Magpie Firmware Update Guide

Magpie firmware vs. QTFM sensor firmware

To update the QTFM sensor firmware in a Magpie, connect a standard QuSpin Comms board to the flex-cable connector exposed on the side of the Magpie’s MiniACB board (highlighted below), then follow the QTFM Gen‑2 firmware update procedure on the QuSpin website. You will need to remove the outer Magpie shell to reach the connector, but the sensor itself stays mounted in the internal sled throughout — no need to disconnect or unmount it.

Sensor firmware update instructions: Gen‑2 QTFM Firmware Update Guide.

What’s new in V5.12

V5.12 is a stability release plus an upgrade to the ASPN GPS output format. It fixes a crash that can reboot units with a GPS receiver connected, so we recommend updating every Magpie running V5.9, V5.10, or V5.11 — especially units that fly or log with the GPS attached.

Crash on units with a GPS connected — fixed

Firmware versions V5.9 through V5.11 contain a fault that can crash and reboot the Magpie when a GPS receiver is connected while the firmware writes settings to internal flash memory — for example during Bluetooth startup, a configuration save, or a serial-number refresh. In the worst case the unit enters a reboot loop and never finishes starting up. On V5.11 the boot banner shows #Reset reason: 4 (PANIC) after such a crash; on V5.9 and V5.10 the unit simply restarts without explanation. A unit in this state can also appear connected over Bluetooth while sending no data.

V5.12 fixes the fault. Builds containing the fix print #GPIO ISR service installed at LEVEL3 (flash-safe) in the boot banner — if your banner shows that line, you have the fix.

ASPN GPS output upgraded to GeodeticPosition3D

For Ethernet users publishing ASPN/LCM data: the GPS position message is now GeodeticPosition3D (ICD 1001.3) instead of Geodetic2D (1001.2), adding altitude to the GPS stream. Latitude and longitude are WGS‑84 in radians, altitude is meters above the WGS‑84 ellipsoid, and the message carries a 3×3 covariance about North, East, Down. The LCM channel name is unchanged.

The upgrade is automatic: on the first boot after updating, a standard-form GPS device ID migrates from sdm://magpie/<serial>/1001.2/0 to .../1001.3/0 on its own. Custom device IDs are left untouched. Subscribers that still need the old 2D message can switch back at any time with [gps_format 2d] ([gps_format 3d] returns to the new default, and [gps_format] shows the current setting).

Units not using ASPN over Ethernet are unaffected by this change.

Bluetooth identity is now tied to the serial number

The Magpie’s Bluetooth address is now derived from its serial number instead of the radio chip’s factory address. This fixes a long-standing Windows pairing problem: previously, renaming a unit ([refresh_sn] after a serial number change) confused the PC’s existing pairing record, which could leave the unit paired but with no working COM port. From V5.12 on, a renamed Magpie simply appears as a new Bluetooth device and pairs cleanly.

Also included since V5.10

V5.11 (not previously posted here) disabled the ESP32 brownout detector during startup and added a #Reset reason line to the boot banner (power-on, brownout, external reset, watchdog, software reboot, or panic) — useful diagnostic context when reporting an issue to QuSpin. Units coming from V5.8 or V5.9 also get all of the V5.10 improvements: protection for older sensor firmware (V1_41/V1_42) against UART command injection, empty-save-file warnings, automatic serial-number handshake, and the post-reboot quiet period.

Which method should I use?

Magpie supports two firmware update methods. Both end at the same place: the new firmware is running on your unit. They differ in how the file gets there and what cables you need.

Downloads

Click the file you need. Both binaries below are the same firmware version, just packaged differently for the two update methods.

For Method 1 (Wi‑Fi OTA)

For Method 2 (ESP32_Flasher.exe)

Method 1: Wi‑Fi OTA Update

The Magpie hosts a Wi‑Fi access point and a built-in web page. You upload the .bin file through that page and then send a single command to apply it. No extra software needed beyond a browser.

Before you start

• Magpie powered on, with the Wi‑Fi access point active (default after boot if Wi‑Fi mode is enabled)
• The downloaded MINI_ACB_V5_12.ino.bin file on the device you’ll use to do the upload (laptop, tablet, or phone)
• A way to send commands to the Magpie. Easiest options:
  • The MiniACB browser page (this guide assumes that)
  • Bluetooth via the QuSpin Windows app
  • USB serial via PuTTY or any terminal

Steps

http://miniacb/

4

Click “Choose File” and select the downloaded .bin file.

You don’t need to rename the file. Just pick MINI_ACB_V5_12.ino.bin from wherever you saved it.

5

Click “Upload” and wait for the success message.

You should see “File uploaded successfully” once the transfer completes. The file is now staged on the Magpie’s SD card; it has not been applied yet.

6

Send the [update] command.

From the Logger Commands dropdown on the same page, select update and click Send. (Or send [update] via your serial terminal or Bluetooth app.)

Method 2: ESP32_Flasher.exe (UART)

This method uses a small Windows utility to flash the all-in-one merged binary directly to the ESP32 over USB. It’s the most reliable update path and is required whenever the partition table changes between releases. Use it for first-time setup, recovery from a failed OTA, or whenever the release notes call for a UART flash.

Before you start

• Windows PC (the flasher is Windows-only)
• USB cable from the PC to the Magpie’s micro-USB port
• Downloaded MINI_ACB_V5_12.ino.merged.bin
• Downloaded ESP32_Flasher.exe

Steps

1

Connect the Magpie to your PC via USB.

Use the micro-USB connector on the Magpie sled (highlighted below). Windows should detect a new COM port; note its number from Device Manager (it appears as something like Silicon Labs CP210x USB to UART Bridge (COM7)).

3

Configure the flasher window.

• .bin File: click Browse, select MINI_ACB_V5_12.ino.merged.bin
• COM Port: select the COM number from step 1 (click Refresh if it doesn’t appear)
• Flash Address: set to 0x0 — Merged all-in-one firmware (bootloader+part+app)
• Baud Rate: leave at 921600 (default)

4

Click “Flash ESP32” and wait.

The log window will show the connection handshake, erase, and write progress bars. A successful flash ends with:

Wrote 4194304 bytes (1367651 compressed) at 0x00000000 in 28.2 seconds (1189.9 kbit/s).
Verifying written data...
Hash of data verified.
Hard resetting via RTS pin...
--- Finished ---

#Serial Number: T2M0-00NB

Alternative: app-only UART flash (preserves preferences)

If your Magpie is running fine and you just want to update the firmware while keeping all your saved preferences (serial number, Ethernet IP, channel names, mode, etc.) intact, you can flash the smaller .bin file at the App partition address instead of the merged image. This path leaves the NVS partition untouched, so no [refresh_sn] step is needed afterward.

Use this when you want a “drop-in” upgrade. Do NOT use this path to recover a bricked unit — the App-only image doesn’t include the bootloader or partition table, so a corrupted bootloader will still leave the unit unable to start. For recovery, always use the merged.bin path above.

The procedure is identical to Method 2 above, with two differences:

• .bin File: select MINI_ACB_V5_12.ino.bin (the smaller ~2 MB file used for Wi‑Fi OTA), not the merged.bin
• Flash Address: set to 0x10000 — App binary (Arduino / PlatformIO default)

After clicking Flash ESP32 the rest of the procedure is the same as steps 4 to 6 above. Once the Magpie reboots, your saved preferences should still be intact. Verify with [show config] or by checking the boot banner.

Troubleshooting