Question
STM32H533 Flash Programming Failure with ST-LINK V3SET – Request for Investigation
Dear Team,
I am facing an issue while programming an STM32H533 device using the ST-LINK V3SET. I have observed different behavior depending on the compiler optimization level and programming interface. The details are provided below.
Case 1 – Flash Programming Failure
Please find the debug log below:
-------------------------------------------------------------------
STM32CubeProgrammer v2.20.0
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Log output file: C:\Users\29397\AppData\Local\Temp\STM32CubeProgrammer_a36804.log
ST-LINK SN : 0042001A3234510537333934
ST-LINK FW : V3J17M11B6S1
Board : STLINK-V3SET
Voltage : 0.00V
SWD freq : 8000 KHz
Connect mode: Under Reset
Reset mode : Hardware reset
Device ID : 0x478
Revision ID : --
Device name : STM32H533/523
Flash size : 512 KBytes
Device type : MCU
Device CPU : Cortex-M33
BL Version : 0xE2
SFSP Version: v1.2.0
Debug in Low Power mode enabled
Opening and parsing file: ST-LINK_GDB_server_a36804.srec
Memory Programming ...
File : ST-LINK_GDB_server_a36804.srec
Size : 300.51 KB
Address : 0x08000000
Erasing memory corresponding to segment 0:
Erasing internal memory sectors [0 37]
Download in Progress:
Error: failed to download Sector[0]
Error: failed to download the File
Shutting down...
Exit.Case 2 – Flash Programming Successful
When the project is built with the compiler optimization level set to -Os, the programming completes successfully.
Relevant programming log:
Device name : STM32H533/523
Flash size : 512 KBytes
Device type : MCU
Device CPU : Cortex-M33
BL Version : 0xE2
SFSP Version: v1.2.0
Debug in Low Power mode enabled
Opening and parsing file: ST-LINK_GDB_server_a03496.srec
Memory Programming ...
File : ST-LINK_GDB_server_a03496.srec
Size : 175.14 KB
Address : 0x08000000
Erasing memory corresponding to segment 0:
Erasing internal memory sectors [0 21]
Download in Progress:
File download complete
Time elapsed during download operation: 00:00:00.847Observations
- In Case 1, the generated image size is approximately 300.51 KB, and the programmer attempts to erase flash sectors [0–37], after which programming fails with the error "failed to download Sector[0]".
- In Case 2, enabling -Os optimization reduces the image size to 175.14 KB, resulting in flash erase sectors [0–21], and programming completes successfully.
- An additional observation is that the same binary from Case 1 can be programmed successfully when using the USB-C interface, whereas programming fails only when using the ST-LINK V3SET.
Request
Could you please help us understand the following?
- Why is the ST-LINK V3SET unable to program the image in Case 1, while the same image can be programmed successfully using the USB-C interface?
- Is there any known limitation or configuration related to ST-LINK V3SET, STM32H533, or STM32CubeProgrammer that could explain this behavior?
- Are there any recommended debugger, flash programming, or memory configuration settings that should be verified or modified to resolve this issue?
Your guidance on identifying the root cause and resolving this programming issue would be greatly appreciated.
Kind Regards,
Bhavesh Raju
