DSP7-PA
Power Amplifier Controller
Firmware Update, Bootloader

Firmware Updates can be flashed into the DSP-7's microcontroller via a simple serial interface and a PC.

Connections:

The board has an RS-232 serial interface which can be directly connected to a PC's serial port.

you can use a usual USB-serial converter cable which has a 9 pin connector.

Build a cable with this wiring:

Funktion Sub-D Connector Pin connect to this PCB pin
Ground 5 GND
Data from PC to DSP-7 3 RxD
Data from DSP-7 to PC 2 TxD

 

Starting the built-in bootloader:

* switch OFF the 12v power supply
* short these two pins with a jumper
* switch ON the 12v power supply

the display will be off and dark. Now the bootloader is running and waiting for commands via the serial interface.

 

Bootloader Software:

The DSP-7 uses an ARM microcontroller, the STM32F427V.
This controller can be flashed with a couple of tools for Windows and Linux.

Linux:

I have successfully tested the tool from:  http://stm32flash.sourceforge.net 

You can download and compile it by yourself, or HERE is the compiled version.

Windows:

Please see this page for instructions about flashing DSP-7 under Windows.

 

using stm32flash under LINUX:

Reading the memory:

It is always a good idea to make a backup of the actual version. Start stm32flash in a terminal using this command line:

./stm32flash -r dsp7_`date +"%d%m%y"`.bin -S 0x08000000:0x100000 -b 57600 /dev/ttyUSB0

This will generate a binary file with the firmware, the pictures and all settings, so it is a complete backup. Be patient, this process takes some time.

Writing new firmware:

ATTENTION: flashing a new firmware will override your setting. Before flashing, write your settings on a piece of paper: the values in the calibration menu, the limits and system settings. After flashing the new firmware you have to enter this settings manually into the DSP-7. Also, its a good idea to recalibrate the touch screen.

download the actual version from HERE.

Then flash it using this command line:

./stm32flash/stm32flash -w  firmwarefilename.bin   -S 0x08000000:0x100000 -v /dev/ttyUSB0

when you are done with reading or writing firmware then remove the jumper and switch off/on the DSP-7 controller.