This thread has been closed. There is an updated thread here: Manually Updating Notecard Firmware v5.1.1 and later via USB
Hi folks! As you may know by now, the Q1 release from Blues Wireless includes updated firmware for your Notecard devices. While we recommend you use Notehub to update device firmware, some of you may want to manually update over USB. Here are some (relatively) quick instructions on how to do so.
Prerequisites
- Serial terminal emulator software (e.g. the web-based terminal available at dev.blues.io, CoolTerm, or TinyTerm).
- STM32CubeProgrammer (download the appropriate version for your OS).
- A fresh Notecard binary file, for example NotecardFW-1.5.3.zip (460.2 KB)
STM32CubeProgrammer Installation Notes
STM32CubeProgrammer is a bit finicky when it comes to installation:
Windows
Note: If you’re on a version of Windows older than Windows 10, you’ll first need to install the STM32 Virtual COM Port Driver.
Download and extract the zip package and run the installer (ignoring the security issues from Windows of course!).
macOS
Download and extract the zip package.
Using your terminal app of choice, navigate to the extracted directory and launch the installer in CLI mode (as of this writing, the latest version of STM32CubeProgrammer is 2.6.0):
./SetupSTM32CubeProgrammer-2.6.0.app/Contents/MacOs/SetupSTM32CubeProgrammer-2_6_0_macos
Linux
Prior to installation, make sure you have the following packages installed:
- libusb-1.0-0-dev
- unzip
If you are using a USB port to connect to the STM32 device, install the libusb1.0 package by typing the following command:
sudo apt-get install libusb-1.0.0-dev
To use ST-LINK probe or USB DFU to connect to a target, copy the rules files located under Driver/rules folder in /etc/udev/rules.d/ on Ubuntu (sudo cp *.* /etc/udev/rules.d).
Note: libusb1.0.12 version or higher is required to run STM32CubeProgrammer.
Download and extract the zip package and execute:
SetupSTM32CubeProgrammer-2.6.0.linux
Firmware Update Process
Enable Bootloader
Connect your Notecard device to your computer via USB. Verify that your terminal emulator (e.g. dev.blues.io, CoolTerm, or TinyTerm) is able to connect to the device by sending the card.version command:
{"req": "card.version"}
The body of the response should look similar to this:
{
"org":"Blues Wireless",
"product":"Notecard",
"version":"notecard-1.2.3-v11",
"ver_major":1,
"ver_minor":2,
"ver_patch":3,
"ver_build":9950,
"built":"May 20 2020 17:11:56"
}
Important: Launch the built-in bootloader firmware by sending the bootloader command via your terminal emulator.
Note: In Windows Device Manager, this causes Notecard to disappear as a “Ports (COM & LPT)/USB Serial Device (VID 0x30A4, PID 0x0001)” and to reappear as a “Universal Serial Bus devices/STM32 BOOTLOADER (VID 0x0438, PID 0xDF11)”.
Now, you have two choices as to how to proceed. You may update the Notecard firmware via the STM32CubeProgrammer CLI or GUI.
CLI Method
Make sure STM32_Programmer_CLI.exe is in your PATH (or provide its absolute path in the command below). The program should have been installed in the same directory as STM32CubeProgrammer.exe.
Run the following command, substituting the path to your desired .bin firmware file:
STM32_Programmer_CLI --connect port=USB1 --write [path/to/binary.bin] 0x08000000 --verify --go 0x08000000
Note: On Windows be sure to reference
STM32_Programmer_CLI.exeas the executable in the above command.
GUI Method
Open the STM32CubeProgrammer application.
Select “USB” from the dropdown menu provided in the upper-right corner:
Select the port corresponding to your Notecard in the “Port” dropdown menu (likely “USB1”).
Note: You may need to click the button next to the port dropdown to refresh the list.
Click the “Connect” button and the log should update and display Data read successfully.
Next, access the “Erasing & Programming” screen by clicking the menu button with the arrow pointing down:
Follow the other configuration options in the image above:
- Select the appropriate firmware
.binfile. - Check the “Verify programming” box.
- Check the “Run after programming” box.
Finally, click the “Start Programming” button. After a few seconds of commands displayed in the log, you should see multiple dialog warnings/notifications to click through and confirm.
Results
With either the CLI or GUI method, once the update process is complete, your Notecard will reset and reconnect. You can verify the firmware process was successful by executing another card.version request and inspecting the version parameter.
Run into trouble? Let us know by replying in this thread!
