IMX6Q Tablet Problem

[freewaymad]

Hi,

This could be a longshot. I received this tablet. It has android 4.0 ICS on it. My question is, how could I find out the u-boot parameters on it? I would like to put the JB4.3_1.1.0 GA release on it. Building would not be a problem as I have already done that, but when it is flashed it will not come on. This is an actual tablet. Is there a way to get the information needed to get it to come on? According to the build prop it looks like a sabresd rom on a sabrelite board. I have tried to find where to hook it up usb to ttl, but it is not marked. I think the key is in the u-boot, but again it would be how to open the image. The basics are the same:

Kernel Base Address        : 0x10800000

Ramdisk Load Address       : 0x11800000

Second Stage Load Address  : 0x11700000

Page Size                  : 2048 bytes

Is there some software for this? It would be nice to see this build on actual tablet in the real world. Anything would help.

Thanks,

[freewaymad]

Hi,

For anyone interested, I have a new question to do with this tablet here: IMX6Q Tablet Problem 2

I really could use some help. Thanks.

[igorpadykov]

Hi Dave

I think first you should identify thing you are using.

Sabre Lite board is supported by Boundary Devices

http://boundarydevices.com/android-on-i-mx6-sabre-lite-and-nitrogen6x/

Freescale boards are Sabre SDP/SDB/AI they are quite different and supported by

Freescale, you can start with link below

i.MX6Q: i.MX 6Quad Family of Applications Processors

Also many other third parties produce own i.MX6 boards.

Uboot parameters can be found with printenv command

http://www.denx.de/wiki/publish/DULG/to-delete/UBootCmdGroupEnvironment.html

Best regards

chip

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[freewaymad]

Hi Chip,

Here is what I have found out:

root@android:/ # cat /proc/cpuinfo

Processor : ARMv7 Processor rev 10 (v7l)

processor : 0

BogoMIPS : 790.52

processor : 1

BogoMIPS : 790.52

Features : swp half thumb fastmult vfp edsp neon vfpv3

CPU implementer : 0x41

CPU architecture: 7

CPU variant : 0x2

CPU part : 0xc09

CPU revision : 10

Hardware : Freescale i.MX 6Quad/DualLite/Solo Sabre-SD Board

Revision : 63012

Serial : 0000000000000000

The build prop shows:

# begin build properties

# autogenerated by buildinfo.sh

ro.build.id=R13.4-beta

ro.build.display.id=R13.4-beta

ro.build.version.incremental=eng.android.20121012.113904

ro.build.version.sdk=15

ro.build.version.codename=REL

ro.build.version.release=4.0.4

ro.build.date=Fri Oct 12 11:39:35 CST 2012

ro.build.date.utc=1350013175

ro.build.type=user

ro.build.user=android

ro.build.host=amdroid

ro.build.tags=test-keys

ro.product.model=ICS AOSP on imx6q

ro.product.brand=freescale

ro.product.name=sabresd_6dq

ro.product.device=sabresd_6dq

ro.product.board=SABRELITE

ro.product.cpu.abi=armeabi-v7a

ro.product.cpu.abi2=armeabi

ro.product.manufacturer=unknown

ro.product.locale.language=en

ro.product.locale.region=US

ro.wifi.channels=

ro.board.platform=imx6

# ro.build.product is obsolete; use ro.product.device

ro.build.product=sabresd_6dq

# Do not try to parse ro.build.description or .fingerprint

ro.build.description=sabresd_6dq-user 4.0.4 R13.4-beta eng.android.20121012.113904 test-keys

ro.build.fingerprint=freescale/sabresd_6dq/sabresd_6dq:4.0.4/R13.4-beta/eng.android.20121012.113904:user/test-keys

ro.build.characteristics=default

# end build properties

# system.prop for M1 reference board

# This overrides settings in the products/generic/system.prop file

#

hw.hasethernet=true

#

# ADDITIONAL_BUILD_PROPERTIES

#

ro.config.notification_sound=OnTheHunt.ogg

ro.config.alarm_alert=Alarm_Classic.ogg

hw.hasethernet=true

dalvik.vm.heapstartsize=20m

dalvik.vm.heapgrowthlimit=200m

dalvik.vm.heapsize=320m

net.bt.name=Android

dalvik.vm.stack-trace-file=/data/anr/traces.txt

Which board would it be; SABERLITE or sabresd? My guess would now be the sabresd in light of the cpuinfo. I ave never used the printenv command. Do I use it in an adb shell or do I just get in the directory with u-boot.bin and type:

$ printenv u-boot.bin

Thank you for help,

Dave

[igorpadykov · Accepted solution]

Hi Dave

actually I see there both:

"ro.product.name=sabresd_6dq

ro.product.device=sabresd_6dq

ro.product.board=SABRELITE"

You can start with

IMX6_R13.41_ANDROID_DEMO_IMAGE : i.MX 6Quad, i.MX 6Dual, and i.MX 6DualLite Android 13.4.1 BSP Binary Demo Files.

