Xerox EX-i V180 Embedded Fiery

Let's just say, I've been fighting with this machine.
It's been an absolute headache.
I have spent 2 nights trying to fix it.

Sunday 1st September 2024
I see there are 2 updates to do for the Fiery, Service Pack 2 and something else.
Right, fantastic, I'll nip into work, I'll get it updated and then it's all sorted for Monday!

How wrong was I?!

As it turns out, I needed an updated Fiery API to be able to updated to install Service Pack 2. I had no API version and it wouldn't update.

So, I spent hours, re-flashing the Fiery, getting it back to 1.2 and then updating it.

I started about 4 pm until 6 pm. By that point, I had it updating to the latest version!
At about 10 pm, I logged in remotely and thought, I'll do a Backup! Just incase I need to restore anything, lets do a Backup to the Hard Drive and leave it to it.

I think nothing of it and carry on with my life.

Monday 2nd September 2024

Got into work in the morning, started by turning everything on and getting everything up and running for the week.
For some strange reason, the Bustle (Embedded Fiery) wouldn't come alive.

It took me 6 hours on Monday to get our Xerox Versant 180 up and functional.

Turns out, the Video Interface Card needed to be reseated.
I gave the Bustle a bloody good clean out on Sunday, blew all the dust and grime away.

Look, this is the one thing you don't mess around with in your Fiery.

So, let's just say if this is damaged... £1,824.00 + VAT. That's if you can get one!

So, about 3 pm I had this thing back up and operational, after re-flashing it more than 3 times. That was a horrible day after all the time I spent on Sunday!

Tuesday

I just updated it to the latest version, which stopped just before Service Pack 2.
Thought I would do it Tuesday night and everything will be OK.

Wednesday

So, after getting it all up and running, I thought, I will do a backup to USB this time..
You know. Just incase something happens, I will have a restore point where I don't have to start from 1.2, do the Fiery API update, then 26 updates to get up to the latest version.....

Whilst I was invoicing, I started this. Same as the Hard Drive Backup, it's going to take 25-35 minutes! Perfect, get a backup, save it and all I have to do is stick that USB in and I'm back where I was!

How wrong I was.

After 33 minutes, the Fiery came up. Proudly displayed.

Backup operation successful at Wednesday, September 04, 2024 06:47:07 PM.

That's when it started Booting up, Saying everything was OK.... FF and then off.

OMG.

So, let's see what I tried....

1. Restore the Image I just created
2. Restore the Original 1.2 Image
3. Restore the Original 1.2 Image
4. Re-seat the CPU
5. Re-seat the Video Interface Card
6. Restore the Original 1.2 Image
7. Pull the Machine Apart! Heatsink, CPU, RAM, Video Interface, PSU, Every Cable on that Moterboard...
8. Restore the Original 1.2 Image

I had a Monitor plugged into it and watching it every time I would so something hoping something would change.

I was at work until 11:30 pm and just kept getting that fucking "Power down." message.

Nothing before, No reason for it, just. Boot, FF, 00, FF, Off. Boot, FF, 00, Off.

So, In Xerox Engineer talk, if you ask them what "FF" means, "Fully Fucked" usually comes up.
Now, FF can be so many things, it's just a general error code.

"00" displays when the Fiery is online and operational. Everything OK!

Thursday

Right, I went home, right to bed and woke up the next day. Went in about 10 pm after the night before...

After thinking about it and going through everything.

I stuck a brand new hard disk drive in it.

Re-flashed the Original 1.2 Image

It came back to life!

It booted!

So, the Versant was back and operational again!

Started by just updating the API.

The only way to do this is by getting the "Fiery Integration Manager"

As you can see, it works about as well as usual... Crashing into Oblivion.

But, It did it!

Then that evening, I set it to do the 26 updates and left at a reasonable time.

Friday

I had it back up to date!

I then calibrated the printer as I had formatted this thing more times than I dare to count and I replaced the hard disk drive.

Holy Crap... It works, It's stable and It doesn't crash the Printer.

Yeah, every morning we would get in and find our Versant crashed with
Fault Code 045-360, 045-361, 045-362, 045-363

It looks like, it was the Bustle would crash overnight, which would crash the printer, the Fiery would reboot, but the Printer would just stay on the Red Error Screen...

It's a problem with your Fiery!!!

I started a Wiki page which I will update?! Maybe?

I got so annoyed, I retyped all the Error Codes and changed when I solved the issue..

So, that was my week...

You know. Always something different.

Update Monday 9th September 2024

Well, it did it again today. Once again 9am, Power On, FF, 00, FF, Off.

I left it till I could be bothered with it...

I mean, what do I do? Do I pull it all apart, do I rip it's heart out, do I throw it out a Window?

I don't know what made me do it, but I took the side of the case off, I re-seated the Video Card, then left the side of the Case Off...........

Well, look at that... The CPU Fan isn't running... No wonder it's just been powering off, that damn CPU has been cooking itself.

I thought the Fan was toast, but, you know, I swapped the CPU_FAN and SYS_FAN around and boom, it spins!

I had to clean the Thermal Compound off and reapply as it has destroyed it with heat, but... Since then... It's stable!

So, the hard disk drive was OK! I mean, it was from 2017, It had seen a lot of work, there was no harm in replacing it.

But, the damn CPU was overheating all the time... Thanks EFI, where is the error code? Surely you must know because the OS emits "Power Down" message...

If in doubt, run it with the side of the case off!

I think this finally puts the issue to bed.