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System Image Flashing

1. Preparation Work​

The factory-installed image is mainly used to test whether the interface functions of the development board are normal, and its update frequency is relatively low. To ensure the normal operation of the development board, it is recommended that upon receiving the development board, users use tools such as a USB Type-A to Type-C data cable to flash the system image provided in the network disk by themselves.

2. Image Download​

The Luckfox Nova provides the buildroot image. Users can download the image file according to their own needs.

VersionDescriptionDownload
BuilldrootSupports flashing to the eMMC storage mediumGoogle Driver

3. Driver Installation​

  1. Download the RK DriverAssitant(click here to download).
  2. Open the RK Driver Assistant to install the USB driver. There is no need to connect during this process. After the installation is complete, restart the computer.
    Screenshot of the driver installation process.

4. Enter the Flashing Mode​

The Loader mode and the MaskRom mode are two common device upgrade modes used to load firmware or boot programs.

  • The Loader mode loads via the boot program at the software level and is usually used for operations such as firmware upgrades.
  • The MaskRom mode is a hardware - level startup mode that operates by directly loading the firmware and is typically used for factory flashing or device repair.

4.1 Enter the Loader Mode​

  1. Download and extract the RKDevTool flashing tool(click here to download).
  2. While holding down the BOOT key, connect the device to the computer. Release the BOOT key after the Rockchip flashing tool displays Found One LOADER Device.
    Enter the LOADER mode
  3. If the device is not properly recognized as a Loader device, check whether the development board is correctly recognized in the Device Manager. When correctly recognized, the Device Manager should display the following for the development board:
    RKusb
  4. If the device is already connected to the computer, there is no need to unplug and replug it. Hold down the RESET key, then hold down the BOOT key, and release the RESET key. When the device is recognized as being in the LOADER mode, release the BOOT key.

4.2 Enter the MaskRom Mode​

[Warning]

If, after ruling out external factors such as the download cable and the computer, the development board still cannot enter the Loader mode, you may consider forcing it to enter the MaskRom mode for recovery.

  1. Disconnect the power supply of the development board and short-circuit the eMMC data pin and GND.
    Luckfox Nova

  2. Connect the development board to the computer. Release the short-circuit connection after the Rockchip flashing tool displays "Found One MASKROM Device".

5. eMMC Image Flashing​

[Tip]

Ensure that the development board has entered the Loader mode or the Maskrom mode.

5.1 Image Flashing in the Windows Environment​

  1. Click on "Fiemware", select the path of the system image, and open the update.img image file.
    RKusb
  2. After opening it, you need to wait until the image is successfully loaded, and then click "Upgrade".
    RKusb
  3. After the flashing is completed, you will see the message "Download Successful" at this time.
    RKusb

5.2 Image Flashing in the Linux Environment​

The Upgrade_Tool is a closed-source command-line tool provided by Rockchip, which is used to flash the raw firmware, RK firmware, or partition image to the eMMC or FLASH under Linux. The rkflash.sh script and the Upgrade_Tool we use have been integrated into the SDK. It is recommended to use it on Ubuntu 22.04, and other system versions may require self-adaptation.
  1. Press the boot button and connect to the host. Use the lsusb command to check the device. If the device is not recognized, try to solve the problem by replacing the Type-C cable.
    • The development board is in the "ADB" mode.
      RKusb
    • The development board is in the "LOADER" mode.
      RKusb
    • The development board is in the "MASKROM" mode.
      RKusb
  2. The flashing can only be carried out when the development board is in the LOADER or MASKROM mode.
  3. Download and extract the SDK. For the specific operation method of obtaining the SDK, refer to the chapter "SDK Development Environment Setup".
  4. Execute the script with administrator privileges.
    SDK Directory/rkflash.sh
    $ sudo ./rkflash.sh update
      [sudo] password for ubuntu: 
      Using /home/ubuntu/sdk/tools/linux/Linux_Upgrade_Tool/Linux_Upgrade_Tool/config.ini
      Loading firmware...
      Support Type:350F	FW Ver:8.1.00	FW Time:2024-12-13 19:40:06
      Loader ver:1.01	Loader Time:2024-12-13 18:35:14
      Start to upgrade firmware...
      Test Device Start
      Test Device Success
      Check Chip Start
      Check Chip Success
      Get FlashInfo Start
      Get FlashInfo Success
      Prepare IDB Start
      Prepare IDB Success
      Download IDB Start
      Download IDB Success
      Download Firmware Start
      Download Image... (100%)
      Download Firmware Success
      Upgrade firmware ok

5.3 Image Flashing in the macOS Environment​

  1. Download and extract the Upgrade_Tool flashing tool(click here to download).
  2. Run the program to flash the firmware (please modify the path according to the actual storage location of the image):
    $ cd upgrade_tool_v2.3_mac
    sudo ./upgradetool uf Luckfox-xxx-xxx.img
  3. The result is as follows:
    RKusb