Noob questions on flashing BH16NS55 (1.04), sdftool

[michael_duckless]

Hi,

sorry if I am asking stupid questions. I have read a lot of posts, watched the YouTube guides and I have read Billy's "Ultimate UHD Drives Guide Updated 2020". Generally I know how to use the command line and how to flash (other) stuff. There are still a few things which are not clear to me:

I have a brand-new BH16NS55 with FW 1.04.

1. When flashing a MK firmware I should start with the latest BH16NS55 (1.05) or WH16NS60 (1.03), is that correct? Or should I stay on 1.04 for starters (I know about the sleep bug).
2. Does sdftool use "self-update" or "raw flash write"? In the sdftool commandline "rawflash" appears as a keyword, which makes me think it uses "raw flash write". I'd rather use the "self-update" mode.
3. Sometimes I am reading stuff about calibration data (especially with DOSFLASH, which I do not intend to use). Is it correct that this only applies to "raw flash write" FW updates?
4. I am planning on flashing through sdftool on Linux (from latest MakeMKV). Is this safe or is it safer to get the modified Asus flasher on Windows? Can the modified Asus flasher flash encrypted firmwares?

Thanks for helping out.

[Billycar11]

Hi,

sorry if I am asking stupid questions. I have read a lot of posts, watched the YouTube guides and I have read Billy's "Ultimate UHD Drives Guide Updated 2020". Generally I know how to use the command line and how to flash (other) stuff. There are still a few things which are not clear to me:

I have a brand-new BH16NS55 with FW 1.04.

1. When flashing a MK firmware I should start with the latest BH16NS55 (1.05) or WH16NS60 (1.03), is that correct? Or should I stay on 1.04 for starters (I know about the sleep bug).
2. Does sdftool use "self-update" or "raw flash write"? In the sdftool commandline "rawflash" appears as a keyword, which makes me think it uses "raw flash write". I'd rather use the "self-update" mode.
3. Sometimes I am reading stuff about calibration data (especially with DOSFLASH, which I do not intend to use). Is it correct that this only applies to "raw flash write" FW updates?
4. I am planning on flashing through sdftool on Linux (from latest MakeMKV). Is this safe or is it safer to get the modified Asus flasher on Windows? Can the modified Asus flasher flash encrypted firmwares?

Thanks for helping out.

1.any WH16NS60 firmware is fine and is best unless you use other rippers

2.self update

3.you need to do nothing with calibration data because it is self update

4.equally as safe but soon makemkvs flash will be reqiy for all because of encrypted firmware

[michael_duckless]

Thank you for the clarification.

I have succesfully flashed my drive to WH16NS60 1.03-MK and was very disappointed with UHD ripping. Speed was like 0.1x and the drive made horrible noises while ripping. I have tried this on Linux and Windows. So I downgraded to WH16NS60 1.02-MK and this firmware is working much better for me. Rip speed was 2x for the same disc, which is perfect for me.

So it looks like they have changed something more in WH16NS60 1.03-MK. That's why I'd advise people to use WH16NS60 1.02-MK for their BH16NS55. It's actually also stated in Billy's flashing guide that 1.02 should be used.

@Billycar11: Maybe you can add a warning regarding 1.03 in your ultimate drive guide

Thanks again for this great community!

[Mr_Orange]

Is the WH16NS60 firmware faster/better than the native BH16NS55 firmware on the BH16NS55 drive?

[MartyMcNuts]

Is the WH16NS60 firmware faster/better than the native BH16NS55 firmware on the BH16NS55 drive?

Yes.

[Mr_Orange]

Yes.

Thank you. Looks like I'll be giving it a try then.

[Mr_Orange]

Is the WH16NS60 firmware faster/better than the native BH16NS55 firmware on the BH16NS55 drive?

Yes.

Just for info, I can't say that I have noticed any difference between 1.04 BH16NS55 and 1.02 WH16NS60 ripping BDs or DVDs. The first UHD I tried, failed with some weird error messages which I didn't make a note of. A second attempt worked perfectly as did 2 subsequent UHDs. Again the speed isn't noticably different.

[MartyMcNuts]

Is the WH16NS60 firmware faster/better than the native BH16NS55 firmware on the BH16NS55 drive?

Yes.

Just for info, I can't say that I have noticed any difference between 1.04 BH16NS55 and 1.02 WH16NS60 ripping BDs or DVDs. The first UHD I tried, failed with some weird error messages which I didn't make a note of. A second attempt worked perfectly as did 2 subsequent UHDs. Again the speed isn't noticably different.

Speed differs for UHD's. NS60 firmware is about 2-2.5x faster. Even faster if you adjust the drive speed settings.

[Mr_Orange]

Yes.

Just for info, I can't say that I have noticed any difference between 1.04 BH16NS55 and 1.02 WH16NS60 ripping BDs or DVDs. The first UHD I tried, failed with some weird error messages which I didn't make a note of. A second attempt worked perfectly as did 2 subsequent UHDs. Again the speed isn't noticably different.

Speed differs for UHD's. NS60 firmware is about 2-2.5x faster. Even faster if you adjust the drive speed settings.

OK, good to know. I'm starting to buy more UHDs now so saving time on rips is a bonus.

[michael_duckless]

So I have made some long-term experiences with ripping a few UHD discs, quite a few BDs and many many Audio CDs. And I must say that the WH16NS60 1.02-MK firmware beats the crap out of that drive. It is fantastic! Not just with MakeMKV, but also with other software such as EAC (for ripping Audio CDs). In EAC it rips CDs with 24x speed, which is just amazing.

Right now I am thinking of getting another spare BH16NS55 just to be safe in case anything happens to my drive in the future

[Mr_Orange]

So I have made some long-term experiences with ripping a few UHD discs, quite a few BDs and many many Audio CDs. And I must say that the WH16NS60 1.02-MK firmware beats the crap out of that drive. It is fantastic! Not just with MakeMKV, but also with other software such as EAC (for ripping Audio CDs). In EAC it rips CDs with 24x speed, which is just amazing.

Right now I am thinking of getting another spare BH16NS55 just to be safe in case anything happens to my drive in the future

Thanks for your feedback.

Now that you mention EAC, I did notice my drive attempting to take off the last time I ripped a CD !

I didn't notice much difference for UHDs though, so switched back to the native 1.05. Maybe I'll try the WH16NS60 1.02 again.