Recovery image for 5500SHAC (SD card)

Hi there,

It appears the SD Card in my 5500SHAC has become corrupt and my SHAC now fails to boot. Does anyone with a functioning SHAC have a copy of the SD Card Image they can send me so I can restore this?

Are there any online repositories for these images? I've had no luck finding one thus far.

Thanks in advance.
Darren

 

Not sure if this will help.

Check you warranty first, the below will invalidate it.
Take photos of your progress for reference.
You have to score along the case line of the side sticker otherwise you can’t part the case.
Prise off the top cover where the LED indicators are using a plastic prising tool, there are 2 tabs on each long side.
Prise the 2 tabs on the bottom of the unit, the whole thing should now come apart.
Be careful as the unit is in 2 parts connected by a long fragile connector. Look how the boards slot into the case first before you pull it all out. It will make it easier to put back.
You need to pull the 2 parts apart, the SD card in on the top pc board.
The SD card has some white mastic on it, carefully use a wooden toothpick to pick it off.
The SD card does not slide out, the top of the holder slides backwards, and the cover will hinge backwards.
You can now remove the SD card.
I used https://www.minitool.com/backup/system-backup.html the free version for 30 days to clone the SD card to a 32GB SanDisk https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B08GY9NYRM on amazon £5.99
I tried using the same size as the old one (16GB Transend) but if the partitions look smaller on the new SD even by a fwew bytes it will fail. Bigger on the new SD card is not a problem.
When complete pop it back in again, slide forward the SD card cover to lock and be really careful lining up the connector to re-join the 2 boards.
I benched tested mine using the USB to connector on my laptop prior to finally putting it back together, look for 192.168.154.10
Biggest issue is lining up the LED light carriers when putting top cover back on.

The failing to write to SD card is more common than we think on the NACS. My source says they have seen more than a few. Maybe the Clipsal supplied SD cards are not so long term reliable.

Good luck.

 

Hi pgardiner,

very much appreciate the detailed instructions to open the unit and clone the SD card. The outstanding query I have here is these instructions assume the data on the original SD is still intact.

In my case it could be, but I would have thought the unit would still boot if that is the case. One thought is that Linux could be failing to run a successful file system check (e2fsck or similar) and is bombing out of the boot sequence?

In the case where the data on my SD isn't readable (or valid), is a boot image available for download?

Regards
Darren

 

Quick update here. I’ve removed the SD card and mounted it on a Linux box. The filesystem seems intact and there was no evidence of read or write issues. I’m now thinking there must be some form of hardware issue preventing my unit from booting. Is anyone here aware of any way to debug such an issue? I can find no evidence of a serial console on these units for debugging purposes. The unit appears to go into a state of activity for one minute and 57 seconds however then stops and the cycle repeats five minutes later or thereabouts. Without someway of identifying the fault I seem to be completely stuck. Hoping someone has some ideas for me. Cheers Darren

 

in the case, where my SHAC is not recoverable, is anyone aware of pathways to source a replacement? it seems the product is no longer available through Clipsal and has seemingly been replaced with the 5500AC2 which in no way is an equivalent product.

 

Its possible the unit is running out of resources due to a script or process, or is failing to periodically write to the sd card, causing it to crash and then reboot.

Are you able to log in to the unit during the 1minute and 57 seconds?

If you can, make a backup of the project (if you dont already have one) then perfrom a factory reset, and see if the issue is still occouring. You can also try reapplying the current firmware or upgrading the firmware to see if that helps solve the issue.

If you cannot log in during the 1minute and 57 seconds then try using another SD card to rule that out. Preferably restoring an Image from a factory reset unit, otherwise just clone the current SD card.

The 5500AC2 is the direct replacement for the 5500SHAC.

 

Hi Diggerz, appreciate the reply. While the Ethernet port is successful in obtaining link during the active window, unfortunately the device cannot be pinged on the default ip address specified in the docs and no layer 2 activity is detected at the switch port level. I strongly suspect the boot process is being interrupted and the IP stack is never fully initialised.

