Introduction
The fw-loader tool can:
- List connected supported KitProg3 development kits or MiniProg4 probes
- Perform firmware update to KitProg3 or KitProg2
- Switch between KitProg3 Bulk/HID/DAPLink/Dual-UART/Bootloader mode
- Configure KitProg3 GPIO pins
- Reset KitProg3 development kit /MiniProg4 probe(s)
- Send USB commands on KitProg3/MiniProg4 CMSIS-DAP programming interface
Supported OS
The fw-loader tool supports the following operating systems:
- Windows 10 64-bit and 11 64-bit
- Ubuntu Linux 22.04 LTS , 24.04 LTS and 25.04 LTS
- macOS Ventura, Sonoma and Sequoia
On a Linux machine, run the udev_rules\install_rules.sh script before the first run of the fw-loader tool.
Supported hardware
The fw-loader supports the following programming hardware:
- MiniProg4 stand-alone programmer
- KitProg3 onboard programmer
- KitProg2 onboard programmer (in proprietary mode)
KitProg3 device naming
In this document, the term "KitProg3-based device" refers to any development kit or stand-alone probe that carries the KitProg3/2 communication firmware on it. Therefore, it is used in any description about development kits such as CY8CKIT-062-BLE or MiniProg4 probe. Refer to KitProg3 user guide for a full list of supported kits.
The full KitProg3-based device name is typically displayed as follows:
KitProg3 CMSIS-DAP BULK-1014091C02179400
It consists of the device type (KitProg3), the mode in which the device operates (CMSIS-DAP BULK), and the serial number (1014091C02179400). Any development kit or MiniProg4 probe can be addressed by the full KitProg3-based device name. The full name should be used in quotes (e.g., "KitProg3 CMSIS-DAP BULK-121902F302098400").
Mode
The same KitProg3-based device can have distinct full names based on different modes. For example:
-
KitProg3 CMSIS-DAP BULK-1014091C02179400– KitProg3-based device in the Bulk or DualUART mode -
KitProg3 CMSIS-DAP HID-1014091C02179400– KitProg3-based device in the HID mode -
KitProg3 Bootloader-350302130E0C2744- KitProg3-based device in the Bootloader mode -
KitProg3 DAPLink CMSIS-DAP-1907130135130e0c0335130e00000000000000002e127069- KitProg3-based device in the DAPLink mode
Serial number
Each KitProg3-based device can be identified by the serial number, which is an alpha-numeric value. It is the last part of the full KitProg3-based device name. All fw-loader device-specific commands can take the serial number as their KitProg3-based device name argument. For example:
fw-loader –-update-kp3 1014091C02179400
Package Contents
The fw-loader tool package contains:
- CyBridge library – The dynamic library providing API for communication with KitProg3-based device.
- Auxiliary libraries – Additional run-time libraries used by the fw-loader tool.
- Firmware folder – This folder contains the KitProg2/3 firmware files.
Launch fw-loader tool
As a stand-alone tool:
The latest stand-alone version of the fw-loader tool can be found in our GitHub repository. Download the appropriate zip archive and unzip it to any convenient location.
Run the fw-loader tool from the installation directory. For example:
[install-dir]/fw-loader/bin/
From ModusToolbox Programming tools package:
The fw-loader tool is installed as part of the ModusToolbox™ Programming tools package. The following is the default path to fw-loader tool:
[install-dir]/ModusToolboxProgtools-x.x/fw-loader/bin/