Fnirsi-1014d Firmware - Update

Seeing the community doing their job for them (and perhaps wanting to fix their reputation), FNIRSI eventually released official updates.

This is where the controversy regarding the FPGA began.

A firmware update can improve the speed of the FFT (Fast Fourier Transform) function, reduce the lag when adjusting the timebase (sec/div), and optimize the screen refresh rate. Users often report a "snappier" interface post-update.

Let’s get the elephant in the room out first. Updating the 1014D is not like updating your phone. fnirsi-1014d firmware update

Verdict on process: Clunky, but stable. I’ve done it three times. No bricks. But FNIRSI really needs a USB bootloader.

The device was saved from obscurity by the community at the EEVblog Forum.

A user named "feaser" (and later contributors like "painless" and others) reverse-engineered the hardware. They discovered that while the hardware was decent, the firmware was poorly optimized. Seeing the community doing their job for them

This is the single most critical step. If you ignore this, you risk bricking your oscilloscope.

The FNIRSI-1014D has at least three distinct hardware revisions. The firmware is not cross-compatible. You cannot flash a v4.3 board firmware onto a v3.0 board.

Alternatively, you can check via software: Verdict on process: Clunky, but stable

If your firmware file does not explicitly state it is for your hardware version (e.g., "1014D_V4.3_Firmware_V1.0.4.bin"), do not proceed.

Example SD card root:

E:\1014D_MCU_V1.0.4.bin
E:\1014D_FPGA_V1.0.4.bin

If your update is a single .zip: extract first. Do NOT copy the .zip.

I tested pre-1.0.3 vs. post-1.0.5 on a 1MHz square wave and a 20MHz PWM signal.