OctoPrint Firmware Updater Plugin

The Firmware Updater plugin can be used to flash pre-compiled firmware images to your printer from a local file or URL.

Documentation Index

1. Supported Boards
2. Plugin Installation
3. Plugin Configuration
4. Flashing Firmware
5. Advanced Options
   1. Customizing the Command Lines
   2. Pre and Post Flash Settings
   3. Plugin Options
6. Troubleshooting
7. Donations

Supported Boards

The plugin supports a variety of boards, based on the MCU (processor) they have:

Description	Examples	Flash Method
Atmel ATmega 8-bit MCUs	RAMPS, Sanguinololu, Melzi, Anet, Creality, Ender, Prusa MK3, Prusa MMU, Prusa CW1 many others	avrdude
Atmel AT90USB 8-bit MCUs	Printrboard	dfuprog
NXP LPC176x 32-bit MCUs	MKS SBASE, SKR v1.1, v1.3, v1.4, v1.4 Turbo etc.	lpc176x or marlinbft
Atmel SAM 32-bit MCUs	Arduino DUE, etc.	bossac
STM32 32-bit MCUs (via SD card)	SKR Pro v1.1, SKR Mini E3 v2, etc.	lpc176x or marlinbft
STM32 32-bit MCUs (ST Bootloader)	FYSETC Cheetah	stm32flash
STM32 32-bit MCUs (DFU Mode)	MKS Rumba 32	dfu-util
OpenBLT Bootloader	Any board with the OpenBLT bootloader	lpc176x or bootcommander

Please open a Github issue if you would like a new board or MCU to be supported. If it's a new type of board which requires hardware testing please consider making a donation to help fund the costs.

Plugin Installation

Install manually using this URL:

https://github.com/wesk1/OctoPrint-FirmwareUpdater/archive/master.zip

Using OctoPrint's Software Update plugin you can choose one of three Release Channels to follow:

Release Channel	Description
Stable (Recommended)	Updated least frequently, features are stable
Release Candidate	Updated when new features are ready for testing
Development	Updated frequently, may be unstable, used for beta-testing new features

If you report a bug or request a new feature you will probalby be asked to test development or RC builds.

Plugin Configuration

The appropriate flashing tool for the board type needs to be selected. See the table in the supported boards section to choose the appropriate method.

Note: If your board is updated by copying a file named firmware.bin to the SD card and resetting the board, you should use the lpc176x method. This applies to SKR Pro v1.1 or SKR Mini E3 v2 boards and probably others.

Board-Specific Configuration

Plugin settings vary depending on the flashing tool and are documented on the page for each flash method. Follow the instructions on the appropriate page to install and configure any necessary tools:

• Atmega (AVR) based boards
• AT90USB based boards
• LPC176x and other boards which are updated from the SD card
  • Option 1 - File copy using SD mount
  • Option 2 - File transfer using serial protocol
• SAM based boards
• STM32 based boards which do not update from the SD card
• STM32 based board with DFU mode
• Any board with an OpenBLT bootloader

Flashing Firmware

Once the plugin is configured, flashing firmware is a simple operation:

1. Select the COM port to communicate with the board
2. Select a firmware file, either located on the filesystem or via a URL
3. Click the appropriate Flash from button
4. Wait for the firmware update to complete

Advanced Options

Customizing the Command Lines

The command lines for avrdude, bossac, and dfu-programmer can be customized by editing the string in the advanced settings for the flash method. Text in braces ({}) will be substituted for preconfigured values if present.

String	Description
{avrdude}	Full path to the avrdude executable1
{bossac}	Full path to the bossac executable2
{dfuprogrammer}	Full path to the dfu-programmer executable3
{mcu}	MCU type4
{programmer}	Avrdude programmer1
{port}	COM port the printer is connected to
{conffile}	Full path to the avrdude configuration file1
{baudrate}	Serial port speed1
{disableverify}	Switch to disable write verification
{firmware}	Path to the uploaded firmware file

1. avrdude flash method only
2. bossac flash method only
3. dfu-programmer flash method only
4. avrdude and dfu-programmer flash methods

Command Line Defaults

Command lines can be returned to the default by clicking the Reset button.

Avrdude

{avrdude} -v -q -p {mcu} -c {programmer} -P {port} -D -C {conffile} -b {baudrate} {disableverify} -U flash:w:{firmware}:i

Bossac

{bossac} -i -p {port} -U true -e -w {disableverify} -b {firmware} -R

Dfu-programmer

Erase: {bossac} -i -p {port} -U true -e -w {disableverify} -b {firmware} -R Flash:

Pre and Post-flash Settings

The flash sequence is:

1. Execute the pre-flash system command(s) on the host
2. Send the pre-flash gcode commands(s) to the printer
3. Pause for the pre-flash gcode delay
4. Disconnect the printer
5. Execute the firmware update
6. Pause for the post-flash delay
7. Execute the post-flash system command(s) on the host
8. Reconnect the printer
9. Send the post-flash gcode command(s) to the printer

Option	Description
Pre-flash System Command	Specify a system command or script to run on the host prior to flashing. Multiple commands can be separated with a semicolon.
Pre-flash Gcode	Specify gcode commands to run on the printer prior to flashing. Multiple commands can be separated with a semicolon. Commands are only run if the printer is connected when flashing is initiated
Pre-flash Gcode Delay	Delay after sending pre-flash gcode. Allows time for code to complete before initiating flash.
Post-flash Delay	This setting can be used to insert a delay of up to 180s after the firmware has been uploaded. This can be useful if the board takes some time to restart. A delay of 20-30s is usually enough.
Post-flash System Command	Specify a system command or script to run on the host after flashing. Multiple commands can be separated with a semicolon.
Post-flash Gcode	You can use the post-flash gcode settings to run gcode commands after a successful firmware flash. The post-flash code will run more or less immediately if the printer was connected before the flash started (so reconnects automatically when the flash finishes), or whenever the printer is manually reconnected after the firmware is flashed.

Plugin Options

Option	Description
Enable Navbar Icon	Enables an icon in the OctoPrint Navbar which can be used to quickly access the Firmware Updater.
Remember URL	The last URL will be remembered when using 'Flash from URL.

Troubleshooting

Log messages can be found in the OctoPrint log octoprint.log and the Firmware Updater's console log plugin_firmwareupdater_console.log.

Both log files can be downloaded from OctoPrint's logging interface, found under 'Logging' in the settings page.

If you have trouble using the plugin please check these logs for any error messages. If you need help, please include both logs when reporting a problem.

Donations

Donations to help with the cost of test hardware are gratefully received using any of the methods below.

Currency	Link
Bitcoin	1GjUmcjnAxCr9jFPUtVrr6gPQz8FhYddZz
Bitcoin Cash	bitcoincash:qzqys6mv9rgg7dxx0m4jzgqjezu9sryk2vmdexcr56
Ethereum	0xA1788874E851b425F65FF5bcB6180b0d9F50fB6d
USD	https://www.paypal.com/