Installation

Q1: Compatibility error when installing the driver?¶

When Windows prompts "Unable to load the driver on this device", refer to Microsoft's official solution: go to "Recovery" → "Advanced startup" → "Troubleshoot" → "Startup Settings" → "Disable driver signature enforcement".
Windows 64‑bit systems enable driver signature enforcement by default. Unsigned USB drivers (such as Rockchip drivers) will be blocked by the system, resulting in a yellow exclamation mark in Device Manager or a "driver not installed" message.

Currently, neither RK nor AW platforms provide a flashing tool for macOS.
Mac users can install a Windows virtual machine via virtualization software (Parallels Desktop / VMware Fusion) and run the flashing tool inside the VM.
Alternatively, set up a dual‑boot system on your Mac (Boot Camp) and switch to Windows for firmware flashing.

The tool is available in the tools directory of the SDK source code, along with documentation.
The RK Linux SDK usually includes tools/linux/Linux_Upgrade_Tool or rkdeveloptool, which can be used for command‑line flashing in a Linux environment.
Linux command‑line flashing requires root privileges (sudo), and you must ensure that the USB driver is correctly loaded.

Open Device Manager and check the "Ports (COM & LPT)" and "Other devices" sections. If an unknown device (with a yellow exclamation mark) appears, open the DriverAssistant driver installation tool and try uninstalling and then reinstalling the driver.
Ensure the board has entered LOADER or MASKROM mode correctly. LOADER mode: press and hold the Recovery button, power on, then release the button. MASKROM mode: press and hold the MASKROM button (usually labelled on the board or located on the back), then power on.
Try using a different USB cable. The USB cable should ideally be no longer than 1 metre; longer cables may cause signal attenuation. For boards powered via a Type‑C port, connect directly to the computer's USB port rather than through a USB hub, to avoid insufficient power or signal interruption.
Test on a different computer – some PCs have poor USB controller compatibility, which may prevent the device from being recognised.

Pop‑up: "Device type mismatch, execution stopped!" — you need to enter LOADER or MASKROM mode before flashing.
Pop‑up: "Chip verification failed — incorrect chip flag in firmware" — this usually means the image is incorrect. Download the image file that matches your board model.
Errors such as "Download Boot failed" or "Test device failed" are often caused by unstable USB communication. Try a different USB port or cable.
Verify that the firmware file is intact (check the file size). Corrupted files from an incomplete download can also cause errors during flashing. Re‑download the firmware and try again.

You need to manually import the config.cfg configuration file. This file is generated after compiling the SDK source code, or can be obtained after unpacking the image. Alternatively, contact technical support to provide it.
Open RKDevTool → in the "Download Image" section, right‑click on an empty area → select "Import Configuration" and choose config.cfg.
After importing config.cfg, you can flash individual partitions such as boot, rootfs, kernel, etc. This is useful during development and debugging for quick updates to a specific partition without flashing the entire firmware each time.

Partition flashing can only be performed in LOADER mode. In MASKROM mode, only a full‑image flash is supported. Please confirm that the board is in LOADER mode and try again.
LOADER mode retains some system information, allowing individual partitions to be erased and reprogrammed. MASKROM mode is a low‑level flashing state where the flash is completely erased and the partition structure is not recognised, so only a full flash is possible.
Hold the Recovery button → power on → release the button after 2 seconds. Alternatively, use the ADB command adb reboot loader (if the system can boot normally).

Full‑image flashing: flashes the complete update.img. Used for first‑time flashing or recovery in MASKROM mode.
Partition flashing: flashes individual partitions such as boot, rootfs, kernel, etc. Suitable for development and debugging for quick updates. The RK tool supports managing partition flashing options by importing a config.cfg configuration file.
Use full‑image flashing when you first receive the board, replace a new flash chip, or when the system cannot boot. Use partition flashing during development and debugging when you are frequently modifying the kernel, drivers, or applications — only the modified partition needs to be flashed, saving time.
When updating rootfs alone, ensure the kernel/dtb versions are compatible; otherwise, the system may fail to boot. When updating the kernel alone, verify that the device tree matches.
For the AW platform, PhoenixUSB is the flashing tool, and the full image is an .img file. PhoenixUSB also supports partition flashing (requires a partition table configuration file).

Check whether the power supply provides sufficient power for all peripherals. Insufficient power can cause abnormal system reboots. First, remove all peripherals to rule out interference, then power on and test. Try using a different power adapter. Connect a serial console to check the reboot logs for troubleshooting.
Verify that the output voltage and current of the power adapter meet the board's requirements (recommended supply current ≥ 2A). Insufficient current may cause voltage drops under load, triggering a reboot.
Disconnect all external devices (HDMI, USB devices, camera, touchscreen, antenna, etc.), leaving only the core power supply, and check if the board boots normally. If it does, reconnect peripherals one by one to identify the device causing the reboot.
Capture the final log output before the reboot via serial console. Common causes include kernel panic (driver issues), watchdog timeout resets, and out‑of‑memory (OOM) conditions.
The flashed firmware itself may be faulty. Try the latest firmware version available in the cloud storage to test.