Update on black screen issue and recovery path
On Monday, July 28th, we pushed a firmware update that caused some ovens to go into a state where the interface is unable to load fully. This means the screen stays on and backlit, but the user interface never appears. However, it does connect to your WiFi network using whatever credentials it has stored. The oven will remain in this state for up to 20 min, after which time the screen goes to sleep and the oven is disconnected from the network.
We have found and fixed the root cause of the black screen issue, and we have posted firmware that is verified working across the full fleet of ovens that were not impacted. To recover your oven, we need to keep it awake for the full three hour overnight update window, between 1-4 AM in the local timezone where the oven is connected.
If staying up all night tapping the oven screen every 15 minutes sounds like nightmare fuel, we have devised an alternative method to keep your oven awake.
Keeping the Oven Connected for Update
1. Cut and/or fold a strip of foil that is at least 5” (13 cm) long and 3” (8cm) wide. On one end of the strip, fold the sides in so that it is about the width of your index finger. Leave the other end wide or attach another piece of foil so that it covers a broader area.
2. Unplug the oven.
3. Open the oven door, and place the wider portion of the foil next to the slot for the door hook so that when the door is closed it presses the foil against the stainless steel inside the oven cavity. We want to maximize connection with the metal, so you may want to bulk up the foil by scrunching or folding it.
4. Plug in the oven and watch the boot sequence. After the Anova logo, the screen will go dark, but it will still be backlit. At this point, your mobile app should show the oven as connected.
5. Place the foil strip so that the narrow end is touching the top right corner of the screen. This simulates a finger touching the screen. It must not cover a significantly larger area than a typical finger press would do to the screen. Use a low marking tape such as gaffers tape to adhere the foil to the screen.
6. Check the the mobile app after 30 min to ensure the oven is still connected. If so, the screen should still be backlit. If it is fully dark, the mobile app does not find the oven, or the oven is displaying an error screen showing that the Anova Onboard App is not responding, unplug the oven and repeat the previous steps, making sure that your foil is well positioned:
1. Remove the foil prior to plugging in the oven.
2. Verify the screen is backlit before placing the foil.
3. Ensure the foil touching the screen is not too wide; more than two finger widths will be filtered out and not keep the screen awake.
4. Securely fasten the foil so that it is in full contact with the screen.
5. Make sure there is plenty of foil coming into contact with the steel frame inside the oven cavity. If needed, add more foil to ensure it is connected.
Notes:
- The foil must be affixed to the oven within the first 10 minutes after boot, while the backlight is still on. If the screen has gone fully dark (no backlight) then remove the foil, unplug the oven, and try the full process again.
- The mobile app will prompt you that a firmware is available - however, you will not be able to install the firmware via the mobile app because the oven is not receiving update commands.
- If you had disconnected your oven from the mobile app after this issue occurred, you will not see the oven as connected in the mobile app. However, the oven may still connect to our infrastructure and get the firmware update.
In the morning, remove the foil, and tap the screen. If the oven UI does not display and the screen remains dark, unplug the oven and plug it in again. If the oven has updated overnight, you will see the standard boot sequence, and your oven UI will appear. Otherwise, try the process again.
What if I can’t get my oven updated?
If the oven has not updated overnight, it may be an issue with a spotty WiFi connection or intermittent internet access. Please try again over the next window, and if you’re not able to get this working please reach out to CS so we can troubleshoot. We’ll need you to provide the email address for your Anova account so that we can investigate.
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