BPI-R4 - any information?

Banana Pi Router design BPI-R4(MT7988)
104

Hi,buggz,

We don’t have the RM521F-GL module, but it is the same platform as the RM520N-CN we adjusted and should be able to be used directly.

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1 Like
105

Thanks for this info!

106

Hi all,

Not sure if its right form to ask this … Does Banana Pi 3 supports RDKB ? is there any effort done in this direction ?

Thanks

107

Hello folks, Recently I have done a stupid think: based on that manual Getting Started with BPI-R4 - Banana Pi Wiki I flashed my OpenWRT build instead of mtk-bpi-r4-NAND-20231030.img as it was in the manual. Now I got troubles to start BPI-R4 without SD card (also I got troubles to run official image - BPI-R4-mtk-bpi-r4-SD-20231030 - because of the error: " JFFS2 filesystem corrupts immediately Magic bitmask 0xXXX not found errors")

Is there any way to flash the NAND memory after booting OpenWRT from sdcard? I’m trying to compile now a build that will include kmod-mtd-rw package so I hope I would be able to flash it, but maybe there is a way to do it from the u-boot menu or by using MediaTek U-Boot System Recovery Mode?

Thanks for advice, Dan

108

Hi Dan I do not have the board myself - yet. But until some of the skilled people in the forum may reply You can have a look at page 3 (bottom) in this link and get some info that may help You :

(link provided by @alexago)

Cheers

109

Thanks for advice. Same step as it is described in the article is on official wiki page. I think i would be able to reflash the mtdblock0 partition if the official OpenWRT SDcard image will work but it does not because error “JFFS2 filesystem corrupts immediately Magic bitmask 0xXXX not found errors”.

I think official image has ‘blockd’ package installed, so it tries to mount it automatically when system starts and that’s the problem.

That’s why I would like to flash it via uboot if its possible.

EDIT: I need to check once again steps what I have done, but probably those below helps:

  • create OpenWRT build with
CONFIG_PACKAGE_block-mount=y
CONFIG_PACKAGE_blockd=m
CONFIG_PACKAGE_mtdev=m
CONFIG_PACKAGE_kmod-mtd-rw=y
  • Install optionally mtdev and/or blockd and kmod-fs-autofs4 (dependency)
insmod mtd-rw.ko i_want_a_brick=1
mtd erase /dev/mtd0
dd if=openwrt-mediatek-filogic-bananapi_bpi-r4-snand-preloader.bin of=/dev/mtd0

As I mention, those steps probably are working in my case, but I really prefer to flash broken partitions/blockdevice with factory image. If someone can make dump of all partitions/BD, I will be grateful.

110

Do you have the usb-c serial connected in the R4? I still hope a new revision of r3-mini would have it.

111

Hello,

you read the getting startetd with R4?:

https://wiki.banana-pi.org/Getting_Started_with_BPI-R4#Prepare_to_develop

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→ it looks not that a debugging over USB-C port of R4 would be possible. You speak my mind if you say in 2024 there is better solution! For me it is a bit suspicious because the uploaded BPI cases are closed … . But for a maker → this is not a problem :slightly_smiling_face:!

112

the r3-mini has a serial exposed in the usb-c, but it isn’t connected due concerns about people frying the board by connecting the usb-c directly to underpowered laptop ports. I assume the R4 has the same setup, would be nice to have it since powered usb-c hubs are more common nowadays…

113

That sounds good :+1:. Now I understand why OpenWrt One has two USB-C ports. One for power and one for debug.

I think we can find the information about serial connection of USB-C in the schematices.

114

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Now I understand what you mean! But BPI-R4 looks not like debug over USB-C capable. Sadly …

115

if there is enough room hopefully that could be addressed in further revisions.