From 9376964f3f5b4221ba70892a3a5be0d03531f140 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: Ricardo Pardini <ricardo@pardini.net>
Date: Sat, 3 Jan 2026 13:04:47 +0100
Subject: [PATCH] initial README

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 README.md  | 63 ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
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 create mode 100644 .gitignore
 create mode 100644 README.md

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+.idea
+.vscode
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+# Mediatek binaries
+
+## Why?
+
+This repo contains prebuilt binaries provided by Mediatek (or board vendors) for use with their platforms.
+
+The sources for these binaries are not publicly available, but Mediatek (or boards vendors) provide them as compiled
+binaries.
+
+This repo is consumed by `armbian/build` framework to build a full boot stack for specific boards; as such it is not
+meant for end-users.
+
+# What?
+
+### `libdram`
+
+This is a DRAM initialization library used by U-Boot and ATF to initialize the DRAM memory controller on Mediatek
+platforms.
+It is provided as `.a` only (thus subject to ABI compatibility) and linked into TF-A/ATF build.
+
+Mediatek publishes binaries in their GitLab repository: https://gitlab.com/mediatek/aiot/rity/libdram-prebuilt.git
+
+Here we have organized them, per-board, for easier use and with a GitHub mirror.
+
+### `libbase`
+
+This is a low-level hardware abstraction library for Mediatek platforms.
+
+It is provided as `.a` only (thus subject to ABI compatibility) and linked into TF-A/ATF build.
+
+Mediatek publishes binaries in their GitLab repository: https://gitlab.com/mediatek/aiot/bsp/libbase-prebuilt.git
+
+Here we have organized them, per-board, for easier use and with a GitHub mirror.
+
+### `Little Kernel (LK)`
+
+The Little Kernel (LK) is a lightweight `fastboot` compatible bootloader used on Mediatek platforms.
+
+Mediatek publishes builds in their GitLab repository: https://gitlab.com/mediatek/aiot/rity/lk-prebuilt.git but only
+for their development kits. Board vendors (or Mediatek themselves) provide prebuilt `lk.bin` files for other boards.
+
+The upstream is here: https://github.com/littlekernel/lk - but Mediatek apparently heavily modifies it with no public
+source code available.
+
+It plays a similar role to Rockchip's `spl_loader` blob: the SoC loads it from USB OTG (similar to Rockchip's "Markrom"
+USB).
+
+The `lk.bin` itself contains all the BLxx bits (thus probably also `libdram` and `libbase`) plus a final payload
+that implements `fastboot` protocol over OTG, allowing users to flash FIP images and disk images to eMMC/UFS storage.
+
+It is an essential part of the flashing process for Mediatek boards, but is not required for normal booting.
+
+# Directory organization
+
+The prebuilt binaries are organized in directories per-board, with each directory containing the relevant
+`.a` files for `libdram` and `libbase`, and the `lk.bin` file for Little Kernel.
+
+There might be variants for different storage types (eMMC, UFS) or board revisions.
+
+In the case of Little Kernel, there might be more than one variant per board, and armbian/build selects one based
+on trial and error.
+
+Look into each board directory for details.
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