For users of the XYZprinting Minimaker 3D printer, firmware management can sometimes present challenges, especially when attempting to revert to an older version. This guide delves into the process of downgrading your Minimaker firmware, focusing on overcoming potential obstacles related to serial number verification. This is particularly relevant if you’re looking to return to firmware version 1.1.4.
XYZprinting employs a system where their XYZprint software attempts to download a file named SN.DAT from their server. This file appears to contain serial number information used to determine if a firmware downgrade is permissible. Specifically, if a match is found for your printer’s serial number, the software might proceed with a downgrade to version 1.1.4, even if you have updated to a more recent version like 3.2.4. This behavior is tied to the printer’s original serial number.
Official documentation from XYZprinting, such as the “Open Tag Firmware PDF,” indicates that upgrading to firmware 3.2.4 clears a unique portion of the serial number, replacing it with 0xFF bytes. To ensure proper recognition of the “open tag,” these tools mentioned in the PDF should be used to restore the serial number. However, a simpler workaround to bypass the serial number check involves subtly modifying the serial number itself.
One user observed a discrepancy between the serial number reported by their machine and the one printed on the sticker. The “ZZX” part on the sticker was reported as “EU4” by the printer. This suggests that “ZZ” represents a country or region code, with the remaining character potentially being version specific. Experimenting with this, changing the “4” to “X” while keeping the “EU” region code proved successful in circumventing the serial number check.
Therefore, you have a couple of options for downgrading your XYZprinting Minimaker firmware. You can either extract the 3.2.4 firmware from the executable file and utilize the “XYZ Firmware Flash Tool” with a slightly altered serial number, or you can attempt to circumvent the serial number check within XYZprint itself, allowing it to perform the update.
If you opt for the latter approach – fooling XYZprint – the key is to prevent the software from successfully matching your printer’s serial number. Changing the serial number beforehand is one method, and as noted, you may need to do this post-downgrade anyway.
Another strategy is to block the download of the SN.DAT file altogether. Disconnecting from the network might initially seem effective, as XYZprint may suggest the 3.2.4 update. However, the update process is likely to fail. This is because XYZprint also makes HTTPS API calls to developer.xyzprinting.com, and the process could get stuck during these calls if network access is completely severed.
A more refined approach to blocking SN.DAT download is to redirect the domain xyzwebsite.blob.core.windows.net to a different location, typically your local machine. This can be achieved by modifying the hosts file located at C:Windowssystem32driversetchosts on Windows systems. Pointing this domain to localhost (127.0.0.1) will prevent XYZprint from accessing the actual SN.DAT file.
However, simply redirecting to localhost might not be enough, as XYZprint may continuously attempt to access port 80. To resolve this, you can set up a basic HTTP server to respond to these requests. Using Python, for example, the command python3 -m http.server 80 executed in an empty directory can create a simple server. This server will respond with a 404 error, which is often sufficient to halt XYZprint’s attempts to download SN.DAT. Alternatively, placing an empty sw-mmof/SN.DAT file in the directory served by your local HTTP server might also achieve the desired outcome, as SN.DAT usually contains lowercase ASCII hexadecimal digits.
By understanding these methods, you can effectively manage your XYZprinting Minimaker firmware and successfully downgrade when needed. Remember to proceed with caution and ensure you understand the steps before implementing them.
