Bricked QSB pretty quick

[AaronLinsdau]

Is there a procedure available  to reflash the micro-SD card that comes with the QSB?  I was trying the LCD but it was defective.  As a consequence, I wasn't able to shut down properly.  After a few test cycles, Ubuntu doesn't load properly and during the startup, I get a kernel panic.

This makes developing software on the QSB a little tough!

Thanks!

[sanu]

Hi Aaron,

I am also facing the same problem

afetr "Jumping to OS " it stalls

failed to run command: type="find" body="Updater" file="" timeout="180" onError="" text="" ,, Error code:-65530

have solved it?

[marshachang]

ok, I re-downloaded again and tried it.  It flashed my uSD card in 13 minutes!  So I guess it might be your equipment.  This time I used a 4GB uSD SanDisk card, class 4.  And I used a Best Buy Dynex USB card reader.  Also, some of the other engineers that I know have used it with Windows XP, and Vista without issues.  One of them made the following recommendation:   Make sure to run from C:  not from D.

Regarding the semi custom camera... I do not have the expertise to answer your question, but hopefully someone on the imxcommunity.org will.

I hope this helps!

[RandyKrakora]

Maybe it's the speed of the USB port also? I do have two USB->SD adapters, one is much slower for writing than the other...at least from what I have noticed.

[AaronLinsdau]

Hiya Marsha!  Thanks for the update and test.  Now that I have an image working, I've now got a much bigger problem that appeared today.  Here's the link to my (desperate) plea:

http://imxcommunity.org/forum/topics/create-semi-custom-camera-interface-very-quickly

Do you have any guidance how I can, if even possible, get this done?

Thanks!!!

[marshachang]

Yikes, perhaps.  I'll redownload from the actual web and test it again.  Mine took only 20 minutes with the exact setup outlined in the how to guide.  Once I verify, I will reply back.  This way we can tell if the exe was corrupted during the loading process or if it is indeed your card / adapter.

[AaronLinsdau]

Marsha,

The software took 1.3 hours to run.  That is, from clicking start to having the chip programmed in the USB uSD carrier.  Perhaps my USB to SD to uSD adapters are very slow?

Aaron

[marshachang]

Hi Aaron,

Did you mean that it takes 1.3 hours to download the zip file?  It should only take about 20 minutes to actually program the uSD card using the .exe program. I just wanted to clarify.

Marsha

[AaronLinsdau]

Marsha,

That did it, thank you!  Funny, I had to use a USB stick as the procedure showed.  Just putting the uSD card into a regular SD card holder into the computer didn't work.  Strangest thing.  But it did bring me back so I can wreck the uSD card without worry.  It takes about 1.3 hours to load but it works.

[marshachang]

The i.MX53 QSB uSD Image with simple loading instructions with a Windows based machine is now posted to the WWW on www.freescale.com/imxquickstart under Downloads and then under BSPs.  It comes with instructions in the zip file as well.

MX53_QSB_UBUNTU_SD_DEMO_IMAGE  : File and Instructions to create an SD with an Ubuntu Demo Image like the one provided with the QSB. Supports MCIMX53-START and MCIMX53-START-R.. 
Size (K): 1409580 Format: zip Rev #: 11.09 Modified: 3/5/2012

[RandyKrakora]

Probably /dev/sdb - dmesg should show you what it is after you insert it.

[AaronLinsdau]

Randy,

I'll have to try that.  I ended up with a Linux box but it doesn't have an SD slot, so I'm using a USB SD reader - a thumb drive.  I haven't figured out what device that ends up being in the /dev directory, so making dd work has been a challenge.  I tried it against the mounted folder but dd didn't like that, saying what I was trying to copy was a folder rather than a device.

[RandyKrakora]

Aaron,

You don't need a linux machine, just a virtual machine ( VMWare ) that runs Linux. The VM runs on your PC under windows and it runs full Ubuntu ). Using this VM, you can write SD card as if you are on a Linux machine ( using dd command ).

