Build and Flash Workflow¶

Day-to-day development is a loop: edit, build, flash, watch the console. In this tutorial you change the boot banner of the out-of-box firmware ipro7ai_reef_demo on the IPRO7AI Reef EVK, build, flash and monitor with one build_freertos.sh line, and see your text on the console; then you switch configurations, clean-build and read memory usage. For first-time installation and flashing, complete First FreeRTOS Application first.

Prerequisites¶

First FreeRTOS Application is done: the board runs ipro7ai_reef_demo and its console answers reef selftest.
macOS or Linux. build_freertos.sh needs bash; on Windows, use build_freertos.ps1 in PowerShell (same actions and options) or build and flash with the VS Code Extension, as in Windows Setup & VS Code — the loop is the same.
Run every command from the SDK root; examples use macOS.

Steps¶

Set the environment once in this terminal window; every later command uses it.
```
export IPRO_FLASH_TOOL=<IntelProCube>/ipro_iot_tool_macos
export IPRO_SERIAL_PORT=/dev/cu.usbserial-XXXX
export IPRO_FLASH_PT=<IntelProCube>/chips/ipro7/partition/partition_cfg_2M.toml
```
On Linux use ipro_iot_tool_linux and /dev/ttyUSB0. IPRO_FLASH_PT applies to every flash in this window; when you move to an application with its own partition table, clear it with unset IPRO_FLASH_PT or override it with -P.
Edit the code: open apps/platform/ipro7ai_reef_demo/main.c and append your own text to the boot banner in main():
apps/platform/ipro7ai_reef_demo/main.c
```
IPRO_LOGI(LOG_TAG, "  IPRO7AI Reef carrier demo - my build");
```

Build, flash and monitor: close any terminal program that holds the port, then run:

./build_freertos.sh -t 15 build flash monitor ipro7ai_reef_demo

The running firmware receives reboot_dl and enters download mode by itself, so no buttons are needed. The output, in order (excerpt):

Project: ipro7ai_reef_demo  (platform/ipro7ai_reef_demo)

→ Building ipro7ai_reef_demo...
✓ Build succeeded (14s)
  Binary: <SDK>/apps/platform/ipro7ai_reef_demo/build/build_out/ipro7ai_reef_demo_IPRO7.bin (244 KB)
  Log: <SDK>/apps/platform/ipro7ai_reef_demo/build/build.log
→ Entering download mode...
reboot to download mode
→ Flashing ipro7ai_reef_demo_IPRO7.bin (--chip-variant IPRO7AI, --pt <IntelProCube>/chips/ipro7/partition/partition_cfg_2M.toml)...
[...] - Chip name is ipro7
...
[...] - [All Success]
✓ Flash succeeded (…)
→ Opening serial monitor on /dev/cu.usbserial-XXXX at 115200...
[serial_monitor] Sent: reboot
...
I (…) REEF:   IPRO7AI Reef carrier demo - my build
...
[serial_monitor] TIMEOUT after 15s
✗ Action 'monitor' failed — stopping.

Summary:
  ✓ build
  ✓ flash
  ✗ monitor (exit 2)

monitor reads for the -t seconds and ends with exit code 2, which the script lists as a failure. That is expected: once build and flash show ✓, the new firmware runs on the board.

Try it interactively: open the console in a terminal program (for example screen /dev/cu.usbserial-XXXX 115200) and type reef status or led 0 40 0 to check that the new firmware answers. Close the terminal before the next flash.
Repeat: after each change, run step 3 again. To check only that the code compiles, run build alone:
```
./build_freertos.sh build ipro7ai_reef_demo
```

Verify¶

Summary shows ✓ for build and flash.
The boot messages on the console include IPRO7AI Reef carrier demo - my build.
SW3, SW4 and SW5 still light the LED red, green and blue, and reef selftest prints the same as before the change.

build_freertos.sh actions and options¶

This tutorial uses build, flash and monitor, with -t (monitor time), -d (alternate configuration) and -P (partition table). Actions run in order and stop at the first failure. The other actions (clean, size, test) and every option and environment variable: macOS / Linux Command Line.

Alternate configurations and build directories¶

One application can have several configuration files. Choose an alternate one with -d; it builds in build_<name>/ and leaves the application's .config untouched:

./build_freertos.sh -d defconfig_wifi_ipro6s build ipro7ai_reef_demo        # builds in build_wifi_ipro6s/
./build_freertos.sh -d defconfig_reef_ov5640 build flash ipro7_uvc_cam       # USB webcam

flash and size use -d to find the image: when you run them separately, give each the same -d.
The build copies the configuration to build_<name>/.config; edit the original in the application directory.
After flashing ipro7_uvc_cam with defconfig_reef_ov5640 and fitting an OV5640, a USB camera (3896:0701) appears on the Reef's USB-C; any camera application on the computer shows the picture.
Every Reef configuration and its build command: Reef build configurations. For applications that need boot2 or mfg data on the first flash, see Flashing & Serial Console.

