-17-2015, 06:23 AM

thanks for info.

screwdriver222 · 04-17-2015, 06:25 AM

I think you have to put the card in a specific card. As been said before the update hasn't occurred

maxxxx · 04-17-2015, 06:28 AM

Good news! I took the battery out of the camera and into the charger overnight. This morning I put the SD card with the 1.20 update into the camera and when I turned the camera on it offered to update the firmware. After a minute of "Now Loading" (and me being very nervous) the update completed and the camera works again.

Not sure what did the trick. Was it charging the battery (although I had tried that last night) or taking the battery out of the camera for 10 hours? In any case, I am a happy camper again.

---------- Post added 04-17-15 at 06:30 AM ----------

Originally posted by Sandy Hancock

OEM battery?

No. The original Pentax one. I had heard about problems with OEM batteries before.

---------- Post added 04-17-15 at 06:54 AM ----------

Originally posted by Sandy Hancock

+1 to that. I don't rely on the camera's battery charge icon; I remove the battery and charge it until the charger says it is full before doing a firmware update.

Whether it would have avoided this event is, however, moot.

In the future I'll definitely charge for 12 hours to make sure it's full.

04-16-2015, 09:12 PM	#1
maxxxx Veteran Member Join Date: Nov 2013 Posts: 385	FIXED: K-3 bricked after firmware update attempt I have updated formware quite a few times before but today it seems the update went wrong. These are the steps I took: - Checked battery. Showed all bars. - Put firmware on SD card. - Turned on camera with menu button pressed - Got a message similar "Battery level low. Can't update date firmware". - Replaced battery - Turned camera on - Top LCD shows battery level for moment then goes blank It seems the camera is bricked. Is there a way to "hard reset" the camera like you can do with some computers to get everything back to the original state? Last edited by maxxxx; 04-17-2015 at 06:29 AM.

04-16-2015, 09:29 PM	#2
Adam Administrator Site Webmaster Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Arizona Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 51,608	Not that I know of- I think you'd have to send it in. What the battery low when you initiated the update? Adam PentaxForums.com Webmaster (Site Usage Guide \| Site Help \| My Photography) PentaxForums.com server and development costs are user-supported. You can help cover these costs by donating or purchasing one of our Pentax eBooks. Or, buy your photo gear from our affiliates, Adorama, B&H Photo, KEH, or Topaz Labs, and get FREE Marketplace access - click here to see how! Trusted Pentax retailers:

04-16-2015, 10:37 PM	#6
ivanvernon Loyal Site Supporter Join Date: Oct 2012 Location: Medina, OH Photos: Albums Posts: 7,224	Bricked Exact same thing happened to me with my K-5ii. The repair quotation by C.R.I.S. was $175, but Pentax agreed to cover the labor but not the part,, reducing cost from $175 to $80. Then C.R.I.S. shipped the failed camera to the new warranty shop, which finally fixed the camera and returned it to me for no charge. This whole process took about four months. I will never update firmware again unless it is done by repair facility as part of CLA or other service where I am not personally exposed to the risk of damage.

Similar Threads
Thread	Thread Starter	Forum	Replies	Last Post
K-3 Firmware Update	JG49	Pentax K-3 & K-3 II	6	11-15-2014 03:12 PM
K-3 Firmware Update 1.10 Released	sab	Pentax News and Rumors	49	09-11-2014 07:31 PM
K-3 firmware update coming next month	DSims	Pentax News and Rumors	7	06-25-2014 08:06 AM
Pentax K-5 II Problem after Firmware Update	Deedee	Pentax K-5 & K-5 II	13	08-12-2013 04:58 PM
K-x bricked after 1.01 update	raver1414	Pentax DSLR Discussion	23	12-09-2009 11:37 AM

04-16-2015, 09:35 PM	#3
maxxxx Veteran Member Join Date: Nov 2013 Posts: 385 Original Poster	Originally posted by Adam Not that I know of- I think you'd have to send it in. What the battery low when you initiated the update? No, the battery indicator showed all bars.

04-16-2015, 09:45 PM	#4
Sandy Hancock Moderator Site Supporter Join Date: Feb 2012 Location: Adelaide Hills, South Australia Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 11,275	OEM battery?

