This is a page about Microchip’s Cortex-A5 SMART SAMA5D27-SOM1 based evaluation platform (ATSAMA5D27-SOM1-EK1).
Availability
Boards:
- ATSAMA5D27-SOM1-EK1-ND at Digi-Key
Vendor Documentation
- Microchip Documentation: https://www.microchip.com
- Microchip Linux4SAM: http://www.at91.com/linux4sam/
- Microchip SAMA5 Cortex-A5-based MPUs: https://www.microchip.com/design-centers/32-bit-mpus/microprocessors/sama5
- Microchip SAMA5D2 Series: https://www.microchip.com/design-centers/32-bit-mpus/microprocessors/sama5/sama5d2-series
- Microchip SAMA5D27-SOM1-EK1: https://www.microchip.com/Developmenttools/ProductDetails/atsama5d27-som1-ek1
Basic Requirements
- Running a recent supported release of Debian, Fedora or Ubuntu on a x86 64bit based PC; without OS Virtualization Software.
- Many of the listed commands assume /bin/bash as the default shell.
- ARM Cross Compiler – Linaro: https://www.linaro.org
- Linaro Toolchain Binaries: https://www.linaro.org/downloads/
- Bootloader
- Das U-Boot – the Universal Boot Loader: http://www.denx.de/wiki/U-Boot
- Source: https://github.com/u-boot/u-boot/
- Linux Kernel
- Linus’s Mainline tree: https://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/torvalds/linux.git
- ARM based rootfs
- Debian: https://www.debian.org
ARM Cross Compiler: GCC
This is a pre-built (64bit) version of GCC that runs on generic linux, sorry (32bit) x86 users, it’s time to upgrade…
Download/Extract:
#user@localhost:~$
wget -c https://releases.linaro.org/components/toolchain/binaries/6.5-2018.12/arm-linux-gnueabihf/gcc-linaro-6.5.0-2018.12-x86_64_arm-linux-gnueabihf.tar.xz
tar xf gcc-linaro-6.5.0-2018.12-x86_64_arm-linux-gnueabihf.tar.xz
export CC=`pwd`/gcc-linaro-6.5.0-2018.12-x86_64_arm-linux-gnueabihf/bin/arm-linux-gnueabihf-
Test Cross Compiler:
#user@localhost:~$
${CC}gcc --version
#Test Output:
arm-linux-gnueabihf-gcc (Linaro GCC 6.5-2018.12) 6.5.0
Copyright (C) 2017 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
This is free software; see the source for copying conditions. There is NO
warranty; not even for MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.
Bootloader: AT91Bootstrap
AT91Bootstrap – Microchip’s first step bootloader: http://www.at91.com/linux4sam/bin/view/Linux4SAM/AT91Bootstrap
Source: https://github.com/linux4sam/at91bootstrap
Download:
#user@localhost:~$
git clone -b v3.9.3 https://github.com/linux4sam/at91bootstrap --depth=1
cd at91bootstrap/
Configure and Build:
#user@localhost:~/at91bootstrap$
make ARCH=arm CROSS_COMPILE=${CC} distclean
make ARCH=arm CROSS_COMPILE=${CC} sama5d27_som1_eksd_uboot_defconfig
make ARCH=arm CROSS_COMPILE=${CC}
Bootloader: U-Boot
Das U-Boot – the Universal Boot Loader: http://www.denx.de/wiki/U-Boot
Depending on your Linux Distrubution, you will also need a host gcc and other tools, so with Debian/Ubuntu start with installing the build-essential meta package.
eewiki.net patch archive: https://github.com/eewiki/u-boot-patches
Download:
#user@localhost:~$
git clone -b v2020.04 https://github.com/u-boot/u-boot --depth=1
cd u-boot/
Patches:
#user@localhost:~/u-boot$
wget -c https://github.com/eewiki/u-boot-patches/raw/master/v2020.04/0001-sama5dX-fixes.patch
patch -p1 < 0001-sama5dX-fixes.patch
Configure and Build:
#user@localhost:~/u-boot$
make ARCH=arm CROSS_COMPILE=${CC} distclean
make ARCH=arm CROSS_COMPILE=${CC} sama5d27_som1_ek_mmc_defconfig
make ARCH=arm CROSS_COMPILE=${CC}
Linux Kernel
This script will build the kernel, modules, device tree binaries and copy them to the deploy directory.
Download:
#user@localhost:~$
git clone https://github.com/RobertCNelson/armv7_devel ./kernelbuildscripts
cd kernelbuildscripts/
For v5.15.x-sama5-armv7 (Longterm 5.15.x):
#user@localhost:~/kernelbuildscripts$
git checkout origin/v5.15.x-sama5-armv7 -b tmp
Build:
#user@localhost:~/kernelbuildscripts$
./build_kernel.sh
Root File System
Debian 11
| User | Password |
|---|---|
| debian | temppwd |
| root | root |
Download:
#user@localhost:~$
wget -c https://rcn-ee.com/rootfs/eewiki/minfs/debian-11.3-minimal-armhf-2022-04-15.tar.xz
Verify:
#user@localhost:~$
sha256sum debian-11.3-minimal-armhf-2022-04-15.tar.xz
#sha256sum output:
575738843651de2962f251447f4742d4f33313d6f7f5edf282a401207f5e6646 debian-11.3-minimal-armhf-2022-04-15.tar.xz
Extract:
#user@localhost:~$
tar xf debian-11.3-minimal-armhf-2022-04-15.tar.xz
Setup microSD card
We need to access the External Drive to be utilized by the target device. Run lsblk to help figure out what linux device has been reserved for your External Drive.