Clean build¶

After changing .config or an alternate configuration — particularly flash size, PSRAM, AI or BLE controller options — clean before building. clean removes only the matching build directory:

./build_freertos.sh clean build ipro7ai_reef_demo                            # remove and rebuild build/
./build_freertos.sh -d defconfig_wifi_ipro6s clean build ipro7ai_reef_demo   # remove and rebuild build_wifi_ipro6s/

clean prints ✓ Clean complete when done.

Reading memory usage¶

The link step prints how much of each memory region is used. With make it appears in the terminal; with build_freertos.sh it goes to build.log:

grep -A5 "Memory region" apps/platform/ipro7ai_reef_demo/build/build.log

For ipro7ai_reef_demo with its default configuration:

Memory region         Used Size  Region Size  %age Used
           flash:      249944 B         1 MB     23.84%
           psram:       45376 B         8 MB      0.54%
           ocram:       32144 B       256 KB     12.26%
          hbnram:        2460 B         4 KB     60.06%

flash is the flash limit used for linking. ipro7ai_reef_demo links a 1 MB layout by default (the configure stage prints -- IPRO7 flash: 1M (default, on-chip)); if the Reef's in-package flash reports JEDEC 0xEF4015 (2 MB), add CONFIG_IPRO7_FLASH_2M=y to .config to use all of it.
A flash percentage under 100 does not mean the image fits the firmware partition: compare the .bin size shown after Binary: with the firmware partition of the table you flash with. In partition_cfg_2M.toml it is 1180 KB.
ocram is the on-chip OCRAM. With AI off, the region is 256 KB minus the CONFIG_EM_SIZE used by BLE, and the configure stage prints a line such as -- AI disabled: OCRAM=256KB; with AI on the layout differs. Which settings size each region: Build System & Configuration.

The size action lists the total and per-section sizes of the .elf:

./build_freertos.sh size ipro7ai_reef_demo

→ Size report for ipro7ai_reef_demo_IPRO7.elf

   text    data     bss     dec     hex filename
 235928   14008   49588  299524   49204 <SDK>/apps/platform/ipro7ai_reef_demo/build/build_out/ipro7ai_reef_demo_IPRO7.elf
...

The numbers come from a V2.2.0 build and change with the toolchain version and your edits.

What the script fills in¶

build_freertos.sh reads its flashing parameters from the application's configuration, so the Reef needs nothing extra:

Parameter	Source
`--chip-variant`	`IPRO7AI` when the configuration has `CONFIG_IPRO7AI_REEF=y`; override with `-c` or `IPRO_CHIP_VARIANT`
`--pt`	`-P` or `IPRO_FLASH_PT`; with neither, no `--pt` and the tool uses its own default table
Baud rate of `reboot_dl` and `monitor`	`CONFIG_PLATFORM_UART_BAUDRATE` from the configuration, 115200 when unset (921600 for the Reef configuration of `ipro7_jpeg_decode`)
Flashing baud rate	always 921600

The script cannot pass boot2 or mfg data, and --chipname is fixed to ipro7; in those cases run IntelProCube directly, see Flashing & Serial Console.

Troubleshooting¶

Symptom	Cause	Fix
`✗ Build failed` with compiler errors in the last 30 lines	an error in the code	fix it from the messages; the full log is `build.log`
`✗ Flash failed`; the tool stops at the handshake	the firmware did not act on `reboot_dl` (no shell, hung, or another baud rate), or a terminal program holds the port	close the terminal; hold SW1, press SW2, release SW1, then run `flash` alone
`✗ Flash tool not found: …`	a new terminal window without `IPRO_FLASH_TOOL`	redo step 1, or add the `export` lines to your shell start-up file
`✗ Binary not found: …`	no build before `flash`, or `-d` missing	add `build`, or the `-d` used for the build
`Several serial ports, pass -p PORT or set IPRO_SERIAL_PORT`	`IPRO_SERIAL_PORT` not set and several ports present	set `IPRO_SERIAL_PORT` or add `-p`
The console does not show your text	flashing failed, or you are reading old output	check that `flash` shows ✓ in `Summary`; run step 3 again
A `.config` change has no effect	old build results remain	run `clean build`
Another application fails to flash or boot	`IPRO_FLASH_PT` still points at the previous application's table	`unset IPRO_FLASH_PT` and give the right table with `-P`, see Partition tables

Next steps¶

Create Your First Application: start an application of your own.
Test Your Application: check your application's output automatically.
macOS / Linux Command Line: every action, option and limit of build_freertos.sh.
Build System & Configuration: .config keys, linker scripts and memory layout.