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Created May 17, 2016 21:50
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Eken H9 Action Camera Firmware
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README.md

Official source for the latest firmware

Eken supply firmware for their H2, H2R, H3, H3R, H8, H8R, H9 and H9R cameras via the following site:

http://ftp.eken.com/

The "R" camera versions come with a remote control.

Selecting the right file

Some camera models (like the H9) have multiple possible firmwares, because there is more than one version of the camera, using different LCD chipsets.

The Eken H9 comes in "Type 1" using the ST7789S chipset, and "Type 2" using the ST9341 chipset.

To determine your camera's type, you can either crack it open and look at the screen driver, or use a site like Eken H9 Bricked which lists a mapping between firmware versions and camera types.

Type 1 H9 cameras, came delivered with Firmware Version: 150826, 150910, 150910SJ, 150928, 150928SJ, 151005, 151005SJ, 151009, 151103, 151103SJ, 151128, 151128SJ, 151204, 151208, 151208SJ, 151229, 151229SJ, 160108, 160108SJ, 160421SY Type 2 H9 cameras, came delivered with Firmware Version: 150911, 150911RJ, 150914, 150914LY, 151010, 151015, 151127, 151207, 151228LY, 151230, 160106, 160108, 160108LY, 160222, 160304, 160309LY, 160309LY(4k25), 160326, 160421LY http://www.eken-h9-bricked.co.uk/SelectType1Type2Unknown.html

If in doubt, you can proceed with the Type 1 firmware, which will either work (because you have Type 1) or white the screen of your Type 2 camera. If this happens, just flash the Type 2 firmware and the display will be restored.

Finding your current firmware version

This is displayed in the camera's settings menu. There's a "Version" option. It will look something like:

ActionCam H9 151230

Which is a Type 2, Eken H9.

Flashing the firmware

Download and extract the file from Eken, copy SPHOST.BRN to the root of your MicroSD card. With the camera off, insert the SD card and turn it on.

The camera will display "Firmware Update..." for about two minutes, and then it will switch off (all lights and screen off).

At this point, it's safe to remove the SD card, delete the SPHOST.BRN file, and put the card back in the camera.

Turn the camera on (it should be functional) and perform a "reset" (from the settings menu).

You can check the version to make sure you now have the latest firmware.

Useful links

Why this Gist?

I don't like flashing firmware from Facebook groups, and the promoted toolchains are rather involved and require Windows; the process of downloading the firmware directly from the manufacturer and copying it to an SD card was really easy, so I decided to summarise it here.

Updates to this Gist welcome.

@thesmarthomeninja
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Is there any drivers out there for these cameras to work under a windows platform by chance or any open-source 3rd party software to manage, save, transfer or edit anything on these cameras to your knowledge? I have the H2R - the 4k action camera and was curious because I can't find anything at all.

@wneves
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wneves commented Jul 17, 2016

The site http://ftp.eken.com/ is not accessible !

@Ceremony64
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FTP no longer allows browsing through the files, so we need direct links. Go to the official EKEN usergroup and look for H9: https://www.facebook.com/ekenhk
They tend to have links to their FTP server which still work for me. Heres the most recent version as of this post: https://www.facebook.com/notes/eken/h9-and-h9r-firmware-update-720p120fps/885774864867826

@Malvineous
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Has anyone noticed that holding the Up button while you press Power seems to put the device into some sort of recovery mode, where it only partly appears on the USB bus? Is there any info on how this works? The firmware looks like it contains a command line interface - any idea how to access it?

@j-keiter
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j-keiter commented May 16, 2017 •
edited

All the links for firmware seem to be dead. You can get a free firmware that is loadable via the sdcard from here: http://eken-camera-recovery-made-simple.co.uk/EkenH9BTA.html. Be careful as you want the free SD card update not the recovery. For a recovery he wants you to message him with a paypal payment #?? Update! The password for connecting via wifi to your android device is 1234567890. I still cannot get my huawei android phone using icam-h9 to show video from the phone. Seems to connect OK.

@kaihp
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kaihp commented Jun 9, 2018

I was able to download the v4.0 firmware by going to https://www.facebook.com/notes/eken/firmware-links/864338583678121/ and click on the link for the FW. Hope this helps someone.

@brando-calrissian
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Would be nice if the camera asked before flashing the firmware with SPHOST.BRN in the root - without a microSD card reader, you're kinda stuck since you can't delete it once it's there, it goes into a flashing loop.

@mcoms
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mcoms commented Dec 4, 2018 •
edited

As per the comments, since I wrote this gist, EKEN have decided to stop publishing their firmware. Notably they now try and dissuade people from updating their cameras:

December 2016 was the last time they publicly published firmware, but they have since deleted the post. The most recent direct FTP links are from November 2016, and only for a few models:

If it helps anybody, the firmware on my camera [an original Eken H9 from Banggood] is ActionCam H9 WEB_BTA O4D9AX_160827. That's the last time I managed to upgrade it years ago (and from the last Eken link above). Good luck!

@marine1988
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Hi there is there some firmware capable of writing filenames with date instead of movie0001?

@VU2ATX
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VU2ATX commented Sep 7, 2021

hi, I want to connect my H9 Action Camera which is presently equipped with 160701SY firmware, It has option of 120fps @720p.
I do not remember, I think, an year or two back, I might have upgraded the firmware of 120fps@720p.

I want to connect this camera to Raspberry Pi3B via HDMI to CSI adapter but I observe horizontal strips on the video. I think it is due to the fact that presently the camera firmware is not sending out the 1080p vide however it is sending 1080i video.

Is there any firmware for H9 action camera which supports 1080p and not 1080i @30fps ?

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