The goalposts have moved…
However, I’ll indulge you one last time, then I’m done with this.
Correct. As you’ve pointed out many times,
This means that compatible hardware from various manufacturers runs VESC firmware. I shouldn’t use Spintend Tool or MakerX Tool to program my VESC-based ESC from one of these manufacturers; I should use VESC Tool, distributed by its author, Benjamin Vedder.
This does indeed force noobs to go get a programming tool from somewhere else, very similar to how I would still use the Arduino IDE to program a compatible microcontroller that is not Arduino branded. I don’t see how this is an unacceptable or unprecedented arrangement.
But you’re absolutely right, being a noob to programming a VESC-based ESC, even with the correct firmware file, is not easy at all. It was quite a steep learning curve for me, and I’m glad my ESCs survived the journey.
I would come to the forums to read up on how to program my ESC. I would find an overwhelming majority of people telling me not to use the latest firmware. Using the only version of VESC Tool easily accessible to me (the latest one from Vedder’s website), I would find the firmware archive and load an old firmware version onto my ESC. If the firmware was not included in the archive, I would go to the hardware manufacturer’s website to find a custom firmware file for the version I wanted. After the older firmware was flashed, I would configure the essential settings, including my remote, with no error messages making me think I had to update my firmware.
If I was a noob one year earlier, I would’ve gone through similar steps, but it would’ve been much more difficult to load an older firmware version than current, due to VESC Tool only including the latest firmware at that point. If I got lucky and my ESC came with an older, more tested firmware, I would likely overwrite it with a newer version due to the error message that appears when setting up my remote and thinking I was required to upgrade.
So yes, my
But I have considered a noob’s perspective, and from that perspective I believe we should embrace new VESC Tool versions while simultaneously being wary of new firmware versions.
So, I would say that
is easier now than it ever has been, and your disagreement with that statement that you continue to spread is outdated and inaccurate. I would ask you to consider other perspectives on this matter, since using a newer version of VESC Tool undeniably allows easier access to a wider range of more tested firmware and less nagging for a user to change which firmware they choose to use. This creates an experience more conducive to everyone’s needs, especially noobs, and certainly not just mine.