Modification to Olimex LPC-P2103 for easy Flash Programming

Development Boards MicroMod
1

I hope Tsvetan reads this :wink:

I have one of the above boards and very nice it is too.

It is however not as easy to use with the Philips flash utility as it should be.

The Reset can be asserted from the serial port but not the BSL line. So you have to continually put the BSL jumper on to Program and then take it off and press reset to Run the application.

The Philips software supports asserting the BSL line from the RTS line on the serial port.

I looked at the circuit and realized I could get the Olimex board to work full automatically with the addition of just two patch wires.

Heres how you do it. (As code to stop the smileys)

Wire 1 between RS232 pin 7 and the R1IN (U2 Pin 8).
Wire 2 between U2 Pin 9 (R29 pad) and BSL (BSL end of R8).

I tried it and it works. Now I can Flash and run the software all from the PC with no messing with jumpers :smiley:

I hope Olimex can modify the next batch of boards with zero ohm resistor positions or jumpers to save having to patch the board.

2

that is a really good idea… I need to do this with my (much simpler) H2103 board so that I can program it.

3

Hi,

thank for the tip, we’ll definitely look at it and modify the next run of LPC2103 boards

Tsvetan

4

fordp:

Wire 1 between RS232 pin 7 and the R1IN (U2 Pin 8).

Wire 2 between U2 Pin 9 (R29 pad) and BSL (BSL end of R8).




I tried it and it works. Now I can Flash and run the software all from the PC with no messing with jumpers :D

Regarding the 2103 board …

Would that possibly be R9 and not R8 for the BSL end ???

…

I have a Olimex LPC2129E (Webboard) , i wonder if i could make the same “trick” on the FTDI Chip …

Connecting the FTDI RTS Pin23 , to the BSL end of R11

I can see that OLimex has used a 330 ohm and a BAT54 on the Reset where they have made this design , from the beginning.

Any hints or warnings ???

/Bingo

5

Oops looks like you are correct it would be the BSL end of R9.

That must be what I did to my board as it works very well.

The downside of the modification is that it uses up the spare RS232 reciever which you may want to use on the other serial port of the LP2103.

I am pretty sure you can modify your board to do the same trick. Check the voltage levels and connect via a low value resistor if you are paranoid :wink:

All the best.

6

I just looked at the circuit for the lpc-e2124.

It is very strange that they drive the VCCIO pin on the FTDI Chip at 5V. It would have seemed more obvious to drive the IO at 3.3V.

You will have check the BSL pin is 5V tolerant.

Good Luck !