Restoring to another uSD is a possible option. Best I can tell the hard reset button on the unit does not restore to factory defaults so this leads me back to my original question of whether a known good filesystem image is available somewhere for download?

To me the issue seems too repeatable for it to be an issue with random uSD write failures. Given the predictable nature of the active window, it’s like a watchdog is kicking in an attempt to reboot the unit.

With the comparison between the SHAC and AC2, best I can tell the Wiser functionality and logic engine has been removed from the AC2. Happy to be corrected.

 

When you say SHAC are you refering to this unit below?



https://www.se.com/au/en/product/55...t-system-rs232-485-ethernet-din-mount-24v-dc/

The 5500AC2 is the direct replacement and has the same features and functionality.

Try connecting directly to the usb port on the front and accessing 192.168.254.10.

If theres no connection then you can try another SD card. Unfortunatly, unlike the logicmachine, there are no official restore images available from schneider.

 

Yes that’s the product I’m referring to. Again, I’m happy to be corrected, but this is what ChatGPT is telling me.

The AC2 is a replacement for the SHAC in the sense that it supersedes it in Schneider’s current lineup, but it is not a direct replacement in terms of functionality or role.

The SHAC and AC2 were designed for fundamentally different purposes. The SHAC is a logic and integration controller that hosts Wiser services, automation logic, protocol translation (e.g. C-Bus ↔ DALI mappings), and MQTT. The AC2, by contrast, is an infrastructure controller whose primary role is to provide a stable C-Bus network interface and host C-Gate. Treating them as equivalent conflates “replacement in the product range” with “drop-in functional replacement,” which the documentation and real-world behaviour do not support.

Key differences that prevent the AC2 being a direct replacement for a SHAC:

• The SHAC runs logic, scenes, mappings, and Wiser services; the AC2 does not
• The SHAC supports C-Bus ↔ DALI-2 translation and scene logic; the AC2 only exposes C-Bus via C-Gate
• The SHAC includes native MQTT support; the AC2 does not
• The SHAC is an automation brain; the AC2 is a gateway / application controller in the C-Bus protocol sense
• Replacing a SHAC with an AC2 requires moving logic and scenes elsewhere (e.g. embedded DALI gateway scenes, BMS, or Home Assistant)

In short:

The AC2 replaces the network and C-Gate role of the SHAC, not the automation, logic, or UI role. Calling it a “direct replacement” only holds if those functions are no longer required or are being deliberately relocated.

 

ChatGPT is incorrect. The 5500AC2 provides the exact same features as the 5500SHAC, with an updated SoC and also has the additional benifit of the new appstore access and Manager app when updated to firmware V2.0.0 and above.

Try cloning your SD card to a new one and see how it goes. If that fails, maybe someone can provide a link to another SHAC image to try. If that fails then its possible there is a hardware fault and the sytem is failing its diagnositc checks on boot.

 

I'll be genuinely happy if the AC2 provides the same functions as the SHAC as that at least would provide a path forward in the scenario where I need a replacement.

I've come this far so I might as well try the SD clone with the same filesystem data even though the chances of success seem slim in my view.

In the meantime if anyone has access to a known good image for a 5500SHAC - please reach out.

Thanks
Darren

 

One other query, during the 1m57s active period, my unit does register some sort of device on the USB bus as my Windows box plays the sound for a new device however the device itself is not apparent. What sort of device does it normally come up as? I expect it must appear as an ethernet adapter in order for 192.168.254.10 to become accessible. No new adapter is appearing in ipconfig /all.

 

generally it should show up as a network adaptor:



I've found an old SHAC image. If you're still having trouble i can send you a link to it in a PM to try.

 

Hi Diggerz,

yes I'm still having all sorts of trouble. I've cloned the SD (block level clone) however have had no success in getting the unit to boot. At this point even using the original SD doesn't seem to return to the previous behavior.

If you could provide access to that old SHAC image I'd be extremely grateful.

Let me know if it would be helpful if I provided a file upload link or if you can share via your own methods.

Regards
Darren

 

no problem,

The image i have is 8GB, im struggling to find a free hosting service to upload it to. send me a PM and we can work out how to transfer it.