The Truth About XP Deus, page 5

5. XP Deus Firmware Bug Fixing

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In fact, both the V4.0-beta and the final V4.0 had so many bugs that many of those who had upgraded to the version 4.0, mostly the LF coil users, went back to the V3.2 to wait out until all bugs were ironed out, and a new, refined update was released. Some Deus owners were glad to use the V3.2 as the last resort after reinstalling the V4.0 a few times and getting no positive results.

The following are mostly the pairing and connectivity issues reported by some unhappy V4.0 users:

1) problems with the coil pairing to the Deus;
2) problems with the WS4 headphones pairing to the coil;
3) problems with the connectivity to both the LF and HF coils;
4) slow connectivity speed of the MI-6 pointer to the Deus;
5) frequent disconnection of the remote controller from the coil;
6) loss of the connection with the coil when switching between programs;
7) unstable Ground Balance reflected by fluctuating values of the Ground Mineralization Index - a number displayed in the top-right portion of the screen, in both Manual and Tracking modes.

After its release, the V4.0 firmware version underwent a few fixes which were not announced to the users, and the slightly altered V4.0 was uploaded to the server under the same version number. This may have happened to any of the subsequent versions. This is why it is advised to the users to reflash the firmware update if they experience any issues.

When a subsequent version 4.1 was released in July of 2017, not only it included a couple of "old" bugs, but also got new ones, mostly related to the paired MI-6 Pinpointer:

1) poor connectivity between the Deus and the MI-6 Pinpointer;
2) the WS4 headphones temporarily froze after turning the MI-6 pinpointer off;
3) the coil did not go silent upon switching the MI-6 pinpointer on causing cross-talk between one another;
4) a delay in getting the coil back to work after disconnecting the pinpointer.

Those MI-6 owners who have used the probe without pairing it to the coils obviously do not suffer from the above-mentioned issues. But, of course, there have been those wanting to follow the latest fad by upgrading to the V4.X-V5.1 just to use the pinpointer fully. Well, in my opinion, the MI-6 is not worth of upgrading the firmware, but this is a different story... (all details are given in My MI-6/MI-4 Detailed Review).

When a version V5.0 was released in July of 2018, it still had connectivity issues with the Mi-6 pinpointer, and the same "old" delays:

1) in turning the coil off when the pinpointer is switched on causing the cross-talk effect;
2) in awakening the coil after turning the pinpointer off (this problem could be solved by rebooting the Deus).

In less than a month after releasing the V5.0, XP released a V5.1 in which all connectivity issues with the Mi-6 pinpointer were resolved. But the following new issues have been discovered in the V5.1:

1) the coil connection to the remote is weaker than in the V4.1, i.e. if the user sets the Deus aside further than two meters away during the target-recovery procedure, and the remote is not attached to the stem, but rather is on the user's belt or in a pocket, the connection is lost (it was five meters in previous versions);
2) the HF coil periodically loses connection with the remote controller, i.e. the remote starts searching for the coil once in every 10 seconds;
3) the sounds of audio responses to targets are not as sharp as in V5.0;
4) a trouble with the x35 coils being too chatty in areas with excessive Electromagnetic Interference (EMI).

On September 13 of 2018, XP released a V5.2b3 - the V5.2 beta version, which solved the issue #4. But the V5.2b3 was not rid of other V5.1's issues and acquired a couple of new ones:

1) the intermittent disconnect problem with the legacy LF coils;
2) problems with the G.B. Tracking Mode.

So, maybe the update V5.2 will finally resolve them?

Within past 1. 5 years, there have been five XP Deus updates (V4.0, V4.1, V5.0, V5.1 and V5.2), and none of them have turned out to be a solid, issue-free firmware. So if the users of the paired MI-6 pinpointer and HF and/or X35 LF coils would like, for some reason, to roll back to the firmware which they could use without any issues (and enjoy metal detecting with the Deus without troubleshooting it), there is none.

The V3.2 has remained the only reliable version so far, but it does not accept the HF and X35 LF coils, and the MI-6 pinpointer. Much to dismay of the V3.2 fans, XP Metal Detectors discontinued the legacy LF coils in September of 2018. Since then, the X35 LF coils have been supplied as stock coils with XP Deus metal detectors.

Those who have decided to use or already purchased the HF and/or X35 LF coils now have been trying to sell their legacy LF coils. As the market has become filled with so many "old" LF coils, their prices have gone down. This is why this is probably the best time and the only opportunity for the V3.2 fans to stock up on the legacy coils. Of course, only if such fans wish to continue using the V3.2 or the Deus altogether for a few more years.

As for the cost of continuous firmware patching, XP Metal Detectors had figured out the best way to minimize expenses for the XP Research and Development team. Since 2009, XP simply have been using the Deus fans as field testers (free for XP, expensive for the Deus users) instead of hiring professionals for the XP Field-Testing Team (expensive for XP, more expensive for the Deus users).

And this strategy of XP could not be cleverer: after XP releases a raw firmware update, it waits for the users' negative feedback to arrive in emails, and only then the XP Research and Development team begins to iron out the firmware bugs.

The good thing about the updates V4.1, V5.1 and V5.2 is that the majority of their users got lucky and did not encounter the pairing and connectivity issues after upgrading the firmware. There is a possibility that some inobservant users of the legacy LF coils might have not even noticed any decline in performance.

I did not have the upgrade and connectivity issues with the V4.1. And I could not have any connectivity issues with the MI-6 pinpointer because I did not pair it with my Deus. However, I had some critical issues with the V4.0, which are described in the following chapters.

And undoubtedly many coin/relic hunters like myself - users of the legacy coils with the 4.X (and subsequent versions 5.X), have been compelled to learn how to deal with issues related to modified functions, features and modes of the gold-oriented XP Deus, some of which behave differently compared to functions with the same names in the V3.2.

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