RTL9210 Firmware and Tools

RTL9210

Firmware and tools for RTL9210 and RTL9210B USB to NVMe/SATA bridge controller. They are provided by station-drivers, Realtek, etc.

All procedures described in this Git repository are at your own risk. In case of software issues, you can find some solutions in the Unbrick section.

Files and Folders

• configure: All configurations for each device.
• dump: All dumps for each device.
• firmware: All found firmware.

Firmware

The table below lists all known firmware versions available in this git repository's firmware folder.

Supported Devices

There are dozens of devices with the RTL9210B, I have gathered in this git repository some firmware configs found on the www.station-drivers.com forums.

You can check in the configure folder or use values from the dump folder to create your own configuration.

How to Flash the Firmware

Warning: Flashing the firmware can brick or permanently damage your device. Do it at your own risk. The author of this Git repository is not responsible for any damage to your device. If you brick your device, you can try to unbrick it with the Unbrick section.

Info: The firmware update tool is only available for Windows and does not work well on Linux with Wine or in a virtual machine.

1. Download the correct and latest firmware and tools from the firmware folder.
2. Extract the archive.
3. Connect the device to the computer.
4. Launch the firmware update tool (such as UTHSB_MPtool) provided in the firmware archive.
5. Dump your device configuration with the firmware update tool and save it.
6. Disconnect the enclosure from the computer.
7. Remove the NVMe/SATA drive.
8. Reconnect the device to the computer.
9. Copy the configuration file (.cfg) of your device from the configure folder to the configure folder where the firmware update tool is located.
10. Change the SERIAL in the configuration file to match your dump file if it is defined. (Optional but recommended)
11. Comment out the DISK_IPS_THRES with a ; in the configuration file. (Optional but recommended)
12. Launch the firmware update tool (such as UTHSB_MPtool) provided in the firmware archive.
13. Select the configuration file (.cfg) of your device.
14. Click on the flash/update device button and wait until the process is finished.

Configuration

This section describes how to configure (in cfg files) the firmware for your device, all configurations are in the configure folder or use values from the dump folder to create your own configuration.

Each configuration are unique to the device, your enclosure may not work properly if you have not the right configuration.

Create your own configuration

To create your own configuration, you can use the dump folder to get the values of your device.

1. Find the dump file of your device in the dump folder or on the internet.
2. Create a new file in the configure folder with the name of your device and the extension .cfg.
3. Copy the content of the dump file into the new file.
4. Remove the first 3 lines of the dump file. These lines start with a line of *, contain the device name on the second line, and have another line of * on the third line.
5. Remove variables with a value of n/a. (Optional)
6. Replace : with = for variable definitions.
7. Comment DISK_IPS_THRES by changing it to ;DISK_IPS_THRES = 0x1 if you want. (Optional)
8. Launch the firmware update tool (such as UTHSB_MPtool), select the new configuration file, and flash it.

Unbrick

When you have bricked your device, you can try to unbrick it with the following steps:

1. Disconnect the device from the computer and remove the NVMe/SATA drive.
2. Disassemble the enclosure and locate the flash chip, which is usually an 8-pin 2x3 mm chip. The chip might be labeled P25Q40SH, FM25Q04A, PUYA P25D40H, or FM25Q04A.
3. Find the datasheet for the flash chip, and locate the CS# and VCC pin or CS# and Hardware Reset pin. Generally, VCC is pin 8 and CS# is pin 1.
4. Short the CS# and VCC pin, or better, use an SPI programmer like the CH341A. If using an SPI programmer, you can skip the next steps and directly flash the firmware.
5. Launch the Realtek firmware update tool (such as UTHSB_MPtool).
6. Connect the enclosure to the computer and keep the pins shorted. Keep the pins shorted for 10-15 seconds or until the device is recognized by the computer or the Realtek firmware update tool.
7. Launch the Realtek firmware update tool (such as UTHSB_MPtool).
8. Click on the flash/update device button and wait until the process is finished.

Firmware changelog

1.23.9.100520 2020.10.05

• Add customized command.
• Fix SATA USB powercut resume issue.
• Fix SATA reset issue if disk is lost.
• Update Kinsea KS10 LED behavior.
• Fix Fulllink macbook disk speed test issue.

1.23.5.09320 2020.09.03

• Support USB HID interface.
• Improve the compatibility for RTL9210B.
• Support RTL9210C_PD/RTL9210C_CG.
• Improve the compatibility for cdrom feature.
• Add Orico customized sleep RGB LED behavior.
• Support security api.
• Add Kinsea KS10 LED behavior.
• Add IOmaster M204 LED behavior.
• Add LED SSI_6431_fp LED behavior.
• Improve opal compatibility.

1.27.25.072921 2021.07.29

• This firmware update aims to improve stability with Samsung 980 Pro and Western Digital SN550 NVMe SSDs.
• The power LED behavior is also improved on Windows, and Intel based Mac systems: now when safely ejected the power LED should turn off ( it may blink slowly ) indicating the drive may be safely unplugged from the computer.This update is recommended for uses who have experienced connectivity problems with Samsung 980 Pro or Western Digital SN550 NVMe SSDs.

1.29.8.122921 ?

• Fix problem If your HDD/SSD could not be detected or kept disconnected from your Mac

1.29.12.011122 ?

• Fix Compatibility with Samsung M.2 SSDs und Samsung Data Migration Tool

1.30.17.070622 ?

• Fix slow speed issue.

1.30.21.070622 ?

• Has improved random 4K read performance.

1.31.17.102022 ?

1.32.16.010923 ?

1.32.45.041323 ?

1.32.49.140423 ?

1.32.68.062623 28.06.23

1.32.87.082923 29.08.23

• Addresses USB link instability seen in some SSD models when used in conjunction with Linux-based PCs, including the Solidigm P41 Plus. This update includes compatibility fixes in certain scenarios, including use with the Samsung 980 Pro

1.32.901.120722 ?

1.33.7.191023 19-10-2023

1.33.44.011824 18-01-2024

• Improved Compatibility

1.33.98.090324 03-09-24

• Improved speed on some SSDs (more info www.station-drivers.com)

Contribute

Don't hesitate to contribute to this git repository by creating a pull request or by contacting me by email: bensuperpc [at] gmail.com

Sources

• www.station-drivers.com
• Configuration
• Sabrent EC-SNVE firmware