Introduction

The HardwareUpdate Tool is used to program Firmware (FW) and FPGA images to the storage memory on the Demo2X and Demo3 baseboards. Please note that the screen shots will be for a Demo3 board; any major differences to Demo2X will be highlighted, otherwise the display name will be "Demo2X".

Note; For Demo2X boards, FW version 28 or higher is required to run on Windows 7 systems. FW versions lower than 28 must be updated on an XP system before being used on a Windows 7 system.

The tool is GUI based, and can be started via the "start" menu:

All Programs – Aptina Imaging – Tools – HardwareUpdate Tool

Once launched, this dialog will appear

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Select "Next" to continue.

Note: "Prog fw:" applies to Demo3 only.

The main screen displays the current revisions of the FW and FPGA, and allows you to select which one to check for a new revision.

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Select the radio button of the item to verify, then select "Next" when that button is available.

Note that "Current Boot Firmware" applies to Demo3 only.

"Firmware Information" screen when no update is available

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If the item is already at the newest revision, the "Auto Update" item is not selectable.

You can either select "Back" to choose another item, or select "Leave the firmware as is" and then select "Next" to exit the application.
Advanced users can select "Let me choose a new file", but this is only recommended when directly by an Aptina support representative – using an incorrect file can render the baseboard unusable and require it be returned to Aptina for repair.

"Firmware Information" screen when an update is available

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The "Current" and "Latest" Firmware fields display those revision values.

If the "Auto update" button is selectable, then the FW needs to be updated.
Select it and then select "Next".

The "Updating" screen appears next

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Select the "Start Firmware Update" button to start the update progress.

The screen will be updated as the update procedure progresses

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The "Next" button will appear when the update procedure has completed.

The "Finish" screen will appear next
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Select the "Finish" button to exit.

Unplug and reinstall the USB cable to reboot the board.

The entire process should be performed again to verify the other items for the baseboard.

Recovery Instructions

It is possible that a Stage-2 FW update could render the Demo3 inoperative.

Here's a link to Recovery Instructions in case that happens.