Sounds odd.
firmware version is display when you power up hermod.
updating firmware is simple,
- sdcard slot is on back of module
- take hermod out of your rack ,
- pop out sdcard, put into sdcard reader/writer
- copy new new hermod.bin (from website) to sdcard (overwrite existing one)
- put hermod back in rack
- power up whilst holding encoder down
its unlikely to be firmware, as none were ‘that bad’, but worth trying, as its easy.
If you have issues with projects (e.g. duplicates), Id first point the finger at the sdcard, so try another one.
It shouldn’t cause freezing, but its possible - perhaps if corrupt data.
so yeah… Id probably do that before updating firmware ‘just in case’
of course, its possibly you may have found a bug that causes freezing, but if its just ‘general use’… the question is why do others not have issues - the hermod has been around a long time, and we dont see regular reports of crashing (I cannot remember mine crashing in recent years :))
to check for a bug, you’d need to find a reproducible scenario i.e. I do x, then y, then z…
to kind of prove its not a random ‘hardware issue’.
and that bring us to hardware…
for freezing the other possibility is eurorack power issues, all digital modules are pretty sensitive to power.
specs are:
- Requires a ±12V eurorack supply (consume 310mA from the +12V rail and 30mA from the -12V rail)
BUT make sure you are WELL above this… you can’t run anywhere near what eurorack power supplies SAY they can do … 20-30% is considered a typical required headroom.
(it varies though, as some are better/worst on their specs … as are module consumptions)
that said, usually, issues happen when powering on, due to so called ‘in/on-rush’ current.
basically, modules pull a lot more current when you first power on (particular digital but not exclusively), and as they all do it at the same time… you get a pretty big spike, causing a voltage drop, and if digital modules dont get the required voltage they can often misbehave in ‘wierd’ ways.
as I say, most likely on power on, but you can also get power issues caused by other modules spiking in use etc… and that would freeze modules.
btw: its NOT the last module you add that causes the issue… is the combination, so perfectly working case may fail when you add a new module (and its not necessarily that modules fault)
unfortunately, not easy for a user to track down this issue… (as you don’t have a way to measure current usage / voltage in the case easily)
so the ‘normal’ way, is trial n’ error… to take modules out of the case, and see if it goes away.
to shortcut, I usually try the most power hungry modules first… esp digital modules, and depending on your power setup, sometimes, it can help to move things to different rows/bus boards.
if that fails, unfortunately, you have to the more thorough route… which is a bit time consuming.
you have to empty the entire case, add problematic modules one at a time, and see when it starts to fail… but of course there are many combos required to track this down.
Its a pain… but eurorack is likely that, its a pretty ‘dodgy standard’ in many areas, that allows modules to interfere with each other (noise/power) … but what it lacks in quality, it makes up for in diversity 
anyway start with firmware and sdcard as they are quick n’ simple.
then play with power if you are still getting freezing.
good luck
remember: if you think there is a bug , or you have an hardware issue you can report these via the contact form , which is how Squarp provide official support.
