What is the Flash Center Software?
The Flash Center Software is a comprehensive, free-to-use software provided by Total Phase that allows developers to easily program EEPROM and Flash memory devices. The Flash Center Software takes advantage of Total Phase's high-performance host adapters to maximize programming speed.
The software has hundreds of built-in I2C and SPI memory devices within the parts library. The Flash Center Software supports some of the most popular chips from companies such as Micron, Macronix, ISSI, and SST. This GUI allows users to simply connect to their memory device and program it with very little overhead time required for set up. Total Phase offers plug and play solutions and Flash Center is another example of how we make working with embedded systems so easy!
List of some of the supported memory devices in Flash Center.
Adding More Memory Devices to the Flash Center Software
While there are many memory devices included in the Flash Center Software's parts library by default, users may find that the particular part they wish to program is not included. Hence, the Flash Center Software includes a method to allow users to add additional memory parts to the library and to specify the parameters for programming these parts. In order to add a memory device to the Flash Center Software, the user must first define the memory parts programming parameters in an XML file and then load the file into the library.
Creating a Custom Part File
The first step is to create a new custom part file. The easiest way is to edit an existing XML part file. The Flash Center Software download directory includes a folder of the library part files. To edit a preexisting XML part file, follow these steps:
1. Open the “parts” file located in the downloaded Flash Center Software file.
2. Choose the part file that most closely resembles the new part being added.
3. Open the XML file in a text editor to edit the part file to include the specs of the new device.
4. Save the new XML part file.
Adding the part file to the Flash Center Software
Once created, adding the new part file to the Flash Center Software is simple. There are two ways to add memory devices into the parts library.
Method one:
1. Click on the “Operations” tab.
2. Select the “Choose Target” tab.
3. Select the “Load Part File” tab
4. Then load your custom part file into the software by selecting the file and then clicking on the “Open” button.
Method two:
The other way to add the new part is to add the file into the Flash Center Software's parts directory. The directory is located in the installation folder and is named “parts”. When the software is launched, it will automatically load all files in the parts directory that have the .xml file extension.
1. Open the download file for the Flash Center software and click on the “Parts” folder.
2. Once opened, simply drag and drop the part file into the list of pre-installed memory devices. Next time you open the Flash Center Software, the newly added part will be included in the list of available memory devices.
Regardless of the method chosen to load the memory part file, if the file is properly formatted, the parts will be integrated into the parts list and can be selected for programming in the Choose Target Device dialog.
For more information and specifics on how to add custom or new memory devices to the Total Phase Flash Center Software please check out the user manual. If you have any questions about our tools and solutions please email us at sales@totalphase.com or give us a call at +1 (408) 850-6501.