Tron Shell - Universal Microcontroller Flashing Tool

Engineered by ROOTCASTLE ENGINEERING INNOVATION

Overview

Tron Shell is a next-generation command-line interface for flashing firmware to microcontrollers. Designed for professional embedded engineers and hobbyists alike, it provides unified access to multiple hardware platforms with advanced features like automatic USB detection, bootloader management, and comprehensive debugging capabilities.

Key Features

• Multi-Platform Support: ATmega (AVR), ESP32/ESP8266, Tron series, and ARM Cortex-M devices
• Hex/Binary Flashing: Full support for .hex, .bin, and .elf firmware formats
• Bootloader Management: Automatic bootloader detection and recovery modes
• USB Auto-Detection: Smart port identification with vendor/product ID matching
• Debug Mode: Real-time protocol tracing and low-level communication logs
• Cross-Platform: Works on Windows, macOS, and Linux
• Hardware Verification: Post-flash memory verification and checksum validation
• Secure Operations: Firmware signature validation (optional)

Supported Hardware Platforms

ATmega Series (AVR)

The most widely used microcontroller family in embedded systems and education:

Model	Flash	RAM	EEPROM	Bootloader	Common Use Cases
ATmega328P	32KB	2KB	1KB	Optiboot, Arduino	Arduino Uno, IoT devices
ATmega2560	256KB	8KB	4KB	Optiboot	Arduino Mega, CNC machines
ATmega32U4	32KB	2.5KB	1KB	Caterina	Arduino Leonardo, Micro
ATmega168P	16KB	1KB	512B	Optiboot	Mini boards, sensors
ATmega644P	64KB	4KB	2KB	Custom	Industrial automation
ATmega1284P	128KB	16KB	4KB	Custom	Advanced projects
ATmega8	8KB	1KB	512B	None	Legacy systems
ATmega16	16KB	1KB	512B	None	Legacy systems
ATmega32	32KB	2KB	1KB	None	Legacy systems
ATmega64	64KB	4KB	2KB	None	Legacy systems
ATmega128	128KB	4KB	4KB	None	Legacy industrial use
ATmega256	256KB	8KB	4KB	None	Legacy industrial use
ATmega1280	128KB	8KB	4KB	Optiboot	Industrial applications
ATmega1281	128KB	8KB	4KB	Custom	Heavy-duty applications
ATmega640	64KB	8KB	4KB	Optiboot	Robotics, automation
ATmega88P	8KB	1KB	512B	Custom	Embedded systems
ATmega88PA	8KB	1KB	512B	Custom	Updated variant
ATmega48P	4KB	512B	256B	Custom	Minimal systems
ATmega164P	16KB	1KB	512B	Custom	Extended features
ATmega324P	32KB	2KB	1KB	Custom	Enhanced capabilities

Other Supported Platforms

Platform	Models	Flash Types	Bootloader Support
ESP	ESP32, ESP8266, ESP32-C3	.bin, .elf	esptool ROM
Tron Series	TR-100, TR-200, TRX	.hex, .bin	Custom UART Boot
ARM	STM32F1/F4, SAMD21, NRF52	.hex, .bin, .uf2	DFU, SWD

Prerequisites

System Requirements

Linux (Debian/Ubuntu)

sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install python3 python3-pip libusb-1.0-0-dev
pip install pyserial pyusb

macOS

brew install python libusb
pip install pyserial pyusb

Windows (PowerShell as Admin)

# Install Python from python.org or use:
winget install Python.Python.3.10
pip install pyserial pyusb

Optional Tools (for advanced operations)

# For AVR programming with avrdude
avrdude

# For ESP32/ESP8266
esptool.py

# For ARM devices with DFU
dfu-util

Installation

From PyPI (recommended)

pip install tron-shell

From Source

git clone https://github.com/rootcastleco/Tron-Shell.git
cd Tron-Shell
pip install -e .

Quick Start

List Connected Devices

tron list

Flash a Device

tron flash --port /dev/ttyUSB0 --file firmware.hex --platform atmega328p

Reset Device to Bootloader Mode

tron reset --port /dev/ttyUSB0 --platform atmega328p

Get Device Information

tron info --port /dev/ttyUSB0

List Supported Platforms

tron platforms

Advanced Usage

Debug Mode

Enable detailed logging for troubleshooting:

tron flash --port /dev/ttyUSB0 --file firmware.hex --debug

Verify After Flash

Perform post-flash verification:

tron flash --port /dev/ttyUSB0 --file firmware.hex --verify

Specify Baud Rate

tron flash --port /dev/ttyUSB0 --file firmware.hex --baud 115200

Configuration

Tron Shell can be configured via YAML configuration files. Default configuration is located at:

• Linux/macOS: ~/.config/tron/config.yaml
• Windows: %APPDATA%\tron\config.yaml

Example configuration:

serial:
  default_baud: 115200
  timeout: 2

devices:
  atmega328p:
    vid: "0x2341"
    pid: "0x0043"
    bootloader: "optiboot"

debug: false
verify_after_flash: true

Troubleshooting

Device Not Found

1. Check USB cable connection
2. Verify device drivers are installed
3. Run tron list to see all detected ports
4. Try different USB port on computer

Permission Denied (Linux/macOS)

# Add user to dialout group
sudo usermod -a -G dialout $USER
# Log out and back in, or:
newgrp dialout

Failed Flash Verification

1. Reduce baud rate with --baud 9600
2. Add delay with --delay 500
3. Check device bootloader compatibility
4. Verify firmware file integrity

Serial Port Issues

• Ensure no other application has the port open
• Restart the device
• Check device manager for unknown devices
• Update or reinstall device drivers

Contributing

We welcome contributions from the community! Please see CONTRIBUTING.md for guidelines.

License

This project is licensed under the Apache License 2.0. See LICENSE file for details.

Support

For issues, feature requests, or questions:

• GitHub Issues: Tron-Shell Issues
• Documentation: Check the /docs folder
• Community: Join our discussions

Changelog

See CHANGELOG.md for version history and updates.

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Created with dedication by ROOTCASTLE ENGINEERING INNOVATION