Re: [PATCH next v2] board: amediatech: Add X96Q support

Re: [PATCH next v2] board: amediatech: Add X96Q support

[Andre Przywara]

On Sat, 10 Jan 2026 00:10:32 +0100
J. Neuschäfer via B4 Relay <devnull+j.ne.posteo.net@kernel.org> wrote:

Hi,

many thanks for sending this!
CC:ing the sunxi list for better visibility.
New board support is mostly a matter for the people interested in the
SoC family, less so for the general U-Boot audience.

> From: "J. Neuschäfer" <j.ne@posteo.net>
> 
> The X96Q is a set-top box with an H313 SoC, AXP305 PMIC, 1 or 2 GiB RAM,
> 8 or 16 GiB eMMC flash, 2x USB A, Micro-SD, HDMI, Ethernet, audio/video
> output, and infrared input.
> 
>   https://x96mini.com/products/x96q-tv-box-android-10-set-top-box
> 
> This commit adds a defconfig and some documentation. The devicetree is
> already in dts/upstream.
> 
> The CONFIG_DRAM_SUNXI_* settings are chosen such that the register
> values in the DRAM PHY's MMIO space are as close as possible to those
> observed when booting with the preinstalled vendor U-Boot. The DRAM
> clock frequency of 600 MHz was reported in the vendor U-Boot's output.
> 
> Signed-off-by: J. Neuschäfer <j.ne@posteo.net>
> ---
> Changes in v2:
> - Add missing Signed-off-by
> - Re-generate x96q_defconfig with 'make savedefconfig'
> - Move DRAM frequency comment to commit message
> - Use GPL-2.0-or-later instead of deprecated GPL-2.0+
> - Link to v1: https://lore.kernel.org/r/20251231-x96q-v1-1-316d703b8f03@posteo.net
> ---
>  configs/x96q_defconfig         | 31 +++++++++++++++++++++++
>  doc/board/amediatech/index.rst |  9 +++++++
>  doc/board/amediatech/x96q.rst  | 57 ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
>  doc/board/index.rst            |  1 +
>  4 files changed, 98 insertions(+)
> 
> diff --git a/configs/x96q_defconfig b/configs/x96q_defconfig
> new file mode 100644
> index 00000000000..b74a1b61f3c
> --- /dev/null
> +++ b/configs/x96q_defconfig
> @@ -0,0 +1,31 @@
> +CONFIG_ARM=y
> +CONFIG_ARCH_SUNXI=y
> +CONFIG_DEFAULT_DEVICE_TREE="allwinner/sun50i-h313-x96q"
> +CONFIG_DRAM_CLK=600
> +CONFIG_SPL=y
> +CONFIG_DRAM_SUNXI_DX_ODT=0x03030303
> +CONFIG_DRAM_SUNXI_DX_DRI=0x0e0e0e0e
> +CONFIG_DRAM_SUNXI_CA_DRI=0x1f12
> +CONFIG_DRAM_SUNXI_TPR0=0xc0001002
> +CONFIG_DRAM_SUNXI_TPR2=0x00000100
> +CONFIG_DRAM_SUNXI_TPR10=0x002f0107
> +CONFIG_DRAM_SUNXI_TPR11=0xddddcccc
> +CONFIG_DRAM_SUNXI_TPR12=0xeddc7665
> +CONFIG_MACH_SUN50I_H616=y
> +CONFIG_SUNXI_DRAM_H616_DDR3_1333=y
> +CONFIG_R_I2C_ENABLE=y
> +# CONFIG_SYS_MALLOC_CLEAR_ON_INIT is not set
> +CONFIG_FIT_BEST_MATCH=y

What is this for, exactly?

> +CONFIG_SPL_I2C=y
> +CONFIG_CMD_UFETCH=y
> +CONFIG_CMD_CAT=y

Can you please drop those two commands? A defconfig is meant to provide
some low level common configuration, enabling the features that are
needed to boot. Command support should only be selected in the
defconfig if it has a special meaning or requirement for this
board.

> +CONFIG_SPL_SYS_I2C_LEGACY=y
> +CONFIG_SYS_I2C_MVTWSI=y
> +CONFIG_SYS_I2C_SLAVE=0x7f
> +CONFIG_SYS_I2C_SPEED=400000
> +CONFIG_SUPPORT_EMMC_BOOT=y
> +CONFIG_SUN8I_EMAC=y
> +CONFIG_AXP305_POWER=y
> +CONFIG_USB_EHCI_HCD=y
> +CONFIG_USB_OHCI_HCD=y
> +CONFIG_SPL_USE_TINY_PRINTF_POINTER_SUPPORT=y

What is this needed for?

> diff --git a/doc/board/amediatech/index.rst b/doc/board/amediatech/index.rst

What does this file add on top of doc/board/allwinner/sunxi.rst?
In general we do not use board/<vendor> directories for Allwinner
boards, not for code, and not for documentation.
So can you please just drop this file and the amediatech entry below?

But you would need to add an entry into board/sunxi/MAINTAINERS,
otherwise the U-Boot CI will fail.

Cheers,
Andre

> new file mode 100644
> index 00000000000..fd0241e3459
> --- /dev/null
> +++ b/doc/board/amediatech/index.rst
> @@ -0,0 +1,9 @@
> +.. SPDX-License-Identifier: GPL-2.0-or-later
> +
> +Amediatech
> +==========
> +
> +.. toctree::
> +   :maxdepth: 2
> +
> +   x96q
> diff --git a/doc/board/amediatech/x96q.rst b/doc/board/amediatech/x96q.rst
> new file mode 100644
> index 00000000000..f220b7005b2
> --- /dev/null
> +++ b/doc/board/amediatech/x96q.rst
> @@ -0,0 +1,57 @@
> +.. SPDX-License-Identifier: GPL-2.0-or-later
> +
> +U-Boot for the Amediatech X96Q set-top box
> +==========================================
> +
> +Quick Start
> +-----------
> +
> +- Get and Build the ARM Trusted Firmware (TF-A)
> +- Build U-Boot
> +- Write U-Boot to a microSD card
> +- Boot
> +
> +Get and Build the ARM Trusted Firmware (TF-A)
> +---------------------------------------------
> +
> +.. code-block:: bash
> +
> +    $ echo "Downloading and building TF-A..."
> +    $ git clone https://git.trustedfirmware.org/TF-A/trusted-firmware-a.git
> +    $ cd trusted-firmware-a
> +
> +Then build TF-A:
> +
> +.. code-block:: bash
> +
> +    $ export CROSS_COMPILE=aarch64-linux-gnu-
> +    $ make PLAT=sun50i_h616 bl31
> +    $ cp build/sun50i_h616/release/bl31.bin ../
> +
> +Build U-Boot
> +------------
> +
> +.. code-block:: bash
> +
> +    $ export CROSS_COMPILE=aarch64-none-elf-
> +    $ make x96q_defconfig
> +    $ make
> +
> +After the build succeeds, you will obtain the final ``u-boot-sunxi-with-spl.bin``
> +image, which you can then write to a microSD card.
> +
> +Write U-Boot to a microSD card
> +------------------------------
> +
> +You can then flash U-Boot to the microSD card (replace ``/dev/sdX`` with the
> +card's device file):
> +
> +.. code-block:: bash
> +
> +    $ dd if=u-boot-sunxi-with-spl.bin of=/dev/sdX bs=8k seek=1
> +
> +Boot
> +----
> +
> +When the X96Q is booted with the prepared microSD card inserted, it should boot
> +into the freshly installed U-Boot.
> diff --git a/doc/board/index.rst b/doc/board/index.rst
> index 7870f1bc246..767e1831912 100644
> --- a/doc/board/index.rst
> +++ b/doc/board/index.rst
> @@ -9,6 +9,7 @@ Board-specific doc
>     acer/index
>     actions/index
>     advantech/index
> +   amediatech/index
>     andestech/index
>     allwinner/index
>     amlogic/index
> 
> ---
> base-commit: 6cdd7597a2fbfc1572c1b0af23d3daf1cefa2de7
> change-id: 20251231-x96q-998c1376ebbf
> 
> Best regards,

Re: [PATCH next v2] board: amediatech: Add X96Q support

[J. Neuschäfer]

On Sat, Jan 10, 2026 at 01:23:13AM +0100, Andre Przywara wrote:
> On Sat, 10 Jan 2026 00:10:32 +0100
> J. Neuschäfer via B4 Relay <devnull+j.ne.posteo.net@kernel.org> wrote:
> 
> Hi,
> 
> many thanks for sending this!
> CC:ing the sunxi list for better visibility.
> New board support is mostly a matter for the people interested in the
> SoC family, less so for the general U-Boot audience.

Good point. I just followed get_maintainer.pl, which couldn't add the
linux-sunxi list for two reasons:

 - U-Boot's MAINTAINERS file doesn't use keyword tags and none of the
   filenames in this patch match the sunxi entry
 - it doesn't list linux-sunxi mailing list

Anyway, I'll Cc it on the next revision.

