5.a. 0x81: Get Firmware Version

Compact protocol: 0x81
Pololu protocol: 0xAA, device ID, 0x01

This command returns the a single ASCII byte that represents the version of the firmware running on the qik. All qiks produced so far have firmware version ‘1’ or ‘2’.

Firmware version 2 makes a slight change to the LED feedback used during the automatic baud detection phase. If a serial byte other than 0xAA is received in this phase, or if 0xAA is transmitted at an invalid baud rate, firmware version 2 turns the red error LED on and keeps it on until the automatic baud detection phase ends. Firmware version 1 flashes the red LED very briefly if a serial byte other than 0xAA is received in this mode, which can make it difficult to tell that the qik detected any serial activity.