OpenWrt-RT5350

Patches to compile OpenWrt Linux on Ralink RT5350-based routers.

Note These patches are no longer relevant, since they have been integrated into OpenWrt trunk since revision 37568 (https://dev.openwrt.org/changeset/37568/).

These patches only apply to kernel < 3.8.x. For more recent kernels, please visit our new repository at https://github.com/kaechele/openwrt!

Introduction

RT5350-based routers are not yet supported in OpenWrt, not even yet in the bleeding edge trunk.

However, here are some experimental patches to the current OpenWrt trunk repository that should work.

These patches were originally developed for the Hame MPR-A1 router, but they also apply to its numerous clones and more generally to a lot of Ralink RT5350-based routers.

This comes from the fact that the RT5350 is a SoC ("System on Chip") that requires only a few external components to provide a working wireless router. So basically, all these designs are very similar, only differing in the SP Flash chip model or the way to control the USB overcurrent protection switch chip.

Build Instructions

In order to build OpenWrt on an RT5350-based router, you need to:

• download the latest OpenWrt trunk sources from svn
• download the patches
• apply the patches
• choose your target/subtarget/profile for the build
• compile the firmware

This is achieved using the following code snippet:

 mkdir openwrt
 cd openwrt
 svn co svn://svn.openwrt.org/openwrt/trunk
 git clone https://github.com/Squonk42/OpenWrt-RT5350.git
 cd trunk
 patch -p0 <../OpenWrt-RT5350/openwrt_add_pm25lq032_flash_support.patch
 patch -p0 <../OpenWrt-RT5350/openwrt_add_rt5350_wlan_support.patch
 patch -p0 <../OpenWrt-RT5350/openwrt_hame_mpr-a1.patch
 make menuconfig

In the configuration menu, you need to select the following options:

• Target Ssytem: Ralink RT288x/RT3xxx
• Subtarget: RT305x based boards
• Target Profile: HAME MPR-A1

Then proceed to build:

 make -j x

... where "x" is the number of CPU on your PC + 1.

The first time you compile can take hours, since the toolchains is built first. Subsequent builds only take a few minutes.

Then copy the the resulting image to your TFTP server root, so you can Flash it from the router's U-Boot bootloader:

 cp bin/ramips/openwrt-ramips-rt305x-mpr-a1-squashfs-sysupgrade.bin /tftpboot/

Patch Contents

openwrt_add_pm25lq032_flash_support.patch

This patch contains the definition of 3 SPI Flash chip that are commonly used in RT5350-based routers, but that are missing from the default OpenWrt MTD Flash device driver:

• PMC PM25LQ032

This patch is platform independent, as these definitions may also be useful to other non RT5350-based machines.

openwrt_add_rt5350_wlan_support.patch

This patch contains the changes required to add support for the RT5350 to the mac80211 driver.

This patch has been developped bi 123serge123 from the OpenWrt forum (https://forum.openwrt.org/viewtopic.php?pid=186493#p186493), adapted by Heffer from the same forum, then ported to the latest mac80211 2013-01-07 by myself.

openwrt_hame_mpr-a1.patch

This patch contains all the required changes required to define the HAME MPR-A1 profile for OpenWrt.

It is based on previous work by arpunk, arteq, Heffer, p1vo and myself from OpenWrt forum (https://forum.openwrt.org/viewtopic.php?id=37002).