Like your computer, the Spider Jam and its sister product, the JM4 Looper have operating systems and like any operating system, the manufacturer will update it from time to time to fix bugs and add new features. The way this is done is through a firmware upgrade. Firmware is just software that is specific to a particular piece of hardware and is loaded into non-volatile memory on the machine and stays there even when the power is off.
The first thing you have to do is determine what firmware is already present. To do this, press the SAVE button, scroll down to FIRMWARE VERSION and press the right arrow control.
At the time of writing, the firmware version is 2.09 for both devices. If you have an earlier version, you should update your Spider Jam or JM4 to benefit from the latest features.
Although the process is not complicated, there are a few pitfalls that can trap the unwary so here is a step by step tutorial that also covers the 'gotchas'!
This will always be found on the Line6 site under Line6 Support - Software Downloads.
Choose your product in the Products pop-up menu and your computer operating system under OS and press Go. This will take you to the list of current and past firmware upgrades with the latest one at the top.
There are some brief instructions there, read them and also make a note of the MD5 checksum at the bottom. More about this later.
Click on the GET DOWNLOAD button and after a while, you should have a file called FW.BIN on your desktop or download folder. This file should be 331.84 Mb, or more precisely, 347,957,068 bytes. If it is not, try again because you have an incomplete file that won't work properly.
When you have a download file of the correct size, put it somewhere safe on your hard drive in a folder that will identify it correctly at a later date.
Downloaded data can become corrupted or truncated during the download process. This can happen if you have a slow or unreliable connection or if certain blockers are in place. It is best to check the integrity of your download before attempting to install it otherwise you could have problems.
Before you leave the download page, click on the MD5 link. This lets you download a small utility that checks that you have a valid download. Running this software computes a checksum for the download and you should compare this with the published checksum (currently bdb25f445638ca5b1cf81ebe1d519c80 for the Spider Jam but this will change with version). Line6's MD5 utility is for Windows only. If you are a Mac user like myself, I have written a similar MD5 Checksum utility for OS X which is free to download.
When you are happy that the download is the correct file size and the MD5 checksum is correct, you can move onto the next stage.
Note: The FW.BIN file contains the operating system for your Line6 device. It will NOT run or open on your computer so don't even bother to try.
Sounds simple but can be the source of many heartaches. SD Cards come in many types and versions. Some are very cheap and some more expensive. I have not had any problems with any that I've tried but after reading the forums for some time, I can see that some SD cards do not work so well.
The official spec for SD cards is 2Gb or less. Do not attempt to use anything larger than 2Gb as these are considered High Density and are not supported by Line6.
There are different speeds of SD cards too with the faster ones costing considerably more. A faster SD card means that your song transfers will be quicker so don't skimp by buying the cheapest ones or you could be in for long waits.
There are more details about SD cards and formatting on the previous page.
To get the firmware file from your computer, where it was downloaded, and onto the SD card, you have to have a card reader. These too come in many shapes and sizes. Again, I would advise avoiding the cheapest, unbranded ones as these can cause problems.
Before you can use an SD card, it has to be formatted. Most SD cards that I've seen are supplied ready-formatted correctly but there may be cases where the card is either not formatted or formatted the wrong way. The correct format is FAT (or FAT16 as it is sometimes called). FAT32 is incompatible with Line6 devices and should not be used. SD cards that were formatted on other devices, like digital cameras or audio recorders, are best reformatted to make sure they are correct.
Ideally, your SD card should be formatted with your Line6 device, however, if you have an early version of firmware on your Spider Jam (version 1.0x), it will not support SD cards at all. SD card support came with version 2.0x.
If you can't format the SD card on your Line6 device, you can do so on your computer. Formatting a 2Gb card is very quick. It may be necessary to format the card several times for the format to 'take'.
When the card is formatted, copy the FW.BIN file onto the card at the root level, i.e. not inside any folder.
With your device switched off, insert the SD card into the slot, press and hold the SAVE button while you switch on and keep it held down. Your Spider Jam should then boot-up from the SD card. When it has booted, you can let go of the SAVE button.
If the display tells you that it can't find the firmware on the card it might be because:-
Your best option is to try a different card and/or card reader.
Another thing you can try is to run the MD5 checksum utility on the copy of the FW.BIN file that actually resides on the card. If the checksum is correct, it is more likely that the card reader is working properly and that your card is not faulty. It could still be improperly formatted and pass the checksum test!
Now, continue to Step 5
Your CD card slot should be working, so all you have to do is insert the card with the new firmware into the SD card slot and press the SAVE button.
In the SAVE button menu, scroll down to FIRMWARE UPGRADE at the bottom and press the right arrow. You should now have the UPGRADE screen. Press the UP arrow to start the upgrade process. When it is finished, the device will reboot itself. You must not interrupt this process at any point or the upgrade will not work and you will have to start all over again.
The only way to do this is to try playing some backing tracks and guitar. Check that the backing tracks are all there in the DRUMS/SONG menu. If you have done the file size and MD5 checksum tests mentioned above, everything should be okay. Missing backing tracks indicate an incomplete or corrupted download which should show up in the MD5 test.
If something has gone wrong and your device is not working properly, you will have to try to identify at which step things went wrong. Most problems are caused by:-
Another technique useful for troubleshooting is the Factory Reset.
Turn off the amplifier, holding down the SETTINGS/TONE button and switch on again keeping the button held down for 5-8 seconds. Note that this will wipe any custom tones or settings you have made and you should also make sure that any songs or loops are backed up to SD card or via the RCA sockets if your SD card slot is not functional.
See also the Troubleshooting Page »