Frequently Asked Questions

If you have been prompted to update the firmware on your Silhouette machine, please perform the following steps:

Please allow 20 minutes for the updates to take place

1. Close all instances of the Silhouette Studio® software
2. Download the latest firmware
3. Open zipped file CameoFirmwareUpdate
4. Double-click on the Silhouette_Firmware_Update icon
5. An option will pop up saying “Compress (zipped) Folders”, select Extract all
   • Change extraction destination to “Desktop”
6. Once extracted, go to desktop and open the folder
7. Double-click on the Silhouette_Firmware_Update icon
8. A window will pop up “Open File – Security Warning”, select Run
9. Connect the Cameo directly to the computer via USB cord
10. Power on the Cameo
11. When the screen “Please connect the Cameo…” appears, press OK
12. Follow the installation prompts on the computer screen
    • During the update process the Cameo screen will change colors
      • Blue > Yellow > Green > Dark Blue
13. Check to confirm firmware was installed correctly
    • Gear Icon > Scroll to Firmware > Internal and External > v1.50 or higher

The firmware update program will be able to review the current firmware version present on your machine and confirm whether or not an update is recommended.

IMPORTANT: In the case that a firmware update is recommended, when prompted to unplug the power and then power it back on as part of the firmware update process, please ensure you perform the following steps:

1. Remove the power cord connection that is hooked into the Silhouette
2. With the power cord removed from the machine, hold down the power button on the side of the machine
3. While continuing to hold down the power button, plug the power cord back into the machine
4. Continue to hold down the power button until the screen turns light blue. This will take several seconds to engage. Once the screen is light blue, you are ready to proceed.

Failure to remove the power cord and follow these instructions will prevent the update program from being able to properly update the machine's firmware and will cause the update program to get stuck on the screen where the update process starts. If such occurs, please simply end the firmware update program and re-start it to go through the steps above anew.

If you have been prompted to update the firmware on your Silhouette machine, please perform the following steps:

Please allow 20 minutes for the updates to take place

1. Close all instances of the Cameo software
2. Download the latest firmware
3. Open the DMG file that you have downloaded
4. Double-click on the Silhouette_Firmware_Update icon
   • An update application will start
5. Connect the Cameo directly to computer via USB cord
6. Power on the Cameo
7. When the screen “Please connect the Cameo…” appears, press OK
8. Follow the installation prompts on the computer screen
   • During the update process the Cameo screen will change colors
     • Blue > Yellow > Green > Dark Blue
9. Check to confirm firmware was installed correctly
   • Gear Icon > Scroll to Firmware > Internal and External > v1.50 or higher

The firmware update program will be able to review the current firmware version present on your machine and confirm whether or not an update is recommended.

IMPORTANT: In the case that a firmware update is recommended, when prompted to unplug the power and then power it back on as part of the firmware update process, please ensure you perform the following steps:

1. Remove the power cord connection that is hooked into the Silhouette
2. With the power cord removed from the machine, hold down the power button on the side of the machine
3. While continuing to hold down the power button, plug the power cord back into the machine
4. Continue to hold down the power button until the screen turns light blue. This will take several seconds to engage. Once the screen is light blue, you are ready to proceed.

Failure to remove the power cord and follow these instructions will prevent the update program from being able to properly update the machine's firmware and will cause the update program to get stuck on the screen where the update process starts. If such occurs, please simply end the firmware update program and re-start it to go through the steps above anew.

If during the firmware update process you are experiencing any concerns with connection or the process has stalled on one step for greater than 30 minutes, please do the following to reset the process and reinstall the firmware anew:

1. Unplug the Silhouette machine power cord from the machine.
2. Hold the power button down on Silhouette machine and then plug the power cable into machine. Continue to hold down the power button until the LCD screen turns light blue.
3. Launch the Firmware Update Tool.
4. Once you see the window “Please connect the Cameo and power it on”, press [Ctrl]+[Shift] on your keyboard and then click the [OK] option on the screen as these keyboard buttons are being held down.

This will send the firmware update to the machine again and should resolve the concern.

If continued concerns are encountered, please contact our Support Team.

If your computer is running on macOS Sierra, after downloading you will need to re-start your computer prior to running the Firmware Update program. Otherwise, the Firmware Update program may not run properly. 

If you have continued concerns running the Firmware Update program after re-start, please do the following:

1. Download the Firmware Update program. (It is recommended to download/move this program to the desktop)
2. Double-click on the Firmware Update icon from the desktop
3. [Ctrl]+click on the firmware update program and select the second option from the top labeled Show Package Contents
4. Open the folder labeled Contents
5. Open the folder labeled MacOS
6. Double-click on Silhouette_Firmware_Update in order to run the executable file manually
   • Provide any necessary administrator credentials in order to allow the program to run
7. The previous step will open the Firmware Update program along with the Mac’s Terminal program
   • Do not close either of these windows
8. Proceed through the firmware update as normal by following the on-screen instructions and when finished, simply close the Terminal and Firmware Update program