Request for Firmware File – FixHub Portable Power Station Recovery

[AudriusUp2Me]

Description: My FixHub Portable Power Station is currently bricked and only enters DFU mode. When connected via USB, Windows Device Manager shows “DFU in FS mode”, but the FixHub web console does not detect the device.

I would like to recover the unit by flashing the firmware directly using dfu-util or STM32CubeProgrammer. For this, I need the correct firmware image.

Request:

Please provide the latest firmware file (.bin or .dfu) for the FixHub Portable Power Station (model STN101).

Confirm the correct memory address for flashing (typically 0x08000000).

Share any precautions or instructions for flashing via DFU mode.

Notes:

The bootloader appears intact (DFU mode accessible).

Without the correct firmware, recovery is not possible.

Other users have reported bricking issues after updates (e.g., v1.0.7, v1.4.0), so having firmware available would help the community.

Thank you for considering this request.

[kwiens]

Perfectly reasonable request! We'll pull together some instructions and .bin files for you. There's both the bootloader file and the firmware file for the Power Station.

Have you tried connecting to it via TTY?

[AudriusUp2Me]

Dear Kyle, I am using Windows 11. My OS do not see the power station like the serial device (TTY), so I expect linux would not see it like tty. I only can connect it in DFU mode. Any way, I just get the idea. I did not try to connect it using simple USB 2.0 cable. I would try it this weekend. Best regards Audrius Dagilis 2025-12-15, pr 22:34, Kyle Wiens ***@***.***> rašė:

…

*kwiens* left a comment (iFixit/FixHub#6) <#6 (comment)> Perfectly reasonable request! We'll pull together some instructions and .bin files for you. There's both the bootloader file and the firmware file for the Power Station. Have you tried connecting to it via TTY? — Reply to this email directly, view it on GitHub <#6 (comment)>, or unsubscribe <https://github.com/notifications/unsubscribe-auth/AL2SPS7Z6NLZ66AIYLODLR34B4LODAVCNFSM6AAAAACPDPBU4GVHI2DSMVQWIX3LMV43OSLTON2WKQ3PNVWWK3TUHMZTMNJXGQ4DOMBZGE> . You are receiving this because you authored the thread.Message ID: ***@***.***>

[taivlam]

According to this Hackaday article, the FixHub Station should be accessible via TTY. (If you're trying to use TTY on Linux, then use minimodem.)

You may obtain the current (USB serial?) port that the FixHub Station is using by seeing what the listed port is by using the WebUSB functionality of Chrome/another Chromium-based browser (such as Brave), but don't actually connect to the FixHub via the browser, when using the FixHub web console page. (WebUSB doesn't work with Firefox-based browsers.)

I was able to connect to the FixHub Station via TTY, despite the FixHub internal battery being completely empty, as I happened to discover while I described my other issue in this iFixit Q&A earlier this year..

[AudriusUp2Me]

Hi Everyone, My case is different. The Power Station controller STM32 is totally empty, resoldered because it was dead. So I can not see the Station like TTY, only can connect like DFU in FS mode. I am looking for possibility to upload firmware straight to STM32 using some dfu-util, not using a web console. Best regards Audrius Dagilis 2025-12-19, pn, 19:04 Tai Lam ***@***.***> rašė:

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*taivlam* left a comment (iFixit/FixHub#6) <#6 (comment)> According to this Hackaday article <https://hackaday.com/2025/01/11/ifixit-releases-command-line-docs-for-fixhub-iron/>, the FixHub Station should be accessible via TTY. (If you're trying to use TTY on Linux, then use minimodem.) You may obtain the current (USB serial?) port that the FixHub Station is using by seeing what the listed port is by using the WebUSB functionality of Chrome/another Chromium-based browser (such as Brave), but don't actually connect to the FixHub via the browser, when using the FixHub web console page <https://www.ifixit.com/fixhub/console>. (WebUSB doesn't work with Firefox-based browsers.) I was able to connect to the FixHub Station via TTY, despite the FixHub internal battery being completely empty, as I happened to discover while I described my other issue in this iFixit Q&A <https://www.ifixit.com/Answers/View/906765/Is+firmware+1.4.0+boot+looping+with+error+B02+&+low+0%25+battery+known> earlier this year.. — Reply to this email directly, view it on GitHub <#6 (comment)>, or unsubscribe <https://github.com/notifications/unsubscribe-auth/AL2SPSYKAG7F5H26NU7A5ET4CQV2ZAVCNFSM6AAAAACPDPBU4GVHI2DSMVQWIX3LMV43OSLTON2WKQ3PNVWWK3TUHMZTMNZVHAZTQMRVGY> . You are receiving this because you authored the thread.Message ID: ***@***.***>

[kwiens]

Here are the firmware files for the latest 1.4.2 build:

{
   "files": [
      {
         "version": "be97a84e",
         "date": "20251113",
         "url": "https://assets.cdn.ifixit.com/static/firmware/fixhub/test/20251113_be97a84e/g0.bin",
         "displayVersion": "fix/keep_I_for_short_idle-be97a84e"
      }
   ]
}{
   "files": [
      {
         "version": "be97a84e",
         "date": "20251113",
         "url": "https://assets.cdn.ifixit.com/static/firmware/fixhub/test/20251113_be97a84e/hub.bin",
         "g0": "be97a84e",
         "displayVersion": "fix/keep_I_for_short_idle-be97a84e"
      }
   ]
}{
   "files": [
      {
         "version": "be97a84e",
         "date": "20251113",
         "url": "https://assets.cdn.ifixit.com/static/firmware/fixhub/test/20251113_be97a84e/iron.bin",
         "displayVersion": "fix/keep_I_for_short_idle-be97a84e"
      }
   ]
}

Flashing with the cubeprogrammer should be pretty easy, you'll have to mount the 10-pin zif connectors that we didn't populate on the board.

