Here is how to update the OpenSDA bootloader firmware found on Freescale Freedom boards. Older bootloader firmware revisions did not load OpenSDA apps correctly under Linux or Windows 8.1, and thus a firmware upgrade is required for users working in those environments. If OpenSDA is not working, this is most likely the issue. This update is for the bootloader firmware that lets you drag-and-drop new apps onto OpenSDA.
For an overview of what OpenSDA is, see the OpenSDA overview. Also review the OpenSDA User’s Guide.
Determine the OpenSDA Firmware Revision:
Different Freedom boards will have different OpenSDA bootloader firmware revisions. Some boards will work out-of-the-box in Linux, while others will require an upgrade. At the time of this writing, bootloader version 1.11 is the latest firmware.
- Hold down the reset button on your FRDM board
- While holding the button down, plug the USB cable into OpenSDA USB socket, and then release the reset button
- The board will enumerate as BOOTLOADER
- Explore the new drive, and double click on SDA_INFO.HTM to see your current firmware revision.
- You can see in this example, the bootloader firmware version is 1.10
Upgrade the OpenSDA Firmware:
If you are not running the latest firmware and need to use the board with Linux or Windows 8.1, you need to then update the firmware. You must do this on an OS supported by the current firmware version on your board (typically Windows XP/Vista/7). However after this one initial time, the board will be usable from then on in any OS environment.
- Download the latest OpenSDA Firmware Apps zip
- Read the BOOTUPDATEAPP_release_notes.txt file
- Extract the OpenSDA_Bootloader_Update_App_v111_2013_12_11.zip inside the original zip file to get access to BOOTUPDATEAPP_Pemicro_v111.SDA
- Hold down the reset button on your FRDM board
- While holding the button down, plug the USB cable into OpenSDA USB socket, and then release the reset button
- The board will enumerate as BOOTLOADER
- Drag and drop the BOOTUPDATEAPP_Pemicro_V111.SDA file into the BOOTLOADER drive
- After it finishes copying, unplug the FRDM board, and then replug it back in. This is the point where the bootloader firmware is updated.
- Wait for it to enumerate as a drive labeled BOOTLOADER (this will happen automatically and reset should not be held down during this process)
- Open up the drive and double click on SDA_INFO.HTM to ensure the bootloader is now updated to 1.11
Load an OpenSDA application:
The bootloader firmware update process will erase the previous OpenSDA application you had loaded, so you will need to load it again using the standard application loading process. Starting with v1.14, the Mass Storage Device (MSD) flash programmer application also includes P&E debug and serial capabilities. So there is no need to load separate OpenSDA applications for these features anymore.
- Hold down the reset button on your FRDM board
- While holding the button down, plug the USB cable into OpenSDA USB socket, and then release the reset button
- The board will enumerate as BOOTLOADER
- Drag and drop the appropriate OpenSDA application from the OpenSDA Firmware Apps zip downloaded earlier (such as MSD-DEBUG-FRDM-KL26Z_Pemicro_v114.SDA for a FRDM-KL26Z board) into the BOOTLOADER drive
- Wait for it to copy
- Unplug, then re-plug in the board
- Now the OpenSDA MSD/Debug/CDC app will run (you will see a FRDM-KL26Z drive come up)
