topic Re: FRDM-KEAZ128Q8 | OpenSDA problem in Kinetis Microcontrollers

FRDM-KEAZ128Q8 | OpenSDA problem

aelmrn — Thu, 02 Oct 2025 11:05:35 GMT

Hello everyone,

I would kindly like to ask for your help regarding changing the Default Debugging Interface on the FRDM-KEAZ128Q8 development board. The board came with the PEmicro bootloader and the PEmicro Default Debugging Interface, but I would like to use CMSIS instead.

According to the information available on the NXP OpenSDA page (https://www.nxp.com/design/design-center/development-boards-and-designs/OPENSDA), this means that my board is using OpenSDAv1, since both the bootloader and debugging interface are PEmicro by default.

I tried searching for my board on that page to update OpenSDA, but I couldn’t find it listed. I then attempted to use the files provided for the TRK-KEA128 board, but without success. I am familiar with the firmware update procedure (entering bootloader mode and drag-and-dropping the firmware file), but the update did not work.

What makes me particularly suspicious is that the files I downloaded are in .bin format, while according to the table on the NXP page, OpenSDAv1 requires files in .sda / .s19 / .srec format (see the table and download links here: https://www.nxp.com/design/design-center/development-boards-and-designs/OPENSDA?tid=vanOpenSDA#nogo). Further searching did not help, as I could not find the required file formats anywhere.

My main question is: does anyone know how to change the OpenSDA firmware to CMSIS on this board, and is it even possible? I believe it should be, since I have another FRDM-KEAZ128Q8 board that I purchased earlier which is already running on CMSIS firmware, and I don’t recall having to manually switch it from PEmicro.

Any help would be greatly appreciated, and thank you for taking the time to read my post.

Best regards,
A

Re: FRDM-KEAZ128Q8 | OpenSDA problem

mara9320 — Thu, 02 Oct 2025 15:57:29 GMT

I have similar problem, I hope that there is solution.

Re: FRDM-KEAZ128Q8 | OpenSDA problem

carlos_o — Tue, 07 Oct 2025 22:13:14 GMT

Hi @aelmrn

Thanks for your post.

If the board is not listed, it will not support OpenSDAv2

Apologies for the inconvenience this may cause

Re: FRDM-KEAZ128Q8 | OpenSDA problem

aelmrn — Wed, 08 Oct 2025 06:04:05 GMT

Hi @carlos_o - Thank you for your response!
I understand that my development board does not support OpenSDAv2, since according to the available information it uses OpenSDAv1. However, I would like to know how to change the OpenSDAv1 firmware from PEmicro to DAP-CMSIS. I have the same development board, the FRDM-KEAZ128Q8, with the DAP-CMSIS firmware, which was ordered somewhat earlier than this new one that came by default with the PEmicro firmware — but I don’t recall having to change the firmware from PEmicro to DAP-CMSIS on that older board.

Also, I think that on your webpage [https://www.nxp.com/design/design-center/development-boards-and-designs/OPENSDA?_gl=1*14qlfnx*_ga*MTM5OTYwNDE5OS4xNzU5OTAyNTUy*_ga_WM5LE0KMSH*czE3NTk5MDI1NTIkbzEkZzEkdDE3NTk5MDI4MTgkajIxJGwwJGgxNjMzMjQzMTY5#TRK-KEA128](https://www.nxp.com/design/design-center/development-boards-and-designs/OPENSDA?_gl=1*14qlfnx*_ga*MTM5OTYwNDE5OS4xNzU5OTAyNTUy*_ga_WM5LE0KMSH*czE3NTk5MDI1NTIkbzEkZzEkdDE3NTk5MDI4MTgkajIxJGwwJGgxNjMzMjQzMTY5#TRK-KEA128)
the file available for download under **“CMSIS-DAP Debug Application for OpenSDAv1”** is not correctly set up. When selecting the TRK-KEA128 board and pressing “Download Binary,” the downloaded `.bin` file corresponds to the TWR-KM35Z75M board. Moreover, clicking on the adjacent “Source Code” button leads to a deleted page.

Could you please update these files if they are indeed incorrect?
Also, I would greatly appreciate an answer on how to change the OpenSDA firmware application from PEmicro to CMSIS-DAP (to clarify, I do **not** wish to change the OpenSDA version from v1 to v2 or similar).

Thank you in advance for your help.

Best regards,

Re: FRDM-KEAZ128Q8 | OpenSDA problem

carlos_o — Thu, 09 Oct 2025 18:50:46 GMT

Hi @aelmrn

CMSIS update the debugger software, but it does not include the KEA series (Release CMSIS 6.2.0 · ARM-software/CMSIS_6 · GitHub), the functional debugger to KEA series is PE Micro (PEmicro | 40+ years innovating in the embedded systems space. Flash Programmers, Cloud-based, Automated, Gang Programmers, and more...).

Apologies the inconvenience this may cause.