Updating Device Firmware and FPGA Images (Optional)

The firmware and FPGA images for USRP devices are stored in the device internal memory. You can reload the FPGA image or firmware image using the NI-USRP Configuration Utility and an Ethernet connection, but you cannot create custom FPGA images using the Ethernet connection.

  1. If you have not already done so, connect the host computer to the device using the Ethernet port.
  2. Select Start » All Programs » National Instruments » NI-USRP » NI-USRP Configuration Utility to open the NI-USRP Configuration Utility.
  3. Select the N2xx/NI-29xx Image Updater tab. The utility automatically populates the Firmware Image and FPGA Image fields with the paths to the default firmware and FPGA image files. If you want to use different files, click the Browse button next to the file you want to change, and navigate to the file you want to use.
  4. Verify that the firmware and FPGA image paths are entered correctly.
  5. Click the Refresh Device List button to scan for USRP devices and update the device list.
    If your device does not appear in the list, verify that the device is on and is correctly connected to the computer.
    If your device still does not appear in the list, you can manually add the device to the list. Click the Manually Add Device button, enter the IP address of the device in the dialog box that displays, and click OK.
  6. Select the device to update from the device list and verify that you selected the correct device.
  7. Verify that the version of the FPGA image file matches the board revision for the device you are updating.
  8. To update the device, click the WRITE IMAGES button.
  9. A confirmation dialog box displays. Confirm your selections and click OK to continue.
    A progress bar indicates the status of the update.
  10. When the update completes, a dialog box prompts you to reset the device. A device reset applies the new images to the device. Click OK to reset the device.
    Note The utility is unresponsive while it verifies that the device reset correctly.
  11. Close the utility.