SF600Plus-G2 SPI NOR/NAND Flash Programmer: A Practical Deep Dive
Most Embedded design that boots from an external SPI NOR or NAND flash device eventually runs into the same operational question: how do you get firmware onto that chip quickly, reliably, and repeatably — during bring-up, in a production line, and in the field for rework or recovery? DediProg's SF600Plus-G2 is built specifically to answer that question.
What the SF600Plus-G2 Is
The SF600Plus-G2 is a high-speed serial NOR and NAND flash programmer that supports two operating modes: In-Circuit Programming, where the flash chip stays soldered on the target board and is programmed through an ISP header, and Standalone (off-line) programming, where the chip is removed and programmed while seated in a socket adaptor. Both modes are driven from a PC over USB using DediProg's SF software.
The defining change from the original SF600/SF600Plus is architectural: DediProg rebuilt the internals around an FPGA-based SoC, which is what delivers the generation's programming-speed gains. The redesign also adds native SPI NAND support alongside the existing SPI NOR support, so one programmer now covers both flash families.
Key Capabilities
High-speed USB link with SPI performance that scales to any SPI NOR/NAND flash density currently on the market, in both USB and Standalone mode.
Support for 1.2 V low-voltage flash devices, in addition to the more common 1.8 V/3.3 V parts.
Native support for both SPI NOR and SPI NAND chip types.
Single, Dual, Quad, and Octal I/O, plus support for single/dual multiple-die packages.
Two chip-select (CS) pins, useful for dual-flash or redundant-boot configurations.
Signal-conflict protection and a physical Start button for triggering batch programming once connected to the software.
Multi-programmer operation from a single host over USB, with an on-unit programmer index display to keep multiple units straight on a bench or line.
Standalone mode adds Start-button programming and a Control Port for remote/automated triggering.
Windows 8 and later, with both 32-bit and 64-bit OS support; Linux tooling is also published by DediProg.
Performance: Why the “G2” Matters
The headline improvement in this generation is speed. DediProg publishes quad-mode read performance across the SF600/SF600Plus, SF700, and SF600Plus-G2 side by side, and the G2 is consistently faster. DediProg cites roughly a 50% improvement in quad read time over the SF600/SF600Plus and SF700.
Reference IC | Density | SF600 / SF600Plus (s) | SF700 (s) | SF600Plus-G2 (s) |
W25Q80JVSIQ | 8 Mb | 2.5 | 2.4 | 1.5 |
W25Q16VSIG | 16 Mb | 2.4 | 2.3 | 1.4 |
W25Q32VFIG | 32 Mb | 3.3 | 3.0 | 1.8 |
W25Q64FVBIG | 64 Mb | 4.9 | 4.5 | 2.5 |
MX25L12873FM2I | 128 Mb | 8.2 | 7.3 | 4.1 |
MX25L25645GMI | 256 Mb | 15.8 | 14.0 | 7.5 |
MX25L51245GMI | 512 Mb | 29.6 | 26.1 | 13.8 |
MX66L1G45JMI08 | 1 Gb | 57.2 | 50.3 | 26.2 |
Quad-mode read time, in seconds, by flash density. Source: DediProg product data.
Full program-plus-verify cycle times (25 MHz, Quad mode) on the SF600Plus-G2 in USB mode scale from about 6.3 seconds for an 8 Mb device up to roughly 203 seconds for a 1 Gb device, giving a practical sense of cycle time across the density range a production line is likely to see.
Reference IC | Density | Program + Verify, 25 MHz Quad (s) |
W25Q80JVSIQ | 8 Mb | 6.3 |
W25Q16VSIG | 16 Mb | 12.5 |
W25Q32VFIG | 32 Mb | 18.7 |
W25Q64FVBIG | 64 Mb | 22.2 |
MX25L12873FM2I | 128 Mb | 41.9 |
MX25L25645GMI | 256 Mb | 46.6 |
MX25L51245GMI | 512 Mb | 96.8 |
MX66L1G45JMI08 | 1 Gb | 203.0 |
USB-mode program-plus-verify time, in seconds. Source: DediProg product data.
