Beta Channel

Beta Channel

The beta channel gets new features and fixes before the stable release. A beta build can have bugs, and a beta feature can change or go away without notice. Use the stable release for work that matters. Refer to Install.

A beta version has a b and a number at the end, for example 3.1.0b7. On GitHub, a beta release has the label "Pre-release", never "Latest". firestarter --version shows the CLI version. firestarter fw shows the firmware version.

Install the beta

1. Make a separate virtual environment. This keeps your stable install as it is.

   python3 -m venv firestarter-beta
   source firestarter-beta/bin/activate   # Windows: firestarter-beta\Scripts\activate

2. Install the newest pre-release of the CLI.

   pip install --pre firestarter

3. Install the firmware. Replace <board> with uno, leonardo or uno328pb. Refer to Install.

   firestarter fw -i -b <board>

A beta CLI selects beta firmware automatically. You do not have to add --pre. To install a stable firmware from a beta CLI, add --stable or --firmware-version X.Y.Z.

What the beta has today

These features are in 3.1.0b7 and not in 3.1.0:

• firestarter cal --vcc <volts> calibrates the voltage readings of one board against a multimeter reading of the 5 V pin. cal shows the stored value. cal --reset sets the nominal value again. It needs firmware 3.1.0b4 or later.
• A new VPP acceptance window: the high limit is the target plus 3 % or plus 500 mV, whichever is larger. In the database, only chips with a VPP of 18 V or more get a different limit.
• The firmware warns once for each command when the measured VCC is not plausible.
• The 24-pin 5 V EEPROMs on the DIP24_2816 pin map (AT28C16, X2816A and others) write one byte at a time, and erase refuses them. AT28C04, AT28C16, 28C04A, 28C16A and UPD28C04 are supported. No chip of this family is validated on real hardware yet.
• config --rev accepts only the revision codes -1 to 5. info -c prints the real database entry of the chip. list -v is removed.
• More dev tools for bench work: reg, addr, adc, consistency-check, write-cycle, fault-inject, lock-status and validate-family. The stable release has only dev read and dev test.

The CHANGELOG lists the changes.

Go back to stable

1. Deactivate the beta environment, or remove it.

2. In your stable environment, run pip install firestarter.

3. Install the stable firmware. -f installs it also when the beta firmware has a higher version number.

   firestarter fw -i -f -b <board>

Report what you find

Run firestarter dev test <chip> on a chip and send the report. Refer to Testing Chips. For other problems, refer to Contributing.