Marvell PXA320 Based Linux Kernel

Hi all,
In past i was a tester on debian for Netgear RN102 with @bodhi.Thanks to him.

Now i need some advice/guidance for another device but this time it is not a Network Attached Storage. It is an old barcode reader/rugged pc from 2011-2012 era. My goal is to port an relatively updated kernel to it and boot linux.Since it is close enough SOC model to my RN102 i believe i can find suggestions on forum doozan.
Let me introduce this thing to you.I had to dissassemble unit and read some of part numbers.

Model No: BIP-5000(Black)
Manufacturer:Pidion (https://www.ruggedpcreview.com/3_handhelds_pidion_bip5000.html)
CPU:Marvell PXA320 (88AP320-BGR2) 806MHz
CPU Supported Instruction Set:ARM
Type of processor core:Intel XScale
RAM:64MB(K4X51163PI-FGC6 TWO CHIPS 512Mb DDR 32Mx16)
FLASH:125MB?(K9F2G08U0C-SCB0)
Wifi:Atheros (AR6002) 2.4/5GHz
LCD:GST3D5014 QVGA 240RGB*320dots Parallel RGB 18-BIT
Power Management IC:MAX8660
Serial Port(RS-232) IC:SP3220E
AC’97 Audio + Touchpanel CODEC:WM9713L
PCB MARKING: BIP-5000MC75i MAIN REV:1.1
Original OS:Windows CE 5.0.1400
Original Bootloader:EBOOT 2.1.1
I made an archive for all chips datasheets above here.
https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/6oz46kjt8plbdm9nlgtv7/h?rlkey=zmbe2k1dawy4l5zhw8h33xh09&dl=0

I have the below resources:

• NANDO Nand Flash programmer (https://github.com/bbogush/nand_programmer)
• 4 channel 50 MHz scope (Rigol-DS1054Z) with serial decoding capabilities
• Cheap logic analzyer (FX2LP CY7C68013A USB)
• Usb to serial converer (FT232)
• Tl866ii Plus Universal Programmer
• SMD Soldering-Desoldering skills
• Linux build enviroment

I searched web about what people do with this SOC and linux before and found out that toradex (some kind of SBC manufacturer i think) made an u-boot bootloader, toolchain and rootfs and shared source codes and binary files and instructions for PXA320 in here.
https://files.toradex.com/Colibri/Linux/Images/PXA-as-is/toradex-bsp-2011.02/
https://developer-archives.toradex.com/knowledge-base/linux-colibri-pxa-flashing

The question i have is it possible to port relatively up-to-date kernel/u-boot for this device? My first plan is to backup original flash chip with NANDO programmer and flash u-boot from above link and try to read serial port output.Some of you may say why i don't get RPI or similiar SBC but i am doing this just for fun and to learn new things about embedded systems.

The device came with only itself no charging cable or dock so i reverse engineered exposed pins above and found out +5v GND USB DATA+ USB DATA- SERIAL TX AND RX as today. Sharing in here if someone needs it in future.I will update this folder regularly with my findings.
https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/pgn11cyc6owngok4wk5zx/h?rlkey=xgpf71cu1399fm6vukq2px5p8&dl=0

Could someone point me to right direction about booting kernel/porting debian on PXA320?

whitepawn,

Your best bet would be starting with Toradex u-boot and kernel.

> I searched web about what people do with this SOC
> and linux before and found out that toradex (some
> kind of SBC manufacturer i think) made an u-boot
> bootloader, toolchain and rootfs and shared source
> codes and binary files and instructions for PXA320
> in here.
> https://files.toradex.com/Colibri/Linux/Images/PXA-as-is/toradex-bsp-2011.02/
> https://developer-archives.toradex.com/knowledge-base/linux-colibri-pxa-flashing

And then work on mainline Linux kernel.

Currently this SoC is supported in mainline Linux

arch/arm/boot/dts/intel/pxa/pxa3xx.dtsi
arch/arm/mach-pxa

But as usual, you would need to write a new DTS for this board, using other boards as example. It will be a lot of works to incorporate what you find in the toradex kernel (which is 2.6.x) into the DTS.

And I would keep using Toradex u-boot. Rolling new u-boot is even more time consuming than kernel, since this SoC is not support in mainline u-boot, afaict.

-bodhi
===========================
Forum Wiki
bodhi's corner (buy bodhi a beer)

@bodhi many thanks for reply and advice.
I see, i have no intention of rolling my u-boot bootloader.If it boots "new kernel" i won't touch it.
I will flash u boot to a new NAND flash, solder it, test it and share my findings in here.

Nice project, whitepawn. I wish you good luck, and hope you succeed!

Ah the "raw" GPIO accessed Samsung NAND ...

I was looking web pages that mentioned xscale IXP and linux ,and found your project.

I recently got NAND working with linux kernel, for openwrt.

The raw nand code in the kernel has a few problems.

* direct use of the memory mapped IO register in the driver C code. Should use the asm/io.h defined "writeb( ... )" .
Reason... This includes macros to stop the compiler optimising (eg skipping ) access to the memory cell.
also for the CPU bug later.

* insufficient delays ??? well the recipe section ( the steps to do a read, the steps to do an erase, etc) of the code sends through the delay spec for delay for that step.. In my testing, I guessed the timings were not right. eg because of such a fast CPU... the old timings were not right. and it is so, it didnt work until I just put a mass of standard, what I guessed as maximum, delays in the code for each step, "send a command" , "send a byte of address"..


* early ARM CPU bug workaround-- IO instructions may become out of order due to the cache . So a cache stall is induced between them, IO _SYNC. Linux had a mechanism for picking up the need for this from the DTS and use it in asm/io.h writeb( ...) .. but the raw nand code didnt make use of it properly. So put numerous syncs in to wrap the io.. U-boot didnt have any such fix. Redboot ... dont know. Intel redboot might fix it.


Here is where I posted the patch I made for raw nand to solve the above issues
Its really for the watchguard 20 , cpu ixp435 ...

https://github.com/greguu/linux_kernel_xtm2_richland/issues/1

(deleted bits which were probably IXP4xx specific.)



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/08/2024 06:46AM by Leon G.