xfel-dat

Usually comes with the xboot tools:

git clone https://github.com/xboot/xfel.git
cd xfel
make
make clean && make

release

xfel version

Power off the board
- Disconnect power or USB.
Press and hold the FEL button
- This button is usually marked "FEL" or "BOOT" on the board.
- If not labeled, refer to the schematic: it connects to GPIO PL4.
Power on the board while holding FEL
- Plug in the USB cable or apply power.
- Keep holding the button for 2–3 seconds, then release.
Verify FEL mode on your PC
- Run: bash lsusb
- You should see something like: Bus 001 Device 005: ID 1f3a:efe8 Allwinner Technology sunxi FEL mode
Optional: Confirm with xfel
- If xfel is installed: bash xfel version
- Output should confirm connection: EGON version: 0x0001a00

Feature	`sunxi-fel`	`xfel`
Origin	Part of sunxi-tools (by linux-sunxi)	Part of xboot (by xboot developers)
Language	C	C (standalone, simplified)
Compatibility	Many Allwinner SoCs (A10, A20, H3, A64, etc.)	Primarily designed for Allwinner D1 / D1s
Use Case	General FEL access, u-boot, RAM boot	Simplified D1 booting, xboot-specific flashing
Device Support	Broad SoC support (A-series, H-series)	Mostly tested on D1, D1s (RISC-V)
Features	Read/write memory, boot u-boot, script exec	Load boot package, run xboot, SPI flash, etc.
Dependencies	Requires `libusb`	Self-contained
Project Maturity	Older, well-established	Newer, focused on xboot platform
Command Interface	CLI	CLI

Situation	Recommended Tool
Working with legacy Allwinner ARM SoCs (e.g. A10, A20, A64, H3)	`sunxi-fel`
Using D1 / D1s (RISC-V) board, especially with xboot or SDKs	`xfel`
Booting board into RAM for development/recovery	Either, but `sunxi-fel` is more general
Flashing an XBoot-based firmware to D1s	`xfel`

xfel ddr d1s_ddr.bin
xfel write 0x40000000 xboot.bin
xfel exec 0x40000000

Even though Windows detects the USB device (VID_1f3a PID_efe8), the xfel tool shows:

ERROR: Can't connect to device
ERROR: No FEL device found!

This typically means the driver is not correctly bound to allow xfel.exe access.

You must install the WinUSB driver for the FEL device using a tool like Zadig:

Download Zadig:
- https://zadig.akeo.ie/
- Get the standalone .exe version.
Launch Zadig as Administrator.
Find the FEL device:
- Menu: Options → Check ✅ List All Devices
- In the dropdown, select:
  Allwinner USB Device (1f3a:efe8)
Install WinUSB driver:
- In the right pane, change the driver to: WinUSB (libusb)
- Click Install Driver or Replace Driver.
Wait for installation to complete.
Retry xfel:
```
xfel version
```
You should now get output like:
```
xfel v1.3.3
EGON: 00000000
```