riscv · lslrt · Dec 1, 2025
diff --git a/conf/machine/beaglev-ahead.conf b/conf/machine/beaglev-ahead.conf
@@ -33,6 +33,9 @@ UBOOT_DTB_BINARY = "th1520-beaglev-ahead.dtb"
 IMAGE_BOOT_FILES:remove = "boot.scr.uimg"
 IMAGE_BOOT_FILES:append = "fw_payload.bin th1520-beaglev-ahead.dtb extlinux_sd.conf;extlinux/extlinux.conf"
 WKS_FILE ?= "beaglev-ahead.wks"
+# The rootfs must be sparsed
+IMAGE_CLASSES += "image_types_sparse"
+IMAGE_FSTYPES += "ext4.sparse"
 #============================================
 
 #============================================
@@ -42,3 +45,8 @@ PREFERRED_PROVIDER_virtual/bootloader ?= "u-boot-beaglev-ahead"
 PREFERRED_PROVIDER_opensbi ?= "opensbi-revyos"
 EXTRA_IMAGEDEPENDS += "u-boot-beaglev-ahead firmware-th1520"
 #============================================
+
+#============================================
+# Some helpers
+MACHINE_EXTRA_RRECOMMENDS += "flashing-script"
+#============================================
diff --git a/docs/BeagleV-Ahead.md b/docs/BeagleV-Ahead.md
@@ -27,11 +27,16 @@ fastboot reboot
 sleep 10
 fastboot oem format
 fastboot flash uboot ./u-boot-with-spl.bin
-fastboot flash boot ./boot.ext4
-fastboot flash root ./core-image-minimal-beaglev-ahead.rootfs.ext4
+fastboot flash boot ./boot.ext4.sparse
+fastboot flash root ./core-image-minimal-beaglev-ahead.rootfs.ext4.sparse
 fastboot reboot
 ```
 
+> **_NOTE:_**  You can also use the helper script:
+> ```shell
+> ./flash.sh
+> ```
+
 Check Functionality
 ===================
 Follow the Quickstart-Guide and connect an RS232-to-USB device, then connect to the UART console and login

diff --git a/recipes-kernel/linux/linux-beaglev-dev.bb b/recipes-kernel/linux/linux-beaglev-dev.bb
@@ -29,8 +29,9 @@ SRC_URI = " \
 
 COMPATIBLE_MACHINE = "(beaglev-ahead)"
 
-DEPENDS += "e2fsprogs-native firmware-th1520"
+DEPENDS += "android-tools-native e2fsprogs-native firmware-th1520"
 
+SPARSE_BLOCK_SIZE ??= "4096"
 # package a separate partition boot.ext4 that can be flashed via fastboot to partition boot
 do_deploy:append() {
     [ -d ${DEPLOY_DIR_IMAGE}/.boot ] && rm -rf ${DEPLOY_DIR_IMAGE}/.boot
@@ -58,6 +59,11 @@ do_deploy:append() {
 
     dd if=/dev/zero of=${DEPLOY_DIR_IMAGE}/boot.ext4 bs=1 count=0 seek=190M
     mkfs.ext4 -F ${DEPLOY_DIR_IMAGE}/boot.ext4 -d ${DEPLOY_DIR_IMAGE}/.boot
+    # sparse the file so it can be flashed with flastboot without error
+    if [ -f ${DEPLOY_DIR_IMAGE}/boot.ext4.sparse]; then
+       rm ${DEPLOY_DIR_IMAGE}/boot.ext4.sparse
+    fi
+    img2simg -s ${DEPLOY_DIR_IMAGE}/boot.ext4 ${DEPLOY_DIR_IMAGE}/boot.ext4.sparse ${SPARSE_BLOCK_SIZE};
 }
 
 do_deploy[depends] += "opensbi:do_deploy"
diff --git a/recipes-support/flashing-scripts/files/beaglev-ahead/flash.sh b/recipes-support/flashing-scripts/files/beaglev-ahead/flash.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,29 @@
+#!/bin/sh
+
+IMAGE_TO_FLASH=${1:-core-image-minimal-beaglev-ahead.rootfs.ext4.sparse}
+
+fastboot_wait_for_device() {
+    echo -n "Waiting for device "
+    while ! fastboot devices | grep -q .; do
+        sleep 1
+        echo -n "."
+    done
+    echo ""
+}
+
+
+echo "Please plug the BeagleV-Ahead board to your computer while maintaining the USB button"
+echo "See: https://docs.beagleboard.org/boards/beaglev/ahead/02-quick-start.html#put-beaglev-ahead-in-usb-flash-mode"
+fastboot_wait_for_device
+
+echo "Flashing $IMAGE_TO_FLASH"
+fastboot flash ram ./u-boot-with-spl.bin
+fastboot reboot
+fastboot_wait_for_device
+
+fastboot oem format
+fastboot flash uboot ./u-boot-with-spl.bin
+fastboot flash boot ./boot.ext4.sparse
+fastboot flash root ./${IMAGE_TO_FLASH}
+echo "Flashing done"
+fastboot reboot
diff --git a/recipes-support/flashing-scripts/files/flash.sh b/recipes-support/flashing-scripts/files/flash.sh
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+echo "Generic flash.sh script that you can customize for your machine."
diff --git a/recipes-support/flashing-scripts/flashing-script_1.0.bb b/recipes-support/flashing-scripts/flashing-script_1.0.bb
@@ -0,0 +1,24 @@
+DESCRIPTION = "Simple flashing script deployed to deploy/ dir"
+LICENSE = "MIT"
+LIC_FILES_CHKSUM = "file://${COMMON_LICENSE_DIR}/MIT;md5=0835ade698e0bcf8506ecda2f7b4f302"
+
+inherit deploy
+
+EXCLUDE_FROM_WORLD = "1"
+INHIBIT_DEFAULT_DEPS = "1"
+# Only one empty meta-package
+PACKAGES = "${PN}"
+
+SRC_URI = "file://flash.sh"
+
+S = "${UNPACKDIR}"
+
+do_deploy() {
+    install -D -m 0744 "${S}/flash.sh" "${DEPLOYDIR}/"
+}
+addtask deploy after do_patch
+
+# Remove unnecessary tasks.
+deltask do_configure
+deltask do_compile
+deltask do_install
Original file line number	Diff line number	Diff line change
		@@ -0,0 +1 @@
		echo "Generic flash.sh script that you can customize for your machine."