Flashing APSynch latest to TX1 hanging during partition writing

APSync / Companion Computers
1

Hello All,

First post here, so I apologize if this ends up being pretty much a repeat of other questions here, but I’m not sure this specific problem has been addressed. I’m attempting to flash the latest APSynch TX1 image ( apsync-tx1-latest.img.xz from http://firmware.ap.ardupilot.org/Companion/apsync/ ) according to the instructions here: http://ardupilot.org/dev/docs/companion-computer-nvidia-tx1.html . It has all gone well up until the actual flashing process. Specifically, it seems to be hanging when dealing with the partitioning. A trace of the output is as follows:

chuples@workbox:~/install/JETPACK/64_TX1/Linux_for_Tegra_64_tx1/bootloader$ sudo ./tegraflash.py --bl cboot.bin --applet nvtboot_recovery.bin --chip 0x21 
Welcome to Tegra Flash
version 1.0.0
Type ? or help for help and q or quit to exit
Use ! to execute system commands

tegraflash~> write APP apsynch-tx1-latest.img
[  10.2475 ] Generating RCM messages
[  10.2499 ] tegrarcm --listrcm rcm_list.xml --chip 0x21 --download rcm nvtboot_recovery.bin 0 0
[  10.2519 ] RCM 0 is saved as rcm_0.rcm
[  10.2531 ] RCM 1 is saved as rcm_1.rcm
[  10.2532 ] List of rcm files are saved in rcm_list.xml
[  10.2532 ] 
[  10.2532 ] Signing RCM messages
[  10.2550 ] tegrasign --key None --list rcm_list.xml --pubkeyhash pub_key.key
[  10.2568 ] Assuming zero filled SBK key
[  10.2734 ] 
[  10.2734 ] Copying signature to RCM mesages
[  10.2753 ] tegrarcm --chip 0x21 --updatesig rcm_list_signed.xml
[  10.2780 ] 
[  10.2780 ] Boot Rom communication
[  10.2794 ] tegrarcm --chip 0x21 --rcm rcm_list_signed.xml
[  10.2805 ] BR_CID: 0x32101001640d06c90000000006068180
[  10.2815 ] RCM version 0X210001
[  10.2955 ] Boot Rom communication completed
[  11.3021 ] 
[  11.3022 ] Reading BCT from device for further operations
[  11.3022 ] Sending bootloader and pre-requisite binaries
[  11.3035 ] tegrarcm --download ebt cboot.bin 0 0
[  11.3045 ] Applet version 00.01.0000
[  11.3205 ] Sending ebt
[  11.3209 ] [................................................] 100%
[  11.6274 ] 
[  11.6286 ] tegrarcm --boot recovery
[  11.6295 ] Applet version 00.01.0000
[  11.6328 ] 
[  11.6329 ] Writing partition
[  11.6340 ] tegradevflash --write APP /home/chuples/install/JETPACK/64_TX1/Linux_for_Tegra_64_tx1/bootloader/apsynch-tx1-latest.img

Now this output definitely looks different than what is shown in the instructions… but the example in the instructions make it look like things aren’t working as smoothly as my output (for example, I get boot rom communications where the instructions show the boot rom never starting).

I guess my questions are:

  1. Any clues as to why it’s hanging at this point of the code? I know the execution is somewhere in the tegradevflash binary, but as a bin file, I can’t look at the code to glean any insight.
  2. Is there a resource online to indicate what the latest APSynch image is actually confirmed to work with? For example, I’m using Jetpack 3.1 on Ubuntu 16.04, but the instructions say to use Ubuntu 14.04.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

2

@peterbarker any ideas?

3

Retry. It’s flakey.

4

I’ve tried four times so far. I kinda figured it might take a couple of tries, but more than that seems like something else is going wrong.

5

Sorry to be a bother again, but I don’t know if I’m going to get the tegraflash to work. The instructions don’t seem to give an alternative for installing APSynch, though there is a link (https://github.com/ArduPilot/companion/blob/master/Nvidia_JTX1/Ubuntu/1_create_base_image.txt) which has some instructions. It’s not clear to me that these are actual instructions for installing the image on the TX1… could anybody help confirm if that’s what it’s doing, and further, if these instructions are up-to-date?