SAM9X60-EK Evaluation Kit - Booting Demo Linux® Image

Last modified by Microchip on 2023/11/14 15:20
Contents

Introduction

This training topic lists step-by-step instructions for booting a Linux® image to the SAM9X60-EK Evaluation Kit. As an example (and demo), you will download and flash a demonstration image from the Linux4SAM website. The demo image is readily available, so you do not have to build it from the source.

What You Will Need:

  • SAM9X60-EK Evaluation Kit
  • Micro-B USB cable (included in the SAM9X60-EK box)
  • Serial-to-USB converter (TTL level)
  • (optional) External power cable (5V DC)
  • Personal computer (Windows®, MacOS®, Linux) running a terminal program
  • SD memory card (1 GB or larger)

Summary of Steps:

  1. Familiarize yourself with the features of SAM9X0-EK
  2. Download the demonstration image
  3. Flash demo image to SD memory card
  4. Download, install, and configure a terminal program onto your personal computer
  5. Ensure the jumpers are in the correct position
  6. Connect your PC to J22 using a Micro-B USB cable
  7. Power the board
  8. Press RESET button SW3 (nRST)
  9. Login

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Booting Demo Linux Image

1. Familiarize yourself with the Features of the SAM9X60-EK

Take a moment and familiarize yourself with the SAM9X60-EK1 Evaluation Kit features.

 2. Download a Demonstration Image

The latest demonstration images for the SAM9X60-EK are available on the Linux4SAM website.

There you will find three sets of images created from one of three build systems:

Note: If this is your first time downloading an image, and not sure which one to download, try the Buildroot based demo without a display: linux4sam-buildroot-sam9x60ek-headless-X.Y.img.bz2 where X.Y is the version number (X is year and Y is month of release).

Download the image

 

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3. Flash and Insert SD Memory Card
a. Flash Demo Image to SD Memory Card

The easiest method to Flash an image to an SD memory card is to use the utility program balenaEtcher. It is available for Windows, MacOS, or Linux.

First, locate and select the image.

Browse and select the image file you downloaded from the previous step.

Select image on Etcher display

Second, insert an SD memory card into your PC.

Insert an SD memory card into the SD memory card slot on your PC, if one is available. If not, the easiest way is to use an external USB SD memory card reader.

Third, locate and select the SD memory card.

Once the SD memory card is inserted into your PC, Etcher will automatically detect it.

Select drive on Etcher display

Fourth, select Flash! This will take a few minutes.

Select Flash on Etcher display

b. Insert SD Memory Card into J4

Once the image has been successfully Flashed to the SD memory card, insert it into slot J4 on the SAM9X60-EK board.

Insert SD card

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4. Download, Install, and Configure a Terminal Program onto your Personal Computer

There are several choices for terminal programs. Many are free to download. Refer to the "SAM9X60-EK Evaluation Kit - Console Serial Communications" page for a list of popular terminal programs.

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5. Ensure the Jumpers are in the Correct Position

Jumper defaults

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6. Connect your PC to J22 Using a Micro-B USB Cable

You may also connect a Serial-to-USB converter (TTL level) to J24, the serial DEBUG connector.

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7. Power up your Board

The easiest way to power the board is by connecting a Micro-B USB cable to J7.

Optionally, you can connect an external 5 VDC power supply to J1.

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8. Press the Reset Button SW3

Reset push button

The boot log will display in the terminal window.

Boot log

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9. Login

At the end of the boot log, the command line will prompt the user to log in. Login as ‘root.’ There is no password required.
Log in as root

Congratulations! Booting of the demo Linux image on SAM9x60-EK is complete.
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Learn More

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