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How to update InSight USB Link firmware

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Although most customers should never need to change the firmware found on their InSight USB Link programmers, it is possible to update the firmware on the USB Link's internal Atmel ARM MCU using the publicly available SAM-BA toolkit. This article explains the firmware update process for the USB Link.

Prerequisites

  1. Make sure you have a PC available that is running the Windows XP operating system. (Windows 2000 will not work for this process, and Windows Vista has not been tested as of this writing.)
  2. Install Atmel SAM-BA tools, which, as of this writing, are located on Atmel's website here: http://www.atmel.com/dyn/resources/prod_documents/Install%20AT91-ISP%20v1.9.exe
  3. Locate necessary firmware (a *.bin file). This is typically found in your InSight USB Link software installation (downloaded from www.ember.com) but may also be supplied by Ember support personnel.

Procedure

  1. Unplug InSight USB Link from all power sources.
  2. Using a pin or a paper-clip, press the hidden button located inside the pin-hole on the bottom side of the USB Link and while keeping it pressed insert USB Link into a USB port or other source of power. Do not unpress the button. (Remember, this is a point of no return. If you do this, but not complete the rest of process, your USB Link device will be unusable. Make sure you really have all you need before you do this.)
  3. After USB Link is powered by USB power, make sure that you keep the button pressed for at least 10 seconds. This copies the ROM contents into the FLASH.
  4. Unplug USB link from all power sources.
  5. Normally plug in USB link into the PC USB port, without pressing the hidden button. At this point, if you go to your device manager, you should see that you have an "Atmel USB device" plugged in. The USB link will no longer act as an Ember device.
  6. Run the SAM-BA toolkit.
  7. Using SAM-BA user interface, upload the firmware file (*.bin) into the USB link.
    1. Run sam-ba
    2. Select usb\ARM0 device from the initial dialog
    3. Select AT91SAM7S256-EK board from the initial dialog
    4. Select the "Browse" button next to "SendFile" button
    5. Select lcp.bin on the file dialog
    6. Click "SendFile" button
    7. Wait for confirmation of success in the terminal below (It's pretty fast, usually < 2 seconds.)
  8. Unplug USB Link from the PC.
  9. Plug it back in. At this point the device should again act as an Ember device.

If you encounter any problems with this procedure, please log a ticket.