C-More Micro upload error: the F1 F5 combo or the wrong COM channel

What the upload error window is telling you

The window prints after a transfer that did not complete. In the case this article answers, it listed three possible reasons, and one was that the F1 F5 keys were not pressed, which leaves the panel out of setup mode. A transfer pointed at the wrong port fails just as completely, and the same window prints for it. The setup-mode line can be on screen while the real fault sits in the port selection.

Read the window as the start of the diagnosis, then match what you see to the next move:

• Upload fails and the window names the missed F1 F5 among three reasons. The line is a possible cause, and it is the last one worth testing. Start with the COM channel.
• Upload fails again after the port is corrected. The fault has moved down the physical path: the cable, then the power pin on the programming cable.
• Upload completes with no keys pressed. The panel accepted the program in that state. Record the model, the firmware version, the selected port and the fact that no keys were used, and keep that record with the work instruction.

Where the COM channel is set

Two ports are in play, and the software's choice is a setting you own. The C-More Micro hardware user manual documents the selection: the programming software allows you to select either Port1 or Port2 under the Panel Manager dialog box. Set that dialog to match the physical connection:

1. Identify the cable. A serial programming cable occupies a COM port; a USB cable occupies the port Windows assigned to its adapter. The trade-offs between the two are covered in the D2-DSCBL vs USB cable comparison for programming a C-more Micro Touch.
2. Find the COM number the adapter actually holds. A lot of older programs open only COM1 through COM4, and an adapter that landed on a higher number will not appear in the list, so remap the USB serial adapter's COM port before touching the project.
3. Open the Panel Manager dialog box and set Port1 or Port2 to the port that matches the connection in use.
4. Keep the cable run inside the RS-232 working limit, about 15 m (50 ft) at the low baud rates these transfers use; a longer run invites exactly the failed-transfer window you are chasing.
5. Retry the upload once. One attempt after one change is a measurement. Ten attempts after five changes is a mystery you built yourself.

Scenario: a 6-inch S6MLW upload that succeeds once the port matches

The panel is a 6-inch S6MLW. The upload fails, and the window lists 3 possible reasons, one being the missed F1 F5 keys. The Panel Manager dialog box holds Port2, and the serial cable on the bench sits on COM1. Two attempts settle it:

• Attempt 1, Port2 selected, no keys pressed: the transfer fails and the same 3-reason window prints.
• Attempt 2, Port1 selected, no keys pressed: the transfer completes and the panel takes the new program.

The arithmetic on the pair: 2 attempts, 1 setting changed between them, 1 completed transfer with 0 key presses. The channel was the fault, and the setup-mode line in the window was never the condition that blocked this panel. Had attempt 2 failed, the next checks walk the physical path: the cable, then the programming cable power pin, then the documented F1 F5 entry into setup mode.

The same test answers the question on a 3-inch S3ML. Correct the channel, attempt once with no keys, and write the result against the model and version.

The fix: retry one condition at a time

1. Set Port1 or Port2 in the Panel Manager dialog box to the port the cable occupies.
2. Attempt the upload with no keys pressed.
3. If the transfer completes, record the panel model, the firmware version, the port and the fact that no keys were used. Correct the saved programming setup so the next session starts on the right channel.
4. If the transfer fails, check the cable first, then check the HMI programming cable power pin before replacing anything.
5. If the path checks out and the window again names setup mode, put the panel in setup mode with F1 F5 exactly as the panel's documentation describes, and retry.
6. If that attempt completes, the sequence is required for that panel in that state. Write it into the work instruction.

A lockup when the keys are pressed after an upgrade is a separate fault. Before rewriting a standing procedure across the shop, read the C-More Micro firmware release history: the notes record fixes and new features version by version, so match the note to the version running on your panel before you retire a step.

And one safety point: after any program load, walk the expected screens and functions with the machine stopped before the operator gets the panel back. It is the same discipline we describe for a notice board on the shop floor when it sits next to an operator panel: test the screen's job before the line depends on it.

The decision

Recommendation: Before you repeat F1 F5 after a failed C-More Micro upload, open the Panel Manager dialog box and set Port1 or Port2 to the port the cable occupies, then retry once with no keys pressed. If the transfer completes, drop the key combination from that panel's procedure, keep the record of model, version and port, and start every future session from the corrected channel. If the transfer still fails, check the cable and its power pin first; when the path is sound and the window again names setup mode, press F1 F5 as the documentation directs and write the sequence back into the work instruction.

Three cases, three decisions:

• Wrong channel selected, as in the scenario above: correct Port1 or Port2, retry once, and the upload goes through. This is the first fix and usually the only one.
• Transfer completes without F1 F5: the panel takes programs in that state. Keep the keys out of the procedure for that model and version, with the record to back it.
• Transfer still fails on the correct port: the fault is in the physical path or the panel requires setup mode. Check the cable and its power pin, then use F1 F5 as documented.

Questions