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Updating the Firmware

What is Firmware?

“Firmware” is a technical term used to refer to software that’s embedded in a hardware device. This is typically low-level software that interacts directly with the hardware to help control its functionality or serve as a bridge for higher-level software. For more information, see this page .

The Polaris OpenCore Firmware

The Polaris EVO Anima uses a custom firmware called OpenCore. Since 2020, OpenCore has been an open-source project maintaned on GitHub, with contributors from all over the world!

The firmware is updated periodically with new features and fixes. While not required, it is highly recommended that you keep your firmware up-to-date to enjoy features like SmoothSwing and Quick Ignition.

Who Created and Maintains the Firmware?

The original firmware was created by Lama di Luce, and is now maintaned as an open source project on GitHub. While the Council oversees the development and official releases, anyone with coding knowledge can contribute! Since it’s open source, you can even fork the repository and create your own custom version, if you’re so inclined.

Downloading the Latest Firmware

The latest official release of the OpenCore firmware will always be posted on the GitHub repository releases page. If necessary, you can also download all previous versions from this same page.

The most recent version will be at the top of the page, and will be marked with a “Latest” tag. The file you need to download is the one ending in .hex. This should be named something like OpenCore.X.X.X_DDDDDDDD.hex, where X.X.X is the version number and DDDDDDDD is the date it was released.

Example Release Screenshot

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You don’t need to download the source code unless you’re a developer (or just curious).

Updating the Firmware

The process for updating the firmware will vary slightly depending on which operating system you’re using.

Windows

The primary (and easiest) way to update the firmware on Windows is to use Gilthoniel. However, if you run into issues, you can also use the command line method.

Gilthoniel

  1. Download and install Gilthoniel, then download the firmware update you wish to install.
  2. Turn the switch on your saber to the on position.
  3. Connect the saber to your PC using a good USB cable.
  4. Open Gilthoniel.

Error message

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If you see an error message saying no sabers were detected, try the following:

  1. Close Gilthoniel
  2. Disconnect your saber
  3. Turn the switch on your saber off, then back on
  4. Reconnect your saber and try again

If you still see an error message, try a different USB cable and repeat as necessary. Animas are kind of picky about USB cables.

  1. In the menu bar, click Tools -> Update Firmware from File.

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  1. Select the .hex file you downloaded earlier.
  2. A box will appear to confirm your choice. Click Yes.

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  1. A command prompt window will appear. Type Y.

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  1. Wait until the process is complete. Your saber will restart and you will see a message that says “Press any key to continue.” Press any key to close the command prompt window.

Congratulations! Your firmware has been updated!

Command Line

If for some reason the above steps don’t work, or if you just want to try something different, you can also update the firmware from the command line.

Note

Functionally, this is identical to the Gilthoniel method. Gilthoniel just runs scripts that invoke the commands for you!

  1. Download tycmd.exe, then download the firmware update you wish to install. Make sure they are both in the same folder (for example, your Downloads folder).
  2. Open the Windows Command Prompt. Click on the search box and type command. Click on the “Command Prompt” icon.

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  1. In the Command Prompt window, use the cd command to change to the folder where you downloaded the files.
    • For example, if you saved them to your Downloads folder, you should be able to type cd Downloads and press Enter.
    • If you’re having trouble finding the folder, see this article for more help.
  2. Turn the switch on your saber to the on position.
  3. Connect the saber to your PC using a good USB cable.
  4. Type the following command, then press Enter:
tycmd.exe upload OpenCore.3.0.1_20230404.hex

Note

Replace OpenCore.3.0.1_20230404.hex with the name of the OpenCore firmware file you downloaded. In most versions of Windows, you can start typing the filename and then press Tab to auto-complete!

Error message

If you see the message “No board available”, try the following:

  1. Disconnect your saber
  2. Turn the switch on your saber off, then back on
  3. Reconnect your saber and try again

If you still see an error message, try a different USB cable and repeat as necessary. Did I mention that Animas are picky about USB cables?

  1. Wait for the command to finish. Your saber will restart. Don’t worry if you see the “Failed to reset board” message at the end–everything is still working fine.

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Congratulations! Your firmware has been updated! You can close the Command Prompt now.

MacOS

Unfortunately, Gilthoniel can’t update saber firmware on Macs. Instead, we’re going to have to use the Terminal. But don’t worry; despite its name, it won’t kill you! Probably.

  1. Download tycmd, then download the firmware update you wish to install. Make sure they are both in the same folder (for example, your Downloads folder).
  2. Open the Terminal app from the App Launcher (it may be in a group called “Other” or “Utilities”), or from Spotlight Search.
  3. In the Terminal window, use the cd command to change to the folder where you downloaded the files.
    • For example, if you saved them to your Downloads folder, you should be able to type cd Downloads and press Enter.
    • If you’re having trouble finding the folder, see this article for more help.
  4. Turn the switch on your saber to the on position.
  5. Connect the saber to your PC using a good USB cable.

  6. Type the following command, then press Enter:

    chmod u+x tycmd

  7. Now we have to do a little dance to tell macOS that tycmd is actually safe to use:

    • In Finder, open the folder where you downloaded the files.
    • Right-click on tycmd, then click “Open”.
    • In the message box that appears (similar to the one below), click “Open”.
    • You may briefly see a Terminal window flash open and then close itself. That’s okay! That means it worked.

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  8. Back in the Terminal window, type the following command, then press Enter:

    ./tycmd upload OpenCore.3.0.1_20230404.hex

Note

Replace OpenCore.3.0.1_20230404.hex with the name of the OpenCore firmware file you downloaded. To save time, you can start typing the filename and then press Tab to auto-complete!

Error message

If you see the message “No board available”, try the following:

  1. Disconnect your saber
  2. Turn the switch on your saber off, then back on
  3. Reconnect your saber and try again

If you still see an error message, try a different USB cable and repeat as necessary. Really, Animas are fairly picky about USB cables!

  1. Wait for the command to finish. Your saber will restart. Don’t worry if you see the “Failed to reset board” message at the end–everything is still working fine.

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Congratulations! Your firmware has been updated! You can close the Terminal now.

Linux

Look, if you’re using Linux, you probably already know what you’re doing. But just in case, here’s the quick instructons.

  1. Download tytools and build according to the instructions.
  2. Download the firmware update you wish to install.
  3. From the command line, cd to the directory where you saved the .hex file.
  4. Turn the switch on your saber to the on position.
  5. Connect the saber to your PC using a good USB cable.
  6. Run this command, replacing the filename with the correct version:
tycmd upload OpenCore-XXXX.hex
  1. Wait for the command to finish. Your saber will restart. Don’t worry if you see the “Failed to reset board” message at the end–everything is still working fine.

Error message

If you see the message “No board available”, try the following:

  1. Disconnect your saber
  2. Turn the switch on your saber off, then back on
  3. Reconnect your saber and try again

If you still see an error message, try a different USB cable and repeat as necessary. Seriously, picky picky Animas.

Congratulations! Your firmware has been updated!

Last update : July 25, 2023