HP BDRE BU40N Revision BW43: which firmware from the firmwarepack should i flash to?

[shisha0505]

hi guys,
i've got the Hitachi BDRE BU40N with Revision BW43.
Firmware date: 2120-11-02 14:15
That's at least what MakeMKV shows.
I want to flash it but i'm not sure which one of the mk-firmware-pack-20200720.zip is the correct one.
Since i don't want to brick it i'm asking for some help and advice.

Thanx in advance

[d00zah]

Ultimate UHD Drives Flashing Guide Updated 2024

BU40N on any Firmware directly to > BU40N 1.03MK

The only BU40N FW I saw in the linked 'New! The all you need firmware pack:'...

[shisha0505]

thank you
while waiting for a reply i stumbled over this thread:
"BU40N BW42 flashable DE firmware":
viewtopic.php?p=101933#p101933
where the user @sgtblackice writes that he flashed to firmware 1.04 from the mk-firmware-pack-20200720.
I'm a little lost here: what is the difference between the firmware 1.03 from the "The all you need firmware pack" that you are referring to and the firmware 1.04 from the "mk-firmware-pack-20200720"?

[d00zah]

Manufacturers rarely seem to post FW change logs any more, so it's only speculation, but over the years it seems updates were intended more often to stymie MakeMKV, et al, use than to address any functional problem. YMMV

The recommended FW from Billy/Marty is based on what they've flashed & tested over the years. I have no reason to question their guidance.

[shisha0505]

thanks,
i was just wondering because firmware naming conventions like "BW4x" seem rather unusual for a BU40N drive. At least to me.
So i was trying to make sure not to brick the drive by using a firmware that might be uncompatible with a drive that by default has a firmware like the BW43.

[d00zah]

The 'generic' hardware is bought, 'badged' & resold by various vendors, who, in turn, support their respective versions. The FW would be theirs to maintain, hence the variety of rev #s.

[shisha0505]

what a crap.....
can't flash my drive.
Flash tool says it is not "MT1959 platform"...

[d00zah]

what a crap.....
can't flash my drive.
Flash tool says it is not "MT1959 platform"...

Can you please copy/paste the MakeMKV Drive Info / LibreDrive Info sections?

Unless it's the enclosure causing you grief, others seemed to have flashed the drive just by 'clicking past' warnings?

https://www.reddit.com/r/makemkv/commen ... b_fw_bw42/

https://www.reddit.com/r/makemkv/commen ... ice_bu40n/

[shisha0505]

First of all: i have to correct the drive's name: it's not Hitachi, it is Hewlett Packard

Unless it's the enclosure causing you grief, others seemed to have flashed the drive just by 'clicking past' warnings?

the drive was bought new, so it's very unlikely that someone flashed it already.

I didn't think that the enclosure might cause the problem. It is this one:
https://www.amazon.de/techPulse120-exte ... 2Caps%2C87

Unfortunately i can't try it out without enclosure because i have no adapter for connecting it to the PC.

i don't know where and how to get the drive info from libredrive but here's the screenshot from MakeMKV

Screenshot 2024-11-09 214823.jpg (44.27 KiB) Viewed 543 times

i read the thread in this link of yours:
https://www.reddit.com/r/makemkv/commen ... b_fw_bw42/

in contrast to the user in that thread my PC won't continue flashing unfortunately. Neither with the SDFtool Flasher (v1.3.5) nor the old sdftool_flasher.exe

[d00zah]

Based on this topic, I'd bet the enclosure is the issue. Was that you? It looks to report an LG FW, but the flash tool reports "... not a supported platform"

The guide recommends a few... but I was under the impression that most would now work?

[shisha0505]

no, this wasn't me

So i guess i'll have to get me a SATA 22 pin > Slim SATA 13 Pin adapter and cut a hole in the backplate of the enclosure for connecting the drive to the PC via SATA instead of the USB cable

[Billycar11]

Good slimsata cases that support flashing are getting hard to find since the vantec went away
Seen so many bu40ns bricked recently

[d00zah]

This is an adapter I bought to flash drives & it works fine. Amazon.de has this one which looks to be a slightly newer rev of the same part #?

[shisha0505]

i have more something like that on my mind

[d00zah]

i have more something like that on my mind

Should work. My criteria were something that didn't require cracking the case. It's become a permanent/flexible desk/benchtop fixture. Getting to old for crawling around if I can avoid it.