Open Flashloader for direct programming of RISC-V systems

1st February 2021

Alex Lynn

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SEGGER has released a new Open Flashloader for RISC-V systems. The template, which can be adjusted to fit any RISC-V system, allows engineers to write flash loaders which fit into just 2kB of RAM. This enables J-Link debug probes to download directly and easily into the flash memory of a RISC-V Microcontroller or SoC.

At the same time it provides a solution for mass production programming using the Flasher series of flash programmers.

These flash loaders work with any software supporting J-Link, from simple command line programs such as J-Link Commander, to debuggers such as GDB or SEGGER's Ozone, or more production-oriented utilities such as J-Flash, and development tools such as Embedded Studio. The J-Link GDB Server enables the use of GDB, Eclipse and any debugger supporting the GDB protocol.

When debugging with the J-Link Plus, Ultra+ or PRO models, an unlimited number of breakpoints in flash memory are available.

“We are seeing RISC-V gain more and more traction in the market, especially in China,” said Rolf Segger, founder of SEGGER. “Now even very small RISC-V systems can be programmed at blistering speed using SEGGER J-Link and Flasher. I think the convenience and performance of J-Link is industry leading, boosting developer productivity. With J-Link debugging and flash programming, a complete ecosystem of tools is available.”

Any qualified engineer can write a flash loader for J-Link and RISC-V, usually within a day or two. SEGGER also offers the service of writing flash loaders for particular devices where desired. Proven flash loaders can be added to the J-Link software, so that they will simply work out of the box.