Tool for flashing (through USB)

IMX_6DQ_MFG_TOOL : Tool and documentation for downloading OS images to the i.MX 6Quad and i.MX6Dual.

On the page below one can find Linux and more new Android images

i.MX6Q: i.MX 6Quad Family of Applications Processors

For Uboot "printenv" one needs immediately to hit keyboard when Uboot

just starting, then it enters to command mode (without hitting he jumps loading Android).

Best regards

chip

[freewaymad]

Hi Chip,

I have not been able to get the "printenv" command to work. I there any possible way to open the u-boot.bin? I mean if it is built, then it could be un-built, so to speak. After all, it is a type of data file. This is what I do know:

base@there:~/myroms$ file uImage_update

uImage_update: u-boot legacy uImage, Linux-3.0.35, Linux/ARM, OS Kernel Image (Not compressed), 6470076 bytes, Mon Nov 19 03:58:55 2012, Load Address: 0x10008000, Entry Point: 0x10008000, Header CRC: 0x9DD6CF62, Data CRC: 0xCC806858

and this:

base@there:~/myroms$ binwalk uImage_update

DECIMAL   HEX       DESCRIPTION

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

0         0x0       uImage header, header size: 64 bytes, header CRC: 0x9DD6CF62, created: Mon Nov 19 03:58:55 2012, image size: 6470076 bytes, Data Address: 0x10008000, Entry Point: 0x10008000, data CRC: 0xCC806858, OS: Linux, CPU: ARM, image type: OS Kernel Image, compression type: none, image name: "Linux-3.0.35"

18340     0x47A4     gzip compressed data, from Unix, NULL date: Wed Dec 31 17:00:00 1969, max compression

As you can see they called it uImage_update instead of u-boot.bin. It looks like it still does the same thing. This is the only piece of the puzzle to be solved; as it looks like the rest of the rom would be exactly the same (mount points and addresses).

What do you think?

[igorpadykov]

Hi Dave

when board power-up, uboot starts to execute,

immediately in this moment pressing key should stop it and

uboot should enter to command line.

If there is SD slot one can build images below and try them with new SD card

IMX6_JB43_110_ANDROID_SOURCE_BSP :

L3.0.35_4.1.0_ER_SOURCE_BSP :

Best regards

chip

[freewaymad]

Hi Chip,

Would this be what you are talking about? Is this what I should see?

root@android:/ # printenv

_=/system/bin/printenv

ANDROID_BOOTLOGO=1

ANDROID_PROPERTY_WORKSPACE=8,32768

LOOP_MOUNTPOINT=/mnt/obb

PS1=$(precmd)$USER@$HOSTNAME:${PWD:-?} #

SHM_MOUNTPOINT=/mnt/shm

CODEC_SHM_PATH=/mnt/shm

COMPONENT_REGISTER_FILE=/system/etc/component_register

USER=root

CONTENTPIPE_REGISTER_FILE=/system/etc/contentpipe_register

EXTERNAL_STORAGE=/mnt/sdcard

HOSTNAME=android

ANDROID_DATA=/data

PATH=/sbin:/vendor/bin:/system/sbin:/system/bin:/system/xbin

ASEC_MOUNTPOINT=/mnt/asec

TERM=vt100

MKSH=/system/bin/sh

HOME=/

LD_LIBRARY_PATH=/vendor/lib:/system/lib

SECONDARY_STORAGE=/mnt/extsd:/mnt/udisk

LOGNAME=root

GST_PLUGIN_PATH=/system/lib/gst_plugins

LIGHTSENSOR_PATH=/sys/class/i2c-adapter/i2c-1/1-0044

VPU_FW_PATH=/system/lib/firmware/vpu

CORE_REGISTER_FILE=/system/etc/core_register

BOOTCLASSPATH=/system/framework/core.jar:/system/framework/core-junit.jar:/system/framework/bouncycastle.jar:/system/framework/ext.jar:/system/framework/framework.jar:/system/framework/android.policy.jar:/system/framework/services.jar:/system/framework/apache-xml.jar:/system/framework/filterfw.jar

ANDROID_ROOT=/system

SHELL=/system/bin/sh

ANDROID_ASSETS=/system/app

RANDOM=8203

Thank you,

[EricNelson]

Hi Dave,

As I mentioned in a message on our blog, I'm confused.

