Knowledge Base

MMi203: Firmware revisions and reFlashing

This chapter contains the two related topics of Firmware revisions/updates and reFlashing.

  1. reFlash is the ability of a SPLat board to have new operating firmware loaded into it. The operating firmware is the program that we load into the board, that gives it its SPLat “personality”. This is quite different from the program you write to tailor it to your application, which we call SPLatWare.
  2. reFlash is available in 2nd generation boards, starting with the MMi99 with firmware version 3.3 or later (reFlash was developed after the earlier MMi99 versions were released). Older designs, which do not have reFlash, are SP108, SL88, MMi88, AJ18, PMC3, CA20, OEM32 and OEM36.
  3. There are three reasons why you would ever want to reFlash a SPLat board:
  4. Because we introduce new firmware features quite frequently, it has become impossible to ensure that all our (and our dealers’) inventory is fully up to date. Therefore it is possible that a board you receive does not contain the “latest and greatest”. Thanks to the miracle of reFlash technology you can still update your board to the latest v

All MMi20x boards are reFlashable. Only MMi99 with firmware version 3.3 or later are reFlashable (earlier versions are not). reFlashing is discussed more thoroughly elsewhere in the SKB.

We goofed!

We released the MMi203 with the same internal board I.D. code as the MMi202. This means that in SPLat/PC it will appear as MMi202, which is not particularly serious. However, it also means it is possible to reFlash the wrong firmware into both board types. Please very very careful when reflashing not to “cross-reFlash”! (MMi202 firmware in an MMi203 is easily recoverable, if you have a MMi203 reFlash file. MMi203 firmware in an MMi202 is also recoverable, but trickier).