Dolby CP650 device won't turn on

[Leo Enticknap]

AFAIK, the only way to reflash the firmware is to connect a PC to it via RS232, and reflash using the CP650 Windows app. So if this unit is alive enough to accept a connection from the PC app, you can try it. But if it isn't, I don't know of any other method.

[Sam Chavez]

The flash memory (Cat. 797) sits on the Cat. 774 and holds the software and basic settings. If the flash goes bad, you need to replace it with a new flash card which was loaded with whatever version was current at that time.

Once you have the 650 running you can load newer software as Leo describes, or if you have saved recent settings you can retrieve them.

[Marco Giustini]

Be careful with the 797, it's very easy to bend/break the pins.

[Mark Gulbrandsen]

Definately agree on this now we know the supply is working... I never had it happen with a 650, but I have had it happen on Tektronix digital color scope, and Hewlett Packard audio analyzer that I owned. I was lucky there, because a retired Tektronix guy spent his retirement time rewriting the programs back onto the chips for people. As he told me the ROM chips used do not hold the data for ever. The data slowly "fades" on these chips as they age. In exchange I loaned him the program chips out of the HP audio analyzer I owned. He copied the data to add to his collection and reflashed the data back on to the chips that went back into the audio analyzer. He also reflashed the three chips for the scope and both the scope and the analyzer worked just fine.