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📣 Firmware Update Release:
Firmware Version v0.18 is now released! Please follow the link here or update via Cloudloop Device Manager.

Previous Release Notes

v0.17

Downloads available here

New Features:

  • Ability to upgrade the Bootloader Firmware locally via Kermit, TFTP and USB-C.
  • Ability to upgrade the Bootloader Firmware remotely via Cloudloop using CDM. (CDM will guide you through the 3 stage process required for 17.1)
  • Option to select and stream individual GNSS sentences via NMEA now available in user configuration. (NOTE: After upgrade users will now need to update the config to continue NMEA streaming)
  • BLE idle disconnection timeout is now configurable
  • Reset cause is now reported on Stats page and in-App by both Application and Bootloader
  • Position reporting intervals now align to the 'clock'. e.g. every 10mins will be 1200, 1210, 1220 etc.

New Features - RockBLOCK Pro APNT:

  • Option to select and stream individual APNT sentences via NMEA now available in user configuration.
  • APNT units report both their APNT and GNSS positions in CDM/CL Tracking simultaneously as default.
  • New AT+APNT command working on the same principle as AT+GNSS
  • New AT commands and USB-C update process for loading and managing APNT License Key (AT+APNTGS, AT+APNTWK and AT+APNTUK)

Bug Fixes:

  • Resolved: Rare occurances internal flash file corruption which resulted in firmware or config changes not having effect. SEE NOTE BELOW
  • Resolved interruption to MO messaging which resulted in a stalled queue
  • Resolved SNTP bugs
  • Resolved NMEA forwarding bugs
  • Resolved Bootloader bugs - Bootloader update required.
  • Resolved instability occurring after a soft-reboot either user or application triggered
  • Resolved invalid GNSS COG value
  • Resolved Location Reports bugs
  • All sections of the User Configuration file can now be updated dynamically without requiring a reboot

Known Bugs:

  • If the position report interval is changed, the setting will only take effect after the next report at the previously set interval. Rebooting will allow the change to take effect immediately.

v0.15

Download FW Version 0.15

New Features:

  • Improved message handling and prioritisation. New options have been added to the command AT+IMTWB/U to indicate MO message Priority and/or TTL on a message-by-message basis
  • Ability to retrieve a System and Service log file from Cloudloop Device Manager, including details such as first position fix, modem connection, PPP connection, signal logging, high temperature logging, and Iridium 97XX error codes
  • Bluetooth support added (requires a Bluetooth firmware update using a BLE-App.new file) enabling communication via the Bluetooth application

Bug Fixes:

  • Resolved issue causing RR-Mini to lock up when MO messages were sent rapidly under poor sky visibility
  • Fixed an issue where Mass Storage and virtual serial ports did not always enumerate correctly on Raspberry Pi OS
  • Soft-reboot no longer occurs when NMEA forwarding is first enabled through serial (AT+CFGW)
  • Fixed bug where using the Sleep pin to put RockBLOCK PRO into sleep mode would not bring the device back up on release
  • Resolved Cloudloop Device Manager errors on RockREMOTE Mini when configuring firewall rules with a default configuration
  • Fixed issue where a soft reboot could leave the device in an unusable state until a hard reset (Including after Iridium update)

RockBLOCK Pro APNT:

  • Full product support in Cloudloop Device Manager and BLE App
  • Ability to configure the Kalman filter settings
  • Ability to configure APNT Mode, Sensitivity and Power settings
  • Ability to configure a Position Source (GNSS/APNT)
  • Full view of APNT parameters in the Virtual Statistics over Type-C v0.13

Download FW Version 0.13

New Features:

  • RockBLOCK PRO is now supported in Cloudloop Device Manager, including configuration and firmware updates over-the-air
  • RockBLOCK PRO enumerates a second virtual serial port over USB-C, enabling AT command support
  • RockBLOCK PRO STL module support is now enabled (Set up in production and disables the use of internal GNSS)
  • Tracking position reports can now be sent at configurable intervals to Cloudloop Device Manager and Cloudloop Tracking (Messages include Time, Latitude, Longitude, Altitude, COG and SOG)
  • User-configurable NMEA forwarding from the GNSS (or STL) module via the serial interface
  • Message queuing system revised to significantly increase MO and MT storage capacity and allow concurrent processing (Increasing absolute stored message count from ~500 to ~6000 and increasing the total capacity from ~1.8Mb to ~3Mb)
  • Cloudloop Device Manager MT File transfers are now revised and significantly improved

