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WMX850 (WatchMate® 850) Firmware Update Instructions

To determine the current firmware version:


  • When the power button is pressed to turn the unit on, the firmware version is displayed for a few seconds

  • In the Menu/Setup/Display/About of the WatchMate® screen, the firmware version is shown


Installation of new firmware:


  1. Download the updated firmware file from the Vesper Marine® website

  2. Double-click on the file that has downloaded. It will prompt a folder to store the files

  3. Install the vmAIS Configuration and Status program by double-clicking on vmsetup from within the folder just created

  4. If the USB drivers have not been already installed, install them before plugging your WatchMate 850 into the computer. USB Drivers

  5. If the unit supports power-over-USB, unplug the WMX850 from 12/24 volt power. If it is uncertain that the unit supports power-over-USB, unplug it from 12/24 volt power and see if it will power on with only the USB cable connected to the computer. If not, then a 12/24 volt power will be required to perform the update

  6. Using the supplied USB cable, plug the WMX850 into a PC running Windows-XP, Vista or Windows-7

  7. Press the Power button to switch on the WMX850

  8. Run the vmAIS Configuration and Status program that was installed in step three. It can be found in the Windows Start menu in the Vesper Marine folder

  9. Select the appropriate COM port which was displayed when the WMX850 was connected to the computer’s USB port and press the “Connect” button. Ignore the IP-Address and Port fields since these are not used with the WMX850. Note: If there is an error or it fails to connect and it is certain that the correct COM port was selected, unplug the WMX850 from the USB port and try again. For some reason, certain Windows versions seem to need this

  10. Select the “Firmware Update” tab and click on the “Browse” button

  11. Select the firmware file that was extracted in step two (firmware files have a .VEB4 extension) and click the “Load Firmware” button

  12. The update will take several minutes. Do not disconnect the WMX850 from the computer or switch off the power during the update

  13. When the update is complete, the WMX850 will restart itself

VESPER Marine Software Screen


Download these instructions in the attached PDF. 

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