How do I update the Firmware on a Classic FLARM without an SD card slot?

This applies to products made by FLARM Technology (FLARM04, FLARM05) as well as to certain standalone OEM products (LX navigation Red Box old version, OzFLARM). Some other non-standalone OEM products may also use this update procedure (Flytec, LX 7007), check the manuals of these products before proceeding.

A dedicated software (FLARM Tool) is provided to configure and update these devices. The following requirements are needed:

PC running Windows 7 or later operating system
An RS-232 (serial) adapter. Typically, this is a USB to RS-232 converter. Converters using the FTDI chipset have proven to work well
A cable connecting the RS-232 adapter with the FLARM device. These typically also provide power to the FLARM when needed, and they are available from many online sellers

FLARM Tool can be downloaded here: https://flarm.com/support/firmware-updates/. Accept the disclaimer, then click the link "Download Flarm Tool..." towards the end of the page. Double-click the downloaded file and follow the installer instructions. The installer also contains the FLARM firmware, so this step must be repeated whenever a new firmware is released.

After installation, run FLARM Tool, select the correct serial port (File->FLARM Tool Settings). If unsure, it is safe to try all available ports or remove the RS-232 converter to check which port disappears (dialog window needs to be closed in between). FLARM Tool should automatically detect the connected device and indicate relevant information, see below.

For non-standalone (integrated) OEM devices like Flytec, it may be needed to issue commands on the user interface to allow FLARM Tool to communicate with the FLARM board.

FLARM Tool will also ask where to store the device information: