How to change Matrix TBS2910 U-Boot

This tutorial exposes all the underlying work needed to flash a new u-boot into a Matrix TBS2910. You can use this knowledge and compile your own u-boot.imx with all these included, just in case.

Requisites:

• Matrix TBS2910
• Mini USB cable for the OTG
• TTL-232R-3V3 for the UART
• Recent Linux Debian based environment (e.g Ubuntu 14.04)
• Git/Compilation skills
• Ethernet Cable
• TFTP Server (e.g. tftp-hpa)

In this case you won’t need a DHCP server because you can choose to program your own IP addr.

Install iMX USB loader

git clone https://github.com/boundarydevices/imx_usb_loader.git
cd imx_usb_loader
make
sudo make install

Compile U-boot

git clone git://git.denx.de/u-boot-imx.git
cd u-boot-imx
make distclean
make tbs2910_config

Before compiling, you need a cross compiling GCC version. Look for the ones available to you.

apt-cache search arm-linux-gnuabi-gcc

Makefile will be looking for the arm-linux-gnueabi-gcc compiler.

export CROSS_COMPILE=arm-linux-gnueabi-
export ARCH=arm
make

If everything goes well you should have a u-boot.imx file now available. All you need now is to load that file into the Matrix.

• Turn off the device
• move switch to Update/Burn mode
• plug USB and UART cables
• turn on the device

Now run the following command:

sudo imx_usb --configdir=/usr/etc/imx-loader.d/ ../u-boot-imx/u-boot.imx

Output should look like this:

	config file </usr/etc/imx-loader.d/imx_usb.conf>
	vid=0x066f pid=0x3780 file_name=mx23_usb_work.conf
	vid=0x15a2 pid=0x004f file_name=mx28_usb_work.conf
	vid=0x15a2 pid=0x0052 file_name=mx50_usb_work.conf
	vid=0x15a2 pid=0x0054 file_name=mx6_usb_work.conf
	vid=0x15a2 pid=0x0061 file_name=mx6_usb_work.conf
	vid=0x15a2 pid=0x0063 file_name=mx6_usb_work.conf
	vid=0x15a2 pid=0x0041 file_name=mx51_usb_work.conf
	vid=0x15a2 pid=0x004e file_name=mx53_usb_work.conf
	vid=0x15a2 pid=0x006a file_name=vybrid_usb_work.conf
	vid=0x066f pid=0x37ff file_name=linux_gadget.conf
	config file </usr/etc/imx-loader.d/mx6_usb_work.conf>
	parse /usr/etc/imx-loader.d/mx6_usb_work.conf
	15a2:0054(mx6_qsb) bConfigurationValue =1
	Interface 0 claimed
	HAB security state: development mode (0x56787856)
	== work item
	filename ../u-boot-imx/u-boot.imx
	load_size 0 bytes
	load_addr 0x00000000
	dcd 1
	clear_dcd 0
	plug 1
	jump_mode 2
	jump_addr 0x00000000
	== end work item
	main dcd length 310
	sub dcd length 30c
	loading binary file(../u-boot-imx/u-boot.imx) to 7ffff400, skip=0, fsize=48c00 type=aa
	<<<297984, 297984 bytes>>>
	succeeded (status 0x88888888)
	jumping to 0x7ffff400

view raw

imx-usb

hosted with ❤ by GitHub

Matrix will start boot and you will be able to see through the Serial connection.

	U-Boot 2015.04-rc1-19966-ge72d344 (Feb 16 2015 – 23:27:14)
	CPU: Freescale i.MX6Q rev1.2 at 792 MHz
	Reset cause: POR
	I2C: ready
	DRAM: 2 GiB
	MMC: FSL_SDHC: 0, FSL_SDHC: 1, FSL_SDHC: 2
	*** Warning – bad CRC, using default environment
	No panel detected: default to HDMI
	Display: HDMI (1024×768)
	In: serial
	Out: vga
	Err: vga
	Board: TBS2910 Matrix ARM mini PC
	Net: FEC [PRIME]
	Hit any key to stop autoboot: 0
	Matrix U-Boot>

view raw

Matrix U-Boot

hosted with ❤ by GitHub

Where you go from here is up to you. You can type help just to check all the commands. But this is a tutorial on how to change u-boot so just type the following commands.

setenv serverip "your tftp server"
setenv ipaddr "any unused ip server in your tftp server subnet"
setenv loadaddr 0x10800000

tftp u-boot.imx
mmc dev 2 1
setexpr fw_sz ${filesize} / 0x200
setexpr fw_sz ${fw_sz} + 1
mmc erase 0x0 0x2000
mmc write ${loadaddr} 0x2 ${fw_sz}

This is merely a learning exercise I did, as I’ve never done this before. You can easily integrate these kind of things into the tbs2910.h itself, in the u-boot source code under include/configs.

This is were I took most of my info. Kudos for l3iggs for his work. U-Boot source