SHDesigns: Embedded Systems Design, Consulting and Developer Resources

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Note: As of June 2011, SHDesigns will not be doing any further development of the Rabbit Download Utilities. Support for existing licenses is now only as time permits.
I am still active with Rabbit hardware and software development; I just won't be updating the DLM's for new products. I will do software fixes and changes for new 2K and 3K modules.

It has become too much work to follow the constant changes and bugs of the Digi/Rabbit releases. They have also shown that they do not want to support 3rd parties and that the whole Rabbit line is not important to them.

SHDesigns Download Managers:

SHDesigns has developed firmware update tools that will work on almost any Rabbit-based board. All ZWorld boards and modules are supported. Unlike other options, there are no complicated user commands like telnet or ftp. They also do not limit Flash usage and have little impact on user applications. These DLM's have been recommended by Z-World employees many times.

Libraries for the:	Softools WinIDE C compiler	Z-World Dynamic C Compiler *
Resident Download Manager:
Ethernet Download Manager:
Serial Download Manger:

At this time the Rabbit 4000 processor is not supported. There are bugs in the 4k chip that are not well documented. These problems are being worked on, no release date until these bugs in the chip can be resolved.

SHDesigns Resident Download Manager (RDLM): The resident DLM is the most advanced download manager available for the Rabbitboards. Instead of trying to maintain a single program in Flash, it has a boot loader in the start of Flash and treats the rest of Flash as a file system. This DLM is the only one available that is 100% recoverable from power loss during download. It can always fall back to a backup program or worst case, fall back to the download manager and wait for a valid program to be downloaded.

User programs are compressed and stored as files then run from RAM. Multiple files may be stored. Programs may also be stored in serial Flash as a FAT file. It supports serial flash and FAT on most ZW boards, the Atmel DataFlash and MMC cards. The flash can also be used to store user data like configuration files or log files.

The ResidentDLM was originally designed for Ethernet. The current version allows updates via serial, WiFi or PPP connections. Firmware updates can be done while the system is running as a background task. In the case that the board is reset during a download of new firmware, the board will run a backup program or wait for a valid program via Ethernet or serial.

The ReidentDLM does not need the PC application to update the firmware. The Flash file system and API allows developers to open a file, save a new .bin file and mark it as the primary program. This API allows a developer to implement their own method to download new firmware. examples may be copy file from web server, download via FTP or copy new program from removable storage. An example application that downloads a file from a web server is provided.

Ethernet Download Manager: Update boards on a local or remote network. The rabbit boards are listed and can be updated individually or in groups. Automatic updates cane be scheduled. A PC utility can be run on any Windows PC and does not require installation. Has a very small Flash use, as low as 2k. Very fast downloads.

Serial Download Manager: Update boards via direct serial connection or via a modem. Modem supports call-in and call-out modes.

All download managers include error recovery if the download is aborted, power is lost, or an error occurs. The Resident, Ethernet and Serial managers support encrypted .bin files to prevent users from stealing your code. Libraries include support for all ZWorld modules and boards.

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