Flasher ATE

Flasher ATE

The Flasher ATE is an in-circuit-programmer for high-volume mass production. It is a modular system that uses a communication main board at its heart to distribute commands received from an ATE, ICT or a similar automated production handler system to the attached programming modules. Each individual programming module can be set up with individual configurations and firmware image pairs.

To accommodate the special requirements of high-volume production environments with wide spatial expansions of the ATE workplaces, this gang programmer can be mounted in 19” racks or be connected directly to an ATE. The number of Flasher ATE programming modules per Flasher ATE mainboard can be scaled from 1 to 10 permitting the parallel programming of up to 10 target devices.

The ultra-fast flash algorithms used by the Flasher ATE are the same industry leading and proven algorithms also found in SEGGER’s J-Link debug probes and Flasher programming devices.

Key features

In-system programmer (ISP)
High speed programming
Scalable solution with up to 10 individual channels
Control interfaces for ATEs and similar production process handlers
Switchable target power
Functional isolation of each module

Supported devices

SEGGER Flashers support a wide range of CPU cores and an even wider range of different devices, such as SPI-Flash devices.

This includes support for tens of thousands of devices in hundreds of device families with billions of devices programmed.

Parallel programming

The Flasher ATE can gang-up to program up to 10 targets at once. Its ultra-fast programming speed makes it ideally suited for high-volume mass production.

In comparison, the modular in-system programmer Flasher ATE and the Flasher Compact are capable of programming multiple devices in parallel, whether these devices are equal or part of a multi-device system.

Serial number assignment

Many modern devices require some pieces of unique information. Flasher ATE allows the programming of data that differs amongst other otherwise identical units. Typical examples are things like serial numbers, ethernet hardware addresses (MAC), and digital signatures, and license keys that enable/disable product features. All these options can be adapted from device to device by applying patch data to the original firmware.

Built-in web server

The Flasher ATE offers options to check status information remotely and to configure the device.

Remote monitoring

The Flasher ATE comes with SEGGER’s built-in web server. It is designed to present important device and current operation data for a quick overview and, additionally, to check the status of the programming units, providing information about:

Installed firmware version
Hardware version
Power consumption
IP configuration
Network load
Current operation and status
Programming interface in use

This may be important for fast troubleshooting through code verification, for instance, as it is when executing a cyclic redundancy check (CRC) that helps to detect errors during data transmission or storage.

Configuration

If needed, the built-in web server’s programmer settings can be checked and adjusted. These could, for example, be parameters like:

Nickname
Subnet mask
Gateway

Built-in FTP server

The Flasher ATE also includes the emFTP server to upload firmware and configuration or download log files.

Remote file update

Using the emFTP server enables easy upload of configuration files and firmware images. By connecting to the emFTP server using an FTP client of choice, files can be transferred between client and Flasher.

Having access to the Flasher configuration via FTP enables configuration of multiple Flashers from a central production control server. This interface can be also used to make the production line part of a CI/CD system to push stable releases into the current production.

Log file

Analyzing the reliability of the production line is an important task, when it comes to increasing the production frequency. This purpose is supported by the built-in FTP server, which lets users check the history of past programming cycles via log file download. Each entry provides the following information:

Result (success/failure)
Duration
Serial number (if programmed)

For failed programming cycles, the log file provides additional information for quick troubleshooting (e.g. failed to open Flasher config file).

Technical Specifications

Specifications

Power supply	USB powered or via external power supply (5 V), max. 3 A using 10 modules.
Ethernet host interface	10 / 100 MBit
USB host interface	USB 2.0 (High-Speed), USB Type B
RS232 host interface	RS232 9-pin
Target interface	JTAG 20-pin 0.1 pitch (interface adapters available)
Max. target cable length	Recommended (delivered): 20 cm (8″) Max. 2 m (6.5″) allowed but might reduce max. target interface speed.
Serial transfer rate between Flasher ATE and target	Max. target interface (JTAG, …) speed: 15 MHz
Supported target voltage	1.2 – 5 V
Current drawn from target voltage sense pin (VT_Ref)	< 25 µA
Target supply voltage	3 - 15 V (5 V with no additional supply)
Target supply current	100 mA (VCC5V - 5 V) 400 mA (VTGT - 3…15 V)
Operating temperature	+ 5 °C … + 60 °C
Storage temperature	20 °C … + 65 °C
Relative humidity (non-condensing)	< 90 % rH
Size mainboard (without cables)	108 mm x 56 mm x 20 mm
Weight mainboard (without cables)	47 g
Size programming module (without cables)	108 mm x 35 mm x 20 mm
Weight programming module (without cables)	24 g
Supported OS	Microsoft Windows (x64)

Safety

This Flasher ATE programming modules provide basic isolation only. Do not use with hazardous voltages without further protection measures to avoid risk of electrical shock and fire.

SEGGER Flasher ATE programming modules provide basic isolation from high voltages. For safety reasons, when dealing with potential hazardous voltages it is mandatory to have a second protection measure in place in case the first insulation barrier fails. This is called double or reinforced isolation. How this double isolation can be achieved depends on the use case or application setup. Also check your local safety directives to make sure all requirements are met.

Package content

Flasher ATE — Programming module