Flashing Firmware with Python

Latest Edition

The tweliter module is currently in beta.

Overview

The tweliter module is a Python module for flashing firmware to TWELITE devices.

It can be installed from PyPI, used as a command-line tool, or controlled from Python scripts.

Installation

Install it from PyPI:


pip install tweliter

With Poetry:


poetry add tweliter

Additional Notes for Linux

Setting udev rules

You may need to grant permissions via udev.

Create /etc/udev/rules.d/99-ftdi.rules

# TWELITE R / MONOSTICK (FT232R / 0403:6001)
SUBSYSTEM=="usb", ATTRS{idVendor}=="0403", ATTRS{idProduct}=="6001", MODE="0666"

# TWELITE R2 / R3 (FT230X / 0403:6015)
SUBSYSTEM=="usb", ATTRS{idVendor}=="0403", ATTRS{idProduct}=="6015", MODE="0666"

Reload udev rules


sudo udevadm control --reload-rules
sudo udevadm trigger

Also, the TWELITE STAGE app requires unloading the ftdi_sio module, but when using Python, you need to load it:


modprobe usbserial
modprobe ftdi_sio

Additional Notes for Windows

Applying libusb driver

If you get errors like No backend available, applying the libusb-win32 driver might resolve it. Install Zadig, select TWELITE R or MONOSTICK, and apply the libusb-win32 driver (not WinUSB).

Reference: Installation — PyFtdi documentation (used by the pyftdi module)

Examples

As a Command-Line Tool

Specify a .bin binary file after tweliter.


tweliter dir/SomeApp_BLUE.bin

Be careful not to confuse the BLUE and RED series.

Command-Line Options


tweliter -h
usage: tweliter [-h] [-u URL] [-t TYPE] [-g] [-v] [-s] [-m STARTMSG] [-r RETRY] [--clear] [file]

Write TWELITE series firmware

positional arguments:
  file                  Firmware file to write (not required with --clear)

options:
  -h, --help            show this help message and exit
  -u URL, --url URL     Optional device URL starting with ftdi://
  -t TYPE, --type TYPE  Device type(s), comma-separated. e.g., TWELITE_R3,MONOSTICK
  -g, --gold            Select GOLD series
  -v, --verify          Verify firmware after writing
  -s, --safe            Safe mode (GOLD series only, write slowly)
  -m STARTMSG, --startmsg STARTMSG
                        Prefix for startup message to check
  -r RETRY, --retry RETRY
                        Retry count in case of firmware writing failure
  --clear               Clear application NVM memory (GOLD only)

u url: You can specify the URL for identifying FTDI device
- If not specified, automatically selected if one device is found; otherwise, a prompt is shown.
t type: Specify the type(s) to narrow the target device(s)
- Comma-separated. e.g., TWELITE_R3,MONOSTICK.
g gold: Selects the GOLD series.
v verify: Verifies after flashing.
s safe: Applies Safe Mode (slower transfer) for GOLD series only.
m startmsg: Captures and shows startup messages following the specified text after flashing.
- Default is !INF
r retry: Number of retries upon flashing failure.
- Defaults to 2 retries.
clear: (GOLD only) Clears non-volatile memory (such as settings).

From a Script

Use an instance of the Tweliter class.

from pathlib import Path
from tweliter import Tweliter

file = Path("firmware/SomeApp_BLUE.bin")

try:
    with Tweliter(
        type_filter=Tweliter.Type.TWELITE_R2 | Tweliter.Type.TWELITE_R3
    ) as liter:
        # Get serial interface
        ser = liter.get_serial_instance()
        # Write firmware
        liter.write(ser, file, verify=True)
        # Show startup message
        print(liter.get_startup_message_after(ser, "!INF"))
except IOError as e:
    print(f"Couldn't connect {e}")
except RuntimeError as e:
    print(f"Failed to write {e}")