
Descriptions of the Use Cases 9/89
NXHX 52-JTAG | Getting Started
DOC131004GS02EN | Revision 2 | English | 2013-11 | Released | Public © Hilscher 2013
2.2.1 Loadable Firmware and Second Stage Bootloader
Standard Loadable Firmware in NXF format can not be booted directly by
the ROM code (ROM Loader) residing in the netX controller. Firmware in
NXF format needs to be started by a software module called Second
Stage Bootloader (SSBL).
Therefore, operating your NXHX 52-JTAG with LFW requires the SSBL file
on the board. The SSBL must be downloaded and running on the NXHX
board before you can download or boot any LFW file.
An SSBL file, the NETX51-BSL.bin, is stored in the Tools\2nd Stage
Bootloader directory of the product DVD.
Important: Please note that this NETX51-BSL.bin SSBL stored in the
Tools\2nd Stage Bootloader directory needs to be patched before it
can be used on the NXHX 52-JTAG board. Instructions for this can be
found in the README file in the root directory of the DVD.
Note also that there is a special SSBL file needed for the EtherCAT LFW
example provided on the DVD. Thus, if you intend to use the
ECSV4_52.nxf EtherCAT firmware, you must download the
NXHX52JTAG_2ndStageLoader_V1.4.12.1.bin file stored in the
Examples and API\Targets\LFW\1.LFW netX Toolkit
\Firmware\ETHERCAT\2nd Stage Loader directory of the DVD
beforehand.
The SSBL can be downloaded and stored “non-volatile” in the serial flash of
the NXHX 52-JTAG board. After download to flash, the SSBL will be started
by the ROM loader after every power-on reset of the board (given that flash
boot mode is configured). The SSBL then in turn starts the firmware.
2.2.2 Downloading SSBL and LFW to Serial Flash of NXHX 52-JTAG
Board
There are several ways to download (“flash”) the Second Stage Bootloader
and the Loadable Firmware to the serial flash memory of the NXHX 52-
JTAG board from a Windows PC.
Hilscher recommends to use the netX Bootwizard tool and serial interface
(USB or COM Port). Instructions for this are provided in the Downloading
Executable Binary Image to Serial Flash of the NXHX 52-JTAG via USB
section on page 33 of this Getting Started Guide. An installation program
for the Bootwizard can be found on the product DVD in the
Tools\Bootwizard directory.
Like the SSBL, the LFW can also be flashed to the board from a Windows
PC via serial interface (USB or COM Port). Hilscher recommends to use the
netHOST Device Test Application for this. Instructions for this method are
provided in the Downloading NXF Firmware to Serial Flash of the NXHX
52-JTAG via USB section on page 44. The netHOST Device Test
Application can be found on the product DVD in the Tools\netX
Transport directory.
If you are using a Windows PC as host device for the NXHX board, you can
also download the firmware from the PC via PCI and host interface (i. e.
parallel Dual-Port Memory). You need an adapter board and a cable for
this, which can be purchased from Hilscher. This method is described in the
Downloading NXF Firmware via PCI and Host Interface section on page 51.