Overview
This project started with an inexpensive video-frame device. After opening it, I found an Allwinner F133 SoC, a low-cost RISC-V processor capable of running embedded Linux.
The challenge
The main challenge was fragmented documentation. Hardware information, SDK components, boot tools, and driver code had to be gathered from multiple sources and verified directly on the board.
What I worked on
- Investigated the boot process and memory map.
- Created bare-metal UART and GPIO experiments.
- Used FEL mode to upload and execute binaries.
- Reconstructed and built a Tina Linux SDK.
- Investigated SD-card wiring and missing board connections.
- Debugged Linux display and MIPI DSI components.
Technologies
Results and lessons
The project strengthened my understanding of SoC boot flows, Linux build systems, undocumented platforms, and methodical low-level debugging.