Tried a another stick this morning definitely formatted in FAT32, only 32GB. Tried the 1-22,3-06 and the 2.0 Auto_update pack. Nothing, same thing. Going back to Amazon today for an exchange which says won't be here until May 2 even with Prime. Should have left well enough alone. I didn't think you could brick these things via USB updates, but I guess I found a way. When the new one arrives, I am just going to install it, update it over the air and use it for a while. I didn't even get a chance to experience it very much.
Anything I can do to rid my car or my phone of any remnants of the one I am returning just to be sure the new one sets up clean? BT or Wifi? I did remove the BT entry it created.
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Are you saying that the new one might actually be different and improved? Not following the U2H vs. U2W comments? I ask because I returned the old school one for a replacement, but I may take a shot at this one against my better judgement because it is not Prime and will ship from China and is probably not even in fabrication. Returning it would be a bitch and would cost me shipping and waiting.
Also, someone on Amazon posted a question and Carlink answered. I think all they are saying is the cable is different. Big whoop:
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Thanks for finding the answer posted by Carlinkit on Amazon. That actually confirms what I suspected--that the new design is just a new casing/cable. I was basing that on the silkscreened model number on the redesign still saying U2W. That's the same as the "old" adapter. The redesign is probably still preferable to have--a detachable cable preferable for folks who need/want to use a longer length, and the status LED is much easier to see. That said, unless you need the ability to use a longer cable, it's not worth paying more/waiting longer IMHO.
Sorry you've had such bad luck. I'm not sure what the blinking blue LED means--it might mean the firmware is corrupt and it's stuck in its bootloader mode. I would suggest getting in contact with Carlinkit support via Whatsapp (that's their main support avenue), but I guess moot now since you're doing an exchange.
I don't blame you for being gunshy to do a USB update on your replacement. But I'd just remind you that in all these posts I don't recall anyone else getting a brick. Doesn't mean it hasn't happened to others, but seems extremely rare. If you do decide to try again, don't use whatever USB drive you used right before getting the flashing blue light. It may be that drive experienced a read error and the adapter was left in a partially-flashed state or something. Just speculation on my part, but I would not try to use that flash drive again.
I'd propose these "Best Practices" for doing a USB update:
1. Use a very small USB flash drive. I admit this is just based on what others stated in previous posts. But it could have something to do with newer/larger drives being USB 3.x, whereas older ones are all USB 2.0. Or maybe it's just due to ease of formatting in the required FAT32 scheme. I have been using a freebie 4GB USB 2.0 drive with great success.
2. Use a USB flash drive that has an activity LED, if possible. This will help you see if the firmware flash is occurring or not.
3. Use a quality 5V USB power adapter--ideally use a genuine Apple iPad (5V 2A+) plug. I'm not sure if the iPhone 5V 1A plugs provide enough juice (they very well may, but when in doubt it's always better to use an adapter with more amperage--so long as it's 5V, which all USB adapters should be).
4. This may not matter, but I had better luck using a Windows machine to put the firmware file on the flash drive. A couple times when I used a Mac the firmware didn't flash. I wondered if maybe it's the hidden files macOS puts on external drives. I had a 100% success rate using my Windows 10 machine to put the .img file on the root of the drive.
5. Plug the flash drive into the Carlinkit, then plug the Carlinkit into your high quality USB AC adapter. Then always make sure you wait at least a minute or two before unplugging anything--especially if the Carlinkit hasn't displayed the continuous blue LED. Once you see the blue LED lit constantly, you should be safe to unplug the power, then unplug the USB drive. If it's going to work then usually it takes about 30-45 seconds. But if it hasn't worked after that long, you may want to leave everything plugged in for another minute or so just to be safe.
EDIT: And I would throw out the copy/copies of the firmware you previously downloaded just in case they are corrupt. Re-download them directly from Carlinkit's site before trying to flash again.
