Initialize Board / New Board Replacement
Initialize Board
Initializing the Main PCB does two things:
- Sets up the board with default calibration data.
- Transfers important data from the camera’s other boards.
Without initialization the new board displays pic count of 999 (even without a memory card) and you data files will not upload. The reason a new board displays a pic count of 999 and won't read or write to the card is as follows:
- Canon have implemented a security system on pictures (so you can prove that you took the original photo) from the 40D onwards. This requires every main board to be set up with its own system of encryption and security data, some of which is copied from other boards during initialization.
- Swapping EEPROMs or even EEPROM data is not enough since recent D SLRs store all the CMOS calibration and much more data on separate Flash ROM chips (as well as a few other places). The Flash ROMs are BGA packages (soldered under the chip) and almost impossible to remove without heat damage without using specialized soldering equipment ($40,000 worth).
- Since new boards are not initialized, the firmware deliberately prevents the camera from saving any pics, because they would be un-secure according to this new system.
Part of SPT software initialization is to set up the encryption correctly and import the relevant data from the other boards .. just initialize it in 5 minutes and make a healthy profit. Before we had this module, it was a return to mfr. for sure.
This feature is used for two functions:
- Installing a new Main PCB
- Installing a good used Main PCB but you were unable to backup the data from the faulty PCB.
"All adjustments (shutter, AF, exposure) were ok even though the data came from a donor camera." United Camera
IMPORTANT
1. You must update the firmware in the new Main PCB FIRST! Even if the board’s existing firmware is the same version. The camera will read the firmware upgrade from the card even through it will not read or write pic files.
2. After you update the firmware click ‘Initialize Main Board’.