Lpc2000 Flash Utility 2.2.3 Download
Phillipp Schneeberger
I have a number of legacy LPC2xxx devices that often need to have their firmware updated via 9pin serial connections. Previously we had been using onboard serial ports on our laptops along with the LPC2000 Flash Utility. Recently we upgraded to Windows 10 systems that have a docking station with a 9 pin serial port built into t them, but theya re being reported as USB serial converters, and while the Flash Utility will recognize that the hardware is on the other end of the serial cable, it is choking when I actually try to push the firmware to the controller memory.
Berhard: Many thanks for the suggestions. I have been wirking with a Dell developer on this issue, and we have indeed worked through theses settings, but still cannot make the program detect or upload the firmware to the controllers through the USB Serial connection. This is after upgrading the computers BIOS, changing the driver for the serial port from the oldest Dell driver through all available Dell drivers currently in their archives up to and including the most recent driver. We have also downloaded a driver from the FTDI website and tried these. We have gone through all BAud rate settings, made changes to the receive / transmit timings, changed the timeout period on the software, and also made changes to the timing chip setting within the Philips Flash utility.
If, however, we attach the serial cable to the built in serial port on the laptop, then the program immediately connects at speeds up to 57000 baud, and is able to push the firmware into the controllers. (There are two primary controller chips in the equipment we are working on; LPC2292 and LPC2119. The LPC2119 devices will allow connections at 57K baud and the 2292 controllers limit the connection to 38k Baud.)
So, of course the big question is why would we need to use the docking station instead of the built in serial port? Well, the port is hidden behind a hinged dust cover that is (for a supposedly rugged machine ) is surprisingly fragile. In fact, we have already had two of these flapped doors break off in our garage environments.
Fortunately, I have been able to get a copy of the Flash Magic software and have been able to create new "saved settings" files for the four devices and this tested the ability to communicate through the docking station serial ports. This program is perfectly happy to communicate through the docking station serial port to the LPC controllers, and is even two steps easier for the users to complete the flash programming.
For the Flash Utility: maybe you can play around with the Virtual COM Port FIFO settings in the Windows Device Manager, sometimes this helps. But most likley the way the old Flash Utility talks to the Windows API is simply too old fashioned :-)
Bernhard: thanks for the response. Any idea what the cost is for non-private individuals for FlashMagic? Since I work for a state agency, so called 'free' software often have clauses that say we still have to pay. I have been on their website, but could not find any references to licensing or pricing...
We have had good luck with external usb cable adapters, but the issue is with the Dell Rugged docking station ( -us/shop/dell-latitude-rugged-display-port-desk-dock/apd/452-bcgq/pc-accessor...) The problem is that we have over 200 of these docking stations, but they will NOT communicate properly with the NXP chips that are integrated into the controller boards. We want to use the docking stations because the laptops themselves have relatively fragile covers over the USB and COMM ports that we would like to limit access to via the docking stations (the laptops are used in a garage environment for diagnosing our plow trucks).
I have been in touch with the Dell support team (actually got to a 3rd tier support level) and will be talking with one of their nitty gritty techs later today, but I suspect that they are going to say that their docking station is working as designed and that we will have to find another way to communicated with these legacy systems... Hence my search for a better program that might be able to handle the communication better.
What really irks me is that the laptops have a built in com port (an actual serial port, not a USB converter) that works flawlessly, but it is hidden behind these damn flappy covers that break off if flexed too much...
I'm wondering if there is a way to automate the LPC2000 flash utility. I practically have no knowledge about this SW (I dont even have it) except that it uploads a hex file to an eeprom / uC. Currently programming the DUT is done manually at my client and I'm wondering if we somehow can automate the process. We dont need to stick to the LPC2000 anything would work until it performs exactly the same.
Its true that the LPC2000 has a command line interface as mentioned by @RTSLVU but I couldnt locate any related documentation. Not sure if the program streams the result of the programming to a file (again, no documentation), but the program returns no status message at all to the command line. This means I can only know if the program has finished the execution but no idea if it was successful or not.
After poking around the board, [WJ] found an LPC2000-series microcontroller and a spare GPIO pin for a 1-wire temperature sensor. The temperature sensor is placed right next to the terminal block for the thermocouples for proper temperature sensing.
All the details of updating the firmware appear on a wiki, and the only thing required to update the firmware is a serial/USB/UART converter. A much better solution than ripping out the controller and replacing it with a custom one.
However I am curious how this would compare with a home brew controller with a modified IR oven. A buddy of mine and I re-tasked a convection oven last year with an MSP430 launchpad ( MSP430G2553 ) + custom expansion board. using pseudo PWM to control the AC in. While it worked, and had an LCD display to output important information. It had no where near as much control as this. Especially considering I only implemented a 4 stage profile . . . this looks to be 48 separate stages ? Very nice.
Yep, not a typo.. It certainly looks all wrong to pull Vcc low though! :) It was way simpler to just hook the 1-wire sensor up with parasite power (note that it needs strong pull-up during conversion, so no other communication can happen during that time. My expanded thermocouple interface will have to be powered as there are multiple sensors on the bus doing conversions simultaneously.
From a thermal and easy of use point of view, just connect the *optional* Vcc pin to ground. The extra pin would help a tiny bit on thermal conduction of the ground connection. I would have used a surface mount part and glue it to the underside of the pads to the terminal block to get much better thermal contact.
A compiled and ready-to-go hex-file has not been published yet as at least some method of selecting and modifying the profiles will have to be implemented, as it is right now the reflow code has to have the profile compiled in. This will change shortly, but as I will be on a business trip to Tokyo next week it will have to wait a few days until I get back.
Great work, I am following this closely, as I just received the small oven, T-962 built January 2015, very fresh. Yes, the earth connection is made on painted face. Replaced the masking tape, Installed the cold junction compensation DS18B20 and started flashing. I tried USB to serial dongle on Win7. I manage to get the blank screen with n_ISP tied to gnd. Does not respond to F1 down on power up. In the LCP2000 utility I cannot select the LCP2134 and cannot communicate. With FlashMagic no luck either. I suspected my USB serial dongle, so I dusted off an old laptop with WinXP and serial port, made serial cable and tried that, still no luck. Any suggestions there please?
On the other side, I am planning to add a little DC fan with stainless propeller, mounted on stainless tube to minimise the heat transfer to the motor shaft. It will be sitting at the top of the oven, on sub-plate, fan in-between the two lamps with a shroud to direct the circulation. I want to make it in to IR/convection oven as the big boys do, as drawing fresh air in with the large fan does not appeal to me. What do you think?
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