Android mainboards · Touch displays · Firmware — since 2013
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Android firmware customization, from the team that designs the board.

We write the firmware for our own Rockchip and Amlogic mainboards — so changing how your device boots, locks down, schedules power or updates in the field is ordinary engineering work, not a request to a third party.

Talk to a firmware engineer Read the API reference
What we change

The parts of Android your project actually cares about.

Each area below is already exposed on our firmware through the ItempApiPub system API — custom projects extend it.

power

Power & scheduling

Scheduled power-on, power-off and reboot, sleep and wake — set from your app.

display

Display

Brightness, rotation and orientation, backlight and HDMI output control.

kiosk

Kiosk & lockdown

Hide the navigation and status bars, control app installs, start your app on boot.

network

Network

Static IP or DHCP, NTP server, Wi-Fi hotspot, Wake-on-LAN.

gpio

GPIO & I/O

GPIO access for sensors, relays and peripherals (see the GPIO reference for pin details).

debug · ota

Debug & updates

USB and network debugging, log capture, and OTA firmware updates for devices in the field.

Why rooted firmware matters

No platform signing. No device-owner workarounds.

On stock Android, a normal app cannot hide the system bars, schedule power or set a static IP. On iTEMP firmware it is one call — so your team ships features instead of fighting permissions.

Kiosk and lockdown guide
DeviceSetup.javaItempApiPub
// Reboot every night at 04:00
ItempApiPub.setRebootTime(context, "4", "0", true);

// Lock the UI to your app
ItempApiPub.setNavigationBarHide(context);
ItempApiPub.setStatusBarHide(context);

// Fixed network settings for the site
ItempApiPub.setStaticIp(context, "192.168.1.50", "192.168.1.1",
        "255.255.255.0", "8.8.8.8", "8.8.4.4");
Custom board design

Mainboards on seven SoCs — and room for yours.

Our KTM boards cover RK3588, RK3576, RK3568, RK3566, RK3399, RK3288 and Amlogic T982. Start from a documented board and change the I/O, size or connectors — or design a new one.

See the KTM boards
  • Start pointA documented KTM board — serial map, pin table and flashing guide are public in the wiki.
  • What changesI/O mix (RS232/RS485, GPIO, LAN, USB), display interface (LVDS, eDP, MIPI, HDMI), board size and connector placement.
  • FirmwareBrought up and maintained by the same team — the board and its Android image ship together.
Touchscreen integration

From open frame to finished display.

We pair the board with the panel, touch sensor and cover glass, and build open-frame modules or complete enclosures — including stretched, round and other special shapes.

  • PanelLCD or e-paper, standard, stretched or special-shape.
  • Touch & glassTouch sensor and cover glass matched to the panel and the enclosure.
  • Form factorOpen frame with brackets for your machine, or a finished wall, stand or table unit.
How a custom project runs

From first call to mass production.

See the ODM process
  1. Consult

    Requirements, SoC choice and a feasibility check.

  2. Sample

    Engineering samples with your firmware changes.

  3. Validate

    Testing on your side and a pilot run.

  4. Mass production

    Built and tested in our Shenzhen factory.

  5. After launch

    Firmware updates and documentation for your fleet.

10-inch units on burn-in racks during quality control

Factory & quality

Board design, display integration, assembly, a one-to-two-day burn-in and packing — under one roof in Longgang, Shenzhen.
Large-format signage units being assembled on the production line in 2025

ODM process

The same engineers stay with your project from the first call to the production line. Firmware can keep changing at every stage, and after launch we maintain your build.
FAQ

Firmware questions

How do I flash firmware onto an iTEMP Rockchip board?

Use RKDevTool on Windows (or rkdeveloptool on Linux/macOS) with the board connected through its USB OTG / download port, then flash the update.img made for your exact board.

  1. Install the USB driver: run DriverInstall.exe from Driver Assistant → Install Driver (uninstall an older driver first).
  2. Power the board, connect the OTG port with a data cable, press the recovery key or reset until the tool shows Found One LOADER Device.
  3. Upgrade Firmware → Firmware → choose update.img → Upgrade. Wait for Reset Device.

Only use an image built for your board — the same SoC is not enough. Step-by-step with screenshots: Flashing over USB.

What is the difference between Loader mode and MaskRom mode?

Loader mode is the normal way to flash: it needs a working bootloader. MaskRom is the recovery mode burned into the chip itself — it works even when the bootloader is damaged.

  • Use Loader mode for routine updates.
  • Use MaskRom when the board shows no display, no adb, never appears as a Loader device, or a previous flash was interrupted.

