To determine your current firmware version:
- When the power button is pressed to turn the unit on, the firmware version is displayed for a few seconds.
- In the Menu/Setup/Display/About your WatchMate screen, the firmware version is shown.
Installation of new firmware:
- Download the updated firmware file from the Vesper Marine website
- Double-click on the file you have downloaded. It will prompt you for a folder to store the files.
- Install the vmAIS Configuration and Status program by double-clicking on vmsetup from within the folder you just created.
- If you have not already installed the USB drivers, install them before plugging your WatchMate 850 into your computer. USB Drivers
- If your unit supports power-over-USB, unplug your WMX850 from 12/24 volt power. If you are unsure if your unit supports power-over-USB, unplug it from 12/24 volt power and see if it will power on with only the USB cable connected to your computer. If not, then you will need normal 12/24 volt power to perform the update.
- Using the supplied USB cable, plug your WMX850 into a PC running Windows-XP, Vista or Windows-7.
- Press the Power button to switch on the WMX850
- Run the vmAIS Configuration and Status program you installed in step 3. You’ll find it in the Windows Start menu in the Vesper Marine folder.
- Select the appropriate COM port which was displayed when you connected your WMX850 to your computer’s USB port and press the “Connect” button. Ignore the IP-Address and Port fields since these are not used with the WMX850. Note: If you get an error or it fails to connect and you are sure you have chosen the correct COM port, unplug the WMX850 from your USB port and try again. For some reason, certain Windows versions seem to need this.
- Select the “Firmware Update” tab and click on the “Browse” button.
- Select the firmware file you extracted in step 2 (firmware files have a .VEB4 extension) and click the “Load Firmware” button.
- The update will take several minutes. Do not disconnect your WMX850 from the computer or switch off the power during the update.
- When the update is complete, the WMX850 will restart itself.