Installation and Usage

Note

We recommend that novice users follow our tutorial configuration during their first setup to avoid unnecessary complications!

To get started with the NearLink ToolBox, you need to prepare the following:

• A computer with 64-bit Windows 10 or higher
• A pair of NearLink development boards, such as BearPi-Pico H3863
• Installation of the CH340 Qinheng driver, for which we will provide the official link in the tutorial below
• Two Type-C data cables, ready to connect the NearLink development board to your computer

Developer Tip

If you want to become a developer, we recommend that you install the following along with the ToolBox to complete your development environment!

• Install Hispark Studio
• Install Git
• Compile & Flash & Test
• Configure accelerated compilation (to be updated by Haixingtong community)
• Install VSCode Deveco Device Tool plugin (optional, to be updated)
• Download and retain the DevTools_CFBB compilation toolchain (optional, to be updated)
• Download the Haohanyh NearLink ToolBox plugin (to be updated)
• Download the Haohanyh NearLink ToolBox development materials (to be updated)

Start Downloading and Installing

Download and install the following software:

CH340 Driver Installation

Click to Download

NearLink ToolBox Installation

Click to Download

Download to a directory location you are familiar with, such as “downloads” or “download folder,” stored on a non-Windows system drive.

CH340 Driver Installation

Download the CH341SER.EXE file from the Qinheng official website, save it, and open it. If a UAC pop-up appears, click “Yes” to allow the operation.

Then we can open the page.

Danger

We recommend that novice users use the computer safely. The UAC pop-up is a security measure to protect your computer. Please do not seek methods to disable this pop-up online.

When you encounter the following page, click the “Install” button. The program will run automatically until a pop-up says “Pre-installation successful,” indicating that the CH340 driver installation is complete.

If the installation fails, please close all antivirus software before opening the CH341SER.EXE file, right-click and select “Run as administrator.”

NearLink ToolBox Installation

To install the NearLink ToolBox, please visit the official website NearLink ToolBox to download the installation package.

Danger

After downloading, run the exe executable file. You may encounter a UAC pop-up; please click “Yes” to allow the operation.

Please select Chinese (Simplified) and click OK to start the installation.

Click Next to continue the installation.

Modify the installation directory to a non-Windows system drive folder, then click Next to continue.

Click Next to complete the final installation.

Check “Run NearLink ToolBox” and “Create desktop shortcut,” then click Finish.

The software will automatically start. If it opens normally, congratulations, you have completed the installation and setup.

Developer Configuration

Note

This tutorial is sourced from the Hispark Gitee repository. If you want to learn more, you can click the tutorial below to view it.

Install Hispark Studio

Download and Install

HiSpark Studio provides an integrated development environment for smart device developers, supporting code editing, compilation, flashing, and debugging.

Click to Visit HiSilicon Official Website to Download

After downloading, double-click “HiSparkStudio1.0.0.8.exe” to install. The installation interface is as follows; select “I agree to this agreement” and click “Next.”

Based on your disk space, select the corresponding disk for installation, then click Next.

Danger

Modify the installation directory to a non-Windows system drive folder, then click Next to continue.

Check additional tasks as needed; all are checked by default. After selection, click Next.

Click “Install” to begin the tool installation.

The installation process is as follows; wait for it to complete.

The following interface indicates that the installation is complete; click Finish.

The HiSpark Studio homepage interface is as follows.

Install Git

Haohanyh Tip

Haohanyh serves every developer. In this tutorial, we strongly recommend using Git and learning to use Git to manage your projects during development. Please search and learn on your own; here we provide the installation of Git for Windows!

You can download the exe installation file from Git’s website and run it:

Click to Download

After downloading, double-click the installation package. The interface is as follows; click “Next” to start the installation.

After completing the installation, you can use the command-line git tool (which already includes an SSH client) and a graphical Git project management tool.

In the Start menu, find “Git” -> “Git Bash,” which will open a Git command window where you can perform Git operations.

SDK Code Download & Compile

Download via Git command. On your storage drive, right-click and select “Open Git Bash here,” as shown.

In the command box, enter git clone https://gitee.com/HiSpark/fbb_ws63.git to download the code, and wait for the download to complete.

Note

If you encounter related errors, Git issues are often related to network communication. Please turn off the proxy and try again.

Or search for software to automatically expand the Git buffer or use search engines to resolve the error content yourself!

After the download is complete, the folder will appear as shown.

After downloading the code, open the HiSpark Studio tool and click “New Project.”

In the new project interface, select chip: ws63, project name: “xxx” (user-defined, but no Chinese or special characters), software package: xxx/fbb_ws63/src (SDK software package storage path, must be selected to the src level, otherwise the creation will fail). After configuration, click “Finish.”

Click “build” or “rebuild” to compile, and wait for the compilation to complete.

The compilation completion is shown below.

Flash

Developer Tip

The installation of the Qinheng USB driver is something you should be familiar with. Please follow the tutorial above to download and install it from the official website.

After installing the driver, connect your NearLink development board to your computer and open the NearLink ToolBox. The NearLink ToolBox has three methods for flashing firmware, as follows:

Note

This content, please be sure to move to the “First Configuration Page” to view the process needed for the first use!

The NearLink ToolBox recommends using HiSilicon mode for flashing. We have fully adapted the HiSilicon Burntool flashing tool by January 2025, allowing you to experience automatic power-on flashing!

One-Click Flash

• Go to the “Browse Firmware” page, select the firmware you need to use or the firmware already distributed to you. After clicking the page, you can see a brief description and file name of each firmware in the “Include Files.” Click “One-Click Flash” to start flashing.

During the firmware flashing, please check the pop-ups in the software. After confirming, the progress bar in the new command-line window will complete the flashing.

Manual Flash

• Go to the “Firmware Flash” page, select the serial port device you need to flash in the “Serial Port Device” drop-down box, then select the firmware file to flash in the “Firmware Selection” drop-down box. Check your flashing tool configuration to ensure it is correct. It is recommended to select HiSilicon mode and check if the flashing tool path is correct!

You can also find a folder button on the right side of the “Firmware Selection” drop-down box. After clicking, select the .fwpkg format firmware file you need to flash, click “Open,” and complete the firmware selection.

During the firmware flashing, please check the pop-ups in the software. After confirming, the progress bar in the new command-line window will complete the flashing.

Batch Flash

• Go to the “Batch Flash” page, select the firmware file to flash in the “Firmware Selection” drop-down box. Check your flashing tool configuration to ensure it is correct. It is recommended to select HiSilicon mode and check if the flashing tool path is correct!

Then check the serial port devices you need to flash in the “Available Serial Ports,” set the baud rate, and click “Start Flash” or the “Batch Flash” button in the upper right corner.

Wait for the progress bar to complete the flashing.

Test

Friendly Content

There are various types of tests, such as power-on external voltage and current tests, component tests, various trigger tests, etc. Here, our tutorial provides your serial port test.

After your serial port is automatically or manually powered on, open the “Serial Port Terminal” page and carefully configure your serial port settings. Generally, the configuration is as follows:

Serial Port Terminal Configuration

• Serial Port: COMX - USB-SERIAL CH34X (COMX)
• Data Bits: 8
• Parity: None
• Stop Bits: 1
• Flow Control: None
• Packet Delay: 50 (recommended)
• Baud Rate: 115200 (recommended)

With the above configuration set correctly, you can see the normal serial port terminal content.