Building and Flashing

This tutorial covers compiling the NanoVNA-H firmware from source and flashing it to your device using DFU (Device Firmware Update) mode.

What You Will Learn

• Building firmware for NanoVNA-H and NanoVNA-H4
• Entering DFU mode on the device
• Flashing firmware using dfu-util
• Verifying a successful flash

Prerequisites

Ensure you have completed the Build Environment Setup:

• ARM toolchain (version 8) installed
• ChibiOS extracted
• Source code cloned

Building the Firmware

For NanoVNA-H (STM32F072)

1. Navigate to the source directory

   cd /path/to/NanoVNA-H

2. Clean any previous build

   make clean

3. Build the firmware

   make

   This builds for the default target (F072/NanoVNA-H).

4. Verify the build output

   ls -la build/

   You should see:

   • H.elf - ELF file with debug symbols
   • H.bin - Binary file for flashing
   • H.hex - Intel HEX format (optional use)

For NanoVNA-H4 (STM32F303)

1. Clean the build directory

   make clean

2. Build with TARGET=F303

   make TARGET=F303

3. Verify the output

   ls -la build/

   You should see:

   • H4.elf
   • H4.bin
   • H4.hex

Note

Always run make clean when switching between F072 and F303 targets. The build system does not automatically detect target changes.

Build Output Information

After a successful build, make displays memory usage:

   text     data      bss      dec      hex  filename
 115432      740    22364   138536    21d28  build/H.elf

Section	Description
text	Code and read-only data (stored in flash)
data	Initialized variables (stored in flash, copied to RAM)
bss	Uninitialized variables (RAM only)
dec/hex	Total size

For NanoVNA-H (F072): Total flash must be under 128 KB (131072 bytes) For NanoVNA-H4 (F303): Total flash must be under 256 KB (262144 bytes)

Installing dfu-util

dfu-util is used to flash firmware via USB.

Linux (Debian/Ubuntu)

sudo apt install dfu-util

Linux (Arch)

sudo pacman -S dfu-util

macOS

brew install dfu-util

Windows

Option 1: Download binaries

Download from dfu-util releases and add to PATH.

Option 2: Chocolatey

choco install dfu-util

Driver setup:

Windows requires proper USB drivers. Use Zadig to install WinUSB driver for the “STM32 BOOTLOADER” device when in DFU mode.

Verify installation:

dfu-util --version

Entering DFU Mode

The NanoVNA must be in DFU (bootloader) mode to receive firmware updates.

From Menu (Recommended)

If your current firmware supports it:

1. Power on the NanoVNA

2. Navigate to the DFU menu

   Go to CONFIG > DFU

   Or on some firmware versions: CONFIG > VERSION > DFU

3. Confirm DFU mode

   The screen goes blank or shows “DFU” - this is normal.

4. Connect USB cable

   If not already connected, connect to your computer.

Hardware Method

If the menu method is unavailable (corrupted firmware, etc.):

1. Locate the BOOT0 jumper/button

   On the NanoVNA-H PCB, find the BOOT0 pad or button.

2. Short BOOT0 to VCC

   • Use a jumper wire or tweezers
   • Or press the BOOT0 button (if present)

3. Power on while BOOT0 is shorted

   Connect USB while holding BOOT0.

4. Release BOOT0

   After power is applied, you can release the jumper.

Verifying DFU Mode

1. List DFU devices

   dfu-util -l

2. Expected output

   Found DFU: [0483:df11] ver=2200, devnum=12, cfg=1, intf=0, path="1-2", alt=0, name="@Internal Flash  /0x08000000/064*0002Kg", serial="XXXX"

   The vendor:product ID should be 0483:df11 (STMicroelectronics DFU device).

Caution

If no DFU device is found:

• Check USB cable (some cables are charge-only)
• Verify the device is in DFU mode (screen should be blank/off)
• On Windows, ensure drivers are installed with Zadig
• Try a different USB port

Flashing the Firmware

Using make flash

The Makefile includes a flash target:

make flash

For NanoVNA-H4:

make flash TARGET=F303

Using dfu-util directly

NanoVNA-H (F072)

dfu-util -d 0483:df11 -a 0 -s 0x08000000:leave -D build/H.bin

NanoVNA-H4 (F303)

dfu-util -d 0483:df11 -a 0 -s 0x08000000:leave -D build/H4.bin

Command breakdown

Option	Meaning
-d 0483:df11	Target STM32 DFU device
-a 0	Select alternate setting 0 (internal flash)
-s 0x08000000:leave	Start address and leave DFU mode after flashing
-D build/H.bin	Download (flash) this file

Flash Output

A successful flash looks like:

dfu-util 0.11

Opening DFU capable USB device...
Device ID 0483:df11
Run-Time device DFU version 011a
Claiming USB DFU Interface...
Setting Alternate Interface #0 ...
Determining device status...
DFU state(10) = dfuIDLE, status(0) = No error condition is present
Transferring 116172 bytes...
Download  [=========================] 100%       116172 bytes
Download done.
DFU state(7) = dfuMANIFEST, status(0) = No error condition is present
Resetting USB...

After flashing, the NanoVNA should automatically restart with the new firmware.

Verifying the Flash

1. Check the device starts normally

   The NanoVNA should boot to the main display with traces.

2. Check the firmware version

   Go to CONFIG > VERSION

   Verify the build date matches your compile time.

3. Test basic functionality

   • Touch screen responds
   • Sweep runs
   • Calibration can be performed

Troubleshooting

”No DFU capable USB device available”

• Device is not in DFU mode - try again
• USB drivers not installed (Windows)
• Try running with sudo (Linux): sudo dfu-util -l
• USB cable may be faulty

”Cannot open DFU device”

• On Linux, add udev rule:

  echo 'SUBSYSTEM=="usb", ATTR{idVendor}=="0483", ATTR{idProduct}=="df11", MODE="0666"' | sudo tee /etc/udev/rules.d/50-stm32-dfu.rules
  sudo udevadm control --reload-rules

• On macOS, this usually just works

• On Windows, use Zadig to install WinUSB driver

Device does not restart after flashing

• Try power cycling (disconnect USB, reconnect)
• The :leave option should exit DFU mode, but some devices need manual reset

Device boots to blank screen after flash

• Wrong firmware file (H.bin vs H4.bin)
• Corrupted build - try make clean && make
• Flash again, ensuring correct target

Build succeeds but device crashes

• Wrong compiler version (must be version 8)
• Try a clean build: make clean && make
• Check for modifications that may have introduced bugs

Quick Reference

Task	Command
Build for NanoVNA-H	make
Build for NanoVNA-H4	make TARGET=F303
Clean build	make clean
Flash NanoVNA-H	make flash
Flash NanoVNA-H4	make flash TARGET=F303
List DFU devices	dfu-util -l

Next Steps

• Debugging with CMSIS-DAP - Hardware debugging
• Build Environment Setup - Toolchain details