Linux/PROCESSOR-SDK-AM335X: uart problem during spl flash

oguzhan erol

Part Number: PROCESSOR-SDK-AM335X
Other Parts Discussed in Thread: AM3354

Tool/software: Linux

Hello Dear all,

I have both EVM Kit and my custom am3354 boards.

I recently installed the SDK with the version "05_01_00_11".(http://software-dl.ti.com/processor-sdk-linux/esd/docs/05_01_00_11/linux/Overview.html#processor-sdk-linux-building-the-sdk). Then I followed the steps described in the Section 1.3.2.2(http://software-dl.ti.com/processor-sdk-linux/esd/docs/05_00_00_15/linux/Overview.html#build-steps). I just changed the last line.

$ git clone git://arago-project.org/git/projects/oe-layersetup.git tisdk
$ cd tisdk
$ ./oe-layertool-setup.sh -f configs/processor-sdk/processor-sdk-<version>-config.txt
$ cd build
$ . conf/setenv
$ export TOOLCHAIN_PATH_ARMV7=$HOME/gcc-linaro-7.2.1-2017.11-x86_64_arm-linux-gnueabihf
$ MACHINE=am335x-evm bitbake arago-base-tisdk-image

At the first time the compilation process took long times and finished successfully. I think taking long time is normal, since lots of packages were downloaded and installed. Then, "SDK_Path/tisdk/build/arago-tmp-external-linaro-toolchain/deploy/images/am335x-evm" folder is created and lots of images files and links are included there.

For now, I am trying to send spl and uboot to board. Then I found the related files in "SDK_Path/tisdk/build/arago-tmp-external-linaro-toolchain/deploy/images/am335x-evm" folder. It seems MLO, u-boot-spl.bin and u-boot.img are just link to actual files that are listed below.

u-boot-spl.bin => u-boot-spl.bin-am335x-evm-2018.01+gitAUTOINC+8b2f1df4b5-r19*

MLO => MLO-am335x-evm-2018.01+gitAUTOINC+8b2f1df4b5-r19

u-boot.img => u-boot-am335x-evm-2018.01+gitAUTOINC+8b2f1df4b5-r19.img

I copied the actual files and change their name to MLO, u-boot-spl.bin and u-boot.img. Next I tried to send u-boot-spl.bin to both EVM kit and my custom boards. I use minicom and try to send spl over uart by using xmodem protocol. However for all boards i receive attached error . I also tried "serial-port.pl" to send spl to boards but I receive "Inappropriate ioctl for device at" errors.

I could not find the potential reasons for this problems. Could you please share your comments? BTW, Do i need to do any changes on uboot configurations for my custom board or EVM kit?

over 6 years ago

0 Biser Gatchev-XID over 6 years ago

TI__Guru**** 393215 points

Hi,

This is the correct procedure: software-dl.ti.com/.../Foundational_Components_U-Boot.html

0 oguzhan erol over 6 years ago in reply to Biser Gatchev-XID

Prodigy 180 points

Hi Dear Biser,
Firstly, thank you for your quick response. Your suggestion help us to figure out the problem. As far as I understand from your reply, we could do building successfully and we don't need to do any changes for uboot such as configuration in source code.

Now we have another problem. As having I said, we succeeded the send spl over uart. However we can't see any progress after we send spl. There is nothing more CCC character is received. I also tried to send u-boot.img but there were no response received from uart. It stuck at this stage. It seems It can not boot the spl.

0 Biser Gatchev-XID over 6 years ago in reply to oguzhan erol

TI__Guru**** 393215 points

If this is seen on the custom board, you probably do not have an ID EEPROM, as on the EVM. You will need to bypass or hardcode the EEPROM check in SPL. Another thing you will almost certainly need to do on a custom board is to tune the DDR. This procedure is described here:
processors.wiki.ti.com/.../AM335x_EMIF_Configuration_tips
processors.wiki.ti.com/.../AM335x_DDR_PHY_register_configuration_for_DDR3_using_Software_Leveling
and this is a step-by step tutorial:
processors.wiki.ti.com/.../Sitara_Linux_Training:_Tuning_the_DDR3_Timings_on_BeagleBoneBlack

0 oguzhan erol over 6 years ago in reply to Biser Gatchev-XID

Prodigy 180 points

Hello Dear Biser,

We followed the steps described in the link. We have a ddr on our custom board which same as the bbb. So we just set our board id as "A335BNLT"
in board_detect.c file. However problem is still on going. At this step, we want to know that do we need to implement pinmux config outputs?

0 Kemal R. Shakir over 6 years ago in reply to oguzhan erol

TI__Guru 55345 points

Hello Oguzhan,

Can you try to boot with these images? These images are from SDK 7 with this patch applied.

cd <SDK>/board-support/u-boot-<version>/
git apply 0001-AM335x-SDK7-with-hardcoded-A335BNLT-board-name.patch

Best regards,
Kemal

0 oguzhan erol over 6 years ago in reply to Kemal R. Shakir

Prodigy 180 points

Dear Kemal,

Great Thanks! your patch guided us and we figured out the solution of the problem. Now we can see the uboot shell on our pc. For now, we need to complete one more step.

In our board, our interfaces are uart and usb and we want to flash our emmc by using these interfaces. There are lots of document to complete this step however we could not be sure, whether we can flash kernel image to emmc over uart?

0 Kemal R. Shakir over 6 years ago in reply to oguzhan erol

TI__Guru 55345 points

Hello Oguzhan,

Transferring the kernel or entire rootfs through UART will be very slow and painful task. You better consider using the USB interface to flash your eMMC using DFU. You can check this link for more details about updating an SD card or eMMC using DFU.

Best regards,
Kemal

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Linux/PROCESSOR-SDK-AM335X: uart problem during spl flash