Is this a tablet, or a SABRE Lite?

It's not clear to me whether somebody's buying SABRE Lite boards and putting them in tablets, or if (more likely), they used the SABRE Lite board as a reference and starting point for the kernel and Android and just never bothered to change the names.

In any case, you should ask the vendor to provide the kernel and U-Boot sources. Both are covered under GPL, so it's a copyright violation not to provide those.

[freewaymad]

Hi Eric,

Yes it is a tablet. I believe they used the SABRE Lite board as a reference. The problem is that I have not been able to get any response whatsoever from the company. I'm hoping that I'm not out of luck on this.

[EricNelson]

Can you provide details of the make and model of the tablet?

Even if the design was based on SABRE Lite, it's highly likely that the manufacturer made changes, and you'll need to know the details of those before confidently changing U-Boot or the kernel.

[freewaymad]

Yes, it is a Zenithink (zt-285) C-94. The imx6q version; 10.1". I did manage to pull this off it:

root@android:/ # cat /sys/bus/mmc/devices/mmc0:0001/boot_info

boot_info:0x05;

  ALT_BOOT_MODE:1 - Supports alternate boot method

  DDR_BOOT_MODE:0 - Does not support dual data rate during boot

  HS_BOOTMODE:1 - Supports high speed timing during boot

boot_size:268435456KB

boot_partition:0x00;

  BOOT_ACK:0 - No boot acknowledge sent

  BOOT_PARTITION-ENABLE: 0 - Device not boot enabled

  PARTITION_ACCESS:0 - No access to boot partition

boot_bus:0x00

  BOOT_MODE:0 - Use single data rate + backward compatible timings in boot operation

  RESET_BOOT_BUS_WIDTH:0 - Reset bus width to x1, single data rate and backwardcompatible timings after boot operation

  BOOT_BUS_WIDTH:0 - x1 (sdr) or x4 (ddr) bus width in boot operation mode

There is a boot_config file there and one other boot file, but even with super user rights, I haven't been able to get information from them or even copy.  Probably to do with no access to the boot partition. I don't know.

[EricNelson]

What are you hoping to achieve through all of this digging?

[freewaymad]

I was hoping to find what may be needed to get this to boot up. I really think it would be something to do with the uImage wrapper, but I am not at all familiar with that nor u-boot. I guess that is beating a dead horse... Is there some way to use u-boot to point at the existing uImage wrapper or uImage? I'm just asking. I thought there was something somewhere I read about that. I really don't know.

[EricNelson]

The best bet is to try and find the manufacturer, to see if they have some un-bricking tools and also to see if you can get the U-Boot and kernel sources.

Google doesn't seem to help though.

Zenithink seems to be well hidden behind suppliers.

Since they're using an i.MX6, it might make sense to post a separate question to see if anyone knows how to contact them.

[EricNelson]

In case it helps, there appears to be an active Italian site for Zenithink:

     Contatti

The zenithink.us site appears to be down or dead.

[freewaymad]

I have emailed them twice with no response. Anyway thank you for all your help. I apologize if I was a pain.

Thanks again,

[igorpadykov]

He Dave,

if this is Zenithink C94, seems there is no way

to invoke Uboot. It uses customized software with special

update algorithm

[ROM] Zenithink's Official 20121203 ICS ROM - ZT-285 C94 - SlateDroid.com

ZT-285 C94 - SlateDroid.com

Best regards

chip

[freewaymad]

Hi Chip,

I think you're right. Thank you for all your help.

Regards,

Dave

[freewaymad]

Hi Chip,

I'll give that a try.

Thanks,

[EricNelson]

Hi Dave,

A file named 'uImage*' is a kernel, not U-Boot.

The 'file' utility is only- telling you that the file has a "U-Boot" wrapper.