Unable to boot from SPI-NOR on MX6 Duallite SABRE SDP for smart devices

[aurelienbouin]

Hi,

I am wondering if anyone already try to boot from SPI-NOR on MX6 Duallite SABRE SDP for smart devices platform ?! I guess that SW6 DIP configuration should be D5 and D6 to "1" and others to "0"

But nothing happen for me ?! Where can I find a good u-boot binary to flash ?!

Thank you,

Sincerely,

[weidong_sun]

Hello,aurelien,

  ECSPI booting should be supported on SDP board.

(1)Configuration that ROM code requires

(2)Configurations On board

Yes, right. bit6 & bit 5 are both 1. System can be booted via eCPSI1 Port.

(3)Maybe you should adjust u-boot .

On Sabre AI board, Booting from SPI NOR is supported, you can refer to u-boot for AI board, and adjust Code for SDP. then use MFG Tool burn u-boot into SPI NOR flash.

Would you like to try ?

Regards,

Weidong

[Yuri · Accepted solution]

  Basically such boot configuration may be provided on the MX6 SDP, but the problem

arises to pin multiplexing : for example CSPI1_clk is connected to i.MX6

KEY_COL0 pin, and according to Table 8-25 (SPI IOMUX Pin Configuration) of the

RM, such pin multiplexing (ECSPI-1) is not supported for SPI NOR  boot.

   The problem is stated in Table 7 (Known Issues and Workarounds) of

"i.MX_6Dual6Quad_Sabre-SD_Linux_Release_Notes.pdf" :

"SPI NOR boot is not supported by Smart Device Board.

Current SD board uses KEY relative PINs as SPI interface. However, this set of

PINs are not supported by ROM. Therefore, SPI NOR boot is not supported by Smart

Device Board."

In general one can test it on Sabre-AI, where it is supported.

Please use the AI documentation for more details.

[ottawa-imx6]

Could we perhaps have a second confirmation from freescale on this?

If not, the sabre-lite uses EIM[16-19] which you can use on your final design hopefully.

Yuri,... what do you think of this temporary solution. Would it work?

I haven't looked at the board yet to see if the solder points are accessible though. But based on the schematics:

SPI_NOR_CLK can be accessed at R590, or R213 and an air wire can be run to an access point at R14.  (this will probably disable audio).

Then mux : MX6Q_PAD_CSI0_DAT4__ECSPI1_SCLK

OR

SPI_NOR_CLK can be accessed at R590, or R213 and an air wire can be run to an access point at  R218, or R168... (probably best solution)

Then mux MX6Q_PAD_EIM_D16__ECSPI1_SCLK

Cheers

B

[EdSutter]

Not sure if this helps but I have successfully booted from SPI-NOR using the SABRE-SDB board but I had

to connect a separate device to the board so that it boots from ECSPI5.  For the device I used (AT25DF321)

I had to set BOOT_CFG4[3] to 1 and BOOT_CFG4[2:0] to 100.

See this thread for more detail: https://community.freescale.com/thread/312731

There's no need to change uboot at all for the sake of just booting; the problem is getting that first-time boot device

programmed.  I had previously done a port of micromonitor (http://www.umonfw.com) to the iMX6, and I found it easier

to write the SPI interface in that environment.  With that in mind, here's what I did:

1. Boot from serial downloader (USB) and load some image (I used uMon) that can burn the SPI flash.

2. Using that image onboard, now I transferred u-boot.bin to RAM on board and burned that image to SPI-flash.

3. Change the boot configuration dip switch to boot from SPI and reset.

I did not modify u-boot to do this.  It boots from SPI flash the same way it would boot from SD card.  It really

doesn't care where it is booted from.  The internal rom-based bootloader just pulls it out of the specified boot device

and runs it as is.

NOTE: I'm re-reading this now, and I may have gotten board type confused, these names start overlapping real

quick in my head...  Anyway, in my case I am referring to the MXIMX6Q-SDB "Smart Devices" board.

HTH

[carmilili]

Hello Ed,

I meet a problem about booting from SPI-NOR flash.

I connect another board with SPI-NOR flash to the Smart Devices Board.

I connect it to SPI3(imx6q's pin:DISP0_DAT0, DISP0_DAT1,DISP0_DAT2,DISP0_DAT3(spi:ss0)).

When it boot up from eMMC, I can see the SPI-NOR flash node and also can see more detail by using command "cat /proc/partitions".

Please see my question imx6q-sdb boot from SPI-flash

I think you can give me some useful suggest.

[aurelienbouin]

Yes Right ! So there is no way to modify U-Boot to boot on NOR Flash ...

I don't really understand where this NOR Flash is usefull then ...

Thank you for your time...