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Setup

To flash the eMMC on a Raspberry Pi Compute Module, the following components are required:

  • Host device: A computer running Linux, Windows, or macOS
  • Micro USB cable
  • Raspberry Pi Compute Module with a compatible carrier board

Set up the Board

  • To disable eMMC boot on the Raspberry Pi: Set the nRPI_BOOT pin to HIGH using the 8-pin DIP switch on the board (typically the 3rd switch).
  • Connect the board to the host device using a Micro USB cable.

Set up the Host Device

Note

The steps below follow the official Raspberry Pi documentation without modification. Reference: Raspberry Pi – eMMC flashing documentation

  1. Install the rpiboot tool (or build it from source): sudo apt install rpiboot
  2. Connect the IO Board to power.
  3. Run rpiboot: sudo rpiboot
  4. After a few seconds, the Compute Module will appear as a USB mass storage device.
    • Check /dev/ (commonly /dev/sda or /dev/sdb)
    • Alternatively, run lsblk and identify the device matching the module’s storage size.
  1. Download the Windows installer for rpiboot or build it from source.
  2. Run the installer. (Do not close any driver installation windows during setup.)
  3. Reboot the system.
  4. Connect the IO Board to power. Windows will automatically detect the hardware and install required drivers.
  5. For CM4 and newer devices:
    • Select “Raspberry Pi – Mass Storage Gadget – 64-bit” from the Start Menu.
    • The eMMC or NVMe device will appear as a USB mass storage device.
    • A serial debug console is also exposed.
  6. For CM3 and older devices:
    • Run RPiBoot.exe.
    • The Compute Module eMMC will appear as a USB mass storage device.
  1. Build rpiboot from source.
  2. Connect the IO Board to power.
  3. Run the rpiboot executable from the terminal: rpiboot -d mass-storage-gadget64
  4. When prompted with “The disk you inserted was not readable by this computer.” Click Ignore.
  5. The Compute Module eMMC will now appear as a USB mass storage device.

rpiboot

The output of the sudo rpiboot command should appear as expected. If it remains stuck at Waiting for BCM2835/6/7/2711/2712..., install rpiboot from source..

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Raspberry Pi Imager

  • Launch the Raspberry Pi Imager application.
  • Select Raspberry Pi 5 as the target board.

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  • Choose the operating system; Raspberry Pi OS (64-bit) is recommended.

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  • As the storage device, select the Raspberry Pi eMMC detected by your computer.

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  • In the advanced settings section, configure: Username, Hostname, Wi-Fi credentials, SSH access

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  • Start the flashing process by clicking Write and wait until it completes.

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Note

  • After the installation is completed, make sure to set pin 3 on the 8-pin DIP switch back to the LOW state.
  • Before performing this step, power off the device.
  • Disconnect the Micro USB cable.
  • Set pin 3 of the DIP switch to the LOW position.
  • Finally, reconnect the power supply to restart the system.