Hello my fellow APE'rs! I have been in talks with APE concerning their new coding for their Mini boards. You can also check it out yourself by Clicking Me. I have been given their permission to post up the email exchange to share the news. I think the new code takes care of some of the issues we've experienced with the current one.

They have also asked me to be one of their beta testers so I will post the results of that up afterwards.

Another example of their great support and some of the new Gen 4 code features:

Me - OK, I finally got around to bending the pins and it still did not work.
I then bent them the other way and that didn't work either. I had to
pull pretty hard on the foregrip to get it to register a trigger pull.
When I switched back to the stock board, no problems at all. Also, the
stock board's pins are further up on the board than on my APE board so
maybe that has something to do with it??

What do I do now?

APE - It is a connection issue (obviously)...How about we do this... I'm currently porting our new Gen4 code onto the Mini. If you're willing to beta test for me, then I'll reflash you with the new code and re-fit/form the upper board connector. I'ts not done yet, but should be complete in another week or so.

Me - I love this idea! What can you tell me about this new Gen4 code? By
the way, just so you know, I am a forum moderator at invertog.net
(a.k.a. tigar19) where we talk about all things related to the Invert
Mini as well as the TM-7 and 15. I have not made public any of the
issues I am currently experiencing with the APE board, but so far it
has gotten great reviews by a few others. I don't know how much time
you have but I would like to invite you to this forum because they're
always excited to talk with someone in the industry.

PS - I must admit the instructions are a bit confusing and lacking so I
posted a simplified version and wouldn't mind your opinion, again if
you have the time.

APE - The board you have works... it just needs a connector tweak so it makes better contact with the upper socket. We're happy to resolder/reform it so it works for you. We've found there's quite a bit of variance from marker to marker.

The Gen 4 code is the culmination of all of our development we've done
over the last several years. It combines the best features of all the
boards we've developed, borrowing the best attributes. You can read an
overview on our web site home page, and download the latest user manual from our download section. We also have a Gen 4 comparison chart for download as well, and you can see how the code stacks up against all the other upgrade boards/software.

I have a policy of not posting to public forums, however I am happy to discuss anything on the table when sent email.

I'll need another week or so to get a good chunk of the Mini code port
complete...

Me & APE> - I agree, our old code, documentation and conventions were a bit more difficult. All of that has been done away with in lieu of our Gen 4 interface. All our boards will now operate the same, all will use the
same interface convntions, setpoints, controls, etc...

I'd like to review your attachment, so would you pls send it back in
pre-2007 doc fomat?

Onto your questions:

The comparison chart looks good but some of the answers have a number
in paranthesis after them but there isn't an explanation of what these numbers represent.
> This represents the quantity of a particular attribute... it
supports the said function and there are (X) ways it is supported where
X = how many.

Also, will existing owners be able to have their board re-flashed and
what will it cost them?
> Yes, existing owners can send over boards for refurb/reflash. $6.95
includes inspection/flash/return shipping. You can see we already have
a web cart "software upgrades" section.

Will the Gen4 allow users to completely turn off one of the firing
modes?
> Yes, standard in Gen 4.

One last thing. Some people had an issue with their board's power
button not extending far enough for them to push it in when wearing
gloves, as opposed to the stock board. The quick fix was to glue a
piece of tire inner tube to the back of the board to flex it when the
battery is installed.
> Check... we'll consider using a longer operator PB on new board runs.

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Sweet! I already replied to your PM so do let me know what to do next.

The Gen4 interface has me curious.

I'm surprised they didn't offer to solder a new PB(push button?) when you mentioned mine and Xaboo's issues with that.

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Gen 4 User manual
Gen 4 Advanced User Manual

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