...when I contacted tech support I was notified that a firmware update voids the warranty on the scope unless it was advised by tech support to fix a known bug.
That's bullshit, plain and simple. Who the hell told you that nonsense?
If you choose to perform an upgrade and your unit is damaged, Rigol is not responsible
for the repair or shipping costs. The User assumes all responsibility.
Before the upgrade, please contact RIGOL Technical and Support Department to confirm
whether the current firmware version can be upgraded to the target version.
3. Important
During the installation process, please do not disturb or remove the USB drive, and make sure
the power supply is stable; otherwise, it may corrupt the firmware and cause the oscilloscope to
be unusable, and require factory supportNote 2.
Note 2: Service charges may be required, regardless of validity of warranty, if upgrade is not an
necessity of bugs, application failure, system feature malfunctioning.
Maybe I worded that too strongly in my post. I don't think I ever read that it voids the warranty, but it seemed like they could use it as an excuse to say my problem isn't covered under the warranty. Nobody ever said that verbatim, I just pieced it together from the document they sent me with the new firmware. What do you think?[/quote[
OK, that's a very different story than being explicitly 'told by a tech support person'. Comments embedded below, in red.QuoteQuoteIf you choose to perform an upgrade and your unit is damaged, Rigol is not responsible
for the repair or shipping costs. The User assumes all responsibility.
Standard: if you screw up the reflash process, it's your responsibility.QuoteBefore the upgrade, please contact RIGOL Technical and Support Department to confirm
whether the current firmware version can be upgraded to the target version.
Somewhat important: with older versions of Rigol scopes (the C, and CD models at least, maybe the E and D too?) Rigol went through several different board revisions. Each required slightly different firmware, and not all were cross-compatible. That's why they recommend you ask first. Putting, e.g. (made-up versions) a 2.1.17 firmware into a scope only designed to handle up to 2.1.13 could "brick it", requiring a trip to the service center to open it and fix it by reprogramming via JTAG.Quote3. Important
During the installation process, please do not disturb or remove the USB drive, and make sure
the power supply is stable; otherwise, it may corrupt the firmware and cause the oscilloscope to
be unusable, and require factory supportNote 2.
Very true: power interruptions or bumping the memory stick were probably the most likely problem scenarios, short of loading an incompatible version. Wise not to try it during a thunderstorm.
[Oh, and the reason this was more critical with the older 1000E series than the newer 100Z/2000/etc. is because those older models did a reflash that replaced everything, down to the base BootLoader code. Newer models have a 2-level system, and even if the AppLayer gets hosed (what users reprogram in), the BootLoader doesn't get touched, and can recover. So interruptions are acceptable in the newer, but not the older.]QuoteNote 2: Service charges may be required, regardless of validity of warranty, if upgrade is not an
necessity of bugs, application failure, system feature malfunctioning.
Worthless scary comment: if newer versions of the firmware exist than you already have in your scope, the reason they exist is to fix bugs or upgrade features. Rigol doesn't create new firmware versions for the hell of it, and users don't load them just because it's a fun activity.
Bottom line is if you load a compatible version of Rigol firmware into your scope, you're not voiding the warranty.