If you look in the BSP docs .gz file, there are instructions for writing SD cards with everything you need to boot the QSB.

Here's a site that may help you get the VM set up to do Linux work, even if you plan to do all your development on the QSB, a Linux VM ( with a big disk ) will help.

http://www.imxdev.org/wiki/index.php?title=Main_Page

-Randy

[AaronLinsdau]

Daiane - I'll pick up a Linux machine.  I'd like to get to programming rather than fooling around with images.  

I have to connect to a camera and some control switches on I2C and want to do that.  I'll have to reconfigure the image I'm sure and burning time just getting the basics going is a killer.

[daiane_angolini]

Sorry, guys but for me, it worth the time to install an Ubuntu machine, or even a virtual machine.

I reflash the SDcard something like 500 times a day! And it take me around 3 seconds to get a new u-boot copy into the SDcard.

Finding a new SDCard tame me more time than copying u-boot....

dd is a command, and it copy anything to anywhere. It´s not a file transfer, it looks like memory copy 

To copy u-boot on sdcard you even need it partitioned:

$ sudo dd if=./u-boot-no-padding.bin of=/dev/sdX bs=1K seek=1

to copy uImage:

$ sudo dd if=./uImage of=/dev/sdX bs=1M seek=1

For the root file system, it takes more time because it´s a big transfer....

If you have a Ubuntu machine, you can even build (and configure!) your own uImage.

Why don´t you give it a try?

[AaronLinsdau]

Mark,

What is DD?  Assuming I get a working image back on the uSD card, I'd like to be able to make a backup.

Mark Roy said:

I've done that as well once or twice by not shutting down correctly.   My solution was to make a backup copy of the sd card using DD.   Then if you toast the filesystem, just reflash the SD card with your backup image and you're good to go.   

If you dont have a backup image, which is likely the case, then you will have to either build a new image using LTIB or download a working image from the net.   

[AaronLinsdau]

When the mfgtool is downloading, the USB port eventually disconnects from the computer.  This happens with the default image from mfgtool, too.  But the system doesn't halt.  Eventually the message

failed to run command: type="find" body="Updater" file="" timeout="180" onError="" text="" ,, Error code:-65530

pops up during programming.

[AaronLinsdau]

I copied the entire file set contained in:

"L2.6.35_11.09.01_ER_images_MX5X.tar.gz"

into

"..\manufacturing tool\Mfgtools-Rel-1.6.2.042\Profiles\MX53 Linux Update\OS Firmware"

overwriting what files were in there from the installation of MFG tools.  The process begins just fine but when the info "Jumping to OS image." pops up in MfgTool, the system stalls.  This is where the "freescale login: " prompt appears at the serial terminal.  It stays there forever.

So just copying the files from the downloaded image into the MX53 Linux Update folder doesn't quite work.  Are there some other modifications required, then?

jesus said:

Did you copy the demo images on its right profile folder?

[AaronLinsdau]

The user name of "root" with no password gets me into the system.  Still no GUI...

Aaron Linsdau said:

I've used the MFG tools with the following process :

1. Do not insert a Micro SD card into slot 1.
2. Plug-in the power supply. Connect a USB cable between PC and USB OTG port
on the i.MX53 START board.
3. Press the “POWER” key and ensure that the LED turns blue, indicating that the
board has been powered.
4. Open “MfgTool.exe” and ensure “Freescale i.MX53 USB BulkIO Device” is
found.
5. After the USB device is found, insert MicroSD card. Start MFG tool operations

and I was able to get a login and penguin but not past that.  The lucid/lucid login doesn't seem to work and after a while, the penguin goes away from the VGA screen.  I did receive the error during startup:

U-Boot 2009.08 (Sep 24 2011 - 22:18:53)

