How do I Program Flash with a imx27?

[allenkll]

Hello,

  I have a board with a Micron Technologies NAND flash on it and an imx27L.

I can't figure out how to download code to it!  I have a j-link from Segger.

I contacted Segger and was told I need to pay for them to create custom RAMcode

in order to do this.

  I tried downloading the ADK, but I can't compile it with the free version of Visual C++ 2005,

and I can't find a pre-compiled version.

  Am I going to have to shell out hundreds if not thousands just to get a bootloader programmed to flash?

This seems wrong to me.  I'm sure I am missing something.

  Can anyone help?

thanks,

-Allen

[sinanakman]

Hi Allen, is this a FSL eval board ? If it came with pre-loaded u-boot or Linux kernel, you might be able to program your flash while running Linux.

-- sinan

[allenkll]

Sinan,

  This is not an FSL eval board.  It is a production board.  I was not involved in the planning or creation of the hardware, but now they are asking me to get Linux running on it.

[sinanakman]

Hi Allen, I think there is this MfgTool from FSL which I never used but perhaps you can customize it for your board. As I understand it does have nand programming feature although as mentioned I never run that tool.

I think your other option is to use another boot source on your new board. Can you boot from NOR or USB or serial. If you could do this and have at least the bootloader come up perhaps you would be able to program your flash from there. When we have a new customer board for bring up or Linux port this is how we start. Hope this helps.

[allenkll]

Sinan,

  That sounded like a good idea.  I set a jumper to configure the chip for serial bootstrap. The problem is that I saw nothing on the com port when I did this.  Is there supposed to be a serial terminal interface like redboot/u-boot that I can type commands in?

  Or is this where the ATK tool is supposed to come in?  Is ATK supposed to say some magic incantation to the chip, when uart bootstrap is set?  Given that this is the most probable answer.  Do you knwo where I can get a precompiled version of the ATK tool? As I do not have Visual Studio, and the free version of VS doesn't come with the files needed to compile it from source.

thanks,

-Allen

[Yuri]

Please use the ATK with i.MX27 (the MFG does not support i.MX27).

https://www.freescale.com/webapp/Download?colCode=IMX27_ATK_TOOLKIT_R160&appType=license&location=nu...

i.MX27 Product Development Kit Product Summary Page

https://www.freescale.com/webapp/Download?colCode=IMX_ADVANCEDTOOLKIT_R170&Parent_nodeId=12772389315...

[allenkll]

Yuri,

   Thank you for the link to the compiled 1.6 version.  I have run this and found that the three built-in flash types are not my flash.  I have a Micron technologies MT29F2G NAND flash.  The only two options in the tool for NAND flash are for Samsung flash.  However given the fact that the command set is the same between the two, I attempted to use the K9K2G version and got the following error:

  "Failed to initial flash or Do not support this Flash, please reset the target"

  So I assumed then, that flash model should be custom and I browsed to the mx27_nand.bin file I built using the 1.7 source code, which appears to have built-in support for the MT29F2G.  However, I get the same error.  I did notice also, that the time to load the RAM kernel is longer with the new mx27_nand.bin I created.  Am I loading this in the correct place? or is there something else I must do?  The User guide says nothing about selecting "custom" in the flash device dropdown.  Is there any way to select verbose mode to see exactly what is failing and why?

  Also, the third link appears to not work for me.

  thanks,

  -Allen

[Yuri]

1.

  Generally recent ATK releases (it makes sense to use the ATK 1.71) should

define NAND type automatically via NAND ID. If NAND is not supported by the ATK,

You are right  - one can try to build new flashlib (for i.MX27). 

2.

Please try to test memory using JTAG.

[allenkll]

Yuri,

  I would love to use ATK 1.71, but I can't compile it as I don't have Visual Studio.  Is there a compiled version of 1.71 available for download?

  As for testing the memory via JTAG, I do not believe this is possible, as the flash chip does not have a JTAG interface.

thanks,

-Allen

[Yuri]

1.

Visual Studio should be used to build GUI.

For flash driver / kernel GCC may be applied.

2.

As for memory testing - I meant system SDRAM memory.

3.

Please try the enclosed ATK 1.71

[allenkll]

Yuri,

  Thank you again for your help.  I tested the RAM, and it all seems to be working correctly.  I tried the 1.7 tool, but again failed with the same error as before.  Any other ideas?

-allen