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We want our end user to have as easy and automatic experience as possible when they have to upgrade your product in the field. USB Bootloader Pro is designed to provide that capability with Operating Mode 0: End User Upgrade mode.
This is very easy to set up: just edit configuration file BL.ini with a text editor like Notepad, and change the first line in the [General] section to:
OperatingMode=0
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As we showed in the previous tutorial, the device must be changed to bootloader mode before we can perform a field upgrade.
That is, you the developer must decide on some special thing that the user must do, like pressing a secret button or sending some special values to the device, to get your target firmware to jump to the bootloader code in the device.
Once the user has done that, and has connected his device to the PC via the USB, he can run the BLPro.exe program. As we said in an earlier tutorial, this program should be in the same directory as files BL.ini, logo.bmp (or logo.jpg or logo.gif), AND the hex file that contains the new firmware upgrade.
(In our case, that firmware upgrade file was called AryTst5_2550.hex.)
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When the user runs BLPro.exe in End User Upgrade mode, he sees only your logo, with no other tab pages.
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The menus are much simpler as well, since the whole process is automated.
For instance, the File menu only contains a single item: Exit .
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The Program menu only has a single enabled menu item as well: Program .
All the user needs to do to perform a field upgrade is this set of steps:
- Perform the action that will place the device into bootloader mode
- Connect the device to the PC via a USB cable. (USB Bootloader Pro is a HID device, so the PC will always recognize the device without having to load special device drivers.)
- Run the PC program BLPro.exe
- Click the Program | Program menu item, and watch the program upgrade and restart his target device firmware automatically.
- Exit the BLPro.exe program.
- (Optional) Disconnect the device from the USB cable.
That's it! Field upgrades are safe, automatic, and painless.
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When we click the Program | Program menu item, BLPro.exe does the whole process automatically:
- It verifies that the expected target processor type is in the device.
- It reads, and verifies the format of, the hex file that contains the new firmware version.
- It erases the old target firmware.
- It programs the new target firmware into the device.
- It verifies that the device was reprogrammed correctly.
- If all steps were successful, it causes the device to run the new upgraded firmware.
The user sees a few progress bars as the process completes, then he sees this message box:
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Then, the end user will hear a few beeps from the PC as the device is switched away from bootloader mode into running the newly upgraded target firmware, and this final message box is displayed:
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When the user clicks the OK button on that message box, the process is complete, and the BLPro program shows that the bootloader has disconnected itself.
He may now exit from the BLPro.exe program: his device has been successfully upgraded and restarted.
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USB Bootloader Pro provides your end user with a simple, fast, automatic, and professional-looking program for upgrading your product in the field.
Because the program displays YOUR company name and logo, he is reassured by the professional looking software that you have provided for this purpose, and is confident that he is using the correct software and following the correct procedure.
Because the program is simple and automatic enough for non-technical end users, it allows them to upgrade your product in the field without having to call your company for technical support.
And because your company didn't have to write a field upgrade program like this, USB Bootloader Pro keeps your costs low: both your development costs, and your support costs too.
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