#Example: for DISK=/dev/sdX
lsblk
NAME MAJ:MIN RM SIZE RO TYPE MOUNTPOINT
sda 8:0 0 465.8G 0 disk
├─sda1 8:1 0 512M 0 part /boot/efi
└─sda2 8:2 0 465.3G 0 part / <- Development Machine Root Partition
sdb 8:16 1 962M 0 disk <- microSD/USB Storage Device
└─sdb1 8:17 1 961M 0 part <- microSD/USB Storage Partition
#Thus you would use:
export DISK=/dev/sdb
#Example: for DISK=/dev/mmcblkX
lsblk
NAME MAJ:MIN RM SIZE RO TYPE MOUNTPOINT
sda 8:0 0 465.8G 0 disk
├─sda1 8:1 0 512M 0 part /boot/efi
└─sda2 8:2 0 465.3G 0 part / <- Development Machine Root Partition
mmcblk0 179:0 0 962M 0 disk <- microSD/USB Storage Device
└─mmcblk0p1 179:1 0 961M 0 part <- microSD/USB Storage Partition
#Thus you would use:
export DISK=/dev/mmcblk0
Erase partition table/labels on microSD card:
sudo dd if=/dev/zero of=${DISK} bs=1M count=50
Create Partition Layout:
With util-linux v2.26, sfdisk was rewritten and is now based on libfdisk.
#Check the version of sfdisk installed on your pc is atleast 2.26.x or newer.
sudo sfdisk --version
#Example Output
sfdisk from util-linux 2.27.1
#sfdisk >= 2.26.x
sudo sfdisk ${DISK} <<-__EOF__
1M,48M,0xE,*
49M,,,-
__EOF__
Format Partition:
for: DISK=/dev/mmcblkX
sudo mkfs.vfat -F 16 -n BOOT ${DISK}p1
sudo mkfs.ext4 -L rootfs ${DISK}p2
for: DISK=/dev/sdX
sudo mkfs.vfat -F 16 -n BOOT ${DISK}1
sudo mkfs.ext4 -L rootfs ${DISK}2
Mount Partition:
On most systems these partitions may be auto-mounted…
sudo mkdir -p /media/boot/
sudo mkdir -p /media/rootfs/
for: DISK=/dev/mmcblkX
sudo mount ${DISK}p1 /media/boot/
sudo mount ${DISK}p2 /media/rootfs/
for: DISK=/dev/sdX
sudo mount ${DISK}1 /media/boot/
sudo mount ${DISK}2 /media/rootfs/
Install Bootloader
Copy at91bootstrap/u-boot binaries to the boot partition
#~/
sudo cp -v ./at91bootstrap/binaries/sama5d27_som1_ek-sdcardboot-uboot-3.9.3.bin /media/boot/BOOT.BIN
sudo cp -v ./u-boot/u-boot.bin /media/boot/
Install Kernel and Root File System
To help new users, since the kernel version can change on a daily basis. The kernel building scripts listed on this page will now give you a hint of what kernel version was built.
-----------------------------
Script Complete
eewiki.net: [user@localhost:~$ export kernel_version=5.X.Y-Z]
-----------------------------
Copy and paste that “export kernel_version=5.X.Y-Z” exactly as shown in your own build/desktop environment and hit enter to create an environment variable to be used later.
export kernel_version=5.X.Y-Z
Copy Root File System
#Debian; Root File System: user@localhost:~$
sudo tar xfvp ./debian-*-*-armhf-*/armhf-rootfs-*.tar -C /media/rootfs/
sync
Copy Kernel Image
Kernel Image:
#user@localhost:~$
sudo cp -v ./kernelbuildscripts/deploy/${kernel_version}.zImage /media/boot/zImage
Copy Kernel Device Tree Binaries
#user@localhost:~$
sudo mkdir -p /media/boot/dtbs/
sudo tar xfvo ./kernelbuildscripts/deploy/${kernel_version}-dtbs.tar.gz -C /media/boot/dtbs/
Copy Kernel Modules
#user@localhost:~$
sudo tar xfv ./kernelbuildscripts/deploy/${kernel_version}-modules.tar.gz -C /media/rootfs/
File Systems Table (/etc/fstab)
#user@localhost:~/$
sudo sh -c "echo '/dev/mmcblk0p2 / auto errors=remount-ro 0 1' >> /media/rootfs/etc/fstab"
sudo sh -c "echo '/dev/mmcblk0p1 /boot/uboot auto defaults 0 2' >> /media/rootfs/etc/fstab"
Remove microSD/SD card
sync
sudo umount /media/boot
sudo umount /media/rootfs
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