Reprogramming NanoVNA?

[Henry Finley]

Some weeks ago I bought a NanoVNA H-4 off ebay, advertised as "new, open-box" When it came, it didn't work right at all. Later, the seller confessed it was slightly used, which I'll believe. He refunded and told me to just keep it. A couple weeks later I decided to play with it before throwing it away, and it seemed to start working. So I put it away, where it sat for a couple months. I got it back out and it's back to it's old ways. Only partly responsive, and seems to re-set its own start and stop frequencies. And it's just generally fouled up all the way around. Useless. Either the machine itself has an electrical problem, or the software is corrupt. This brings me to my question: Is there a site where I can hook it up via USB to my Win 11 laptop and overwrite or update the software?  Thank you

[KungFuJosh]

Old video, but still should work (and Dislord is good):

[Aldo22]

This brings me to my question: Is there a site where I can hook it up via USB to my Win 11 laptop and overwrite or update the software?  Thank you

https://github.com/DiSlord/NanoVNA-D/releases/tag/v1.2.46
https://github.com/DiSlord/NanoVNA-D/tree/v1.2.46

[Henry Finley]

Thank you kungfujosh. I tried it, but that program window didn't even see that I had plugged the NanoVNA to the computer.

[KungFuJosh]

Thank you kungfujosh. I tried it, but that program window didn't even see that I had plugged the NanoVNA to the computer.

Did you follow the instructions to put the nanoVNA into download mode?

Does it show up in device manager, or your file browser?

[Henry Finley]

Yes I have done everything, and I am quite capable with computers. This is not going to work.

[Henry Finley]

Well I got the firmware updated. But the above video wasn't any good. This one did the trick. Except for the device manager part. That didn't quite go as easy as te video. I had to do other things to get to it that I don't entirely remember. But once I did, I was able to continue on with the video just as it said. Now the NanoVNA is totally different, so apparently it worked. But I have no idea yet if the machine had a problem or just corrupted firmware. It's too early for me to say.

[KungFuJosh]

Sounds like a goofy firmware install. Hopefully that's all it was, and now you have a free toy to mess with.

[Henry Finley]

A lot of times things don't go as the videos or web instructions say. But I do thank you anyway for at least getting me started on my way in the right direction. Althoygh the recommended video just led me into to a hopeless loop, one of the other videos off to the right side did work for me. Pretty well anyway. Well enough, we should say. Some things I had to take into my own hands. But it's quite obvious now that something was done, because it works entirely different now. I think the problem was that the previous owner let the device sit for years, the battery charge was completely dead so long the firmware got corrupted. Best explanation I can come up with.