Updated Quick and Easy Upgrade GuideI thought I'd summarize everything in one updated post, much like Vaiti did a few years ago. This will be a step-by-step, just-follow-the-directions guide.
I tested this on a DP832 and a DG1022Z. I don't have the DL series, but people in the thread have confirmed the upgrade works.
There is an FAQ at the end of the post. If you have problems or questions, check there.
Throughout the guide, you'll have to type in some commands, like this for example: "PROJ:SET MODEL, DP832A". Don't type the quotes, just the command.
1. Possible upgrades- DP800 series (Only to A version)
- DL3000 series
- DG1000Z series
For the DP series you can only upgrade to the A version of your model. For example these are OK:
- DP832 → DP832A
- DP811 → DP811A
- And so on
You can't upgrade from a DP811 to a DP821A, for example. The hardware is different.
For the DG Z and DL series, you can upgrade anything to the top model.
2. What you need- Windows
- Empty USB drive. Size shouldn't matter.
- Ethernet cable (for LAN path only, see below)
- USB type B cable (for USB path only, see below)
- Fully updated firmware on all the instruments you plan on upgrading
3. Make the magic drive- Plug in the USB drive.
- Right click the USB drive in File Explorer, click Format.
- File system should be FAT or FAT32. Allocation unit size should be Default. Everything else is fine as it is. Click Start.
- Download the rigol-key.img file, attached below.
- Go to: https://win32diskimager.org/. Download and install Win32DiskImager. Run Win32DiskImager.
- Select rigol-key.img for Image File. Make sure Device is set to the USB drive. Click Write. When it's done, click Exit.
- Right click the USB drive in File Explorer, click Eject, and remove the USB drive from your computer.
4. Choose your pathIf you are upgrading DP or DG series instruments, use the LAN path.
If you are upgrading a DL series instrument, use the USB path.
Either path will allow you to upgrade multiple instruments. However, if any of those instruments is a DL series, use the USB path.
Also, follow only one path.
5A. LAN path- Go to: http://gotroot.ca/rigol/riglol/. Enter your power supply's serial number in the Serial box. Enter "F6LT" in the Options box. Click Generate. DP series without LAN option only. Skip otherwise.
- On your power supply, go to: Utility → Option → Install. Enter the code generated in the previous step, and press OK. The LAN option should say Official. Turn off the power supply. DP series without LAN option only. Skip otherwise.
- On your computer, go to: Settings → Apps → Optional features → More Windows features. Check the box for Telnet Client, and click OK.
- Turn on your instrument, plug in your USB drive, and the Ethernet cable.
- On your instrument, go to: Utility → I/O Config → LAN. Record the IP Address.
- Note: The IP Address should start with 192.168. If it doesn't, wait a minute or two, or unplug the Ethernet cable and plug it back in. Make sure to plug in the Ethernet after you turn on your instrument.
- On your computer, click the start button, type "cmd", and run Command Prompt.
- Type the command: "telnet 192.168.x.xxx 5555", where 192.168.x.xxx is the IP address you recorded previously. For example: "telnet 192.168.1.148 5555". If successful, the text in the window should clear.
- You are now ready to send commands to your instrument. For the next step, xxxxx is the model number you want. For example DP832A, or DG1062Z.
- Type in one of the following commands, and press enter. You will not see any text appear in the window. This is OK and normal.
- For the DP series: ":PROJ:SET MODEL,xxxxx". For example: ":PROJ:SET MODEL,DP832A".
- For the DG series: ":PROJ:STAT MODEL,xxxxx". For example: ":PROJ:STAT MODEL,DG1062Z".
- If nothing happens on your instrument, congratulations! Your upgrade is complete. If the instrument says something like "Remote command is incorrect!", see the FAQ below. Otherwise, turn off the instrument power, remove the USB drive and Ethernet cable, and you are done.
- If you have other instruments to upgrade, start the LAN path again at step 4.
5B. USB path- Go to: https://www.rigolna.com/download/, and download "UltraSigma Instrument Connectivity Driver". It's a big download (500MB), and Rigol's servers are slow.
- Install UltraSigma. It'll ask to install several supporting files. Accept those and the license agreement.
- Turn on your instrument, plug in the USB drive and your USB cable. Run UltraSigma.
- Right click your instrument in the list, and click on "SCPI Panel Control".
- You are now ready to send commands to your instrument. For the next step, "xxxxx" is the model number you want. For example "DL3031A", or "DG1062Z".
- Type in one of the following commands, and click "Send & Read".
- For the DP and DL series: ":PROJ:SET MODEL,xxxxx". For example: ":PROJ:SET MODEL,DL3031A".
- For the DG series: ":PROJ:STAT MODEL,xxxxx". For example: ":PROJ:STAT MODEL,DG1062Z".
- If nothing happens on your instrument, congratulations! Your upgrade is complete. If the instrument says something like "Remote command is incorrect!", see the FAQ below. Otherwise, turn off the instrument power, remove the USB drive and USB cable, and you are done.
- If you have other instruments to upgrade, start the USB path again at step 3.
6. Install Arb16M option (DG series only)There are two ways to do this. Option A will change your waveform generator's serial number, but is the much easier route. Option B will generate the actual upgrade key, but is much more involved.
6A. Serial number- Follow either the LAN or USB path above until you are ready to send commands to your instrument.
- Send the command: "PROJ:STAT SN,DG1ZA000000000".
- Congratulations! You now have the memory upgrade.
6B. Upgrade key- Right click the start button, and click on Windows PowerShell (Admin).
- Enter the command "wsl --install". Once complete, restart your computer.
- When the restart is complete, Ubuntu will finish installing. This will take several minutes.
- When Ubuntu is finished, it will ask for a new username and password. These can be whatever you want.
- Download rigol_64.zip file below. Unzip the file. Copy the entire contents of the miracl_64 folder to someplace convenient (you'll have to type out this path later). For example, I made a new folder directly on the C drive: C:\Riglol. This is the Riglol program we will use to generate the upgrade key.
- In Ubuntu, type: "cd /mnt/c/whatever/your/path/is". For example, I typed: "cd /mnt/c/Riglol".
- Then type: "./riglol YourSerialNumber JBNE". Obviously, replace YourSerialNumber with your serial number. Riglol should print out the upgrade key.
- Create a new text file with Notepad. On the first line, enter your serial number. On the second line, copy the upgrade key from Riglol. Press enter one more time to make a blank third line.
- Save the file to a USB drive. Name the file whatever you want, but make sure it ends with ".lic". Also make sure All Files is selected in the Save as type field.
- Plug the USB drive into the waveform generator.
- On the waveform generator, go to Store. Select File Type → All File. Select the D: drive. Press the Browser button to select File. Highlight the file you just made, and press Read.
- Congratulations! You now have the memory upgrade.
FAQI got a "Remote command is incorrect!" errorThis is usually related to the magic USB drive. Make sure you followed the magic drive directions, and the drive is plugged in to your instrument. Perhaps try a different USB drive. Also make sure you typed out the commands exactly as they are in the instructions.
I can't connect with TelnetFor the DP series, make sure you enabled the LAN option first, as described in the LAN path. Otherwise, it is probably an issue with your home network. Try connecting it directly to your router.
The Arb16M upgrade didn't workMake sure you typed in the right serial number for Riglol, and included the JBNE option. Make sure you create the text file exactly as described. Include that third blank line, make sure the file name ends with .lic, and make sure you save as type All Files. Also, programs like Word or OpenOffice Writer may not work. Use Notepad.
Can I still update the firmware in the future?Yes.
Do the upgrades enable all the options?Yes, except for the Arb16M option on the DG series. You have to do that separately.
Is the performance going to be as good as the real instrument?Yes. The hardware between versions is the same. Only the software limits it.
I don't like the triangular display of the upgraded DP series. Can I change it?Yes. Go to: Display → Disp Mode → Classic.
Can I undo the upgrades?Yes. Follow either the LAN or USB path above until you are ready to send commands to your instrument. If you want to undo multiple upgrades in a row, you will have to restart your instrument after each one.
- Change back model: Send the same command you did before, except change it back to the old model. For example, type ":PROJ:SET MODEL,DP832" to change back to a DP832. You will still need the magic USB drive.
- Remove options: Send the command: ":LIC:CLEAR".
- Change back serial number: Send the command: "PROJ:STAT SN,YourSerialNumber". Obviously, replace YourSerialNumber with your serial number. You will still need the magic USB drive.
Do I still need all that software I downloaded?No. You can safely uninstall everything.
- Win32DiskImager: Uninstall like any other program.
- Telnet: Go to: Settings → Apps → Optional features → More Windows features, and uncheck Telnet Client. Click OK.
- UltraSigma: Uninstall like any other program. You can remove the following: IVI Shared Components, National Instruments Software, RIGOL Ultra Sigma, and VISA Shared Components.
- Ubuntu and Riglol: Uninstall like any other program. You can remove the following: Ubuntu, and Windows Subsystem for Linux Update. Also, go to: Settings → Apps → Optional features → More Windows features. Uncheck the boxes for Virtual Machine Platform, and Windows Subsystem for Linux. You can just delete the Riglol folder.
Do I still need the magic drive?No. It is only needed for the upgrade process.
I already have Linux. Do I need Ubuntu on Windows?No. The version of Riglol we need for the Arb16M upgrade was compiled for Linux, and Ubuntu on Windows was the easiest way to get that to run for most people. I'm sure it won't run on ANY distro, but I'm not a Linux guy so you're on your own there.
Is this guide the only way to do the upgrades?No. There are other ways to send the commands, or get Riglol to run. This was the way I used, and seemed the least technical route with the fewest problems.
How does all this work?These instruments have hidden SCPI commands that we used to upgrade. SCPI is a standard way for PCs to communicate with test equipment; usually to automate testing for mass production. However, these hidden commands won't work unless there is a USB drive present that contains a "magic number" at a particular place in memory. Our magic USB drive contains that magic number in all the places the instrument might look. Once that's plugged in, all we need to do is send the SCPI command, via LAN or USB. Voila!
Riglol, as far as I can tell, was written by someone who managed to reverse engineer the way Rigol generates their official keys. The gotroot website has an online version, and the Ubuntu version you may have used is the same thing, but also supports the DG series.
Who can we thank for all this?Spork Schivago for kicking off the DP hack
tossu for actually figuring it out
volkimel,
tv84, and
Macbeth for early work helping to decrypt the firmware