System2 RFID Reader Software Updates

Version 8 – Release Date: 05-OCT-2023

Updates to the CAN library to improve hot plug reliability.

Version 7 – Release Date: 19-JUL-2023

Added support for ‘fixing’ a borked software update. If the software detects missing static files it will automatically try to download in the background. You will not see any update, however the  on board LED will blink  erratically as data is downloaded. Leave the board alone for 15 minutes as it tries to resolve the issue automatically for you. To test, try reconnecting to the main web page. If you see it, then it’s fixed.

Version 6 – Release Date: 06-MAY-2023

IMPORTANT – Installing this patch requires that ALL products are patched.

All System2 boards should be updated to 06-MAY-2003 patch date or later. See
bottom of these release notes for version specifics. This is a significant
update and changes how the boards communicate with each other. Therefore all boards
should be patched.
Products shipped after 06-MAY-2023 will automatically have this patch installed.

CAN
Internal tweaks to encoded vPort data on the CAN bus. This update requires
all boards on your network to be updated to remain compatible over the CAN bus.

We plan on making videos showing how you can integrate your Arduino into
this system to both read and control almost all aspects. The CAN bus
changes will make this more accessible when we publish it.

WiFi credential sharing
Improvements to the WiFi credential sharing are implemented including:
– Consistent operation across all System2 board types.
– Faster revocation of credentials with boards returning to operational
– state after having WiFi credentials revoked (3-5 seconds).
– Improvement to the DCC module becoming operational following WiFi
credential removal.

CAN Monitor web page
The CAN monitor web page has had the RFID column removed. This was used
in testing during 2022 with the AVR microcontrollers and is now obsolete.
You can still see the raw packets from RFID data, however they are not
decoded for you.
We plan to replace this monitor with something more useful at a later date.

MQTT
Some products have had their MQTT library replaced to improve stability (all
except the Panel Controller and Servo-8 driver). This had the unintended
consequence of locking the MQTT broker name and preventing users from
changing it. For the DCC Module (example) this means it works great here
but not on your site where the broker will be different.
We have changed our testing regime to prevent this happening again.

General
Miscellaneous code refactoring across all System2 products for a more
consistent operation.

JMRI
We tested the RFID readers against Panel Pro version 5.3.5 (beta). The
RFID readers successfully updated the JMRI reporters data.

Patch versions
Each product should be patched to 06-MAY-2023 or later. The specific
product versions are:
Panel Controller 7
Servo-8 Driver 7
DCC Decoder 4
RFID Reader 6
RFID Display Driver 5
Relay Driver 4