STLINK V1 / V2 difference - when there is need for upgrade/repair

[dannyf]

There are quite a few differences between the clones and the real stlinkv2.

As to ST, I don't think they care much about the clones - they are in the business of selling chips and if the clones help deliver that, they are all too happy.

I suspect that the encryption of the stlink firmware is for reasons of IP rights / licensing.

[Kjelt]

There are quite a few differences between the clones and the real stlinkv2.
As to ST, I don't think they care much about the clones - they are in the business of selling chips and if the clones help deliver that, they are all too happy.
I suspect that the encryption of the stlink firmware is for reasons of IP rights / licensing.

Indeed the new STM32 link utility releases also can update the firmware of the genuine STlink. To be compatible with new released chips etc. Can't imagine that these clones will also be properly recognized and updated by the STM32 link utility?

[dannyf]

It is probably hard to tell, given the countless suppliers of those clones.

I did update one clone from J16 to J17, using the ST utility so I think at least some of them are upgradable - not sure how long it will remain that.

[Rasz]

There is nothing wrong with the $4 chinese clones. They are 100% compatible. They don't take 2 months to arrive

it took over one month for mine to arrive
stlink is nothing fancy, just stm32 on a piece of pcb, kinda hard to get it wrong, even for chinese cloners

[paulie]

Hard to get it right if you consider firmware and the total lack of it on the internet. One chinese cloner has done a great job of emulating functionality but is just as protective as STM  over source.

While not common it's not unusual for me to see one month delivery from china. 13 days is the average. Almost always takes 4 days or less to arrive in USA from the time it's shipped but thanks to George Bush and the Patriot Act it will sit for weeks on a shelf at a Homeland Security checkpoint. It never takes 2 months because that's the limit for opening a Paypal case and both the shipper and the government need to avoid that.

[neslekkim]

Maybe this is not the correct one, but if it is, it wasn't that hard to find the firmware:
http://www.diygoodies.org.ua/?p=417

[Rasz]

One chinese cloner has done a great job of emulating functionality

umm no, clones use original dumped ST firmware

[paulie]

What evidence do you have that is true? I contacted over thirty sellers asking for files and only 4 replied but referred me to the same source who wanted big money and no guarantee. He told me it was not original image but clean room source. Mayne just cya but no proof either way.

As far as that " STLinkV2_Firmware.zip" file myself and a friend (independently) tried to build one and ran into the same problem as the only other fellow who tried from the site you linked:

when trying to update to the newest firmware V2.J19.S4 I get an error: “update error, please ty again”
Any idea ?
Thanx Thomas

Needless to say the OP did not respond. In my case it was with 2 original STM Discovery boards that had been bricked and a scratch built version from the same schematic. I'm going to read Yansi's hardware notes again and give it another try on the off chance something has changed and if it works will eat crow.

[Kjelt]

And common it is not worth the hassle, you can use any discoveryboard or use the programmer part of it put it in a case whatever,
or just pay the €22 that an original new one costs. That is dirt cheap, it is not like Keil with their €1000 Ulink pro programmers, now that is worth cloning 

[paulie]

Yes, but don't forget the DIY fun factor. Some of us are willing to spend enormous effort and ten times the cost just to reinvent the wheel. Not everybody shares this viewpoint.

There is a practical advantage too. Why wait 2 months for a package to arrive from The Evil Empire when you can build one NOW!

[Yansi]

paulie - EXACTLY, like me speaking in a mirror.   
By reinventing the wheel, one can learn a lot.

Note: I didn't have any problems updating the botched STLINK board. Maybe on first try it fucked up, but then it worked normally. I've tried that FW update a few times to be sure the whole thing works normaly.

[free_electron]

chicken egg problem.
 got code , blank chip and broken stlink. how do i flash ?

[dannyf]

how do i flash ?

Have you heard of "bootloader"?

Surprising that it came from an embedded engineer of your caliber.

[Rasz]

chicken egg problem.

not with stm32 Grandpa can be flashed with ordinary serial terminal

[mihajlob]

i have custom board with stm32f105RB MCU.

could i flash it with STM32VLDISCOVERY board that has st-link (v1) on it?

to simplify my question: can STM32F105RB be programmed/debugged with st-link or i need st-link v2?

Mihajlo

[Yansi]

can be debugged with both.