Flashing Firmware with Python

v0.4.0

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

Please install from PyPI.


pip install tweliter

If you use Poetry:


poetry add tweliter

Additional Notes for Linux

Setting udev rules

You may need to grant permission 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, while the TWELITE STAGE app requires unloading the ftdi_sio module, 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 may resolve the issue. Install Zadig, select TWELITE R or MONOSTICK, and apply the libusb-win32 driver (not WinUSB).

Reference: Installation — PyFtdi documentation (using the pyftdi module)

Examples

As a Command-Line Tool

Specify the binary file (.bin) after tweliter.


tweliter dir/SomeApp_BLUE.bin

Be careful not to confuse BLUE series with RED series.

Command-Line Options


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

Write TWELITE series firmware

positional arguments:
  file                  Firmware file to write

options:
  -h, --help            show this help message and exit
  -u URL, --url URL     Optional device URL starting with ftdi://
  -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

-u --url: Specify the device URL starting with ftdi://
- If not specified, automatically selects the connected FTDI device if only one is found; prompts selection if multiple devices are connected.
-g --gold: Select GOLD series
-v --verify: Verify firmware after writing
-s --safe: (GOLD series only) Apply safe mode to slow down transfer speed
-m --startmsg: After completion, capture and display startup messages starting with the specified text
- Default is !INF
-r --retry: Number of retries on firmware writing failure
- Default is 2 retries

From a Python Script

Use an instance of the Tweliter class.

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"))
except IOError as e:
    print(f"Cannot connect {e}")
except RuntimeError as e:
    print(f"Failed to write {e}")