Over the Air Download (OAD)

This section serves as a guide to the Texas Instruments Over-the-Air Download (OAD) ecosystem including the custom profile specification, application architecture, drivers, and middleware. OAD is a device firmware upgrade method that allows the firmware image running on a device to be updated over the air using a Bluetooth low energy connection while providing power loss protection.

The guide will cover the principles of the OAD process, the out of the box examples included in the SimpleLink CC2640R2 SDK, and the process for adding OAD to an existing project.

Warning

Updating the device firmware over serial (UART or SPI) connection from a host MCU using the CC26xx embedded ROM Serial Bootloader (SBL) is covered in application note CC2538/CC26xx Bootloader Interface (SWRA466).

The OAD guide section will cover:

• OAD theory of operation and architecture
• How to run the OAD examples included in the SimpleLink CC2640R2 SDK
• How to add OAD to an existing sample application

The supported development kit for OAD is the CC2640R2 Launchpad. To follow the procedures listed in this guide, two CC2640R2 Launchpad development kits are required.

Table of contents

• OAD Concept Overview
  • OAD Types
  • OAD Topology Overview
  • OAD Image Metadata
  • OAD Service (0xFFC0)
  • OAD Process
  • Boot Image Manager (BIM)
  • Linker Responsibilities
• Off-Chip OAD
  • Supported Stack Image Types
  • Constraints and Requirements for Off-chip OAD
  • Off-chip OAD Memory layout
  • BIM for Off-chip OAD
  • Out of the Box Demo (Off-Chip App Only OAD)
  • Add Off-chip OAD to an existing project
• Troubleshooting Guide
  • General Troubleshooting Guide Prior to BIM
  • Downloaded OAD Image Isn’t Starting
  • Should External Flash be Used During OAD?
  • Building Super Hex Files
  • Mobile Application Can’t Perform OAD
  • OAD Target device doesn’t reset after successful OAD
  • Can’t connect via BTool After successful OAD
• Appendix
  • Generating Linker Command File for OAD Off-chip
  • Stack Side Changes for OAD Project
  • Generating Metadata Vector for OAD Image
  • Generating a Production Image for OAD
  • Using a custom reset vector address for your application
  • Changing Application Data to Verify an OAD
  • Using BTool and CC2640R2 Launchpad as an OAD Downloader

Document Updates/Errata

This document is constantly being improved. For the best user experience, please ensure that you are using the latest version. Newer revisions will be posted online on the OAD User’s Guide wiki page.