ultrastudio behaves buggy, firmware won't update

hi,
i am having some quite serious issues with my ultrastudio express. it behaves rather randomly (eg. in terms of input format selection) and often will bring the host program to quit instantly on switching to the blackmagic input.
once i had a message telling me the firmware would need to be updated, i said yes but the update failed and this message never ever came up again.
i tried with the current drivers (10.1) as well with an older driver version (9.9.3), the problems occur with both.
system is macos 10.9.2 on a macbook pro (2,6 ghz intel core i7, 16 gb ram).
i attached the beginning of the crash report below...

how do i get this back to working again?
k

Process: Max [431]
Path: /Applications/Max 6.1/Max.app/Contents/MacOS/Max
Identifier: com.cycling74.Max
Version: 6.1.7 [6dce307] (6.1.7)
Code Type: X86 (Native)
Parent Process: launchd [220]
Responsible: Max [431]
User ID: 501

Date/Time: 2014-04-24 11:26:30.472 +0200
OS Version: Mac OS X 10.9.2 (13C1021)
Report Version: 11
Anonymous UUID: A14249FE-FEDC-08C3-1EBC-AE36223BD371


Crashed Thread: 0 Dispatch queue: com.apple.main-thread

Exception Type: EXC_BAD_ACCESS (SIGSEGV)
Exception Codes: KERN_INVALID_ADDRESS at 0x0000000029379000

VM Regions Near 0x29379000:
MALLOC_LARGE 0000000029297000-0000000029379000 [ 904K] rw-/rwx SM=PRV
-->
__TEXT 0000000040000000-00000000404a9000 [ 4772K] r-x/rwx SM=COW /System/Library/Extensions/AppleIntelHD4000GraphicsGLDriver.bundle/Contents/MacOS/AppleIntelHD4000GraphicsGLDriver

[Tony Rivera]

Just a few suggestions to get you started on a possible solution.

Have you tried using a different cable or different port? I would also try completely uninstalling the version of Desktop video you have(with whatever current uninstaller version you have installed) and then try the most current firmware.

hi,
thanks for your help!
i tried a different cables/ports, that did not do anything. as well i already uninstalled/reinstalled.
regarding firmware: i do not get this popup to update it, how do i invoke that manually? how do i know what firmware is currently installed? where do i find the latest update?
best and thanks!
k

[Tony Rivera]

The latest firmware can be found on the support page. Just go through the 3 steps and you can download the drivers for it.

I would try rebooting the system after you unplug the device. Once it's back on, plug the device back in and see if it's even recognized by the computer. You will obviously need to have the Desktop Video installed before you reboot so it can detect the device. If it is visible in System Preferences, it could be up to date.

If that still doesn't resolve the problem, I would try to see if you still have this issue with another Mac.

sorry, but there is no firmware update on said location. only the desktop video drivers, the manual, faqs etc.

again: how do i determine the current firmware version of my device? and what is the current version?

the preference pane is visible and works. as said, the problem is not that it would not work at all but that it makes apps crash often.

best
k

[Tony Rivera]

Those would be the drivers you would need and the most current is 10.1.

er, did you actually read my initial post?

i am talking about the firmware drivers of the card, not the system drivers. if these should be included in the package the installer does not work.

for the third time:
- how do i determine the firmware version of the ultrastudio express card?
- what is the latest firmware version and where would i get it?
- or: if it should be bundled in the desktop driver package, how do i invoke the firmware updater manually?

and yes, i did connect my computer to a power outlet and i even made sure it is switched on.
k

for the third time:
- how do i determine the firmware version of the ultrastudio express card?

I've never found a way to find this out

- what is the latest firmware version and where would i get it?

They are built into the driver package

- or: if it should be bundled in the desktop driver package, how do i invoke the firmware updater manually?

I'm not aware of any way to manually invoke it. When my Ultrastudio 4K needed re-flashing I went back to a much earlier version of drivers then had to unplug and plug it back in a few times before the software detected that the firmware needed flashing. Also it did take about 5 minutes after plugging it back in before it detected the firmware needed updating.
Another thing to bear in mind is that the V10 drivers seem to be broken. Not sure about on the Express, but on the 4K they break it completely under Windows, so badly that the 4K only gets detected as a BM Design I/O device

hi adbear,
thanks for your help! i have to admit, this sounds rather depressing though.

if i understand you guys right, apart from de-and reinstalling the drivers (which does not do the trick) i should just randomly keep connecting and disconnecting the cables in the hope that at some point this mysterious firmware updater fires up or, if it does not, my port phyiscally breaks.
is this the official solution, like where support ends?

tony?
k

If you want official support you should contact BM Tech support direct. This is primarily a user forum

[Tony Rivera]

If you want official support you should contact BM Tech support direct. This is primarily a user forum

This would be the way to handle your situation at this point.

ok, will do. it's just last time i tried that, i did not hear anything for weeks.
anyway, i'll report back if they can solve my problem. for the time being thanks to all of you!
k

[Tony Rivera]

I'm not sure why there would be such a delay in a reply but there are multiple ways to get in contact with us. All that information is under the company tab of our websites main page.

...
well, i certainly did not get any response yet and the first week is over.
the only proper email adress for europe i found on your webpage is info-euro@blackmagicdesign.com so i just sent my support request there too. any other contact emails i should be sending my problem too?
thanks
k