I/O Expander firmware update

The I/O Expander is an integrated circuit on the ConnectCore 6UL SBC Pro carrier board. Digi programs firmware inside this chip on the ConnectCore 6UL SBC Pro boards, but if you decide to assemble this chip on your own carrier board the chip will initially be blank.

To program a blank I/O Expander for the first time, see Program I/O Expander firmware with JTAG debugger.

If the I/O Expander already has programmed firmware, check the firmware version using the sysinfo command.

Before updating the firmware, verify the file you are going to program is a more recent version than the one you have already programmed.

Check the latest I/O Expander firmware version on the Digi product support page.

Firmware update application

Use the application ioexp_fw_updater to update a new *.bin firmware file. The syntax is:

~# ioexp_fw_updater -h
Update the firmware of the I/O Expander.
 
Copyright(c) Digi International Inc.
 
Version: 1.10
 
-f FILE, --file    Update firmware from binary FILE (Flash is fully erased).
-h, --help         Show this message.
-v, --version      Show current version of the tool.
 
The update process takes about 20 seconds to complete. Do not power off
the device during this time.

For example:

~# ioexp_fw_updater -f ioexp_fw_file.bin
The update process may take 20 seconds or more - DO NOT POWER OFF OR RESET
\

Do not abort the firmware update process

If the process is interrupted during the write phase, the I/O Expander may be left in an inconsistent state. If the process fails, you can retry manually but success is not guaranteed. In this case, you can only recover the firmware with the JTAG debugger. See Program I/O Expander firmware with JTAG debugger.

After a few seconds, the application finishes and returns to the prompt. After updating the firmware of the I/O Expander, the device does not restart automatically. Digi recommends a manual reboot to re-synchronize the device settings with its Linux driver.

Program I/O Expander firmware with JTAG debugger

This topic explains how to program the I/O Expander using the JTAG interface. This operation is only required when the I/O Expander IC is blank or its firmware cannot be updated with the ioexp_fw_updater software tool.

Before programming via JTAG, verify that you can’t program the firmware using the updater application. See Firmware update application.

Requirements

To program the I/O Expander firmware using a JTAG debugger, you need:

A hardware debugger such as a P&E USB multilink debugger or a standalone Cyclone programmer.
An accessible Serial Wire Debug (SWD) port to the I/O Expander on your carrier board.
An adapter cable between the hardware debugger and the SWD port.

SWD port on ConnectCore 6UL SBC Pro

The Digi ConnectCore 6UL SBC Pro board has tag connect footprints to access the SWD port of the I/O Expander:

SWD port pinout

Pin	Line
1	VCC
2	SWD_DIO
3	GND
4	SWD_CLK
5	VCC
6	-
7	-
8	-
9	-
10	RESET_N

Use the pinout as reference to create a custom cable between your debugger and the tag-connect footprint on the carrier board.

Program I/O Expander firmware with USB multilink debugger

The P&E USB Multilink debugger is a hardware debugger that you can drive from a host computer via USB.

To program firmware using this debugger:

You need a GDB server running on the debugger. Download and install NXP Kinetis Design Studio, which contains a GDB server for the P&E multilink debugger.
Download the ELF image from the Digi product support page.
Connect the debugger to the PC via USB, and to the I/O Expander SWD port on the carrier board via the adapter cable. You must hold the cable to keep it connected during the programming process.
Power on the board. Both LEDs on the debugger light up.

Run the Linux command line version of Kinetis Design Studio on your host computer with two parameters:

-startserver to start the P&E GDB server and

-device=<model> to specify the Kinetis model you are connecting to (NXP_KL1x_KL14Z32M4 for the I/O Expander).

/opt/KDS_v3/eclipse/plugins/com.pemicro.debug.gdbjtag.pne_2.4.1.201603202153/lin/pegdbserver_console -startserver -device=NXP_KL1x_KL14Z32M4

The server runs, detects the hardware, and lists the ports it is running on:

P&E GDB Server for Arm(R) devices, Version 5.79.00.00
Copyright 2014, P&E Microcomputer Systems Inc, All rights reserved
 
Loading library /opt/Freescale/KDS_v3/eclipse/plugins/com.pemicro.debug.gdbjtag.pne_2.4.1.201603202153/lin/gdi/unit_ngs_arm_internal.so ... Done.
 
Command line arguments: -startserver -device=NXP_KL1x_KL14Z32M4
Device selected is NXP_KL1x_KL14Z32M4
HW Auto-Selected : Interface=USBMULTILINK Port=PE5655301   ; USB1 : Multilink Universal Rev A (PE5655301)
Connecting to target.
P&E Interface detected - Flash Version 6.15
 
[...]
 
Server 1 running on 127.0.0.1:7224
Server 2 running on 127.0.0.1:7226
Server 3 running on 127.0.0.1:7228
Server 4 running on 127.0.0.1:7230
Server 5 running on 127.0.0.1:7232
Server 6 running on 127.0.0.1:7234
All Servers Running

In another shell, source the Digi Embedded Yocto SDK environment:

source /opt/dey/2.4-r3/environment-setup-cortexa7hf-neon-dey-linux-gnueabi

Run the GDB client:
```
arm-dey-linux-gnueabi-gdb
```
At the GDB prompt, connect to the GDB server on the debugger (using one of the ports reported above):
```
target remote localhost:7224
```
The server reports "Connection from "127.0.0.1" via 127.0.0.1"
Load the ELF file you want to debug/program with:
```
load filename.elf
```
This erases and programs the flash of the I/O Expander and loads it with the file.
Continue execution of the loaded file with:
```
continue
```
Quit the GDB server by pressing CTRL+C.
The ELF file for the I/O Expander only contains the bootloader, not the full firmware. Once the I/O Expander has a bootloader, you can program the firmware using the ioexp_fw_updater application.
When finished programming, restart to load the new firmware. Use the command sysinfo to print the firmware version and verify correct programming.

Program I/O Expander firmware with standalone Cyclone programmer

The P&E stand-alone Cyclone programmer is designed for programming in a production environment.

The following instructions assume you have installed and configured your Cyclone programmer according to the manufacturer setup instructions.

Download the desired SAP (Stand-Alone Programming) image from the Digi product support page.
Transfer the image to the Cyclone programmer. After this step is done, you no longer need the host PC and you can program the firmware with a button press.
On the Cyclone programmer, use the screen menus to select the image to program.
Connect the Cyclone programmer to the I/O Expander SWD port on the carrier board via the adapter cable. You must hold the cable to keep it connected during the programming process.
Power on the ConnectCore board.
Press the Start button on the Cyclone programmer and wait for the Success LED to light up.
When finished programming, restart the device to load the new firmware. Use the command sysinfo to print the firmware version and verify correct programming.