[SOLVED] i.MX 6 Flash loading

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  • [SOLVED] i.MX 6 Flash loading

    I'm planning to use a J-Link and JFlash to load code into Flash. I'm a bit new to this so I have a few questions:
    • Does the JLink support the i.MX 6 Solo and Serial (SPI) NOR Flash loading natively? What tools/knowledge will I need to get this done?
    • Can I get Flash loading with the J-Link to work with Eclipse? I've managed to load the code into RAM this way but my IDE doesn't give me another option.
    • I haven't picked the make of the flash chip yet, will the choice of manufacturer matter in the loading process? Is there any type of NOR Flash not supported?
    • What kind of executable files are needed to load the code into flash? HEX? ELF?
    For reference purposes I'm using Windows and my IDE is Atollic TrueStudio. I'm not planning to use an OS on the project, just a simple task manager.
    Thanks for your help.
  • Hi,

    Does the JLink support the i.MX 6 Solo and Serial (SPI) NOR Flash loading natively? What tools/knowledge will I need to get this done?

    Could you please provide me with the exact device name? i.MX 6 devices are supported by the J-Link software (segger.com/jlink_supported_devices.html?m=Freescale#sel), but afaik there exist some Cortex-A7 based i.MX 6 devices that are not supported yet.

    Do you want to program the SPI Flash
    a) directly (J-Link <--SPI--> SPI Flash) (More Info) or
    b) via the target MCU (J-Link <---JTAG/SWD---> i.MX 6 <-------> SPI Flash)
    If you want to program it via the MCU, is the SPI flash memory-mapped available?
    Can I get Flash loading with the J-Link to work with Eclipse? I've managed to load the code into RAM this way but my IDE doesn't give me another option.

    Among other IDEs, Atollic True Studio comes with native J-Link support.
    J-Link Support can also be added to other eclipse-based IDEs which do not ship with native J-Link support by using a 3rd party plugin: segger.com/IDE_Integration_Eclipse.html

    Best regards,
    Niklas
    Please read the forum rules before posting.

    Keep in mind, this is *not* a support forum.
    Our engineers will try to answer your questions between their projects if possible but this can be delayed by longer periods of time.
    Should you be entitled to support you can contact us via our support system: segger.com/ticket/

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  • Hi Niklas,
    Thank you for your prompt response. To answer your questions:
    - our MCU is the IMX 6Solo, part number MCIMX6S7.
    - I want to program the SPI flash through the MCU. According to the link you provided only parallel NOR Flash is supported.
    - From what I can tell the SPI Flash can be memory mapped in the processor.
    - I have used Atollic and J-Link together, but as I said I couldn't find an option to load it to flash, whether device internal flash or SPI flash
    Can I presume that serial and internal flash for the MCIMX6S7 is not supported? Is it possible to get Segger to support this device and the programming of internal and/or serial NOR Flash via JFlash?
    Cheers.
  • Hi,

    I want to program the SPI flash through the MCU. According to the link you provided only parallel NOR Flash is supported.

    Support for SPI-Flash programming on i.MX 6 Solo X series devices has already been implemented in our development version of the J-Link software.
    Public release is planned in the next few weeks.

    Unfortuntaly, there is no generic way to implement SPI Flash programming support on i.MX 6 devices, as there exist multiple ways to connect the SPI-Flash to the MCU.
    Are you using an eval board or custom hardware? Could you provide us with schematics / information on how the SPI-Flash is connected to the MCU on your hardware?
    (If possible) We will try to make sure that it works with your configuration and maybe able to provide you with an preliminary version that supports SPI-Flash programming on i.MX 6 devices in the next days.

    Best regards,
    Niklas
    Please read the forum rules before posting.

    Keep in mind, this is *not* a support forum.
    Our engineers will try to answer your questions between their projects if possible but this can be delayed by longer periods of time.
    Should you be entitled to support you can contact us via our support system: segger.com/ticket/

    Or you can contact us via e-mail.
  • That's great news, Niklas.
    Our requirement is not very urgent; our hardware hasn't been sent for manufacture. We will be building custom hardware and when that is finalised I could tell you the part numbers and the pin connections we will be using, though I won't be able to share the actual schematics. If the public release will be available in the next few weeks (say, around the end of the month) then we're willing to wait for a released version of the software as it will give us ample time to finalise things on our side too.
    Regards,
    Adi
  • Hi Adi,


    sorry, there was a misunderstanding on my side.
    We recently completed the implementation for SPI-Flash programming on i.MX6 Solo X devices, not i.MX6 Solo devices.

    - From what I can tell the SPI Flash can be memory mapped in the processor.

    I just checked the reference manual and the Freescale / NXP Website, and it seems to me that the i.MX6 Solo has no memory mapped SPI-Flash.
    In case you have different information, could you please send me a link to the documentation?
    If the SPI-Flash is not memory mapped available, a custom RAM-Code is mandatory in order to program the SPI-Flash, which currently can only be used with J-Flash.
    The RAMCode SDK is available free of charge upon request. SEGGER does not provide support for custom RAMCodes.

    Best regards,
    Niklas
    Please read the forum rules before posting.

    Keep in mind, this is *not* a support forum.
    Our engineers will try to answer your questions between their projects if possible but this can be delayed by longer periods of time.
    Should you be entitled to support you can contact us via our support system: segger.com/ticket/

    Or you can contact us via e-mail.