Smoothieboards normally arrive with firmware installed. Flashing replaces that firmware; it is useful for updating or installing a custom build. Select your board version above, then follow the matching instructions below.
The SD card update method requires the SD bootloader. Purchased Smoothieboards normally have it installed; a homemade board may need it installed first. Use a FAT32-formatted microSD card.
These instructions are for Smoothieboard V2 Prime with working firmware. The running firmware performs the SD card update; it is not an independent preinstalled SD bootloader. Keep the machine’s working config.ini in the SD card root. If the board cannot run its firmware, use the recovery instructions instead.
Get a firmware binary appropriate for your board and machine from Smoothieware FirmwareBin. For available variants and build instructions, see Getting Smoothie. Read the upgrade notes when moving from an old version.
Download the Prime firmware binary and its MD5 checksum, or consult the SmoothieV2 releases. For a custom build, see the source repository and Compiling Smoothie. Use a binary built for Prime; binaries for other targets are not interchangeable.
firmware.bin.config.txt on the card. If setting up a new machine, prepare the configuration for that machine using Configuring Smoothie.flashme.bin.config.ini on the card. See Configuring Smoothie when preparing a new configuration..bin extension. Safely eject the card before removing it.
Insert the card in the board and power or reset it. Do not remove power or the card during the update.
The bootloader looks for firmware.bin and flashes it. During flashing, the LEDs count up for a few seconds; the board then starts the firmware and its LEDs begin flashing. Check the filename and running version below rather than relying on the LED sequence alone.
The running firmware checks for flashme.bin during startup and, if it is valid, starts the update. This automatic check can be disabled by the flash_on_boot setting. If the board is running but automatic flashing is disabled, connect a console and issue flash after copying the file. The command is refused while the machine is busy or heaters are on.
After the board has restarted, inspect the SD card. The bootloader normally renames firmware.bin to FIRMWARE.CUR. Then connect to the board and use the version console command to check the running firmware. A renamed file alone does not establish that the machine’s configuration and functions are correct.
After the board has restarted, connect to it and use the version console command to check the running firmware. The updater may rename the submitted image to flashme.old even if programming fails. It is not a backup of the previous firmware. The renamed file alone does not establish that the new firmware is running correctly or that the machine’s configuration is correct.
Check the configuration and machine functions before returning the machine to normal use.
Follow Connecting to Smoothie to connect a host or console to your board. Send version to check the running firmware; see the console commands reference for other commands.
firmware.bin is in its root with the exact name. Check for a hidden second extension and confirm that the file is the binary, not an HTML download page. Check that the SD bootloader is installed.config.ini is present, and flashme.bin is in the card root. Check whether flash_on_boot is disabled; a running board can instead update with the flash console command. Check the console for errors.flashme.bin and update again while the firmware is running. flashme.old is not the previous firmware. If the firmware cannot run, follow the recovery instructions below.If the SD bootloader is missing or damaged, see Flashing the Bootloader for installation and recovery.
If the firmware cannot run, the SD-card update cannot start. You can instead use the microcontroller’s USB device firmware update (DFU) mode to write a Prime firmware binary directly to internal flash. This replaces the installed firmware. Preserve your SD card configuration and use the correct, checksum-verified Prime binary from the download step above.
In a terminal, list DFU devices:
dfu-util -l
Look for the STM32 device, normally identified as 0483:df11, and its internal flash entry. If it does not appear, check the USB data cable, power and button sequence; USB permissions or drivers may also need attention. Disconnect other DFU devices before continuing so you do not flash the wrong device.
In the directory containing the downloaded pr.bin, run:
dfu-util -d 0483:df11 -a 0 -s 0x08000000 -D pr.bin
This writes the binary to the start of internal flash. If your Prime binary has a different filename, substitute its actual path. Wait for the command to finish successfully; do not disconnect power or USB during the write.
flashme.bin, power down and remove or rename that file on a computer before restarting, so it cannot trigger another update. Keep your config.ini. Safely eject and reinsert the card, then power the board and press RST without holding BOOT0. Connect to the board and check version, its configuration and machine functions as described above.If DFU is not detected or the firmware still does not start, consult the initial bootstrap and debrick instructions for supported hardware programmer recovery and board option-byte details. Avoid changing option bytes or erasing flash indiscriminately; those operations can affect recovery.