Control System for Multiple Stepper Motors
System Upgrade Procedure
The video to the right which shows these steps may be useful for you, but it is not required to perform the upgrade. The video was made to assist those who might find it a good learning tool for watching someone else perform the steps.

Prior Version Needed?
For prior versions of the system, click here to download the files.


Current Version: V26

Instructions are in blue. Commentary to help clarify the instructions is in black.

Step 1 - Get a copy of the Teensy program file

Download 4Rose.hex to your computer.

To save the file,

  • On a Windows or Linux PC, right-click on the file name (i.e., "4Rose.hex"), and select "Save Link As...". This will save that file where you select.
  • On macOS, click on the file name using two fingers on the track pad, and then select "Save Link As...".

Unsure which Teensy you have? The Teensy 3.5 is the most common, however if you are unsure of which one you have,

  1. on step 4c below, click "Help" then turn on Verbose Information
  2. on step 4d, when you press the button, you can see which microcontroller you have.
Teensy 3.5 4Rose.hex
Teensy 3.6 4Rose.hex
Step 2 - Get a copy of the Nextion configuration file

Get a copy of the Nextion configuration file.

Unsure which Nextion you have? The 4.3" Enhanced is the most common, however if you try the wrong file it won't load. The Nextion display will not let you load the wrong one.

4.3" Enhanced RoseEngine_N26-43E.tft
5.0" Intelligent RoseEngine_N26-50i.tft
7.0" Intelligent RoseEngine_N26-70i.tft
Step 3 - Get a copy of the 4Axes.ini settings file
Download 4Axes.ini, and put it in the root of a microSD card. This can be the same microSD card as in step #2.

Using a newer version of the 4Axes.ini file with older versions of 4Roses.hex is fine. The latest 4Axes.ini file has settings that get ignored with earlier versions of 4Roses.hex.

4Axes.ini

Step 4 - Upgrade the Teensy

  Step 4a     Connect the computer to the Teensy.

  • The cable end connected to the Teensy uses a MicroUSB connector.
  • The Teensy's jack is noted in the picture to the right.
  • There is no need to remove the Teensy from the PCB to perform this step.

Be sure you have a good MicroUSB cable. Some are only used for charging a device (and they are usually longer). These will often not work.

 

Teensy Loader on macOS

 

Teensy Loader on Linux and Windows

  Step 4b     On the Computer, start the Teensy Loader.

If you do not have the Teensy Loader installed on your computer, you can get it from https://www.pjrc.com/teensy/loader.html.

  Step 4c     Be sure the system shows that the Teensy is connected.

This is evident when

  • the Auto button is illuminated green, and
  • the picture of the Teensy is no longer grayed out.

As noted in step 4a above, if your USB cable is bad, the Teensy will not connect.

The default CPU selected will not handle the whole 4Rose.hex file, so if you try to open it, you will get the message on the bottom of the screen (where this picture shows "No file specified"):

4Rose.hex (too large!)

 

  Step 4d     Press the button on the Teensy to get the Teensy loader to recognize which CPU you are using.

  Step 4e     Back on the Computer, using the file button Teensy Loader (circled in red in the picture to the right), open 4Rose.hex.

Once this is loaded, the bottom message will change to reflect the file size.

  Step 4f     Select the download button (circled in red in the picture to the right) on the Teensy loader program to load the program file onto the Teensy.

  Step 4g     Select the reboot button (circled in red in the picture to the right) on the Teensy loader program to restart the Teensy.

Verify that it was successfully rebooted. If not, repeat the steps above (and if that does not work, your Teensy may be damaged and needing to be replaced).

Disconnect the computer from the Teensy.

Step 5 - Upgrade the Nextion

Secure the microSD card which has the Nextion configuration file (from step 2). Put this microSD card into the Nextion's microSD card slot.

Reboot the controls system again.

If this works as expected, the Nextion display will read (upside down, by the way)

Check Data . . . 100%

Updated Successed!

(guess that is a bad translation from Chinese).

After that message appears, remove the microSD card from the Nextion, and reboot the controls system again.

Step 6 - Load the .ini file

  Step 6a     Secure the microSD card which has the 4Axes.ini settings file (from step 3). Put this microSD card into the Teensy's microSD card slot.

  Step 6b     Start the system and click the Load ini button.

Note: Starting with version 24, there are text fields shown at the bottom of the screen (in the center). These are just to show that the command is working. These boxes only appear when Load Ini has been touched.

Watch the Key field to ensure each of the following are loaded:

  1. Setup
  2. Limits
  3. Returns
  4. Main
  5. One
  6. Index
  1. Move
  2. BE
  3. Sync
  4. Recip
  5. GreekKey
  6. Rose
First time loading the INI file?

The values of the INI file must be loaded for each section to enable the screens to work in the program. If the values are not set for a specific section, you will see it in the config settings screens as they will be blank.

A common problem is not having the key field update-to-date in the INI file. For example,

  • [Ind] was updated to be [Index].
  • [Ind] has been deprecated and the values in that section will not load in the current version.

If data for one of the keys did not load, check the contents of the 4Axes.ini file you are using against the latest 4Axes.ini. The field values are periodically changed, and if they are wrong, the values won't load for that section.

Once the INI file load has completed, a message will appear saying

Done - Restart may be needed.

Restart the system one last time.

Where is the "Load ini" button?

Based on the version you just installed, it may be in a different place.

Ver Comments
21 or
prior
It is on the splash page, down on the bottom right.
22+
Click the button with 3 dots to open the Preferences Screen (top right on the screen)
Click the More button (bottom left on the screen)
Click the Load Ini button (bottom right on the screen)
Step 7 - Verify the Settings

Verification Checklist
After installing a new system or making a substantial upgrade to an existing system, consider using this checklist to verify everything works as is should.

It is a good practice to verify all of the settings once you've completed the steps.

  1. Touch the Config button on each page and verify the Teensy column is populated with the same numbers as the Nextion column. Repeat for each axis on each page.

  2. Next verify the Preferences are correct for the Spindle, Axes, Limits, and Returns.

  3. Select the Main page, then the '...' (Preferences) page.
    Select the More page.
    Touch EEPROM.

    Repeat for each page and axis on the page. This will show all of the settings for the selected page.

If some settings are not loaded, that screen will not run or at least will not run properly. Check your 4Axes.INI file against the latest one. As noted in step 6b above, some key field designators have changed in later versions.


Questions or comments? Contact us at
ColvinTools@Gmail.com
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