Hey i have 2 questions as a beginner off a mini2440. 1) What is the difference between NAND and NOR and how do i know which one to use? I've read about the diff in mapping of memory but i can't see the meaning. 2) When connecting the board to pc I’ve read that both serial and usb cable is needed, why? What do they do different? Can’t just the usb cable do the magic?
Hi! In the NOR flash is the BIOS of the Board stored, in the NAND the kernel and OS. The NOR contains the same boot loader (supervivi) like the NAND when you get the board new. The NOR is used when you want to maintain the boot loader in NAND or the OS. The NOR can only be written with a JTAG adapter, while the NAND is written by using the serial console and an USB cable. Most people change the bootloader in NAND to u-boot or bare box, which are both more comfortably. More information you get in the documentation and articles about u-boot or for barebox have a look at the pdf-documentation of OSELAS Pengutronix BSP for Mini2440. It is very well explained in this document. You need only the USB cable when changing bootloader, kernel or system of your mini2440. The serial cable is only for a console when booting or maintaining the system. On the screen of your Mini is no console available.