External flash download error with stock STM32F469I-DISCO (DK32F469I$AU1)

[ESani.1]

I am experimenting with a newly purchased STM32F469I-DISCO AU.

I immediately had issues in downloading to the external flash. Is not a configuration issue, in fact the error is random: 5% of the times I manage to correctly flash it, most of the times I get errors like "Error: Unable to get core ID".

No issues with the internal memory, but as soon as I allocated anything that requires to write more than one block of flash, the downloading problem happens. I confirm the flash gets written, since when it fails at 50% or so, I see the loaded picture shown half on the LCD.

Attached an example of a project I managed only twice to correcly flash, and only from the TouchGFX suite, not from the CubeIDE. Also, in both TouchGFX and CubeIDE, the error is the same, just the percentage changes:

make -f ../gcc/Makefile -j10 flash
        Reading TouchGFX/application.config
        Reading TouchGFX/target.config
        Linking TouchGFX/build/bin/target.elf
        Producing additional output formats...
          target.hex   - Combined internal+external hex
          intflash.elf - Internal flash, elf debug
          intflash.hex - Internal flash, hex
              -------------------------------------------------------------------
                               STM32CubeProgrammer v2.11.0                  
              -------------------------------------------------------------------
        
        ST-LINK SN  : 066DFF575285514867133515
        ST-LINK FW  : V2J40M27
        Board       : 32F469IDISCOVERY
        Voltage     : 3.23V
        SWD freq    : 4000 KHz
        Connect mode: Normal
        Reset mode  : Software reset
        Device ID   : 0x434
        Revision ID : Rev A
        Device name : STM32F469xx/F467xx
        Flash size  : 2 MBytes
        Device type : MCU
        Device CPU  : Cortex-M4
        BL Version  : --
        
        
        
        Memory Programming ...
        Opening and parsing file: target.hex
          File          : target.hex
          Size          : 3.91 MB 
          Address       : 0x08000000 
        
        
        Erasing memory corresponding to segment 0:
        Erasing internal memory sectors [0 5]
        Erasing memory corresponding to segment 1:
        Erasing external memory sectors [0 59]
        Download in Progress:
        ±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±± 0%
        ÛÛÛ  7%ÛÛÛ 13%ÛÛÛÛ 20%ÛÛÛÛ 28%Error: Unable to get core ID
        
        
        Error: failed to download Segment[1]
        Error: failed to download the File
        
        
        Error: Unable to reset MCU!
        Done

As a work around I followed this ST post - nothing really changed.

Another example can be seen in the screenshot here:

 

There is a previous post I did, showing a project which I can fully share, trying to link correctly in the external flash a simple array, with small data like 16B, no problem. If I expand this array from 16B to the real 1.33MB, it fails most of the times. My board is the variant DK32F469I$AU1 - I attached the project so you can try.

I used the latest ST-Link firmware (March 2nd 2023), and both the flash loaders "0x434" from the 2.6 Programmer (replaced in the internal programmer of CubeIDE 1.11.2), but also with the original flash loader.

Programmer data (from the dev board) and the typical error is reported below. Fun fact: the BL version does not appears all the time - comapre with the previous report in this post.

ST-LINK SN  : 066DFF575285514867133515
ST-LINK FW  : V2J40M27
Board       : 32F469IDISCOVERY
Voltage     : 3.24V
SWD freq    : 4000 KHz
Connect mode: Under Reset
Reset mode  : Hardware reset
Device ID   : 0x434
Revision ID : Rev A
Device name : STM32F469xx/F467xx
Flash size  : 2 MBytes
Device type : MCU
Device CPU  : Cortex-M4
BL Version  : 0x90
 
 
Memory Programming ...
Opening and parsing file: ST-LINK_GDB_server_a02036.srec
  File          : ST-LINK_GDB_server_a02036.srec
  Size          : 1.39 MB 
  Address       : 0x08000000 
 
 
Erasing memory corresponding to segment 0:
Erasing internal memory sectors [0 4]
Erasing memory corresponding to segment 1:
Erasing external memory sectors [0 21]
Download in Progress:
Error: Unable to get core ID
 
 
Error: failed to download Segment[1]
Error: failed to download the File
Encountered Error when opening C:\ST\STM32CubeIDE_1.11.2\STM32CubeIDE\plugins\com.st.stm32cube.ide.mcu.externaltools.cubeprogrammer.win32_2.0.500.202209151145\tools\bin\STM32_Programmer_CLI.exe
Error in STM32CubeProgrammer
Shutting down...
Exit.

 Thanks!

[Tesla DeLorean]

Check the External Loader selected

 MT25QL128A_STM32F469I-DK Newer

N25Q128A_STM32469I-DISCO Older

[ESani.1]

No, is even worse, systematically fails at the second sector [0] to [21] in the example you have, and says that it cannot initialize the memory, with the "newer" loader.

The best would be someone trying on the same board and see what happens. Might be even faulty, mine?

[ESani.1]

I add here a log of the ST-Link GDB Server - I think is providing some good infos.

Specifically, seems the STLink speaks a different language than the server. The ST-Link sned a vKill request, which is not understood. But also, why...

[15.763] spawnCubeProgrammer():  13:21:13:213 Error: failed to download Segment[1]
[15.763] spawnCubeProgrammer():  13:21:13:213 Error: failed to download the File
[15.763] spawnCubeProgrammer():   ------ Switching context ----- 
[15.767] WriteFlashDone():  Error in STM32CubeProgrammer
[15.767] write():  <756> Tx: $E05#aa
[15.782] read():  <756> Rx: $vKill;a410#33
[15.782] handlePacket():  Hidden/Unsupported v-command 'vKill', see RSP for details

 To finish, I tried with the CubeProgrammer, and the result is the same, it closes the connection