What is xLoader? #
xLoader serves as a valuable tool for the seamless installation of firmware HEX files onto AVR Microcontrollers, which are commonly employed in 8-bit 3D printer mainboards. This utility proves particularly beneficial when dealing with precompiled firmware files, eliminating the need for source code compilation. It’s essential to note that this guide exclusively caters to 8-bit boards and is not applicable to 32-bit boards. If you are working with a 32-bit board, the SD card method is the recommended approach for flashing firmware.
xLoader Download #
How to use xLoader #
First, download and extract the zipped xLoader folder, closing out any other programs like slicers or flashing programs to avoid any issues with them conflicting. Open the folder and find xLoader.exe and double click to open it.
Secondly, we will select our firmware file and device settings. If you have a precompiled firmware to use, that would be a firmware.hex file. This can be selected by clicking on the box with 3 dots.
Next we will select the device, for our example we are flashing a Creality 2.x board that uses the ATMEGA2560 CPU. Under the Device dropdown, select the CPU type that matches your board.
Finally we will select the COM port and Baud Rate, the COM port for your board may change depending on what devices you have plugged in. An easy way to tell what COM Port your board is on is checking your computers Device Manager, and unplugging and plugging in the board. To do this, first hit the Windows key, and type “Device Manager” it should pop up in the search while you are typing.
Once open, look for the “Ports (COM & LPT)” if you do not see this, plug in your board or try another USB cable, Windows will make a connection sound if it sees the board and auto update the manager page. In my case, I had no other COM ports connected until I plugged in the board, now showing up under COM8 (YOUR COM PORT MAY BE DIFFERENT)
After you have the the COM port set, the baud rate for most 3D printer boards would be 115200, then click Upload. This process can take a few minutes but should finish with “####### bytes uploaded” at the bottom if it successfully uploads to the board.