Tried updating firmware on a Collins radio and bricked it completely

I was working on a KTR 908 in a King Air at the hangar in Tulsa, thought I'd do a quick firmware update to fix a squelch issue. Followed the manual step by step (or so I thought) and the thing just went dead, no power, no boot, nothing. Turns out I needed a specific loader cable revision that wasn't in the kit I had, and now I'm out of pocket for a replacement board. Has anyone else had trouble with Collins firmware updates not matching the listed hardware version?

3 comments

3 Comments

the_robin14d ago

Honestly, I used to think Collins updates were foolproof but this changed my mind completely.

henry15014d ago

Foolproof" is a dangerous word with tech updates. It's like saying a car can't crash.

kai_ramirez387d agoTop Commenter

Yo, totally get that. @the_robin I used to think the same way until I got burned on a Collins update that broke a few things on my end. Nothing catastrophic, just little glitches that took a while to sort out. That taught me to always treat updates like a gamble, not a guarantee. You really can't call anything foolproof in tech, because there's always going to be some edge case nobody thought of. Now I always wait a few days to see how it shakes out for other people before jumping in myself. It's saved me some headaches, your mileage may vary though.