Bug Fixes:

  • Fixed mismatch between +IMTMTRING and +IMTMTS MT MessageID
  • SMTP email formatting corrected by removing name fields and trimming angle brackets ("< >")
  • Altitude values >9000m now correctly handled (previously returned Invalid Position)
  • Resolved deaf timer triggering when 0 topics are provisioned but data services are active
  • RS4XX_FULL now correctly persists in configuration and no longer reverts to RS232 after reboot
  • Requesting all configuration segments from Cloudloop Device Manager no longer triggers an unexpected reboot
  • Firmware update over Cloudloop Device Manager is now fully functional
  • Zero-length CDM MT messages no longer cause a malloc failure
  • IMT MT message handling improved and fixed – multiple back-to-back messages can now be processed reliably

Known Bugs:

  • Enabling NMEA forwarding via serial (AT+CFGW) may cause a soft reboot.
  • Updating the Iridium modem firmware over Serial may require a manual reboot.
  • On the RockBLOCK Pro - Physical Sleep Pin is not yet implemented.
  • On the RockBLOCK Pro - Mass Storage and virtual serial ports may not enumerate properly in low current USB ports and may require an additional power supply using the Power, Serial and GPIO cable (Seen on Raspberry Pi 4).

RockBLOCK Pro STL only:

  • Kalman filter on STL module is hard set to Marine and power saving to OFF

    (BETA) v0.12.28

    Connectivity & Interfaces

    • Communicates via Iridium Satellite using IMT (Message Transport) protocol with support for ASCII (text), binary and JSON payloads.
    • USB-C interface supports dual virtual serial ports and mass storage enumeration.
      • 1 Virtual Serial Port showing Status and Statistics
      • 1 Virtual Serial Port enabling AT+CMD
    • Sleep pin functionality on Power, Serial and GPIO Cable.

    Messaging & Data Handling

    • Stores messages and dynamically balances MO and MT queues.
    • Full support for MO/MT message history, clear/cancel operations, and status queries via AT commands.
    • Cloudloop Device Manager (CDM) allows remote configuration, firmware upgrades, location reports and more.
    • Configurable tracking reports sent at defined intervals containing GNSS position.
    • Message delivery reliability watchdogs and re-queueing logic to avoid loss during transmission.

    Configuration & Management

    • All device configuration can be updated remotely over-the-air (OTA) via Cloudloop Device Manager.
    • Full Cloudloop Device Manager integration for remote command, reboot, and configuration inspection.
    • Virtual Serial Port exposing status and statistics via Type-C.
    • Supports firmware updates via Cloudloop Device Manager OTA (from Iridium network), Mass Storage (USB Type-C), and Serial (Kermit protocol).

    GNSS & Positioning

    • Supports GNSS positioning with user-configurable NMEA sentence forwarding via serial.
    • AT command available to report or manually inject GNSS coordinates.

    AT Command Interface

    Complete AT command set for:

    • Message queue management
    • Modem and MCU diagnostics
    • GNSS reporting
    • Configuration control

    Reliability & Stability

    • Built-in watchdog resets MCU after lockup (4s timeout).
    • Iridium modem auto-restart logic during provisioning or signal failure (2m timeout).

    Hardware Support & Expansion

    • Supports RS232,RS422/RS485 (full duplex) serial modes.

    Known Bugs:

    • When a series of IMT MT messages are sent in quick succession in some cases one or more messages may be lost/dropped - this behaviour has mainly been seen/replicated when requesting all sections from the Config from CDM.
    • MO Queue can stall in low signal environments and cause a reboot.
    • RS4XX_FULL reports as RS232 in User Configuration and may default to RS232 after a reboot.
    • Firmware update over CDM might not be possible due to dropped MTs. Local firmware update unaffected. We are working with Iridium to resolve this problem.
    • Soft-reboot can occur when NMEA forwarding is first enabled through serial (AT+CFGW).
    • Updating the Iridium Modem Firmware over Serial can cause a Bootloader Cycle requiring a manual reboot.
    • Mass Storage and virtual serial ports may not enumerate properly on Raspberry Pi OS.
    • Physical Sleep Pin not yet implemented.
    • SBD Emulation currently incomplete.

    Recommendations:

    • Physical Serial Configuration: RS232, 115200, 8 data bits, no parity, no flow control
    • Local Firmware and Configuration update either via Mass Storage (USB Type-C) or Serial (Kermit)
    • Sending MT at intervals longer than 15s apart
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