Firmware panic - updating Synscan v3.10 on NEQ6 to Relay

[BrendanC]

Recently took delivery of new (ok, second-hand, but new to me) NEQ6. New power cable - Baader Outdoor Power Supply 5A - which should be fine. Fired it up, beep, all looks good, all works fine, very good, very nice.

Decided I want to run it just like I did my old AZ Goto mount, by changing the firmware to Synscan Relay and plugging it into the Windows 10 laptop. It just worked really well before, and I'm familiar with it. So, downloaded the firmware upgrader and the relay firmware. Powered up the NEQ6, pressed 0 and 8 on the handset, flashed it, no problem. Switched off NEQ6.

Switched it on again. Constant tone, beeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeep - like the startup tone, but constant. Synscan LED is lit, but nothing displayed.

Panic. Panic like I've never panicked before. Have I just bricked my new (ok, second-hand, but new to me) mount?

Realised I could start it and press 0 and 8 again to see what happened. No tone, good. The display is working, says something about 1.7 (is this the bootloader?). Good. Quickly download the v3.10 firmware, flash it... and it works again. Powers up, beep, works fine. Panic over but I'm still recovering. I'm back to where I started, with the latest firmware, but I really would like to use the handset just as a relay if possible.

Before I try this again, does anyone have any idea what might have gone wrong? I know there might be other ways of connecting, which I'll have to investigate if I can't get this to work, but as I say, I used this method before and I'm just familiar with it. But I'd rather not run the risk of damaging the mount because, as I might have mentioned, even though it's second-hand, it's new to me.

I should add, I even tried the v4 relay just in case, but the loader rejected it when it realised the handset was v3, so that's not the issue here.

Edited May 23, 2020 by BrendanC

[BrendanC]

Hmmm, just read the instructions again, says: plug the power cord into the hand control.

I hadn't done that. I'd left the power in the mount. I'll try that. Before I do however (and I'm going to leave it a while because I can't go through that panic again), if anyone thinks that could have been the problem - as in, you did exactly what I just did, with the same results, and plugging the power into the hand control fixed it - then please let me know!

Edited May 23, 2020 by BrendanC

[BrendanC]

Update: it still didn't work.