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Update the bootloader on Portenta H7 boards

A bootloader is a small application that starts when an Arduino board gets powered. Official Arduino boards come pre-flashed with a bootloader, but to guarantee the best performance and stability it needs to be updated with the latest firmware releases.

Supported boards

  • Portenta H7
  • Portenta H7 Connected
  • Portenta H7 Connected Lite

Before you begin

Install the latest version of “Arduino Mbed OS Portenta Boards” in Arduino IDE.

Instructions

  1. Connect your Portenta H7 board to your computer and select it in Arduino IDE.

  2. Go to File > Examples > STM32H747_System and open the STM32H747_manageBootloader sketch.

  3. Upload button Upload the sketch.

  4. Open the Serial Monitor with Tools > Serial Monitor.

  5. When the sketch starts running on the board it will output some device information to the Serial Monitor, check the Bootloader version to see the version currently installed. The device information is followed by this prompt:

    Do you want to install/update the default Arduino bootloader? Y/[n]
Choosing "No", will install/update the MCUboot bootloader.

  6. To continue installing the Arduino bootloader, type Y in the text field and press Enter to submit.

    Serial monitor output

  7. If you already have the latest bootloader, you will get this message:

    The latest version of the bootloader is already installed (vX).
Do you want to update the bootloader anyway? Y/[n]

    If so, type Y in the text field and press Enter to submit.

  8. The bootloader flashing process will now start. You will see the message Bootloader update complete. It's now safe to reboot or disconnect your board. when the process is complete.

Troubleshooting

  • If you’re having trouble uploading the sketch, or if an LED on the board is flashing red, double-press the reset button to set the board to bootloader mode before uploading.
  • If the Serial Monitor is empty after uploading the sketch, press the reset button to restart the sketch.
  • You may need to scroll down to show new lines in the Serial Monitor.
  • If you get an Compilation error: QSPIFBlockDevice.h: No such file or directory error, check your board selection and note that this sketch is not compatible with Portenta X8[1].

  1. https://github.com/arduino/ArduinoCore-mbed/issues/529 ↩︎

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