Lightning Software Updates using FDRS

[chillaban]

I also find with a single Clore in PS mode that the FDRS voltage dips down to 11.8. Interestingly enough I used a multimeter at the battery posts and found a far less scary 12.4V. It seems like the Mongoose consistently reads voltages almost a volt lower than what my multimeter reads.

As a precaution I always have a 20A battery charger on hand as a backup. If I really needed to rescue.

Otherwise FWIW as a former EE working on control systems for these kinds of devices I don’t really recommend hooking two power supplies in parallel like this. They are not designed to account for this, though in practice your AGM battery stabilizes the 12V bus enough.

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[chillaban]

Hey hey, so after the 6.2.0 (second GWM) update I now see this APIM update pending in FDRS. Nothing in the truck yet. I'm guessing this will be 6.3.0 for Lightnings? Looks like the numbering is different from our Mach-E and ICE friends.

 

[Mike G]

Hey hey, so after the 6.2.0 (second GWM) update I now see this APIM update pending in FDRS. Nothing in the truck yet. I'm guessing this will be 6.3.0 for Lightnings? Looks like the numbering is different from our Mach-E and ICE friends.

I just saw this a few minutes ago on my truck as well. I will do a 30 minute remote start around 0845 to get my 12V battery charged back up so that when the 0900 scheduled "Check Updates" time rolls around it might start downloading. And before any of the smart guys jump in and tell me that the Check Updates time is only for when to apply inhibit updates, and has nothing to do with actually checking for updates...I've done it this way at least 4 times to make OTAs that I knew were supposed to show up for me...download and process. I do it that way so that I can find out what the OTA number actually is when it's done....and if it doesn't update in one day I take the FDRS laptop out and do it that way.

And I too think it's probably going to be 6.3.0, but I'll find out shortly.

I should also mention that it is Wednesday...and that's usually when I see updates show up in FDRS for the Lightning. (Normally it's Friday for Mach-Es but there have been exceptions).

 

[flyin525]

Hey hey, so after the 6.2.0 (second GWM) update I now see this APIM update pending in FDRS. Nothing in the truck yet. I'm guessing this will be 6.3.0 for Lightnings? Looks like the numbering is different from our Mach-E and ICE friends.

Sounds about right that’s it’s an APIM update, 6.3 is supposed to bring iOS EV charging support to CarPlay.

 

[Mike G]

Because of the voltage drop I did not update 5 modules the ACM, APIM, IPC, BCM and OBCC. Some if not all of them require the thumb drive update and I didn’t want to take the chance the voltage would drop enough for the process to fail.

Overall, not difficult, scary at times but everything turned out OK I think.

So here's the thing...

Great job so far and no worries on the doubling-up of the Clore PL2320's since several people on the MME forums have been doing this for a couple of years now, and I know that @AmandaB on this forum as well as @sstevetx have done it that way.

Back in the day (Feb-Mar of '22) when BlueCruise updates were first posted as OTAs and appeared on FDRS there were no instructions on what order to apply them. Those instructions were sent out by Ford as TSB 21G01 on the 29th of March for techs to use when updating customer's cars in the shop.

One of the main things I took from those instructions was the process sequence that I have followed ever since (to avoid failed downloads and updates primarily). If you are faced with a shed-load of updates when you open FDRS to the available software tab, I do it like Ford told the techs to do it on the original BC instructions.

GWM first, and then APIM next (unless another GWM shows up right after the first one, which has happened), then TCU next. Oh and BTW those three are always USB-based updates and are done with the truck fully ON so there is no danger of running the 12V battery down (even though FDRS warns you to connect the powersupply). As long as your 12V battery is back up above 80% SOC when you start a USB-based update you'll have no problems during the actual update cause after that the truck is turned on and running during the update itself.

Ignore all the other updates in the list until you have exhausted all the GWM, APIM and TCU updates and then move on to something like the IPC or SCCM or another standalone update.

Ford groups some updates into what they call a "coordinated" set...the powertrain being the biggest example. Selecting any one of the updates in your list that are part of that powertrain set kicks off the scripted update of all of them in the order Ford wants them done. This would include the PCM, BECM, SOBDM, SOBDMB, SOBDMC, ABS, and I think the GFM2 is included on the Lightning as well. Of course you may not have all of those updates at any given moment depending on whether Ford has released updates for all of them, or just some of them, but they will always update as a group.

