OpenMV MicroPython 14.1.1.3. Flashing the firmware¶
Once you have a firmware.bin (and its romfs<n>.img) from Building the firmware, program it onto the camera. OpenMV IDE is the recommended method; the command-line procedure differs by camera family and is documented per family on the pages linked at the bottom. The bootloader itself is restored separately – see Restoring the bootloader.
14.1.1.3.1. OpenMV IDE: Load Custom Firmware (recommended)¶
OpenMV IDE bundles every flashing tool (dfu-util, the NXP SPSDK tools, the Alif SE Tools, the STM32 tools), installs the required USB drivers on Windows, handles entering the bootloader, and selects the correct command for the connected camera. It is the recommended way to flash a custom build.
Plug the camera into USB (you do not need to click Connect).
Tools -> Load Custom Firmware.
In the dialog, set Firmware Path to your build’s
build/<TARGET>/bin/firmware.bin.Optionally tick Erase internal file system to wipe the camera’s internal FAT filesystem (see Erasing the internal filesystem for when and why).
Optionally tick Reset ROMFS file system to reflash the default ROMFS (disabled if you selected a
.imgdirectly).Click Run. The IDE resets the camera into its bootloader, shows the exact flashing command and a progress bar, and reboots the camera into the new firmware. Wait for the blue self-test LED; the camera then re-enumerates normally.
There is also Tools -> Force enter OpenMV Cam bootloader to place the camera in DFU mode manually before flashing.
14.1.1.3.2. Windows: install the USB drivers¶
Windows has no built-in driver for the camera’s USB DFU, SDP, and ISP interfaces, so the command-line tools (dfu-util, the NXP SPSDK tools, the Alif SE Tools) cannot detect the device until a WinUSB driver is bound to it. OpenMV IDE’s Windows installer installs all of these drivers, so the simplest approach is to install OpenMV IDE once – after which both the IDE and the command-line tools work. This is why GUI flashing succeeds on a fresh Windows machine while a standalone dfu-util does not.
If installing the IDE is not an option, run the matching driver installer from OpenMV IDE’s share/qtcreator/drivers/ directory as Administrator:
Driver installer | USB devices it binds |
|---|---|
| OpenMV DFU devices, and the RT1062 SPSDK interfaces ( |
| Arduino DFU devices ( |
| The FTDI |
| The ST |
Alternatively, bind WinUSB to the specific VID:PID with Zadig or pnputil. No command-line flashing on Windows works without this. Linux and macOS need no driver installation (Linux requires only the udev rules).
14.1.1.3.3. Flashing over SWD (make deploy)¶
If a debug probe is already wired to the camera – as it is for debugging – the fastest edit-build-flash cycle bypasses USB DFU and programs the chip directly over SWD. On the STM32 cameras:
make -j$(nproc) TARGET=<TARGET> deploy
This flashes the freshly built firmware via STM32_Programmer_CLI (from the SDK) over the connected probe. There is no bootloader entry, no USB re-enumeration, and no cable swapping: build, run deploy, and the camera restarts running the new code. This is the recommended workflow during active firmware development. Use DFU or OpenMV IDE when flashing without a probe or when distributing firmware to others.
14.1.1.3.4. Entering bootloader / DFU mode¶
Flashing requires the camera to be in its bootloader / DFU mode. There are three ways in:
On plug-in (any camera). Every camera runs its bootloader for a short window when it powers up, before the firmware starts – plug the camera into USB and the bootloader is briefly listening.
From the IDE (any camera). With the camera plugged in, Tools -> Force enter OpenMV Cam bootloader reboots it into bootloader mode.
Arduino reset button. On Arduino boards, double-click the reset button to enter bootloader mode.
14.1.1.3.5. Command-line flashing by camera family¶
The pages below show what OpenMV IDE does under the hood for each camera family, for when you want to run the flashing yourself – in scripts, in CI, or on a production line. For everyday flashing we recommend OpenMV IDE.