Production Programming of OMAP3530

Hello,

You need to follow the below two steps.

1. While building the OS Image, please check the Write Run-Time Image to Flash Memory checkbox under the Project Properties inside Visual Studio and build the Image.

2. Download the Image into the OMAP EVM using either Ethernet/USB/SD. The boot loader will detect the Image Settings and also flash the OS Image into the Flash Memory. Now re-boot the OMAP EVM and change the boot device to Flash instead of Ethernet/USB/SD.

3. Now re-boot the OMAP EVM. You should be getting the Windows CE Image booted out of Flash memory.

Regards,

Ravi

Thanks for the reply, but I'm referring to high quantity programming of devices.  I have no problem loading firmware images onto the EVM board at the moment - I just can't load 500 devices through Visual Studio very efficiently.  I'd like to have input on how to load the NK.nb0 or NK.bin files directly from the EVM Flash tool into the Flash Memory.  So far, I've only been able to load the .raw bootloader files via EVM Flash, and I have to use Visual Studio to push the images to Flash.

Hi David,

TI have a flashing tool called CSST (which have an add-on, which is intended for production purposes). AFAIK TI doesn't support the CSST tool for the OMAP3530 chip, but I'm sure we can work something out and I know of several customers using CSST for mass production. Please contact me offline in case you would like further info...

Best regards and thanks
  Søren

Hi Søren - thanks for the info.  I've never heard of CSST but I'm definitely interested in hearing more.  I'll contact you offline.

If anyone else knows of any options, I'm all ears.

David/Soren,

In my humble opinion, the CSST tool cannot be used to flash the OS Images. I understand that there is no difference as far as the Boot Loader Image or the OS Image is concerned, but the boot loader is already loaded and even though the CSST Tool can flash the OS Image, eventually we will need to inform the boot loader to boot out of Flash rather than USB/Ethernet.

Hence there is still some amount of configuration involved at the boot loader level.

A third option is as follows:

a. Modify the WinCE Boot loader of the OMAP3530 to act as a TFTP Client. This requires minor changes to the MS Code-base, but can be done.

b. Once the updated boot loader is flashed [using the Download Utility or CSST Tool], all we require is just a desktop TFTP Server Program. There are a number of free TFTP Server applications available today.

c. Once this is done, we no longer require Visual Studio to flash the OS Images into the hardware platform. The download can be completed via the TFTP Server program running on the Host Machine and the WinCE Boot loader can then be instructed to boot out of Flash.

Ravi

Hi Ravindra - thanks for joining in on the discussion.

I have a couple concerns about TFTP.  For one, isn't TFTP impossible to secure by its very nature?  I have limited experience with it, but recently was reprogramming some VOIP phones and inadvertently reprogrammed another VOIP device that happened to be on the same network (Linksys/Cisco similarities).  My device has pretty high security requirements and I wouldn't be able to leave open any potential loopholes for a third-party to easily reprogram it via the Ethernet port.  I'd much prefer a direct UART or USB connection if possible since that could require tooled access to gain access to the programming header.  I like the idea though - is this something you've done in the past with an OMAP processor?

I guess my bigger concern right now is that it doesn't appear as though there's a standard approach to this - I'd feel a lot more confident right now if I was being overwhelmed with information.  I don't like having the feeling that I'm blazing some new trail...

Thanks

The TFTP modification can be done in such a way that it would perform some basic access validation before entering the TFTP client mode.

Once the user identifies, the TFTP client mode can be initiated and pick up an OS Image from the desktop TFTP Server. We have done the TFTP Client mode kind of approach with the DM64x WinCE platforms and have knowledge to port/migrate these into the OMAP family as well.