Support Question of the Week: How Can I Quickly and Program SPI Memory Devices With an SPI Host Adapter?
2014-09-12
Rena

I will be using the Aardvark host adapter to program a series of SPI memory devices. This is a high volume project - what is the fastest and easiest way I can do this?

Thanks for your question! The AardvarkTM I2C/SPI Host Adapter is often used to program SPI memory devices.  For your application, we recommend using the Aardvark adapter with the Flash CenterTM Software, With one click, you can erase, program, and verify an entire device, including EEPROM and SPI flash memory.Following is an example for programming a SPI flash memory device and then reading back the data. In this example, the Aardvark adapter is the SPI master and the SPI Flash Demo Board, which has an ST Micro SPI Flash M25P32 device, is the SPI slave. You can modify this example for your devices. For details, please refer to our knowledge base article Programming SPI Flash Using Aardvark Adapter and Flash Center.

Note: The CheetahTM SPI Host Adapter can also be used, especially to support faster programming requirements; in this example the Aardvark adapter is used.

Initial Set Up:

  1. Download and run the latest version of the Total Phase USB Drivers Installer.

  2. Download and unzip the latest version of the Flash Center Software.

  3. Connect the Aardvark adapter to the computer via the USB connector.

  4. Connect the Aardvark adapter to the SPI Flash Demo board via the I2C/SPI connector.

  5. Launch the Flash Center Software.

  6. Connect the Aardvark adapter to the Flash Center Software:

    • Click Adapters > Add Adapters.

    • Select the Aardvark adapter.

    • Click Add to connect to the adapter.

  7. Enable Target Power.

  8. Click Operations > Choose Target and choose M25P32.

  9. Configure Bit Rate to 8 MHz.

  10. Read the memory device:

    • Click Operations > Read Target.

Flash Center Software shows results of the Aardvark I2C/SPI Host Adapter reading the M25P32 Device Figure 1: Aardvark I2C/SPI Host Adapter Reads the M25P32 Device
Program and Read the M25P32 device:

  1. Click Operations > Program + Verify > Click OK.

  2. Click Operations > Read Target. See Figure 2.

Flash Center Software shows the results of the Aardvark Adapter programming and reading the device Figure 2: Aardvark Adapter Programs and Reads the M25P32

For additional information, please refer to the following documents:

If you have other questions about our host adapters or other Total Phase products, feel free to email us at sales@totalphase.com or submit a request for technical support.