Chris Walker

Version: 4.3.2 Update 3 (version 4.3.2.3)

Download link
Download Netduino v4.3.2.3 firmware now

Updates in this release
1. DNS queries now fail over to secondary servers.
2. Empty list of DNS servers now work with MFDeploy.
3. DHCP maximum message length option (DHCP option 57) corrected.

Additional updates from recent releases
1. Pins.ONBOARD_BTN now disables the reset feature properly

Pre-requisites for this firmware
1. Visual Studio 2012 or Visual Studio 2013. Or Visual Studio 2015 (beta).
2. .NET Micro Framework SDK v4.3 QFE2 or newer
3. NETMF plug-in for Visual Studio 2012, NETMF plug-in for Visual Studio 2013 or NETMF plug-in for Visual Studio 2015 (beta).
4. Netduino SDK v4.3.2.1 or newer

How to flash this firmware
1. Detach your Netduino from your computer to turn it off.
2. Press and hold your Netduino's pushbutton while plugging it in via USB; this will put it in bootloader mode.
3. Run the Netduino Update tool (see link above).
a. If your device does not appear, install the STDFU drivers + tools v3.0.3.
b. If your device appears as "STM Device in DFU Mode", click on "Options", select your board type from the Product selection box and close the Options window.
4. Select the checkbox next to your device and press "Upgrade"
5. Wait while the upgrade operation completes. After flashing, your Netduino will reboot and will be removed from the upgrade list.
6. After flashing, set your network settings using MFDeploy. In MFDeploy, select the Target > Configuration > Networking menu. Re-enter your IP address and Wi-Fi settings.

How to find your current version of Netduino firmware
1. Go to the Start Menu > Programs > Microsoft .NET Micro Framework 4.3
2. Run MFDeploy.
3. Plug your Netduino into your PC using a Micro USB cable.
4. In the Device section at top, select USB instead of Serial. Your Netduino should appear in the drop-down; if not, select it.
5. Select the Target menu > Device Capabilities option.
6. In the output box, find the "SolutionReleaseInfo.solutionVersion" value. This is your firmware version.

Enjoy, and please let us know if you run into any troubles.

Chris

Download link
Download Netduino v4.3.2.3 firmware now

I have attached Netduino.IP v1.0.1 firmware (i.e. Netduino Plus 2 v4.3.2.3 firmware).

This network stack is shiny and new. If you run into any issues, please post here and we can address them individually.

Netduino.IP is designed for backwards-compatibility with existing NETMF code. To use Netduino.IP, simply write your code using the standard System.Net.Sockets classes, HttpWebRequest, etc.

This build includes the following features:

• Bugfix: DNS queries now fail over to secondary servers.
• Bugfix: Empty list of DNS servers now work with MFDeploy.
• Bugfix: DHCP maximum message length option (DHCP option 57) corrected.

I have attached a sample project which requests the Netduino homepage and also retrieves the current time from an Internet time server.

The main goals for Netduino.IP (for Ethernet) v1.0 are reliability and protocol compliance. As we move forward we can focus in on performance enhancements, potential support for additional IP protocols/features, etc.

Thank you for taking the time to help us test out Netduino.IP!

Chris

P.S. Netduino.IP source code has been checked into the Netduino repository at GitHub.
https://github.com/n...ino/Netduino.IP

Netduino Plus 2 used Microchip's ENC28J60 SPI-based MAC/PHY chip for networking support. This chip is widely used but, well, it's old. It only supports 10mbps. And it isn't designed for today's power-efficient designs.

So when we were designing Netduino 3 Ethernet, we cleared off the drawing board and went searching for the ultimate SPI-based networking chip.

We found the Asix AX88796C. It's low-power. It's feature-rich. And it's really awesome.

Here is a link for more info:
http://www.asix.com....temID=104;65;86

Here are just a few of the great new features of the Asix chip:
* 10/100 mbps
* Larger on-chip SRAM buffers
* Designed for both IPv4 and IPv6.
* Offloads IPv4 and IPv6 checksums to hardware.
* Supports twister-pair crossover detection and auto-correction.
* Dynamic power management, reducing power consumption when the cable is disconnected, the network is idle, etc.

For those of you who want to do cool hacks, you can tweak Netduino.IP to do even more with this chip:
* Supports VLANs (not used in Netduino.IP -- but could be added for custom commercial applications)
* Supports ARP protocol offload, wake-on-LAN, etc.
* DMA support, and more.

And if you're building custom Netduino-derived boards for industrial applications, Asix even makes a special industrial temperature (-40 C to 85 C) version of the chip.

Of course we have built a fully managed-code driver for the AX88796C chip (which is running with Netduino.IP on every Netduino 3 Ethernet mainboard).

C# driver source, for the curious (and for advanced hacks):
https://github.com/n...Layers.AX88796C

In summary: ENC28J60 was good for networking, but AX88796C is great. We now have a PC-class (but micro-optimized) networking chip for NETMF applications. The future is here.

Chris

Dear Friends,

Some community members build awesome IoT projects with Netduino.

But for many of us, we just want to build cool stuff using a non-networked Netduino mainboard.

So while designing Netduino gen3, we designed a brand new board for non-IoT projects as well.

Introducing Netduino 3, a major upgrade to Netduino 2.
Netduino 3 Specs
Where to Buy (resellers)

Here are a few highlights of what is new and improved with Netduino 3:

• Micro: STM32F427VG
  1MB flash (twice the code space as N2)
  256KB RAM including 64KB core-coupled RAM (128KB more RAM than N2)
• Three GoBus 2.0 ports (for plug and play components)
• Support for even more Arduino shields (with ICSP header pads)
• New miniature shield-friendly pushbutton
• Brand new power subsystem and power management
• Over half of all components are new. Too much to cover here.

Of course Netduino 3 is firmware upgradable and will gain even more rich functionality over time.

Netduino 3, Netduino 3 Ethernet, and Netduino 3 Wi-Fi: the future of Netduino is here.

I can't wait to see what cool things you build with this new gear!

Chris

Dear Friends,

Netduino Plus 2 is a great board. But we can do even better

Introducing Netduino 3 Ethernet, a major upgrade to Netduino Plus 2.
Netduino 3 Ethernet Specs
Where to Buy (resellers)

Here are a few highlights of what is new and improved with Netduino 3 Ethernet:

• Micro: STM32F427VI Rev 3
  2MB dual-bank flash (twice as much as NP2)
  256KB RAM including 64KB core-coupled RAM (33% more than NP2)
• Ethernet: 10/100 mbps chip, featuring the awesome Asix AX88796CLF MAC/PHY chip.
• Three GoBus 2.0 ports (for plug and play components)
• Support for even more Arduino shields (with ICSP header pads)
• New miniature shield-friendly pushbutton
• Brand new power subsystem and power management
• Over half of all components are new. Too much to cover here.

For networking, Netduino 3 Ethernet sheds the lwIP networking stack and features the shiny new Netduino.IP stack out of the box (fully integrated into the CLR). Just write regular NETMF code using System.Net.Socket, HttpWebRequest, etc.

Of course Netduino 3 Ethernet is firmware upgradable and will gain even more rich functionality over time.

Netduino 3, Netduino 3 Ethernet, and Netduino 3 Wi-Fi: the future of Netduino is here.

I can't wait to see what cool things you build with this new gear!

Chris