> 
> > From: "J. Neuschäfer" <j.ne@posteo.net>
> > 
> > The X96Q is a set-top box with an H313 SoC, AXP305 PMIC, 1 or 2 GiB RAM,
> > 8 or 16 GiB eMMC flash, 2x USB A, Micro-SD, HDMI, Ethernet, audio/video
> > output, and infrared input.
> > 
> >   https://x96mini.com/products/x96q-tv-box-android-10-set-top-box
> > 
> > This commit adds a defconfig and some documentation. The devicetree is
> > already in dts/upstream.
> > 
> > The CONFIG_DRAM_SUNXI_* settings are chosen such that the register
> > values in the DRAM PHY's MMIO space are as close as possible to those
> > observed when booting with the preinstalled vendor U-Boot. The DRAM
> > clock frequency of 600 MHz was reported in the vendor U-Boot's output.
> > 
> > Signed-off-by: J. Neuschäfer <j.ne@posteo.net>
> > ---
> > Changes in v2:
> > - Add missing Signed-off-by
> > - Re-generate x96q_defconfig with 'make savedefconfig'
> > - Move DRAM frequency comment to commit message
> > - Use GPL-2.0-or-later instead of deprecated GPL-2.0+
> > - Link to v1: https://lore.kernel.org/r/20251231-x96q-v1-1-316d703b8f03@posteo.net
> > ---
> >  configs/x96q_defconfig         | 31 +++++++++++++++++++++++
> >  doc/board/amediatech/index.rst |  9 +++++++
> >  doc/board/amediatech/x96q.rst  | 57 ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
> >  doc/board/index.rst            |  1 +
> >  4 files changed, 98 insertions(+)
> > 
> > diff --git a/configs/x96q_defconfig b/configs/x96q_defconfig
> > new file mode 100644
> > index 00000000000..b74a1b61f3c
> > --- /dev/null
> > +++ b/configs/x96q_defconfig
> > @@ -0,0 +1,31 @@
> > +CONFIG_ARM=y
> > +CONFIG_ARCH_SUNXI=y
> > +CONFIG_DEFAULT_DEVICE_TREE="allwinner/sun50i-h313-x96q"
> > +CONFIG_DRAM_CLK=600
> > +CONFIG_SPL=y
> > +CONFIG_DRAM_SUNXI_DX_ODT=0x03030303
> > +CONFIG_DRAM_SUNXI_DX_DRI=0x0e0e0e0e
> > +CONFIG_DRAM_SUNXI_CA_DRI=0x1f12
> > +CONFIG_DRAM_SUNXI_TPR0=0xc0001002
> > +CONFIG_DRAM_SUNXI_TPR2=0x00000100
> > +CONFIG_DRAM_SUNXI_TPR10=0x002f0107
> > +CONFIG_DRAM_SUNXI_TPR11=0xddddcccc
> > +CONFIG_DRAM_SUNXI_TPR12=0xeddc7665
> > +CONFIG_MACH_SUN50I_H616=y
> > +CONFIG_SUNXI_DRAM_H616_DDR3_1333=y
> > +CONFIG_R_I2C_ENABLE=y
> > +# CONFIG_SYS_MALLOC_CLEAR_ON_INIT is not set
> > +CONFIG_FIT_BEST_MATCH=y
> 
> What is this for, exactly?

The purpose was to boot FIT images as generated by the Linux kernel
build system.

> 
> > +CONFIG_SPL_I2C=y
> > +CONFIG_CMD_UFETCH=y
> > +CONFIG_CMD_CAT=y
> 
> Can you please drop those two commands? A defconfig is meant to provide
> some low level common configuration, enabling the features that are
> needed to boot. Command support should only be selected in the
> defconfig if it has a special meaning or requirement for this
> board.

Since this and the previous point are deployment characteristics (how a
board is used) rather than a characteristics of the board itself, I'll
remove them.

> 
> > +CONFIG_SPL_SYS_I2C_LEGACY=y
> > +CONFIG_SYS_I2C_MVTWSI=y
> > +CONFIG_SYS_I2C_SLAVE=0x7f

The SYS_I2C_SLAVE setting is also unnecessary for this board.

> > +CONFIG_SYS_I2C_SPEED=400000
> > +CONFIG_SUPPORT_EMMC_BOOT=y
> > +CONFIG_SUN8I_EMAC=y
> > +CONFIG_AXP305_POWER=y
> > +CONFIG_USB_EHCI_HCD=y
> > +CONFIG_USB_OHCI_HCD=y
> > +CONFIG_SPL_USE_TINY_PRINTF_POINTER_SUPPORT=y
> 
> What is this needed for?

It turns out to be unnecessary.

> 
> > diff --git a/doc/board/amediatech/index.rst b/doc/board/amediatech/index.rst
> 
> What does this file add on top of doc/board/allwinner/sunxi.rst?

 - A mention that this board in particular is supported
 - The information that PLAT=sun50i_h616 should be used when building TF-A

I guess both of these could be derived from the defconfig too.

> In general we do not use board/<vendor> directories for Allwinner
> boards, not for code, and not for documentation.
> So can you please just drop this file and the amediatech entry below?

Ok.

I suppose it makes sense to change the patch title to "board: sunxi: ..." too.

> But you would need to add an entry into board/sunxi/MAINTAINERS,
> otherwise the U-Boot CI will fail.

Will do.


Thanks for your review!
J. Neuschäfer