Firmware Installation

Before you can use the Gizmo system with a gamepad and drive a robot around, it is necessary to install firmware, referred to as the Gizmo System Software (GSS).

While there is a lot of information on this page, the entire process should take you about 15 minutes given reasonable internet speed and a modern computer.

What is Firmware?

Firmware is a form of software. Historically, firmware would have to be installed at a factory or during final assembly of a system. This often involved high voltage programmers, powerful ultraviolet lights, or even advanced photolithography techniques to indelibly etch the program into the a physical structure on a devices memory chips. As you can imagine, having to have the firmware "burned in" made it a high stakes operation since there was no possibility to update or fix bugs after devices left the manufacturer's facilities.

As time has gone on, the term firmware has changed to mean any software that is installed at the most basic layers of a device that provides its core functionality. Firmware in this sense is no different than any other program, merely becoming yet another software program installed onto a device.

The Gizmo is no different, and the System Processor requires firmware to operate. This firmware is developed by the Gizmo Team and is written in C++ using the Arduino framework. You can inspect this code here. The firmware that runs on the System Processor is responsible for interacting with the wireless data link as well as providing control signals to the color changing indicators, driving the safety watchdog, and supplying information about gamepad and field state to the User Processor.

Installing the Firmware

Installation is easy. Connect the small end of a USB B-Micro cable to the System Processor. The System Processor located to the top left edge of the Gizmo when viewed with the indicator lights on the left and the connector blocks on the right.

Locate and hold down the bootsel button. If you are using a Gizmo without a case, you can use this graphic from the Raspberry Pi Foundation:

If you are using a Gizmo inside a case, the button will be located in the same place, but guarded by the case. Depending on which version of the various case designs you have selected to use, you may need an unfolded paperclip to reach the button.

Once you have located the button, press and hold it while plugging the other end of the USB cable into your computer. Your computer will detect the Gizmo in mass-storage (thumb drive) mode, and it will be attached as a removable drive.

Obtain the latest firmware release from here. You need the uf2 file from the release artifacts located at the bottom of the card.

Simply drag-and-drop the uf2 file from above onto the drive. After a few seconds, the drive will disconnect and the light on the System Processor will begin to glow then flash.

Bind the Gizmo to a Driver's Station

When you install firmware for the very first time, the Gizmo won't know what driver's station its supposed to talk to. The process of connecting a Gizmo to a driver's station is referred to as binding, and is a fully automated process.

With the driver's station powered on, connect the system processor to any free USB port on the driver's station, and power on the Gizmo. If the Gizmo has never been bound before, the network and position status lights will rapidly blink. If the Gizmo has been paired before, you can re-enter pairing mode by pressing the bootsel button for 2 seconds after all the lights on the board have turned on. The configuration will be synchronized between the driver's station and the Gizmo, and the Gizmo will reboot.

After a few seconds, the Gizmo will connect to the Driver's Station and begin communicating.