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bsayl
Associate
November 5, 2018
Solved

ST-link loses connection with my STM32F769I discovery board

  • November 5, 2018
  • 16 replies
  • 8232 views

Using STM32CubeProgrammer to connect to my discovery board. Connection to the board via ST-Link is lost within 30 seconds every time.

things I have done:

1.) Performed "full chip erase" via the STM32CubeProgrammer application

2.) Selected the appropriate external loader for my discovery board

3.) Tried to program the included demo file (STM32769I-DISCO_DEMO_V1.0.0_FULL.hex) but it never completes before the board disconnects

4.) Tried every combination of the "mode" and "reset mode" selections offered in the application

5.) Searched the forums for an answer and posted a support ticket to ST.... no response

Does anyone have any suggestions of next steps to try??

    This topic has been closed for replies.
    Best answer by Andreas Bolsch

    It *looks* like both watchdogs are not activated automatically --- if a checked checkbox means bit set to '1'. Regarding the ST-Link Utility I had an unpleasent experience with a H743 where the sense was apparently inverted, hence I woudn't rely on that. So to be really sure, I'd inspect location 0x1FFF0000, it should contain 0x5500AAFF, the factory default.

    BTW Did you check the NRST pin? An internal (watchdog) reset should be visible there. Only a few us, though. And after an unsuccessful programming attempt, did you inspect the memory, i. e. was the internal flash programmed completely or only partially? Same for the external flash.

    And did you measure the time from start of programming to failure? Always precisely the same or grossly varying?

    16 replies

    bsayl
    bsaylAuthor
    Associate
    November 8, 2018

    Hi Andreas,

    Update... suddenly ... and inexplicably ... The board now stays connected. Aside from running the tests reported above I have changed absolutely nothing. Same USB port and cable, same supply setup, same options selected in the utility tool, etc...

    I have successfully programmed the demo app, then moved on to the Alexa AVS app for this board.

    Both are working fine.

    I'd like to be happy about this but not having an answer as to why makes me nervous. I suppose I push on and if problems reappear I will buy another board.

    Thanks for the help on this, it has been an education. Onward and upward (hopefully with a persistent connection!)

    all the best,

    brad

    AJone
    Associate
    December 27, 2018

    I am running into a somewhat similar problem with the STM32 Discovery kit IoT node for STM32L475 MCU. I have figured out some clues as to what is going on, but I don't have a final solution yet. I am posting what I have learned so far in case it helps someone else.

    I was trying to get the AWS demo to work on the board and I kept losing communications between the debugger and the board. To troubleshoot the problem, I tried using the ST-LINK Utility and just connecting to the board without doing anything else. Here is what I get:

    14:12:51 : ST-LINK SN : ***********************

    14:12:51 : V2J32M22

    14:12:51 : Connected via SWD.

    14:12:51 : SWD Frequency = 4,0 MHz.

    14:12:51 : Connection mode : Normal.

    14:12:51 : Debug in Low Power mode enabled.

    14:12:51 : Device ID:0x415 

    14:12:51 : Device flash Size : 1MBytes

    14:12:51 : Device family :STM32L4x1/L4x5/L4x6

    14:13:07 : Disconnected from device.

    14:13:07 : Connection to device is lost: check power supply and debug connection.

    14:13:07 : If the target is in low power mode, please enable "Debug in Low Power mode" option from Target->settings menu.

    I tried different cables and running through a powered USB hub and got the same results. I then tried using a different computer and everything worked fine. I next tried using an instance of an Oracle VM VirtualBox virtual PC (fresh installation of Windows 10 Pro) running on the same PC that was giving me troubles. That also worked fine.

    Now I am going through the painful process of figuring out what is causing the problem when I run on my Dell Precision M4800 laptop but not causing a problem when I go through a virtual PC running on the same laptop.

    Tesla DeLorean
    Guru
    December 27, 2018

    DELL tends to install assorted junk into the OS on the Upper or LowerFilters (Storage Device Stack), something like an Intel Performance tool, and some Remote Diagnostic tool.

    Search the forum for the "UpperFilters" term, or using REGEDIT on your system, might yield a couple of nodes.

    Tips, Buy me a coffee, or three.. PayPal Venmo (See Profile) Up vote any posts that you find helpful, it shows what's working..
    AJone
    Associate
    December 29, 2018

    Clive,

    Thanks for your advice. It really helped. Before I received your reply, I tried uninstalling the software associated with a Western Digital My Passport external USB drive. That helped a lot (the connection would hold for about 14 minutes instead of just a few 10's of seconds). Once I uninstalled the Dell SupportAssist software, that took care of the rest of the problem.

    yilmazkircicek
    Associate III
    April 25, 2021

    I have completely the same issue...

    Erased all internal and external mems. Then tried to program. Internal is programmed (menu is displayed except the images located in external mem. ) but failed to program external mem. every time.