Hardware Interface
For in-circuit programming, the SF600Plus-G2 connects to the target board through an ISP header. DediProg specifies a 2x10 (2.54 mm) header pinout and ships ISP cables to mate the programmer to either a 2x10 or a 2x6 header on the target, depending on how many I/O lines the design breaks out. The table below reproduces the standard 2x10 ISP header pinout.
Pin | Signal | Signal | Pin |
1 | NC | CS2 | 2 |
3 | CS1 | VCC | 4 |
5 | MISO / DQ1 | HOLD / DQ3 | 6 |
7 | WP / DQ2 | CLK | 8 |
9 | GND | MOSI / DQ0 | 10 |
11 | NC | RESET / IO3 | 12 |
13 | GND | IO5 / DQ5 | 14 |
15 | BufVCC | IO6 / DQ6 | 16 |
17 | IO7 / DQ7 | IO4 / DQ4 | 18 |
19 | IO1 | IO2 | 20 |
SF600Plus-G2 ISP header pinout, 2x10, 2.54 mm pitch.
DediProg also documents a 2x6 ISP cable-connector pinout (supporting Single, Dual, and Quad I/O) for boards with a more compact header.
A separate Control Port for remote-triggered standalone programming useful when the programmer is integrated into a fixture or automated test cell rather than operated by hand.
For anyone wiring a new board for ISP, DediProg's application notes (AN0103, AN0106, and the dedicated ISP-for-SPI-NOR-Flash note) cover the recommended reference schematics for different backup-boot and ISP configurations.
Software: Three Ways to Drive It
The SF software that ships with the SF600Plus-G2 exposes three interaction models, which map cleanly onto the different people who touch a flash programmer over a product's life:
Engineering Mode — the full-featured interface for developers and hardware engineers doing bring-up, debugging, and repair work.
Production Mode — a simplified, operator-facing interface for controlling multiple programmers and maximizing throughput on a line.
Command Line — for scripting and integrating programming into a custom test or manufacturing workflow, including control of multiple SF600Plus-series units.
What's in the Box
The standard SF600Plus-G2 package includes:
SF600Plus-G2 programmer unit
USB 2.0 cable, 100 cm (Type-A to Type-C)
Power adapter with US and EU plugs
SF600 ISP cable
SF600-to-SF100 universal adaptor, with SF100 ISP cable
2x4-to-2x4 pin cable
NuProgPlus socket bottom board, with 2x10-to-2x10 pin cable
Product card with a QR code for software download
SF600Pluse – G2 Packages
Note that DediProg changed the standard socket bottom board as of June 2026: units now ship with the NuProgPlus board rather than the earlier ProgMaster board, and the two are not physically interchangeable with the same socket. If you're standardizing tooling around an existing ProgMaster socket fleet, check DediProg's PCN notice before ordering so the bottom board matches what you already have on the bench.
Backup Boot Flash Modules (SO8N, SO8W, dual SO8W, DIP, SO16W, and a Quad-IO SO8W variant) are available as optional add-ons for anyone building a hot-swap backup-boot capability into a design.
Various Backup Boot Flash Modules
Where It Fits in an Embedded Workflow
In practice, the SF600Plus-G2 tends to show up at three points in a product's life:
Bring-up and debug — In-Circuit Programming lets you reflash a boot or application image on a populated board without desoldering the flash, which is the fastest path to iterating on firmware during hardware bring-up.
Production programming — Standalone mode with a socket adaptor lets an operator batch-program flash chips before or after placement, using Production Mode or command-line scripting to drive throughput and log results.
SF600Plus-G2 Socket adapters for programming the Flash before placement on the PCB
Field rework and recovery — the same ISP path used for bring-up doubles as a recovery mechanism for boards that arrive back from the field with corrupted or outdated firmware.
The SF600Plus-G2 is a straightforward but meaningful upgrade over the SF600/SF600Plus: same familiar workflow and software modes, but an FPGA-based architecture that materially cuts programming time, plus SPI NAND support the earlier units didn't have. For teams already standardized on DediProg tooling, it's a drop-in speed and capability upgrade; for teams evaluating a first flash programmer, the combination of ISP and standalone modes in one unit covers both bring-up and production needs without needing separate tools.
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