MaskRom does not bypass secure-boot signatures or encryption. Details: MaskRom recovery.

How do I put a board into MaskRom mode?

Hold the board’s MaskRom control while connecting USB, and release it once the tool detects the device.

  1. Power off and remove any bootable microSD card.
  2. Hold the MaskRom button, recovery button or short the two MaskRom test pads (depends on the board).
  3. Connect the OTG port (and power).
  4. Release when RKDevTool shows Found One MASKROM Device (or rkdeveloptool ld shows Mode=Maskrom).

Timing is the fiddly part — if it is not detected, power-cycle and try again. In MaskRom you must download the loader .bin that matches the board’s SoC and memory before writing the image.

Flowchart: read the serial log, try Loader mode, otherwise enter MaskRom, load the matching loader, flash, power-cycle
Recovering a board that will not boot
How do I connect to the serial debug console?

Use a 3.3 V USB-to-TTL adapter on the board’s debug UART: GND to GND, adapter TX to board RX, adapter RX to board TX — leave VCC unconnected.

Wiring: GND to GND, adapter TX to board RX, adapter RX to board TX; VCC not connected
Debug UART wiring

Rockchip boards use 1,500,000 baud, 8N1, no flow control by default — not 115200, which shows garbage. Some adapters (older PL2303) cannot reach that speed; CH340-based adapters with PuTTY or picocom work well. The debug header location is on your board page.

RKDevTool says “No Devices Found”. What should I check?

Nine times out of ten it is the cable or the port, not the tool.

  • Cable: a charge-only USB cable is the #1 cause — use a known data cable.
  • Port: connect the board’s OTG / download port, not a host-only USB-A port. Avoid hubs and front-panel PC ports.
  • Driver: uninstall, then reinstall with Driver Assistant.
  • Mode: the board must actually be in Loader or MaskRom mode.
  • Linux: run with sudo or add a udev rule for USB vendor ID 2207 (Rockchip).
  • Flash one board at a time — two boards in download mode confuse the tool.
Is a board that will not boot after a failed update “bricked” for good?

Almost never. A board that stopped mid-update can be recovered through MaskRom mode, because MaskRom lives in the chip and does not depend on anything that was written to storage.

Start with the serial console — the boot log usually says what failed — then follow MaskRom recovery with the loader and image for your exact board. If the board never appears in MaskRom either, contact us: that is when a hardware check makes sense.

What is the difference between update.img and the separate partition images?

update.img is a single packed firmware file — flash it from RKDevTool’s Upgrade Firmware tab. Partition images (boot.img, system.img, … plus a partition table) are flashed individually from the Download Image tab or written to their offsets.

The two are not interchangeable, and both require the loader that matches the SoC and memory configuration. For everyday updates, use the update.img we provide for your board.

Can I flash from Linux or macOS instead of Windows?

Yes — use Rockchip’s open-source rkdeveloptool.

rkdeveloptool ld                          # list devices
rkdeveloptool db rk35xx_loader_vX.XX.bin  # download the matching loader
rkdeveloptool wl 0 update.img             # write the image from sector 0
rkdeveloptool rd                          # reset the device

Run it with sudo, or add a udev rule for USB vendor ID 2207. Use the loader file that ships with your board’s firmware.

Flashing fails at “Download IDB” or “Download boot”. Why?

The loader does not match the board. The loader .bin must match both the SoC and the DDR/memory configuration; a loader from another product with the same chip is not automatically compatible.

SymptomLikely cause
Download IDB failedLoader does not match SoC/DDR
Download boot failed (MaskRom)Wrong loader
Disconnects while sending the loaderPower or DDR initialisation
Detected, then drops mid-flashWrong loader or unstable power
Flash completes, will not bootImage for a different board

Use the loader and image from your board’s firmware package, and a power supply that meets the board’s rating.

Can I update a board in the field with a microSD card?

Yes, if the board still boots from SD. You need an SD-boot image made for that board — not the USB update.img, unless the package says so.

  1. Write the image with balenaEtcher (or Raspberry Pi Imager / dd).
  2. Power off, insert the card, power on — the board writes its eMMC.
  3. Do not remove the card or cut power while it writes.
  4. Power off, remove the card, power on. Leaving it in can re-flash on every boot.

A board that no longer boots at all needs MaskRom instead. Guide: Flashing from SD.

See all questions

Tell us what you're building. We'll tell you how we'd build it.

New project or ODMCustom hardware and firmware
Product quoteFor a model in our catalogue
Technical supportFor hardware you already own