[SOLVED]J-Link EDU keeps booting in bootloader mode

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  • [SOLVED]J-Link EDU keeps booting in bootloader mode

    My trusty J-Link EDU recently started booting to bootloader mode when connected through USB. J-Link Commander sees this, and attempts a firmware restoration.
    More often than not, this firmware restoration fails and the device becomes unresponsive. When I then unplug/replug the device, the process starts over.

    Command line output from J-Link Commander on Linux Ubuntu 18.04 LTS:
    $ JLinkExe
    SEGGER J-Link Commander V6.82b (Compiled Jul 23 2020 16:45:46)
    DLL version V6.82b, compiled Jul 23 2020 16:45:35


    Connecting to J-Link via USB...Updating firmware: J-Link V10 compiled Jul 17 2020 16:23:38
    Replacing firmware: J-Link V10 compiled Jun 3 2015 BTL
    Waiting for new firmware to boot
    FAILED: Communication timed out: Requested 4 bytes, received 0 bytes !
    Could not read J-Link capabilities.
    Cannot connect to J-Link


    The above results in a GUI dialog with the following output:
    New firmware: J-Link V10 compiled Jul 17 2020 16:23:38
    Current firmware: J-Link V10 compiled Jun 3 2015 BTL
    Starting bootloader... already started.
    Sending firmware data... OK (491520 bytes).
    Waiting for new firmware to boot...
    Waiting for emulator to detach... Timeout, assuming emulator has already re-enumerated.
    Waiting for emulator to attach... OK after 0ms.
    Firmware updated successfull
    [/quote]
    Sometimes the firmware restoration does succeed, and when it does, the J-Link EDU functions as it used to.

    I see multiple posts here about similar issues (forum.segger.com/index.php/Thr…irmware-Restoration-fail/, forum.segger.com/index.php/Thr…for-new-firmware-to-boot/, forum.segger.com/index.php/Thr…loader-mode-won-t-update/).

    One of these posts mentions a fix for what sounds like a similar problem with the J-Trace PRO v2. This fix was included in version V6.82a (2020-07-21). Is a similar fix needed for the J-Link EDU?

    Please advice.

  • Hi,
    Thank you for your inquiry.
    There are no issues known to us related to the J- Link EDU.

    The firmware issue you are referring to was only connected to the J-Trace PRO Cortex models.

    Could you please provide some more detail?
    Does the J-Link require a new Firmware update every time you reconnect it to a PC?
    Does the same happen with:
    -The latest J-Link Software and Documentation Pack?
    -On another PC with a different USB cable?

    Best regards,
    Fabian
    Please read the forum rules before posting.

    Keep in mind, this is *not* a support forum.
    Our engineers will try to answer your questions between their projects if possible but this can be delayed by longer periods of time.
    Should you be entitled to support you can contact us via our support system: segger.com/ticket/
    Or you can contact us via e-mail.

  • Hi,

    Thank you for getting back to me.

    - Yes, the J-Link EDU in question requires a firmware update every time I reconnect it to a PC.
    - I have tested with SEGGER J-Link Commander V6.82d, same issue.
    - I have tried with multiple different USB cables on different PCs, same issue.
    - I have tried on both MS Windows, GNU/Linux and macOS, same issue.

    I tried contacting SEGGER support, but was told no support is available for the SEGGER J-Link EDU.

  • Hi,

    It seems like your J-Link is defective.

    According to our database the J-Link left SEGGER in February 2019.
    If you bought it within the last 365 days, please contact your distributor to get a new one (1-year warranty regulation).
    Otherwise you would have to buy a new one.

    Do you have any further questions?

    Best regards,
    Fabian
    Please read the forum rules before posting.

    Keep in mind, this is *not* a support forum.
    Our engineers will try to answer your questions between their projects if possible but this can be delayed by longer periods of time.
    Should you be entitled to support you can contact us via our support system: segger.com/ticket/
    Or you can contact us via e-mail.

  • Hi,
    All J-Link support requests (including the forum requests) are exclusively handled by the SEGGER engineering team and developers.
    This means, that the time I spent answering you here was actually more expensive then the ~50 € you paid for the J-Link EDU.

    The J-Link EDU is extremely cheap, considering that it has the same capabilities as the J-Link Base (298€), a professional Debug tool.
    So ~50 € for a professional debug tool is by far not expensive.

    So we really do not understand your disappointment,
    especially since the EDU products do not even come with any claims for support at all.

    We will close this thread now.

    Best regards,
    Fabian
    Please read the forum rules before posting.

    Keep in mind, this is *not* a support forum.
    Our engineers will try to answer your questions between their projects if possible but this can be delayed by longer periods of time.
    Should you be entitled to support you can contact us via our support system: segger.com/ticket/
    Or you can contact us via e-mail.