SEGGER FLASHER PRO XL

Supported devices

SEGGER Flashers support a wide range of CPU cores and

 an even wider range of different devices, such as SPI-Flash devices.

This includes support for tens of thousands of devices in hundreds of device families with billions of devices programmed.

Flasher PRO XL has a very flexible target and programming interface.

Based on an FPGA with an integrated CPU core, it has multiple dedicated soft cores  controlling the target interface, and a virtual processor running the flash loader.

This concept makes it possible to adapt to almost any system for ISP programming purposes. Dedicated flash loaders, which can be easily downloaded to the programmer, make it possible to program almost any device. This flexibility allows using the debug or dedicated programming interfaces of microcontrollers to program the on-chip memories as well as the programming of the off-chip parallel or (Q)SPI flashes. (Q)SPI can also be programmed directly.

Software

All software is included free of charge. It comes with the flash loaders for all supported devices.

Updates

Future software and firmware updates as well as any new flash loaders for target devices that will be added, are also free of charge.

• No licensing costs, even for newly supported devices.
• No hidden costs.
• No future costs.

Cross-platform

As a cross-platform solution, Flasher PRO XL comes with the setup and control software for Linux, macOS and Windows. Software and firmware updates are included. Similarly, use on all currently supported target devices, and any that will be added, is also included.

Extra-large memory

The Flasher PRO XL can program devices with up to 2 GB of memory, even in stand-alone mode, and it comes with the option of memory expansion. If more than 2 GB is needed, it can easily be adapted to the customers' needs using an industrial-grade microSD card to cover even the largest of systems.

High-speed programming

Flasher programmers are designed to achieve top programming speeds, coming very close to the theoretical minimum programming time of the target hardware. In many cases, more than 95 % of the maximum speed can be achieved, often resulting in a programming speed of more than 1 MB/s.

Turbo mode

For microcontrollers which are programmed via debug interface and which allow memory access while the CPU is running, Flasher is able to minimize overhead by simultaneously downloading and programming. This “turbo mode” makes it possible to reach speeds not achievable by other programmers.

Flexible control and monitoring

The Flasher PRO XL is easy to set up and operate using SEGGER software tools. It can be operated in either stand-alone or PC-based programming mode. In stand-alone mode it can be operated via remote control (USB, UART, Ethernet) or by the push of a button or TTL triggers.

Serial number assignment

Many modern devices require some pieces of unique information. Flasher PRO XL allows the programming of data that differs amongst other otherwise identical units. Typical examples are things like serial numbers, ethernet hardware addresses (MAC), and digital signatures, and license keys that enable/disable product features. All these options can be adapted from device to device by applying patch data to the original firmware.

Built-in web server

The Flasher PRO XL offers options to check status information remotely and to configure the device.

Remote monitoring

The Flasher PRO XL comes with SEGGER's built-in web server. It is designed to present important device and current operation data for a quick overview and, additionally, to check the status of the programmer, providing information about:

• Installed firmware version
• Hardware version
• Power consumption
• IP configuration
• Network load
• Current operation and status
• Programming interface in use

This may be important for fast troubleshooting through code verification, for instance, as it is when executing a cyclic redundancy check (CRC) that helps to detect errors during data transmission or storage.

If needed, the built-in web server's programmer settings can be checked and adjusted. These could, for example, be parameters like:

• Nickname
• Subnet mask
• Gateway

Built-in FTP server

The Flasher PRO XL also includes the emFTP server to upload firmware and configuration or download log files.

Remote file update

Using the emFTP server enables easy upload of configuration files and firmware images. By connecting to the emFTP server using an FTP client of choice, files can be transferred between client and Flasher.

Having access to the Flasher configuration via FTP enables configuration of multiple Flashers from a central production control server. This interface can be also used to make the production line part of a CI/CD system to push stable releases into the current production.

Log file

Analyzing the reliability of the production line is an important task, when it comes to increasing the production frequency. This purpose is supported by the built-in FTP server, which lets users check the history of past programming cycles via log file download. Each entry provides the following information:

• Result (success/failure)
• Duration
• Serial number (if programmed)

For failed programming cycles, the log file provides additional information for quick troubleshooting (e.g. failed to open Flasher config file).