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1. Boot mode description

1.1. Preface​

CT36L/CT36B is shipped with the Linux operating system installed by default.

CT36L/CT36B has flexible startup methods. Under normal circumstances, the CT36L/CT36B development board will not become bricked unless the hardware is damaged.

If an accident occurs during the upgrade process and the bootloader is damaged, making it impossible to re-upgrade, you can still enter MaskRom mode to repair it.

1.2. Firmware acquisition​

1.3. Upgrade method​

CT36L/CT36B supports firmware upgrade through the following two methods:

  • Use USB cable to upgrade firmware

    Use CT36L/CT36B to connect the motherboard to the computer, and burn the firmware to the motherboard through the upgrade tool.

  • Upgrade firmware using SD card

  • Note 1: SocToolKit tool version 1.7 or higher is required to support the SD card upgrade boot function.

  • Note 2: This function requires the user to run SocToolKit.exe as an administrator (it will ask by default when opening the tool).

  • Insert the successfully created SD card into the device and then restart. The device will enter the U-Boot terminal in the SD card first.

  • If the SD card has an upgrade function, the device will be automatically upgraded.

  • After the upgrade is completed, you need to remove the SD card and restart the device to enter the device system.

1.4. Start memory​

CT36L loads the system from memory:

  • SPI FLASH interface
  • SDMMC interface

CT36B loads the system from memory:

  • EMMC interface
  • SDMMC interface

1.5. Startup mode​

CT36L/CT36B has two startup modes:

  • Normal mode
  • MaskRom mode

1.5.1. Normal mode​

Normal mode is the normal startup process. Each component is loaded in sequence and the system is entered normally.

1.5.2. MaskRom mode​

MaskRom mode is used for firmware programming.

***To forcefully enter MaskRom mode, please refer to the chapter “MaskRom Mode”. ***