To flash U-Boot to SPI using the libretech-flash-tool:
GXL:BL1: 0xa2... TE: 123456 U-Boot 2023.01 (Jan 01 2024 - 00:00:00 +0000) LibreTech DRAM: 2 GiB MMC: emmc: 0, sd: 1 Hit any key to stop autoboot: 0 After the tool finishes, power cycle the board (disconnect and reconnect power). The OS should boot from eMMC. If you see a black screen, repeat the process—this time using the --force flag to bypass version checks. Intermediate Usage: Flashing Only U-Boot to SPI Some LibreTech boards have an SPI flash chip separate from the eMMC. Storing U-Boot on SPI allows you to boot from external USB drives or network (PXE) without touching the eMMC OS. libretech-flash-tool
Alternatively, for direct USB flashing when the eMMC is not mounted as a block device: To flash U-Boot to SPI using the libretech-flash-tool:
A: Sometimes. If the board uses an AMLogic S905X or Rockchip RK3288, the tool will likely work. However, the GPIO pinouts for Mask ROM mode may differ. Proceed with caution. If you see a black screen, repeat the
sudo flashrom -p libretech_spi --flash-image libretech.rom However, for now, the dedicated tool remains the most reliable method, especially for bricked devices where the CPU won't even initialize RAM. Q: Does the libretech-flash-tool work on macOS or Windows? A: natively? No. The USB low-level timing requirements fail on macOS. On Windows, you must use WSL2 with USB/IP passthrough (advanced). A dedicated Linux live USB is strongly recommended.