This document describes the usage of Serial Download Protocol Host (sdphost), a PC host application.
The sdphost tool is a useful tool in the factory programming and manufacturing process. It can be used to test and develop the automation software and test setups. It can be invoked from other applications too.
This document introduces the serial download protocol, typical factory programming setup, and usage of the tool and description of its sub-command line interface. It also provides a set of example usages of sdphost tool and its sub-command line arguments with a device.
Serial Download Protocol is a set of commands supported by NXP i.MX RT devices in the Boot ROM application’s serial download mode.
The purpose of serial download protocol is to provide means to download bootable images from a PC to the device’s internal or external RAM memory. There are a set of commands to read and write to a memory/register unit, read status of the last command, download images to a given address in internal/external memory, and provide the address to jump and execute the downloaded image.
The sdphost tool is used in the development phase of the device firmware application, manufacturing, and factory programming process.
The sdphost tool would run on the PC host, and the device would run in Boot ROM serial download mode. The MCU has BOOT_MODE pins that can be used to boot the device in serial downloader mode. The device’s reference manual provides the documentation on booting the device in serial downloader mode.
The sdphost tool communicates with NXP i.MX RT devices connected on the host PC via USB-HID or UART device.
sdphost could be connected to MCU over USB HID.
USB device identification in SPSDK
sdphost could be connected to MCU over UART.
UART device identification in SPSDK
spsdk.apps.sdphost:main