Bottom line...you really want to update any GWM, APIM, and TCU in your list before doing anything else to avoid a potential for getting stuck in a dependency purgatory because something got updated out of sequence. Why would this happen? It would happen because sometimes the update package hasn't been coded properly to make sure it can't be applied unless some other update is applied first. That's happened several times and usually (historically speaking) has happened in relation to PCM updates. The MME community had this issue at the beginning of this year...where updating the PCM caused a follow-on GWM to not show up in their list of available software (it got fixed mid-January though). All this caused a delay in the roll-out of the new Sync UI update for tons of people.

And as for why you do the GWM, APIM, and TCU in a certain sequence, I guess that's how Ford intends that they get done, and if you watch the OTAs for a while you'll notice that is the sequence that they seem to roll out in...one or maybe two GWMs, followed by an APIM and then the TCU is tail end Charlie to close out the sequence. There are times when there are exceptions but this is the normal sequence.

That's why I recommend following that sequence when doing it using FDRS. Check out this attached guidance from Ford on the topic.

 

[rugedraw]

Hey hey, so after the 6.2.0 (second GWM) update I now see this APIM update pending in FDRS. Nothing in the truck yet. I'm guessing this will be 6.3.0 for Lightnings? Looks like the numbering is different from our Mach-E and ICE friends.

Is your truck already on Sync 23167?

Edit: A member if the ICE forums with a 2022 PowerBoost had a new APIM pop up in FDRS. He installed it last night and got this:

This means a new APIM OTA is right around the corner.

 

[BSull]

So here's the thing...

Great job so far and no worries on the doubling-up of the Clore PL2320's since several people on the MME forums have been doing this for a couple of years now, and I know that @AmandaB on this forum as well as @sstevetx have done it that way.

Back in the day (Feb-Mar of '22) when BlueCruise updates were first posted as OTAs and appeared on FDRS there were no instructions on what order to apply them. Those instructions were sent out by Ford as TSB 21G01 on the 29th of March for techs to use when updating customer's cars in the shop.

One of the main things I took from those instructions was the process sequence that I have followed ever since (to avoid failed downloads and updates primarily). If you are faced with a shed-load of updates when you open FDRS to the available software tab, I do it like Ford told the techs to do it on the original BC instructions.

GWM first, and then APIM next (unless another GWM shows up right after the first one, which has happened), then TCU next. Oh and BTW those three are always USB-based updates and are done with the truck fully ON so there is no danger of running the 12V battery down (even though FDRS warns you to connect the powersupply). As long as your 12V battery is back up above 80% SOC when you start a USB-based update you'll have no problems during the actual update cause after that the truck is turned on and running during the update itself.

Ignore all the other updates in the list until you have exhausted all the GWM, APIM and TCU updates and then move on to something like the IPC or SCCM or another standalone update.

Ford groups some updates into what they call a "coordinated" set...the powertrain being the biggest example. Selecting any one of the updates in your list that are part of that powertrain set kicks off the scripted update of all of them in the order Ford wants them done. This would include the PCM, BECM, SOBDM, SOBDMB, SOBDMC, ABS, and I think the GFM2 is included on the Lightning as well. Of course you may not have all of those updates at any given moment depending on whether Ford has released updates for all of them, or just some of them, but they will always update as a group.

Bottom line...you really want to update any GWM, APIM, and TCU in your list before doing anything else to avoid a potential for getting stuck in a dependency purgatory because something got updated out of sequence. Why would this happen? It would happen because sometimes the update package hasn't been coded properly to make sure it can't be applied unless some other update is applied first. That's happened several times and usually (historically speaking) has happened in relation to PCM updates. The MME community had this issue at the beginning of this year...where updating the PCM caused a follow-on GWM to not show up in their list of available software (it got fixed mid-January though). All this caused a delay in the roll-out of the new Sync UI update for tons of people.

And as for why you do the GWM, APIM, and TCU in a certain sequence, I guess that's how Ford intends that they get done, and if you watch the OTAs for a while you'll notice that is the sequence that they seem to roll out in...one or maybe two GWMs, followed by an APIM and then the TCU is tail end Charlie to close out the sequence. There are times when there are exceptions but this is the normal sequence.

