Support    StimTracker    Updating StimTracker’s Firmware

Version History

The microcontroller inside StimTracker contains firmware (embedded software) that is occasionally updated to add new features or fix bugs.

Version

Changes and Additions

Release Date

2.1.0

 

Initial firmware when StimTracker first shipped

 

Oct 2017

 

2.1.3

Stability improvements and minor new features

Feb 22, 2018

Updating the firmware consists of two main steps:

  • 1. Downloading the necessary files
  • 2. Running the software to update the firmware

Step 1 – Downloading the Necessary Files

The update can be performed on a Windows computer only. Two files will need to be downloaded. We recommend that you save both of them on the desktop to make them easier to find later on.

The first file is the firmware itself:

This is a compressed file in the .HEX format. Some browsers will automatically convert it to a .HEX file, others won’t. To be sure, find your “Downloads” folder. If you see a file named “st2g_180220_s22_3_v2.1.3.zip”, then right-click on it. From the menu that appears, choose Extract All….

The second file that needs to be downloaded is Xidon 2 (pronounced Zydon):

Depending on the browser, you may also need to use the Windows’ Extract All… feature as noted above.

Xidon 2 is still in development, and as such, there is no installer. To complete the installation:

  • Open the Xidon 2 folder that you downloaded
  • Look for an application named “vc_redist.x86-14.0.24212” and run it.

Step 2 – Updating the Firmware

These steps assume that the USB driver is installed.

1.

Connect StimTracker to the computer via USB cable and turn it on.

2.

In the Xidon 2 folder, double-click on the “Xidon” application to run it.

3.

In Xidon, click on the Search for Device button; Xidon will detect your device if the USB driver is installed.

4.

From the Device menu, choose Update Firmware. Xidon will:

  • a. Set StimTracker in a special mode that allows it to be reprogrammed. All the LEDs turn off.
  • b. Launch “PIC32 Bootloader”, the chip manufacturer’s application that will actually update the firmware. It will initially look like the screen below:

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.

Use the Windows’ Device Manager to determine which COM port the device is connected to. You can run the Device Manager by clicking on the Start icon in Windows and typing “device manager” in the search box.

Once opened, expand the section “Ports (COM & LPT)”. The device will be listed in that section, named “USB Serial Port” and followed by the COM port number.

Back in the PIC32 Bootloader application, click on the “Com Port” menu and select the COM port, COM3 in this example.

Click on the “Baud Rate” menu and select “19200”.

Click on the Connect button; you will see a “Device connected” message.

Click on the Load Hex File button. When the application prompts you to locate the file, select the file that was downloaded earlier.

10.

Click on the Erase-Program-Verify button. This will start the firmware updating process and takes about a minute. The updating is complete with the application displays “Verification successful”.

Note: On occasion, the PIC32 Bootloader application will show a message indicating that the process failed. This is usually not true. If you get this message and StimTracker fails to run afterwards, please contact Cedrus.

11.

At this point, StimTracker needs to be restarted. Xidon also needs to be restarted.

Your StimTracker is now ready to use.

Last revision: March 21, 2018

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