Firmware Flashing and Authorization

After you complete the development with Tuya Zigbee SDK, you need to flash the compiled binary file and the license to the chip so that your network module can be connected to the Tuya IoT Platform and communicate with the cloud. This topic describes two approaches to flashing and authorization.

Flashing and authorization

Flashing and authorization combined

You use Tuya’s host that is integrated with the flashing tool to write firmware and license to the chip.

Before having your chip flashed, you need to upload the compiled binary file to the Tuya IoT Platform according to the requirements and get the license.

Flashing and authorization separated

You do not use Tuya’s host, or you only use Tuya’s host to flash license for authorization and use a third-party flashing software to write binary files to the chip.

This approach applies to two situations in terms of writing license.

• Write the license using Tuya’s host: Tuya provides the license and you enter it on Tuya’s host. The license is written to the chip through serial communication.
• Write the license without using Tuya’s host: Tuya provides a license list in a spreadsheet. You need to parse and write the license to the chip.

Get the license

You will get binary files after compilation, as shown below.

The bin files with the suffix QIO and OTA are used for production and OTA updates respectively.

The following procedure describes how to get upload firmware to the Tuya IoT Platform and get the license.

1. Log in to the Tuya IoT Platform and create a product.

2. In the third step of Hardware Development, select Tuya Standard Module SDK and click Add custom firmware.

   

3. Complete the required information and click Upload Firmware. The Firmware Identifier must be consistent with the file name of the firmware to be uploaded.
   

4. Upload your compiled binary file in the corresponding field and click Save.

   

5. Enable the firmware.

   

   After the above steps are successfully completed, your screen will look like this.

   

Now, you can request the license. Tuya provides the license in three modes.

Get the flashing tool

With production certificate

1. Log in to the PMS.

2. Click Knowledge Base Management > Software Download. Find and download the Cloud Module Burning Authorization Platform.

   

With production certificate (authorization only)

• In debugging, install the independent authorization tool to write the license to your module.
• In production, download and install the Cloud Module Burning Authorization Platform. You can get the tool the same way as the process with production certificate.

With license list

Tuya provides the license in plain text and you need to develop a tool and write the license to your module.

Procedure

The following table lists adapted chips and documentation regarding flashing and authorization.