Objective: Learn to accurately recognize Xilinx ZYNQ, BeagleBone, Cyclone V, and Amlogic control boards and recover or upgrade firmware using a formatted MicroSD card.
1. Identifying Your Board at a Glance
- Xilinx ZYNQ: Square Xilinx chip, external MicroSD slot on faceplate, physical JP4 boot jumper beside the slot.
- BeagleBone (BB): TI Sitara chip, MicroSD slot located INSIDE chassis (top lid removal required).
- C5 (Cyclone V): Intel/Altera Cyclone V chip, external slot, no JP4 jumper needed.
- Amlogic (AML): Rectangular A113D processor, requires OTG cable or testpoint shorting for bootloader flashing.
2. MicroSD Card Preparation
Use an 8GB to 16GB Class 10 MicroSD card formatted exclusively as FAT32 with 4096 byte allocation size. Do not use cards larger than 32GB.
3. Flashing Procedure (ZYNQ)
- Power off ASIC completely.
- Move JP4 jumper to SD-boot position.
- Insert MicroSD card into front slot.
- Power on and observe LEDs: alternating blink indicates flashing in progress. Steady green light indicates success (approx 60s).
- Power off, remove card, restore JP4 jumper, and reboot.