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104 lines
4.7 KiB
Markdown
104 lines
4.7 KiB
Markdown
---
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title: Generic SPI Flashing Guide
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x-toc-enable: true
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...
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NOTE: Canoeboot standardises on [flashprog](https://flashprog.org/wiki/Flashprog)
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now, as of 3 May 2024, which is a fork of flashrom.
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There are a plethora of single board computers with which you can flash canoeboot to a SOIC chip.
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Some users might be daunted by the price of a raspberry pi.
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This guide is intended to help users looking to use a programmer which is not listed in the [main guide.](spi.md)
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As an example, this guide will use the [libre computer 'le potato.'](https://libre.computer/products/aml-s905x-cc/)
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You should note however, that this guide is intended to demonstrate how to set up any SBC with SPI programming capabilities for flashing Canoeboot.
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If you are wondering about which SBC to buy, keep these things in mind:
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+ The board *must* support SPI (look at the specs/pinout to find out if it does)
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+ It is easier to use a board that supports raspbian/raspberry pi OS
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+ Boards often require their own kernel patches which rarely get upstreamed
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All of this means that you should try to find a board that is *known* to support SPI on an OS for which there are available images.
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It is *not* enough to know that the board itself supports SPI.
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Selecting an Operating System
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=============================
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In theory, any linux based operating system will do.
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In practice, many distros are highly limited when it comes to single-board-computers.
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SBCs often require specialized kernel patches which are rarely upstreamed.
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Additionally, armhf boards (like the le potato) are not supported in most modern distros.
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In light of the above facts, it is a good general rule to use a distro aimed at supporting SBCs.
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[Armbian](https://www.armbian.com/) is one such distro you might use.
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Note that not all armbian images support SPI.
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If your SBC supports [Raspbian](https://www.raspberrypi.com/software/) then using it will make your work much easier.
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As a bonus, you may refer to the [main guide](spi.md) if the SBC you have supports raspbian, should you get confused with this guide.
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Connecting to your Programmer
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=============================
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Many SBC operating systems enable ssh by default.
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If the OS you chose does not enable ssh on first boot, try checking the distro documentation and looking for terms such as 'headless install.'
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You will need the IP address of your programmer to continue.
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Connecting via ethernet is generally easier than doing so with WiFi.
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Check your distro's docs if you wish to connect with WiFi only.
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To determine the IP address of your programmer, log in to your AP/Router web interface.
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If you're not sure the IP address of your AP, it is likely `192.168.1.1.`
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You can determine the correct IP address with `ip r` on a GNU+Linux system.
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You should see your programmer somewhere on the homepage, depending on your router firmware.
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This author recommends using [https://openwrt.org/](https://openwrt.org/) for your router firmware.
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SSH to your programmer using the default credentials as specified in your distro's docs.
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The IP address is the one determined in the earlier step.
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For example:
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`ssh root@192.168.0.167`
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Finding GPIO Pins
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=================
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If you have determined that a board supports SPI then the only step left is to
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determine the correct location of the SPI pins.
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The board will have the pinout in its documentation.
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The Le potato board has the same pinout as the raspberry pi so you can refer to the [main SPIC documentation.](spi.md#gpio-pins-on-raspberry-pi-rpi-40-pin)
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If your board is not raspberry pi compatible, refer to the [wiring table.](spi.html#soic8dip8wson8-wiring-diagram)
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Match each of the categories in the 'signal' column with those in the 'pin' column.
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Using this method, you can theoretically use any single board computer with SPI support.
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Enabling SPI
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============
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The modules needed and methods to enable SPI vary based on the SBC you choose.
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You should always make sure there is a well documented method for enabling SPI on your SBC before purchasing.
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In the case of the *le potato,* SPI is enabled by activating the correct overlays as such (raspbian):
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```
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sudo ldto enable spicc spicc-spidev
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sudo ldto merge spicc spicc-spidev
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```
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Using Flashprog
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==============
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Some GNU+Linux distros will provide flashprog in their default repositories.
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```
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sudo apt update
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sudo apt install flashprog
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```
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Reading/writing from SPI works respectively as such:
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```
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sudo ./flashprog -p linux_spi:dev=/dev/spidev0.0,spispeed=32768 -r /path/to/read.bin
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sudo ./flashprog -p linux_spi:dev=/dev/spidev0.0,spispeed=32768 -w /path/to/canoeboot.rom
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```
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Note that `spispeed` varies based on the board in question.
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A standard lower limit is *512.*
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For example, to read on a board with a lower SPI speed, you may try:
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sudo ./flashprog -p linux_spi:dev=/dev/spidev0.0,spispeed=512 -r /path/to/read.bin
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