Cyclone Multi-Channel Programmer Preview (Updated with Video Demo)

PEmicro is expanding its popular line of Cyclone production programmers in Spring 2025 with the addition of a new Cyclone Multi-Channel Programmer.

Video with Overview, Features, and Demonstration of Cyclone Multi-Channel Programmer

Limited-Time Promotion: 50% Discount. Upgrade V1 Licenses to V2 Licenses.

Over the years many customers have requested that PEmicro should instead use node-licensing for its flexibility and utility. We listened and the V2 Hardware License was born. The V2 Hardware License is activated once and stored inside the Multilink or Cyclone. This allows the user to take the hardware with them to any computer and share the hardware and software with colleagues. It's no longer necessary to activate per user and per computer. 

STMicroelectronics: Provisioning/Securing STM32H573 Devices with OBKeys (Certificate and Password Authentication)

PEmicro's development tools and production programmers now support OBK programming for STMicroelectronics' STM32H573 series product line. With all the features of the STM32H563 line, including enhanced performance, better power efficiency and more embedded peripherals, STM32H573 devices also include a secure key storage mechanism which adds an additional layer of security for OBKeys. 

STMicroelectronics: Provisioning/Securing STM32H563 Devices with TrustZone Enabled (Certificate Authentication)

PEmicro's programming tools support provisioning and securing of STMicroelectronics' STM32H563 devices in both TrustZone enabled and TrustZone disabled configurations. This tutorial demonstrates a sequence for programming the device into a secure, TrustZone enabled state. Secure and non-secure code and data images are programmed, Debug Authentication is enabled with certificate access, and the OEM-iRoT is provisioned. 

STMicroelectronics: Provisioning/Securing STM32H503 Devices with Password Regression

STMicroelectronics' STM32H503 devices are based on the ARM Cortex M33 and offer high performance and power efficiency suitable for a wide range of applications. In addition, the STM32H5 product life-cycle adds a layer of security, allowing the user to secure/unsecure a device by moving it through product states. The following example details how to step through a simple product lifecycle.

STMicroelectronics: Set STM32 Option Bytes Easily and Accurately with PEmicro Tools

PEmicro's PROGACMP and Cyclone software have a set of "user options" commands:

• Create/Modify User Options File (CU)

• Specify User Options File (SU)

• Program User Options (PU)

These commands allow the developer to individually program user options through the use of an IDE.

STMicroelectronics: Provisioning/Securing STM32H563 Devices with TrustZone Disabled (Password Authentication)

PEmicro's programming tools support provisioning and securing STMicroelectronics STM32H563 devices in both TrustZone enabled and TrustZone disabled configurations. This article gives an example of how to program the device in the TrustZone disabled configuration. A password is programmed which allows the device to be regressed to the Open (non-secure) state.

PEmicro Adds Support for STMicroelectronics BlueNRG-LP and BlueNRG-LPS

PEmicro's  development and production programmers now support STMicroelectronics' BlueNRG-LP and BlueNRG-LPS microcontrollers based on ARM Cortex®-M0+. The BlueNRG series provides an ultra low-power programmable Bluetooth SoC solution to help bring wireless products to market.

PEmicro Adds Support for STMicroelectronics STM32H5

PEmicro's development and production tools now support STMicroelectronics' STM32H5 microcontrollers based on ARM Cortex-M33. The H5 devices are intended to offer a compelling combination of performance and security at a reasonable price.

Cyclone Programming Overview for STMicroelectronics Devices

The process of setting up Cyclone programmers to perform production programming at a local or remote facility is simple and straightforward. PEmicro's Cyclones support programming of STMicroelectronics' popular STM32 and Bluetooth Low-Energy (BlueNRG) devices, as well as the SPC5 automotive and STM8 8-bit families.

In addition, Cyclone programmers leverage PEmicro's ProCryption Security to use industry-standard RSA/AES cryptography to safeguard programming images containing valuable IP. The IP owner also gains added control over factors like when and how many devices can be programmed, and how many errors are allowed.

This article will provide an overview of Cyclone programming - what the various components are and how they interact - and then explore the security aspect of the production programming process, in order to show that IP security does not need to be unduly complicated or expensive to be effective. 

STMicroelectronics: Using PEmicro Tools to Update the Wireless Stack on STMicroelectronics' STM32WB Devices

PEmicro tools can be used to update the current flash memory of STMicroelectronics' STM32WB Wireless MCUs with wireless stack information. Deleting current wireless stacks allows for more available flash memory in the processor, while upgrading wireless stacks allows the processor to perform desired wireless functions out of the otherwise inaccessible second core.

STMicroelectronics: Multilink/Cyclone Debug with STM32CubeIDE from STMicroelectronics

STM32CubeIDE from STMicroelectronics is an Eclipse-based enablement platform which supports development and debugging of code on STM32 ARM microprocessors. PEmicro's Multilink debug probes and Cyclone programmers can be leveraged for advanced debug capabilities via an Eclipse GDB plugin that is freely available for installation into any Eclipse IDE from PEmicro update site (https://www.pemicro.com/eclipse/updates). This blog demonstrates the steps needed to install and configure PEmicro Multilink and Cyclone debug support in STM32CubeIDE to the point of launching a debug session.

Programming MCU Fuses, OTP, and Option Bytes

Article updated Aug. 2021 to describe automatic fuse generation for NXP i,MX RT devices.

Some ARM devices have areas of flash memory dedicated to programming user configuration data. Writes to such areas can be sensitive or permanent for some devices, so it is important that the developer is able to write these options in an intuitive way in order to minimizes human error. PEmicro's PROGACMP v7.78 and Cyclone software installer v10.41 introduce a set of new "user options" commands:

• Create/Modify User Options File (CU)
• Specify User Options File (SU)
• Program User Options (PU)

These commands allow the developer to individually program user options through the use of an IDE.

Programming STM32Fx and STM32Lx Option Bytes

Note: As of January 2020, PEmicro now offers a new method of programming user configuration data through the new Program User Options command. Click here for more details about this command.

PEmicro supports a wide selection of STMicroelectronics' STM32 device families. Many STM32 devices include a set of user configurable option bytes that can control features such as HW/SW watchdog, read protection, and write protection. These options give users a convenient way of changing the settings of their device. Configuring option bytes of a STM32Fx or STM32Lx device is made easy with our PROG software and Cyclone Image Creation Utility software. 

How to use PEMicro's Multilink and Cyclone Interfaces with Keil's MDK-ARM IDE

Download the Installer for PEmicro support under Keil uVision IDE

PEmicro's run control and FLASH programming support is fully integrated into ARM's MDK-ARM Keil uVision Integrated Development Environment v5.25 for ARM microcontrollers. This provides debug capabilities via PEmicro's Multilink, Cyclone and embedded OpenSDA debug interfaces for a broad range of ARM devices from NXP, STMicroelectronics, Atmel, Cypress, Infineon, Silicon Labs and many others. For complete list of ARM devices that PEMicro supports, please visit the following page: http://www.pemicro.com/arm/.

Gang Programming with Cyclone Programmmers

A volume production solution often relies on simultaneous gang programming of different target boards to meet speed and throughput requirements. This programming scenario may integrate Cyclone programmers into a fixture which interfaces to a panel of boards to be programmed. Programming is commonly controlled and monitored from a local computer, especially when customized dynamic data is being added to the main binary image that is being programmed into each target.

PEmicro’s gang programming solution is to control many Cyclone programmers simultaneously via the Cyclone Control Suite. A mix of programming images, targets, and data can be simultaneously programmed into many devices while maintaining a high level of performance because each Cyclone is itself an independently operating programmer.