That's why I recommend following that sequence when doing it using FDRS. Check out this attached guidance from Ford on the topic.

Thanks again Mike G I will follow those steps as I move forward.

 

[Mike G]

Is your truck already on Sync 23167?

Edit: A member if the ICE forums with a 2022 PowerBoost had a new APIM pop up in FDRS. He installed it last night and got this:

This means a new APIM OTA is right around the corner.

Mine is downloading now via the TCU, but I also connected using FDRS about a half hour ago and put all 6GB of the downloaded files on my USB drive to update tomorrow if the OTA doesn't finish today. I wanted to let it OTA first just to see what the version is and the notes. You don't get to see the OTA version or the notes if you update with FDRS (normally).

It looks like this will be an upgrade for Sync from 915 to (insert future Sync version placeholder here) and an APIM rev from "-EC" to "-EE" according to the application manifest for the download file.

 

[rugedraw]

Mine is downloading now via the TCU, but I also connected using FDRS about a half hour ago and put all 6GB of the downloaded files on my USB drive to update tomorrow if the OTA doesn't finish today. I wanted to let it OTA first just to see what the version is and the notes. You don't get to see the OTA version or the notes if you update with FDRS (normally).

It looks like this will be an upgrade for Sync from 915 to (insert future Sync version placeholder here) and an APIM rev from "-EC" to "-EE" according to the application manifest for the download file.

Good man! I was curious about the notes, too. Let us know what it says when it goes through.

 

[chillaban]

Is your truck already on Sync 23167?

Edit: A member if the ICE forums with a 2022 PowerBoost had a new APIM pop up in FDRS. He installed it last night and got this:

This means a new APIM OTA is right around the corner.

Oh neat! I'm on the a lower number than that (the revision 915 update) so maybe it's this?

I'm gonna carry my Windows laptop to work and see if the TCU downloads the update OTA. If not, I'll apply it at work this morning where I'm close to a power outlet. I know in theory APIM updates don't need external power but better safe than sorry.

 

[Mike G]

Oh neat! I'm on the a lower number than that (the revision 915 update) so maybe it's this?

I'm gonna carry my Windows laptop to work and see if the TCU downloads the update OTA. If not, I'll apply it at work this morning where I'm close to a power outlet. I know in theory APIM updates don't need external power but better safe than sorry.

I plug the laptop in to the dashboard 120v outlet when doing USB updates.....

 

[rugedraw]

Oh neat! I'm on the a lower number than that (the revision 915 update) so maybe it's this?

That is my theory. Now that the Sync versions of the ICE and EV trucks have been synced, it would make sense.

 

[chillaban]

I plug the laptop in to the dashboard 120v outlet when doing USB updates.....

Now if only I can plug my 12V charger into the Pro Power sockets in the frunk

 

[Mike G]

Correction or clarification...

So while out on a drive trying to give the TCU time to do it's thing i stopped by the dealership to see if my wiper motor had arrived for that recall. Nope. And I asked them to check if any OTAs were downloading. Again, nope.

So apparently this is one of those times when the update has been made available to FDRS but has not been put in queue for OTA to my truck yet.

I brought the thumb drive in from the truck and noticed that when I plugged it in that I had been referencing the wrong DID when I previously mentioned what the old and new revs would be.

It's currently "-EC" now and will become "-CC" after the update takes place. Sorry for any confusion I might have caused with that.

At 6.08 GB this update is a full Sync update by the look of it. Looks like all the packages and strategy got touched in some way.

 

[chillaban]

Correction or clarification...

So while out on a drive trying to give the TCU time to do it's thing i stopped by the dealership to see if my wiper motor had arrived for that recall. Nope. And I asked them to check if any OTAs were downloading. Again, nope.

So apparently this is one of those times when the update has been made available to FDRS but has not been put in queue for OTA to my truck yet.

I brought the thumb drive in from the truck and notice that when I plugged it in that I had been referencing the wrong DID when I previously mentioned what the old and new revs would be.

It's currently "-EC" now and will become "-CC" after the update takes place. Sorry for any confusion I might have caused with that.

At 6.08 GB this update is a full Sync update by the look of it. Looks like all the packages and strategy got touched in some way.

Ooof I got to work and realized I left my Mongoose cable at home. It doesn’t seem like it’s willing to prepare an update drive without Mongoose right?