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title	Firmware/bitstream tools comparison chart

Tool

FPGA
Configuration
capable?

Generation 2 Firmware
Upgrade capable?⁽¹⁾

Generation 3 Firmware
Upgrade capable?⁽²⁾

It works without
Reference
Firmware?

Firmware
Recovery
capable?⁽³⁾

Remarks

direct or indirect
in system programming

.mcs file
(both Xilinx Flash and
third-party SPI Flash
can be used)

A Windows OS
and a Linux OS
version of this
tool exists.

DEWESoft
Firmware
Upgrade Tool

old .fwu (and .bin) file

old .fwu (and .bin) file

Obsolete,
not recommended.

Only Windows OS
(32 bit only)
version of this
tool exists.

Open_FUT
for generation 2

FPGA
Configuration

.bit, .mcs file
( Xilinx Flash only) or
old .fwu (and .bin) file

.iic file and
old .fwu (and .bin) file

Python 2.7
interpreter
required.

Only Windows OS
(32 bit only) version
of this tool exists.

Open_FUT
for generation 3

⁽⁵⁾

FPGA
Configurationconfiguration

.bit or a .mcs file
( Xilinx Flash only) or
old .fwu (and .bin) file

⁽⁵⁾

Firmware
Updateupdate

.iic file and
old .fwu (and .bin) file

Python 2.7
interpreter
required.

Only Windows OS
version of this
tool exists.

CyConsole
= Cypress
USB Console

Firmware
Updateupdate

.iic file

implicit
two steps
recovery boot

.iic file

Less easy than
CyControl.

Only Windows OS
version of this
tool exists.

CyControl
= Cypress
USB Control Center

Firmware
Updateupdate

.iic file

implicit
two steps
recovery boot

.iic file

Microsoft .NET
Framework
Version ≥ 2.0
required.

Only Windows OS
version of this
tool exists.

OpenFutNet:
it is possible
to run 3 different procedures

FPGA
Configurationconfiguration⁽⁶⁾

.bit or .mcs file
(both Xilinx Flash and
third-party SPI Flash
can be used)

the explicit
two steps
recovery boot ⁽⁷⁾
should be used
instead

Firmware
Updateupdate⁽⁶⁾

.iic file

for the
explicit
two steps
recovery boot ⁽⁷⁾

for the
Firmware Update firmware update⁽⁶⁾

for the
FPGA Configurationconfiguration ⁽⁴⁾

implicit
two steps
recovery boot ⁽⁷⁾

.iic file

Microsoft .NET
Framework
Version≥ 4.0.30319
required.

Recommended tool.

Only Windows OS
version of this
tool exists.

FPGA Configuration

.bin only

.bin, but
a .iic should
also work

.bin, but
a .iic should
also work

use fx2loader
(see also here)
for an explicit
two step
recovery boot
instead

libusb library
(C API)
should be used

Only Linux OS
version of this
tool exists.

fx2loader (see also here)

use implicit two step
recovery boot instead

use implicit two step
recovery boot instead

⁽⁸⁾

explicit two step
recovery boot

a wrapped
libusb library
(C API)
should be used

A Windows OS
and a Linux OS
version of this
tool exists.

fxload ( see also here)

use implicit two step
recovery boot instead

use implicit two step
recovery boot instead

⁽⁹⁾

explicit two step
recovery boot

libusb library
(C API)
should be used

Only Linux OS
version of this
tool exists.

...

⁽⁴⁾ The user can use implicit two step recovery boot to program the USB FX2 microcontroller's EEPROM with the Generation 3 Firmwarefirmware required by Firmware Update firmware update and FPGA Configurationconfiguration.

⁽⁵⁾ Based on simplified TE_USB_FX2_CyAPI.dll

...

DEWESoft FUT (firmware upgrade tool)
Open_FUT for generation Generation 2 (Firmware Update firmware update and FPGA Configurationconfiguration)
Open_FUT for generation Generation 3 (Firmware Update firmware update and FPGA Configurationconfiguration using a simplified TE_USB_FX2_CyAPI.dll)
OpenFutNet (generation Generation 3, Firmware Update firmware update and FPGA Configurationconfiguration are using both CyUSB.dll and TE_USB_FX2_CyUSB.dll )
Linux_FUT (both Generation 2 and Generation 3 firmware are supported)

work only if the reference firmware, or a derived firmware, is running in the module. The reference/derived firmware is necessary because the three tools make use of TE API Commands executed by the USB FX2 microcontroller. These tools are therefore able to update the firmware (EEPROM programming) of the USB FX2 microcontroller and the FPGA configuration file (bitstream, SPI Flash programming).

...

The following firmware tools

Cypress USB Console (Recovery Boot implicit two steps recovery boot (TE USB FX2 Firmware Recovery) uses CyAPI.lib)
Cypress USB Control Center (Recovery Boot implicit two steps recovery boot (TE USB FX2 Firmware Recovery) uses CyUSB.dll)
OpenFutNet ( Recovery Boot implicit two steps recovery boot uses CyUSB.dll)
fx2loader (see also here, explicit two step recovery boot)
fxload ( see also here, explicit two step recovery boot)

work also if the reference firmware, or a derived firmware, is not running in the module. The reference/derived firmware is not necessary because they do not make use of TE API Commands. Conversely, they directly make use of CyAPI.lib and , CyUSB.dll , respectivelyor libusb library.

These two tools are therefore only able to update the firmware of the USB FX2 microcontroller, but not the FPGA configuration file (bitstream).