04-16-2015, 10:35 PM	#5
davidreilly3207 Loyal Site Supporter Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: South Jersey Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 720	I'd say firmware update did not take place and I would charge original battery overnight and try it. Second battery may be bad. Battery level indicators can read good with bad batteries as the measuring circuit places no load on the battery.

04-16-2015, 11:04 PM	#7
crewl1 Site Supporter Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: Los Angeles, CA Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 9,807	Is the card door closed when you are trying to restart it? Originally posted by maxxxx - Top LCD shows battery level for moment then goes blank

04-16-2015, 11:15 PM	#8
Prakticant Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2010 Posts: 274	I'd restart your camera again and again couple of times or/and upgrade again, if not I'd try to switch-on into service-menu (some play with SD-cards door open, pls check other threads). You may play with card-slots (Slot 1, Slot 2, other slot empty ) in a FW upgrade. Think about external power unit (genuine Pentax? OEM/third party?) to power-supply your camera, which is cheaper than shipping your camera to the service center. ----- Originally posted by maxxxx - Checked battery. Showed all bars. - Put firmware on SD card. - Turned on camera with menu button pressed - Got a message similar "Battery level low. Can't update date firmware". - Replaced battery - Turned camera on - Top LCD shows battery level for moment then goes blank

04-16-2015, 11:46 PM - 1 Like	#9
biz-engineer Pentaxian Join Date: Feb 2015 Photos: Gallery Posts: 12,249	The problem is that the battery indicator is not accurate at all. For example, if a battery is full discharged and you charge it for 30 minutes, and insert it again in the camera, battery indicator indicates "battery full". It may not be enough to see the battery indicator. It is safer to charge the battery until the green led switches off.

04-17-2015, 01:44 AM	#10
Sandy Hancock Moderator Site Supporter Join Date: Feb 2012 Location: Adelaide Hills, South Australia Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 11,275	Originally posted by biz-engineer The problem is that the battery indicator is not accurate at all. For example, if a battery is full discharged and you charge it for 30 minutes, and insert it again in the camera, battery indicator indicates "battery full". It may not be enough to see the battery indicator. It is safer to charge the battery until the green led switches off. +1 to that. I don't rely on the camera's battery charge icon; I remove the battery and charge it until the charger says it is full before doing a firmware update. Whether it would have avoided this event is, however, moot.

04-17-2015, 03:53 AM	#11
Al_Kahollick Banned Join Date: Feb 2013 Posts: 390	Seems to me since the update never started, the problem lies in either the batteries or the camera circuitry itself. Try another battery / power source, if still no response, you may have a warranty claim.

04-17-2015, 05:14 AM	#12
sterretje Veteran Member Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Roodepoort, South Africa Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 3,561	Originally posted by mdave13 I'd say firmware update did not take place Originally posted by Al_Kahollick Seems to me since the update never started Agree with those.

04-17-2015, 06:23 AM	#13
zeds New Member Join Date: Mar 2015 Posts: 21	thanks for info.

04-17-2015, 06:25 AM	#14
screwdriver222 Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2011 Location: Plymouth Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 139	I think you have to put the card in a specific card. As been said before the update hasn't occurred

04-17-2015, 06:28 AM	#15
maxxxx Veteran Member Join Date: Nov 2013 Posts: 385 Original Poster	Good news! I took the battery out of the camera and into the charger overnight. This morning I put the SD card with the 1.20 update into the camera and when I turned the camera on it offered to update the firmware. After a minute of "Now Loading" (and me being very nervous) the update completed and the camera works again. Not sure what did the trick. Was it charging the battery (although I had tried that last night) or taking the battery out of the camera for 10 hours? In any case, I am a happy camper again. ---------- Post added 04-17-15 at 06:30 AM ---------- Originally posted by Sandy Hancock OEM battery? No. The original Pentax one. I had heard about problems with OEM batteries before. ---------- Post added 04-17-15 at 06:54 AM ---------- Originally posted by Sandy Hancock +1 to that. I don't rely on the camera's battery charge icon; I remove the battery and charge it until the charger says it is full before doing a firmware update. Whether it would have avoided this event is, however, moot. In the future I'll definitely charge for 12 hours to make sure it's full.

FIXED: K-3 bricked after firmware update attempt

Win a Pentax Limited Lens: Raffle Now Live!