Base station firmware update causes red blinking light

[ditobaon]

Okay, so I've seen several threads on this but most are about RMA and returns.  My question is a little bit more in depth.  As many others have said once they update their base station it becomes unusable and displays a red blinking light.  The SteamVR app says something like error 3 or error 400 and something about the base station being unusable or not optically tracking or something else.  The only constants seem to be red blinking light and doesn't work.

 

I was able to find some information and a quick tutorial on how to reverse the issue (fall back onto the original firmware) but that doesn't really sit well with me.  My situation is that one of my base stations was able to upgrade to the latest firmware (lighthouse_tx_htc_2_0-436-2016-09-20) just fine and works like it's supposed to.  The other however, just build in April 2018 mind you, completely loses its mind when firmware is updated (either through steamVR or manually updating).  So far, the only solution I've found is keeping the original firmware (lighthouse_tx_htc_2_0-244-2016-03-12) on the "broken" base station.

 

While this allows me to use my Vive I find myself very annoyed that a brand-new item is obviously shipping with what seems to be a serious flaw, since I see this issue across the forum and spanning at least a year.  I would have assumed that my base station having been built less than a month ago would have shipped with the newest firmware, I would have assumed wrong.  Anyway, for anyone else who runs into this problem there is a "possible" solution that does not involve RMA'ing your device and waiting for months as I've read in several places through the forums.  I don't think I should outline that process here but either PM me if you are experiencing this or ask one of the many helpful staff in this community if they can walk you through it.  It's very quick, very easy, and should hopefully get you up and running in minutes by getting you back to the original firmware; maybe needing a calibration or factory reset rescue along the way.

 

All of that to ask this, is my seemingly broken lighthouse RMA'able even though it runs on the original firmware but not on either of the new releases (lighthouse_tx_htc_2_0-298-2016-05-05 or lighthouse_tx_htc_2_0-436-2016-09-20)?  And if so would it be possible for HTC to send me a new working base station and I'll return the broken one in the box sent rather than me being out of a base station for undetermined amount of time (some in the community have reported several months) as my $1100 purchase collects dust?  As this is a brand new base station I feel it shouldn't be having this sort of malfunction.  Any help or insight would be great. 

 

Thanks ;)

[Synthesis]

 

Hi there! Thanks for reaching out to us. If your base station was recently purchased (within the last couple of weeks) I highly recommend you contact our Live Chat and process a swap with them. That would be the fastest and easiest thing for you.

If it's been longer, please PM me with your order number and I'll see what I can do.

Thank you!

-John C

[ditobaon]

Well, this is embarrassing but I can't figure out how to PM you through this message system.  I've tried opening a new message and entering "John C" and it didn't come up with anyone so I just typed "John" and none of the suggestions were you so I typed in "Synthesis" and it just comes up with the general Vive Staff which I assume goes into a shared mailbox of some sort.  I was contemplating sending it to Synthesis with Attn: John C but figure that may take a while for you to find if you ever do?  I'm really not sure.

 

In answer to your response I ordered April 7 but didn't receive until supplies were available much later so I don't think I can talk with Live Chat.  Also, as I've said the base station works fine on the original firmware so I don't want to lose the ability to play while swapping out, if that is the only solution.  It would be different if it was completely dead but it still seems to work and that's the big question I have.  Why does the firmware only brick some of the base stations?  Especially since mine are manufactured so closely together from one another.  The S/N is only 42 away from each other, they should be in the same batch and everything off the assembly line.

 

This is mostly academic for me at this point.  Let me make it clear that I have a working Vive Pro, I love VR, I couldn't be happier with my purchase.  BUT, I feel like this brand new item should be in full working order and when I update it with the latest firmware it's not.  That's literally my only issue with this product right now....well that and the fact that when I play Beat Saber I get super sweaty and my PU leather facefoam won't get here for a couple weeks cause it's shipping from Germany and so far there is no replacement for the back foam pad.  Seriously, I need a PU leather (or some other non absorbant material) back of the head pad for physically strenuous games.  

 

Thank you for the response, please educate me on how to PM using this system,

 

~dito

 

p.s.- If we are living in the matrix can we build a matrix in the matrix, or are we already?