Flashing Firmware with Python

v0.3.7

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

udev Rule Configuration

You may need to grant permissions using 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 the udev rules:


sudo udevadm control --reload-rules
sudo udevadm trigger

While the TWELITE STAGE App requires unloading the ftdi_sio module, it needs to be loaded when using Python:


modprobe usbserial
modprobe ftdi_sio

Additional Notes for Windows

Applying the libusb Driver

If you get an error like No backend available, try applying the libusb-win32 driver using Zadig. Select the TWELITE R or MONOSTICK device and apply libusb-win32 (not WinUSB).

Reference: Installation — PyFtdi documentation (uses 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 BLUE series with RED series.

tweliter Command-Line Options


tweliter -h
usage: tweliter [-h] [--url URL] [--verify] [--startmsg STARTMSG]
                [--retry RETRY]
                file

Write TWELITE BLUE/RED firmware

positional arguments:
  file                 Firmware file to write

options:
  -h, --help           show this help message and exit
  --url URL            Device URL starting with ftdi://
  --verify             Verify firmware after writing
  --startmsg STARTMSG  Prefix for startup message to check
  --retry RETRY        Retry count in case of firmware writing failure

url: Specify the URL scheme for FTDI device
- If omitted, it auto-selects if one device is found, or prompts selection if multiple
verify: Verifies firmware after flashing if specified
startmsg: Displays the startup message after the specified prefix
- Default is !INF MONO WIRELESS
retry: Retries the write process if it fails
- Defaults to 2 retries

From a Python Script

from pathlib import Path
from tweliter import Tweliter

file = Path('dir/SomeApp_BLUE.bin')

try:
    with Tweliter(url="ftdi://:ft-x:/1") 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 MONO WIRELESS"))
except IOError as e:
    print(f"Cannot connect {e}")
except RuntimeError as e:
    print(f"Failed to write {e}")