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Building Mixtile Blade 3

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evtest-hash edited this page Apr 17, 2025 · 1 revision

Mixtile Blade 3 OpenWrt Firmware Build Tutorial

Prerequisites

Before you begin, ensure your system meets the following requirements:

  • Operating System: Ubuntu 20.04 LTS or later
  • Disk Space: At least 25 GB of free space
  • Memory: Minimum of 4 GB RAM (8 GB recommended)
  • Internet Connection: Stable connection for downloading dependencies

1. Environment Setup

1.1 Install Required Dependencies

On a Debian/Ubuntu-based system, run the following commands to install the necessary build tools and libraries:

sudo apt update
sudo apt install -y build-essential clang flex bison g++ gawk gcc-multilib \
    gettext git libncurses-dev libssl-dev python3-distutils rsync unzip zlib1g-dev \
    file wget python3 python3-pip

These packages ensure that you have all the compilers, libraries, and helper tools needed for the OpenWrt build system.

2. Clone the Repository

Clone the Mixtile Rockchip OpenWrt repository to your local machine:

git clone https://github.com/mixtile-rockchip/openwrt.git
cd openwrt

3. Checkout the Target Branch

git checkout mixtile-v24.10.0

4. Update Feeds

The OpenWrt build system uses feeds for packages. Update and install all feeds:

./scripts/feeds update -a
./scripts/feeds install -a

This step downloads package definitions and integrates them into the build system.

5. Configure the Build

5.1 Manual Configuration

Alternatively, configure the build manually using the menuconfig interface:

make menuconfig

Within the menu interface, ensure you select the following (or adjust as needed):

  • Target System: e.g., Rockchip
  • Subtarget: e.g., RK33xx/RK35xx boards (64 bit)
  • Target Profile: select Mixtile Blade 3

You can also select additional packages such as LuCI (web interface), networking tools, USB support, etc.

6. Building the Firmware

Once the configuration is set, compile the image using the following command. It’s recommended to use parallel compilation for faster builds:

make -j$(nproc)

Tip: You can save the output to a log file if you need to review errors later:

make -j$(nproc) | tee build.log

7. Locate the Compiled Firmware

After the build completes successfully, the firmware images will be located in:

bin/targets/rockchip/armv8/

Typical output files might include:

  • openwrt-rockchip-armv8-mixtile_blade3-squashfs-sysupgrade.img.gz

The exact file names may vary based on the configuration and output format.

8. Flashing the Firmware

8.1 Prepare the Image

If the image is compressed (i.e., with a .gz extension), decompress it first:

gzip -d openwrt-rockchip-armv8-mixtile_blade3-squashfs-sysupgrade.img.gz

8.2 Write Image to SD Card or eMMC

Use the dd command to flash the image to your SD card or eMMC device. Be very careful with the device path (/dev/sdX) to avoid overwriting your main system disk:

sudo dd if=openwrt-rockchip-armv8-mixtile_blade3-squashfs-sysupgrade.img of=/dev/sdX bs=4M status=progress && sync

Replace /dev/sdX with your actual device (e.g., /dev/sdb).

9. Boot and Initial Login

Insert the prepared SD card into the Mixtile Blade 3 device, then power it up. Connect via serial console or network:

  • Default IP Address: Typically 192.168.1.1
  • Login Credentials:
    • Username: root
    • Password: (usually blank for the first login)

After booting, you can continue with further customization via the OpenWrt web interface or SSH.

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