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AM2434: Guidance on USB DFU Firmware Update Process for Custom AM2434 Board

Part Number: AM2434
Other Parts Discussed in Thread: SYSCONFIG, UNIFLASH

Tool/software:

Dear TI Support Team,

I am currently working with a custom board based on the AM2434 SoC, designed following the AM243x-LP LaunchPad reference. On the LaunchPad, I was able to successfully perform firmware updates using the USB DFU method via the ROM bootloader.

Now that I have moved to the custom hardware, I would like to clarify the steps required to enable firmware updates via USB DFU on this platform. Specifically, I would appreciate your guidance on the following points:

Once the device BOOT UP,  I planned to upload one LED blink code. For that what are the steps need to follow to upload code using USB-DFU? We resembled the similar pins for flash memory communication as like in the  AM243x-LP.

  1. Flash Programming Support:

    • Does TI provide a USB DFU-compatible flash writer or flash driver for the AM2434, or will I need to develop custom flash handling code for my board?

    • If a flash driver is required, is there a reference example or source code available that supports USB DFU + flash programming?

  2. Customization for Custom Board:

    • Are there any specific software or hardware modifications required (e.g.SysConfig changes, clock settings) to get USB DFU working reliably on custom hardware?

Any documentation, sample code, or application notes that address the above would be greatly appreciated. My goal is to replicate the reliable DFU-based firmware update flow from the LaunchPad on our custom hardware.

Thank you for your support.

  • Hi Nivetha,

    Could you check if you see your board listed by using dfu-util -l command on the host, while the board is in the DFU boot mode. 

    Best Regards,

    Meet.

  • Hi Meet Thakar, 

    Thank you for your earlier suggestion to try the dfu-util -l command to check for DFU device detection. As mentioned in my original query, I am looking for guidance on performing a USB DFU firmware update for a custom AM2434-based board.

    At this point, we do not have physical access to the board at our development site. However, we will soon be visiting the PCB fabrication/testing facility to perform the initial bring-up and testing of the board directly on-site.

    To prepare for this, I would appreciate some guidance on the following points:

    1. If dfu-util -l does not detect the device, what would be the appropriate next steps to troubleshoot the issue?

    2. What are the recommended procedures or test cases to verify that the board is functioning correctly and is ready for firmware flashing via USB DFU?

    3. Should we prepare any custom scripts, binaries, or configurations in advance to streamline testing on-site?

    Since this will be our first opportunity to access and test the physical hardware, we aim to make the most of this session and would like to ensure all necessary steps and contingencies are accounted for.

    Looking forward to your guidance.

  • Hi Nivetha,

    I don't think there would be any customizations needed in the software for USB DFU specifically. 

    Generally, there are no test procedure defined for this, but if everything is taken care of from the hardware side then you should see your device listed after using dfu-util, from the software point of view you have to take care of the following steps mentioned in the MCU+SDK documentation: AM243x MCU+ SDK: Download, Install and Setup SDK and Tools to setup the USB DFU

    If a flash driver is required, is there a reference example or source code available that supports USB DFU + flash programming?

    You can refer to the SBL DFU UNIFLASH/SBL DFU examples available in the MCU+SDK:

    AM243x MCU+ SDK: SBL DFU Uniflash

    AM243x MCU+ SDK: SBL DFU

    If you are planning to use DFU as a flash writer then you will have to make some changes if you are using a different Flash part than the one used in the TI EVM, please refer to this guide: AM243x MCU+ SDK: Adding Support For a Custom Flash Device