Updating Firmware
NOTE: You will need a LiPo battery (preferably 1000mAH or greater capacity) in order to successfully complete the firmware update! If you somehow mess up and something goes wrong (like it shows SIM7000A instead of SIM7000E), follow these instructions to restore it.
If the update hangs on the message "Waiting to switch to download mode", see this solution
- To check the current firmware version send the command "AT+CGMR" either via micro USB on the AT command port or via the AT command test example sketch. It should reply with the version number. For example, it might respond with "Revision:1351B01SIM7000A". The version number you are mostly interested about is "B01".
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The board can draw a lot of current during firmware updates so please attach a LiPo battery! You will not be able to update it otherwise.
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You should NOT connect an Arduino board to the shield while doing a firmware update because the Arduino might be running a sketch in the background. Regardless, it's just simply unecessary because you should have a LiPo battery connected anyway!
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In order to actually turn on the SIM7000 module you need to use a jumper wire and connect the PWRKEY pin to GND for less than half a second, then release. You should see the green PWR LED turn on after a few seconds.
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By now you should have followed a previous tutorial to install the drivers. Double-check to make sure you see the COM ports in Device Manager if you don't remember if you installed the drivers or not.
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First of all, go to the firmware folder on Github to get the firmware file corresponding to your module (e.g., "1351B03SIM7000A" for a SIM7000A module). The file name indicates the firmware version number; for example, an older version might have "1351B01" at the beginning. Unzip the contents to a convenient location.
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Download the firmware update files from Dropbox (the stuff was too large to upload on GitHub) and unzip the files. You should now have the "QPST Tool" as well as the "SIM7000 QDL V1.XX Only for Update" folders unzipped on your computer in the same location.
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Next, run the "setup.exe" file in the QPST Tool folder then run the "QPST.X.X.XXX.msi" file and follow the installation procedures.
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Now in the QDL tool folder, run "setup.exe" in the "Volume" folder. Go through the installation wizard and after installing you should see a shortcut appear on your Desktop called "sim7000 qdl v1.XX only for update" and you should also be able to find it in the Windows Start menu (on Windows 10 simply type "sim7000" and you should see it appear). Also, in the QDL tool folder you should see a user guide document. Follow the instructions in that document and you should be good to go!
NOTE: If you get the following prompt in the background after running the QDL tool, don't worry about it, the application should still work fine:
