TongSheng TSDZ2 What firmware options are there? (2023)

UPDATED MAY 2021

Please note that I have tried to update this article to reflect all options available as of May 2021, and as such some of my previous 2020 reviews are out of date. I tried to explain this in the update notes.

If you've seen any of my other blog articles about the TSDZ2 mid-drive motor, you know that I've tested this motor with several different firmwares over the last year. I've linked to GitHub's open source pages for this, but over time it may not be as clear as it used to be when it comes to the options available for this engine. Therefore, in this article, I would like to describe the different paths that you can take when changing the firmware of your own TSDZ2 engine.

So let's start at the beginning and talk about the tools you need to make changes to your engine's firmware.

necessary tools.

To update your TSDZ2 engine's firmware, you must first purchase or build your own programming cable.

Unfortunately, I haven't found a cable supplier in the UK or Europe yet, but you can find some suppliers around the world, such as:ecobike.comyelectrifybike.comHowever, they are based in the US, and if you add shipping you're looking at around $50 for the cable.

DIY option.

From the sellers above, it seems that this is exactly the same wire that you can make yourself if you are familiar with a soldering iron and test the pins on the wires.

Here is my wiring and pinout diagram.

(I bought onetsdz2 speed sensor extension cableto cut the 6-pin connector)

TIP: Keep the cable as short as possible as you may have problems with voltage drop longer! Then use a standard USB extension cable to connect to your PC/laptop.

As you can see, you need aST-Link v2USB Programmers, these are easy to find on eBay or AliExpress for around £4 but a word of warning, not all pinouts are the same so check the picture carefully! I have a second device that doesn't work even when properly connected with its pinout labeled. So maybe stick with those that share the same pinout as the example above?

In general you should be able to make your own cable for less than £15 if you have heat shrink tube handy.

Software

With the exception of the original display's open source firmware (more on that later), all TSDZ2 programming is done using a tool from ST Labs calledfirst visual programmerSTVP-STM32 (Email registration required and link sent to email address - free)

After downloading and installing the software and drivers, the first thing you will need to do is select the ST chip you want to communicate with. Therefore, select the following options when prompted.

Once that's done, you should be presented with the main screen.

If all went well, you should now be able to click on the Read -> All Tabs menu to read the current configuration of your tsdz2 engine.

There are 3 tabs for data memory, "program memory", "data memory" and "option bytes". If the read was successful, you should now see these areas filled in with data. I would recommend that at this point you save each tab to a file using the File -> Save option so you have a copy of your engine firmware in case you want to restore it.

So, for example, select the "Program" tab and save it as "my-stock-firmware-program-tab.hex" (select Intel hexadecimal format), select the "Data" tab and save this tab as "my -stock-firmware-data-". tab.hex and the same for the Option tab.

Now you can play around with the different firmware options...

Stock-Firmware-Updates

So this blog post is about updating firmware to the new open source variants, right?

Well, that is yet to come, but before the development of open source firmwares, one of the first things discovered about the TSDZ2 was that many of the different motor variants known as 250w, 350w, 500w and even 750 W were sold the exact same hardware, but used slightly different firmware. In fact, in many cases the difference is one or two modified bytes that record the voltage and current consumed by the motor.

In many cases, customers who purchased a 250W motor could simply install the firmware for a 500W motor and unlock the expected motor performance.

So if you just want to engine unlock and keep the original screen and use a stock firmware then this is the easiest option for you.

You can find a full list of fantastic instructions and a link to the original firmware files here.eco-ebike.com

Note that they also cover the Stlink cable and software, they use the original Stlink v2 device which works the same but looks a little different than the clones you find online like the one above)

Bring open source firmware!

Well, you've come this far and maybe, like me, you've tried flashing your firmware to stock firmware without restrictions, but now you want to see what the open source community has to offer. What do you need to know

First ask yourself, would you like to change the screen and possibly cut and re-solder some wires to connect a new screen to the engine?

If you are against this level of hacking, a safe option is to try the user-developed custom firmware threat.involvedwhich is specially designed to work with original TongSheng monitors such as VLCD5, VLCD6 and xh18. To do this, you just need to reprogram the motor using the stvp tool above, but no other physical modifications to the cable.

Stock-Screen-Firmware-Fork de Emmebrusa

A little out of place as this open source firmware version is actually a fork of Casainho's original work, but I wanted to mention it first as it will likely appeal to people wanting to try out the Times' own custom TSDZ2 firmware.

All information on how to use this firmware can be found on the wikihere.

This firmware uses a specially developed Java tool that allows you to configure all the necessary settings to assemble a special pre-configured firmware for your engine and monitor. This is necessary because the original screen is not reprogrammed and only basic adjustments can be made.

I've been testing this fork for a while now and I have to say it's pretty good for a simple upgrade. You don't get all the extra information that the larger screens provide, but the Windows Java tool makes it really quick and easy to make changes, save profiles, and load them into the engine. So if you're looking to flash stock firmware and you're not quite ready to make new cables and buy new monitors, this is a great first step!