CPU: Freescale i.MX53 family 2.1V at 800 MHz
mx53 pll1: 800MHz
mx53 pll2: 400MHz
mx53 pll3: 432MHz
mx53 pll4: 455MHz
ipg clock : 66666666Hz
ipg per clock : 33333333Hz
uart clock : 66666666Hz
cspi clock : 108000000Hz
ahb clock : 133333333Hz
axi_a clock : 400000000Hz
axi_b clock : 200000000Hz
emi_slow clock: 133333333Hz
ddr clock : 400000000Hz
esdhc1 clock : 80000000Hz
esdhc2 clock : 80000000Hz
esdhc3 clock : 80000000Hz
esdhc4 clock : 80000000Hz
nfc clock : 26666666Hz
Board: MX53-LOCO 1.0 Rev. B
Boot Reason: [POR]
Boot Device: SD
I2C: ready
DRAM: 1 GB
MMC: FSL_ESDHC: 0,FSL_ESDHC: 1
*** Warning - bad CRC or MMC, using default environment

In: serial
Out: serial
Err: serial
Serial reinitilized!
Net: got MAC address from IIM: 00:04:9f:01:f3:7f
FEC0 [PRIME]
Hit any key to stop autoboot: 0
mmc0 is current device

I'm getting closer to recovering!  Just a little more guidance and I'll hopefully be back in business.

[AaronLinsdau]

I've used the MFG tools with the following process :

1. Do not insert a Micro SD card into slot 1.
2. Plug-in the power supply. Connect a USB cable between PC and USB OTG port
on the i.MX53 START board.
3. Press the “POWER” key and ensure that the LED turns blue, indicating that the
board has been powered.
4. Open “MfgTool.exe” and ensure “Freescale i.MX53 USB BulkIO Device” is
found.
5. After the USB device is found, insert MicroSD card. Start MFG tool operations

and I was able to get a login and penguin but not past that.  The lucid/lucid login doesn't seem to work and after a while, the penguin goes away from the VGA screen.  I did receive the error during startup:

U-Boot 2009.08 (Sep 24 2011 - 22:18:53)

CPU: Freescale i.MX53 family 2.1V at 800 MHz
mx53 pll1: 800MHz
mx53 pll2: 400MHz
mx53 pll3: 432MHz
mx53 pll4: 455MHz
ipg clock : 66666666Hz
ipg per clock : 33333333Hz
uart clock : 66666666Hz
cspi clock : 108000000Hz
ahb clock : 133333333Hz
axi_a clock : 400000000Hz
axi_b clock : 200000000Hz
emi_slow clock: 133333333Hz
ddr clock : 400000000Hz
esdhc1 clock : 80000000Hz
esdhc2 clock : 80000000Hz
esdhc3 clock : 80000000Hz
esdhc4 clock : 80000000Hz
nfc clock : 26666666Hz
Board: MX53-LOCO 1.0 Rev. B
Boot Reason: [POR]
Boot Device: SD
I2C: ready
DRAM: 1 GB
MMC: FSL_ESDHC: 0,FSL_ESDHC: 1
*** Warning - bad CRC or MMC, using default environment

In: serial
Out: serial
Err: serial
Serial reinitilized!
Net: got MAC address from IIM: 00:04:9f:01:f3:7f
FEC0 [PRIME]
Hit any key to stop autoboot: 0
mmc0 is current device

I'm getting closer to recovering!  Just a little more guidance and I'll hopefully be back in business.

[AaronLinsdau]

I've attempted the mfgtools for windows but the USB device for the iMX board doesn't appear.  The drivers seems to load, though the board doesn't show up in devices.

The serial port reports "usb wakeup is here" with my partially corrupted image uSD card.  But when in the MFG tools, there is no device that shows up.  The serial port eventually gets to FEC: Link is down 7809 and then starts reporting a string of "T".

I'm not only trying to copy u-boot but anything else I need.  The CF tools readme say that only *.nb0 files can be flashed to the uSD card.

This sure is difficult to get back to writing an application.