Thread:Beagleboard talk:BeagleBoneBlack Debian/Comprehensive/Prescriptive instructions for flashing the unit

The section Flashing eMMC leaves something to be desired. As someone who is trying to flash an image, it would be helpful to list:


 * 1) the filesystem on the microSD card (vfat)
 * 2) what, exactly, should be on the microSD card (e.g., bone-debian-8.2-tester-2gb-armhf-2015-11-12-2gb.img) and if it has special requirements (i.e., it does not appear to need to be written like a boot sector)
 * 3) the LED pattern when flashing is in progress
 * 4) the LED pattern when flashing is complete

Item 1 is discussed at the top of the page, but it would be helpful to repeat it in this section.

Item 2 is confounding me. I've tried flashing with with both the compressed image (*.xz) and the uncompressed image (*.img) because the instructions don't call out what, exactly, is supposed to be on the microSD card.

Both appear to unpack the image on the microSD card. Both appear to leave the device in an unbootable state. I still cannot SSH into it, and the device does not respond over HTTP. (Both worked prior to flashing).

Item 3 is also an open question. When I first boot during an attempted flash operation, I see a zig-zag pattern on the LEDs (USER0→1→2→3, then USER3→2→1→0, repeat) for about 10 or 15 minutes.

After 10 or 15 minutes, I see two short flashes "ALL LEDs" (all LEDs briefly blink twice) followed by one long "OFF" (no LEDs). I have no idea what it means, and the BeagleBone Black SRM does not seem to discuss it.

Item 4 is another open question. I have no idea what indicates either an error condition or a successful operation, and the BeagleBone Black SRM does not seem to discuss it.

These open questions can probably be answered by someone who is familiar with the procedure. In this case, someone needs to call out the steps in a prescriptive manner. That is:

1. Perform X    * At this step you will see LEDs in pattern ... 2. Perform Y    * At this step you will see LEDs in pattern ... 3. Perform Z    * At this step you will see LEDs in pattern ...