Controller Recovery
The Unison Mosaic Recovery Tool can be used to recover a controller if its firmware becomes corrupted, or in the case of the MSC X or Atlas/Atlas Pro, if the project file or settings need wiping.
The Controller Recovery Tool is a separate application to Designer. It is located:
- On Windows: in the directory where you installed Designer (by default C:\Program Files\Mosaic Controls\Designer 2)
- On macOS: in the "Mosaic Utilities" folder of the downloaded application bundle
MSC
The MSC has a built-in failsafe against firmware problems: it stores two versions of firmware. So if one copy of the firmware fails to load, or becomes corrupted due to a loss of power during a firmware reload, the other can be used instead. However, in the event that the MSC will not startup, there is a method to recover the MSC using the memory card.
Please follow these instructions carefully:
- Remove the memory card from the MSC and insert it into your computer
- Wipe all files on the memory card (ensure you have made any necessary backups)
- Locate the firmware folder in the Designer installation location or app bundle (see below)
- Copy the file lpc.app from the firmware folder to the memory card
- Reinsert the memory card into the MSC and restart the MSC. The MSC will boot, but will take longer to boot than normal. Please be patient and wait for the Active LED to illuminate continuously
- Connect to the MSC using Designer and reload the firmware as normal
- Remove the memory card from the MSC and insert it into your computer again
- Delete the lpc.app file from the memory card
- Reinsert the memory card into the MSC and restart the MSC
Locating the controller firmware
Windows
The controller firmware is located in the firmware folder in the Designer installation location, which is in the Program Files folder by default.
macOS
To locate the firmware folder in the app bundle on macOS, please follow these steps:
- Navigate to the Applications folder located on the Hard Drive, typically named Macintosh HD
- Locate the Designer application
- Right-click (or control-click) on it and choose Show Package Contents from the menu that appears
- Now navigate to Contents/Resources/firmware to find the file lpc.app
The MTPC has a built-in failsafe against firmware problems: it stores two versions of firmware. So if one copy of the firmware fails to load, or becomes corrupted due to a loss of power during a firmware reload, the other can be used instead. However, in the event that the MTPC will not startup, there is a method to recover the MTPC using the memory card.
Please follow these instructions carefully:
- Remove the memory card from the MTPC and insert it into your computer
- Wipe all files on the memory card (ensure you have made any necessary backups)
- Locate the firmware folder in the Designer installation location or app bundle (see below)
- Copy the file tpc.app from the firmware folder to the memory card
- Reinsert the memory card into the MTPC and restart the MTPC. The MTPC will boot, but will take longer to boot than normal. Please be patient and wait for the Active LED to illuminate continuously
- Connect to the MTPC using Designer and reload the firmware as normal
- Remove the memory card from the MTPC and insert it into your computer again
- Delete the tpc.app file from the memory card
- Reinsert the memory card into the MTPC and restart the MTPC
Locating the controller firmware
Windows
The controller firmware is located in the firmware folder in the Designer installation location, which is in the Program Files folder by default.
macOS
To locate the firmware folder in the app bundle on macOS, please follow these steps:
- Navigate to the Applications folder located on the Hard Drive, typically named Macintosh HD
- Locate the Designer application
- Right-click (or control-click) on it and choose Show Package Contents from the menu that appears
- Now navigate to Contents/Resources/firmware to find the file tpc.app
The first thing to note with the MSC X is that there are two recovery procedures, with the correct procedure depending on the hardware revision in use. Select your hardware revision below to see the required recovery procedure.
The MSC X rev1 contains a CF Card under the right hand front panel. This will need to be removed using a 2.5mm Allen Key, and the CF Card inserted into your computer (or a connected card reader).
Once you have connected your CF Card you will be prompted to choose it from your connected devices.
Finally choosing continue will reformat your CF Card with the correct firmware version
The MSC X rev2 & MSC X Mk3 can be recovered using a single use bootable USB Memory stick, which is created with the rev2 option in the recovery tool.
You will need to select which of the additional optional steps that you want to perform.
You will need to insert a USB memory stick into your computer. Bear in mind that the memory stick will be reformatted and all data wiped during this process.
Once you have connected your memory stick you will be prompted to choose it from your connected devices.
Finally choosing continue will create the bootable memory stick to recover the firmware on the MSC X and perform any additional steps that you selected earlier.
Additional steps:
- Insert the recovery media into your controller and allow the controller to boot.
- Once booted, reload firmware from Designer using the usual methods from the Netowrk tab.
- After the reload is successful, power off the unit and remove the recovery media.
- The controller should now be ready to be used.
The Atlas is recovered in the same way as the MSC X rev2
The Atlas is recovered in the same way as the MSC X rev2