Update the AkidaTag firmware

The app updates an AkidaTag’s firmware over Bluetooth through the board’s MCUboot bootloader. The file has to be on the phone first: the app downloads nothing.

Get the firmware file

AkidaTag firmware is published as releases of the Brainchip-Inc/AkidaTag repository. From the latest release, download akidatag-<version>.signed.bin, the asset described there as the signed firmware for update over Bluetooth, to the phone. The app also accepts a .zip that contains a single .bin image. The same release carries the model packages described in Load a model.

The image must be signed for your board

A board accepts only firmware signed with the key its bootloader trusts. A board flashed from an official release takes official releases, and a board flashed with a development build takes development builds. An image the board does not trust is discarded quietly when it restarts, and the board carries on with its previous firmware. Nothing is bricked.

There is no version check on the board: any correctly signed image installs, newer or older.

Check the version first

The Firmware row on Device Preview shows the version a board is running, before connecting. Note it, so the result of the update can be checked the same way.

Send it

1. Open Settings and tap Firmware Update.
2. Tap Browse Local Firmware and pick the file. The app reads the image header and shows the file’s name, version and size.
3. If this app has already installed firmware on this board, and the new file is signed with a different key from that one, the app warns This file may not install. Send it anyway goes ahead.
4. Tap Install This Build. Keep the app open and stay near the board. The sheet walks through:
   • Sending firmware… with a percentage.
   • Restarting your AkidaTag… once the image is on the board and it has been asked to restart.
   • Waiting for your AkidaTag… while the board installs the firmware, which can take up to two minutes. The app looks for the board, tells it apart from any other by its serial number, and reads which firmware it came back running. Do not power the board off.
5. Read the outcome and tap Done.

The app says	What happened	What to do
Update installed	The board came back running the firmware you sent, confirmed after its restart.	Nothing. The app is connected to it again.
Update did not install	The board came back on its previous firmware. It did not accept the image: the bootloader installs only an image signed with the key it trusts.	Check that the file is the release built for this board.
Your AkidaTag did not restart	The image was sent but the board did not restart, so it is still on its previous firmware. The image is staged on the board and may install the next time it is powered off and on.	Power the board off and on, then check the Firmware row on Device Preview.
Update failed	The transfer did not complete. The board is still running its previous firmware.	The message says why; most often the board stopped answering. Move closer and send it again.
Could not confirm the update	The image was sent, but afterwards the app could not find the board again, or the board would not say what it is running.	Select the board in the device list and check the Firmware row.

What survives an update

The model and any learned keywords stay on the board. The keyword spotting settings under App Controls return to their defaults whenever the firmware version changes.