If you want to flash via USB, here is the process:

iFixit Firmware Upgrades

Device firmware can be upgraded by putting the device into Firmware Upgrade
Mode, connecting the device to a host computer via a USB Type-C cable, and
performing the upgrade with the command line tool smpmgr.

Document version: 1.0.0 (revision history)

Hardware Requirements

• USB Type-C → Type-C or USB Type-C → Type-A cable
• A Windows PC or laptop
• The iFixit device to be upgraded

Windows Software Requirements

Windows Terminal

Information and installation instructions here: https://apps.microsoft.com/detail/9N0DX20HK701

smpmgr

1. Download smpmgr:
   https://github.com/intercreate/smpmgr/releases/download/0.6.0/smpmgr-0.6.0-windows-amd64.zip
   • If Chrome says "Suspicious Download Blocked", click on it and select
     "Download suspicious file".
2. Find the downloaded ZIP file, right-click, and select "Extract All..."
   • The default destination is OK; click "Extract"
3. Right-click on, or in, the extracted folder and select "Open in Terminal"
4. In Windows Terminal, type ./smpmgr --help, then press ENTER
   • Help output, including the smpmgr version, should be displayed
   • If an error occurs, make sure that Windows Terminal was opened within the
     folder that contains smpgmgr.exe

A Serial Terminal Emulator

In order to put the iFixit Iron into Firmware Upgrade Mode, it is necessary to
first connect to it using a serial terminal emulator.

Recommended software:

• TeraTerm
• PuTTY

Procedure

Note: the following assumes that you have a valid FW upgrade file with a name
like ifixit_smarthub_l5_65a33013_20240124_release_update.bin
The FW upgrade file has a .bin file extension. Do not use any other file extensions.

Caution: units that have been flashed via a programmer after 2024-04-01 have
been programmed with an updated bootloader. If you have a unit that was
programmed with the "old" bootloader, then you will need to send it a
compatible upgrade file that includes "DVT1" in the name, e.g.
ifixit_smarthub_l5_DVT1_65a33013_20240124_release_update.bin.

Put the Device in Firmware Upgrade Mode

iFixit Smarthub

1. Remove the USB cable from the rear USB Type-C port
2. Hold down the POWER BUTTON until the device turns off
3. While holding down the ENCODER BUTTON:
   1. Hold down the POWER BUTTON for 2 seconds
   2. Release the POWER BUTTON
   3. The device should NOT have displayed anything on screen. If the device
      displays anything on the screen, turn off the device and try again to
      enter the Firmware Upgrade Mode.

iFixit Iron

Note: these steps will work for the iFixit Smarthub as well.

1. Connect the Iron to the host PC using a USB cable
2. Find the COM port of the Device
3. Connect to the device with a serial terminal emulator like Putty or TeraTerm
4. In the iFixit shell, type the command bootloader reboot and press ENTER

Find the COM port of the Device

1. Plug the device into the host PC or laptop that has smpmgr via a USB
   Type-C cable
2. Type "Device Manager" in the search bar in the Windows Taskbar or Start Menu and open Device Manager
3. Find the entry for COM ports and expand it by clicking ">"
   1. If only one device is displayed, record its COM port, e.g. "COM5"
   2. If multiple devices are displayed, determine which is the iFixit device
      by unplugging the USB cord then plugging it in again, and waiting for the
      COM port list to update. Record the COM port that corresponds to the
      iFixit device.

Upload the new Firmware to the Device

1. Move the new firmware file to the same folder that contains smpmgr.exe.
2. Open Windows Terminal in the smpgmr folder by clicking on, or in, the
   folder that contains smpmgr.exe
3. Type the command ./smpmgr --port <COM PORT> upgrade <FILENAME> and press
   ENTER
   • <COM PORT> shall be replaced by the COM port from the previous
     step
   • <FILENAME> shall be replaced by the firmware file to upload
   • example:

     ./smpmgr --port COM5 upgrade ifixit_smarthub_l5_65a33013_20240124_release_update.bin
     

4. Wait for the firmware upgrade to complete. The device will restart with
   the new firmware when the upgrade is complete.

iFixit Smarthub G0 (USB Power Delivery MCU)

Note that this particular MCU needs a different setup compared to the iFixit Smarthub and iFixit Iron

1. Power up the device with the POWER BUTTON or plug in the cable to the rear USB Type-C port.
2. In a command line environment, set up smpmgr and ensure the version is correct, at least 0.6.0.
   • smpmgr --version
3. Run the command to load the firmware onto the STM32G0.
   Type the command ./smpmgr --mtu 127 --port <COM PORT> ic upload <FILENAME> and press ENTER
   • <COM PORT> shall be replaced by the com port from the "Find the COM port of the Device"
     step
   • <FILENAME> shall be replaced by the firmware file to upload
   • example:

     ./smpmgr --mtu 127 --port COM5 ic upload ifixit_smarthub_g0_65a33013_20240124_release_update.bin
     

4. Wait for the firmware upgrade to complete. The device needs to be restarted to take effect.
5. Reset the iFixit Smarthub
   1. smpmgr --port os reset
      • <COM PORT> shall be replaced by the com port from the previous step

Revision History

• 1.0.1 - 2024/04/04
• 1.0.0 - 2024/02/05