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reFlash: How do I update my board?

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reFlash: How do I update my board?

To update a board with reFlash, make sure first that you have all the things you need, then:

  1. Turn off power to the board and exit SPLat/PC (the process may fail if you don't do this)
  2. Physically connect the board to your computer and power it up.
  3. Launch the reFLash program. The reFlash program contains its own built in instruction (Help) screen. When you have studied that screen you can close it to expose the main control screen. You can always get the help screen back by clicking the help button. (You can also double-click the rfl file. When reFlash is installed it sets up the association between *.rfl and reFlash. You can then skip step 4)
  4. Connect to the board by selecting the correct COM port. The board details should be displayed, including the board type (as a hexadecimal code) and the current Firmware revision in the board.
  5. Browse to the rfl file. When you have selected the file its information should be displayed.
  6. Very carefully confirm that the board types for the board itself and the rfl file match. Do not continue if they mismatch, unless you know absolutely for certain that there is a good reason for the mismatch (typically this would be if the board is to be reprogrammed for a totally different function, say converting a regular SPLat controller into a non-SPLat, special purpose function). From a reFlash point of view, board upgrades involving a different type number make them DIFFERENT. For example, reFlashing an MS12 with MS120 firmware will damage the board.
  7. Confirm that the firmware revision of the rfl file is an advance on what's already in the board. Carefully check the revision history and any notes that are associated with the rfl file.
  8. When you are absolutely sure you wish to proceed, click the red BURN button. There is no going back once you do this.
  9. The reFlash process will take a short while. When it is completed the board information display should match the rfl file information.

If anything should go wrong during the "burn", say the power fails, you can simply repeat the process. There is a small program inside the CPU chip, called a loader, that controls the reFlash process, and never gets erased.

Note: Once the reFlash utility is installed you should be able to double click the rfl file and the program will launch itself.

If the board contains a program that uses the serial port, for example for ModBus or SimpleHMI, then it will only be able to connected to the reFlasher for 10 seconds (typically) after power-up. After that time the serial port will become deaf to the reFlash protocol.

Once a board has been connected to the reFlash program, it must be powered off and on again before it will connect to SPLat/PC. reFlashing will delete any SPLatWare program in the board and replace it with a "null" program, so you must download your SPLatWare after a reFlash.

Note regarding custom SPLat boards

With custom SPLat boards that we may supply a rfl file that includes the SPLatWare, so a field upgrade can be performed in one operation. Check the notes that apply to the particular rfl file.

Production mode

The reFlash utility V3.1 has a new production mode. This simply bypasses the initial warning and information screens and "gets on with the job". To invoke production mode:

  1. Launch the program.
  2. Click past the warning and information screens
  3. Hold down CTRL+SHIFT and click the Help button.
  4. Close the program.

When you launch the program again it will be in production mode. Repeat the procedure to turn off production mode.