The 4 modes currently available are…

ELECTRICAL ASSISTANCEAssistance proportional to force (torque x cadence) on the pedals.
TORQUE ASSISTTorque-proportional assistance on the pedals.
TRITTFREQUENZ-ASSISTANCEAssistance subordinated to the movement of the pedals.
EMTB ASSISTANCEAssistance with progressive percentage of torque on the pedals.

The software can take a while to set up, but if you follow the guide, everything is explained and there's lots of help on the forums.

You can find the Endless Sphere forum which covers all firmware developmenthere

And if you want to take a look at the code repository, it's availablehere

I have to admit that I haven't used the Emmebrusa Build in a while and it's come a long way since my last review, so I think it offers great features for those who don't and don't want to switch cables. and screens etc, a quick way to revert to original firmware if needed. A great choice for all tsdz2 stock firmware owners!

May 2021 Update (my favorite)
emmebrusa further developed this development fork and merged its code with the "Casainho" source code (see below).

This now brings all of its features to the new 850C/860C and SW102 monitors and even the old KT-LCD3 monitor. This is fantastic as it now means there is a development fork that is an option for both stock and aftermarket screens. I have tested this build and it is currently my favorite as it offers all mod and flex options as well as standard or mod hardware options.

More information on all Emmebrusa firmware options can be found herehere

If you are using an 850C or 860C or SW102 monitor I would recommend this route. However, for consistency I would like to include the Casainho firmware below as it is also a great choice and as an original developer I would like to support your hard work...

OpenSource-Ebike-Firmware / Colour_LCD de Casainho

This is the original and still up-to-date open source firmware developed by Casainho, but it has incorporated many features and ideas from other contributors and has evolved significantly since its inception.

Initially, development focused on using the KT LCD3 display, which worked very well but had a fundamental problem with being low on memory, which meant that some features simply could not be added without removing other features. Some very clever tricks were thought of to make the most of the memory and get around this limitation as much as possible, but eventually the decision was made to start developing firmware for displays that offered a lot more programming space and on which the new ones would work. .functions. Therefore, only the following screens are supported in the current form.

Bafang 850C, 860C and sw102.

So if you want to use the latest and greatest version of the open source software, you'll need to purchase and plug in one of these monitors to use it.

It is also important to understand that in order to use the monitor, the client's firmware must also be installed, and the client has its own software and installation paths.

Note that the sw102 screen is also difficult initially when writing firmware as it must be physically opened to access the programming pins.

The first steps of wired programming arehere

Once programmed, you can reseal it and update from there.Bluetooth🇧🇷 Which is great.

I've opened 4 drives so far and I have a technique that works for me, but it's not as easy to open as the KT-LCD3 and thatTelas Bafang 850/860Ccan now be programmed with the correct hardware without opening.

The main wiki that contains all installation instructions and resources ishere

The latest embedded firmware is available for uploadhere

The Endless Sphere Forum for all discussions related to this latest firmwarehere

You will find mentions of older firmwares that supported the KT-LCD3 monitor on the forum and in some setup guides, this no longer applies to current builds but is still very useful for those interested in using this monitor and don't want to use it. it the very recent version.

So why would you still use the KT-LCD3 screen or even one of the older firmware versions?

May 2021 Update Please note that the following information is out of date and much of this work has been merged with the Emmebrusa fork mentioned above. I'm leaving this here because I think it will still be useful for anyone who has a KT-LCD3 screen.

Ok, the simple answer is if you are new to open source firmware then one of the above options would be ideal.

I'm sure you already know that we at the charity have used the tsdz2 on some custom bikes and to each their own.own special requirements🇧🇷 At the end of 2019 we were working with beta version 19 of the firmware, which was primarily created by a user named Buba and at the time was doing fantastic experimental work on different power modes for the TSDZ2. So you can choose to boost the motor in touch-only mode, cadence-only mode or traditional power mode (cadence and torque mix). For one of our cyclists in particular who travel with an orthopedic leg, the cadence solo mode was an ideal solution, which corrects the engine hum in all torque-based modes with these options, which was a great feature for we.

Fortunately, that fork has been preserved and there is now a dedicated page for instructions.here

The last version compatible with KT-LCD3 wasv0.20.0-beta. 1

I ran this version on my own bike for several months with no issues and it runs on "Bob" the custom trike, so this was the firmware I personally recommend for the most flexible power delivery options.

Buba also added a cool light feature that would connect to the electronic brakes to go from flashing to solid when braking! (now also included in the photo by emmebrusa u)

It also supports the awesome eMTB Assist mode which is wonderful for hard climbs and general mountain bike trails (very responsive)

Hope this helps newcomers navigate the current (May 2021) options for adding open source firmware to the TSDZ2. I'm sure there will be future developments and I'll try to add them as they come, but feel free to add comments if you feel I've missed areas. I didn't want to replicate too much information that already exists, but rather give general navigation to relevant web pages.