Cannot start flashloader from manufacturing package on i.MX RT1170

[wlan]

I'm successfully using Secure Provisioning to flash the boards but I'm not able to generate a working manufacturing package. It always fails when starting the flashloader. See screenshots below.

The unsigned_MIMXRT1176_flashloader_bin files are the same. I traced the difference between the "user mode" and manufacturing mode to a difference in the init_flashloader_win.bat files (see below). I understand that they are generated at each execution but it's not clear which parameters dictate their configurations. Am I generating the package incorrectly?

The process fails both when the manufacturing procedure is launched when the flashloader is already loaded and when it's not. (though with different error messages).

[marek-trmac]

Hi Wiktor,

manufacturing tool expects the processor without flashloader (see chapter 5.7 in user manual). It is recommended to reset the board/processor before you start the manufacturing. Manufacturing is optimized for production (provisioning of empty devices), so there is no test whether the flashloader is already running or not.

Another potential issue: If you initialize connection at certain communication speed (9600baud), the processor does not support changing the speed without reset. So again, it is recommended to reset the board/processor before you start the manufacturing.

In the manufacturing tool, there is "Test connection" button. I can see on your screenshot, the test was not used. I recommend to use it to check the processor is connected properly. 

If this does not help, please update the screenshots to show the problem. Also please test connection in Connection dialog and let us know, whether the problem is related to manufacturing only.

[wlan]

Hi,

Thank you for the quick response. I did another test with the board fresh after a reset. See results below. I do not change the baudrate, always sticking with 57600. Connection tests OK with Manufacturing Tool as well as the regular mode in SPT.

[wlan]

Additional note: extending the timeout to 10 seconds does not change the situation.

[marek-trmac]

Hi Wiktor,

after manufacturing tool failure, can you the tool: c:\nxp\MCUX_Provi_v8\bin\_internal\tools\spsdk\nxpdevscan.exe. This tool should display all boards connected to your computer.

[wlan]

Yes, please see result below. Right after the failure.

[marek-trmac · Accepted solution]

Hi Wiktor,

can you increase the baudrate? I can successfully start the flashloader at 460800baud, for example.

In manufacturing, there is a timeout 20 second for the flashloader intialization. It seems with the lower badrates, the flashloader is not initialized within this timeout and it is considered as a failure.

[wlan]

Indeed, increasing the baud rate resolves it. Thank you for your explanation and the help!