Rock Pi 4C USB Flashing Guide for Armbian System
Introduction
I bought a Rock Pi 4C on Xianyu for 400 yuan. Since there’s limited information available online, I’m writing this tutorial to share my experience.
The ROCK Pi 4 is a single-board computer manufactured by Radxa, based on the Rockchip RK3399 chip. It supports both Android and Linux systems. The ROCK Pi 4 features a 64-bit hexa-core processor (2×A72 + 4×A53), 64-bit dual-channel LPDDR4 memory running at 3200 Mb/s, HDMI output up to 4K@60fps, CSI camera and DSI display interfaces, dual-band AC Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 5.0, four USB ports, Gigabit Ethernet, and a 40-pin extended GPIO header. The ROCK Pi 4 is powered via USB Type-C and supports USB PD and Qualcomm QC protocols.
Official Wiki: https://url.zeruns.com/rockpi4_wiki
Preparation
(This method applies to flashing Armbian/Debian/Ubuntu/Android firmware on Rock Pi 4A/B/C)
- One USB A-to-A cable (must be dual-male; do not use a cable with one Type-C end connected to a Type-C port on your PC)
- One eMMC module
- Power adapter
- ROCK Pi 4 mainboard
Download Armbian/Debian/Android10 system images (for Rock Pi 4C): https://url.zeruns.com/rockpi4_bdy Password: 5y5w
Official Rock Pi 4C firmware download: https://url.zeruns.com/Rockpi4
Install Tools and Drivers
Step 1: Install AndroidTool
First, download the tool’s compressed package: https://url.zeruns.com/f47S5 Password: 82oi
Extract the downloaded file and complete the installation.
Step 2: Install Drivers
Use the RK Driver Assistant tool to install drivers.
During this step, do not connect your Rockchip device. Simply download and extract: https://url.zeruns.com/D1tBE Password: 6fds
Then double-click DriverInstall.exe inside the DriverAssistant directory to run the installer. If you have previously installed Rockchip USB drivers for other Rockchip devices, make sure to click “Uninstall Drivers” first.
Restart your computer after installing the drivers.
Boot ROCK Pi into maskrom Mode
Entering maskrom mode on the ROCK Pi is simple—you don’t need to press any buttons.
- Power off the board and remove all bootable storage media: unplug the microSD card and remove the eMMC module.
- Connect the USB A-to-A cable to the ROCK Pi 4 OTG port (the topmost USB 3.0 port) and plug the other end into your PC.
- Power on the board using the Type-C power adapter.
Open Device Manager and check:
This indicates the device is now in maskrom mode.
- Now insert the eMMC module and proceed to the next step for flashing.
Begin System Installation
Open AndroidTool.exe. You will see the following interface. If your ROCK Pi is in maskrom mode and connected to your PC, the software will detect it, as shown in the red box below:
Step 1: Select Loader
The Loader (flash helper) initializes RAM and prepares the flash environment.
Loader download link: https://url.zeruns.com/DGCuL Password: tc71
Next, click the button in the rightmost column under the “Loader” row to select the file “rk3399_loader_xxxxx.bin”.
Step 2: Select System Firmware
Then, click the rightmost column under the “Image” row and select the system image you downloaded (the file starting with “Armbian” from the link provided at the beginning of this article).
Note: The system image filename should typically end with xxx-gpt.img. If the filename ends with xxx-rkupdate.img, this method cannot be used for flashing.
Step 3: Flash
Finally, click the “run” button in the red box at the bottom. You will see the progress bar in the right red box. When the progress reaches 100%, the download is complete.
Boot into the System
Connect a monitor, keyboard, and mouse, then power on the board and wait.
You will reach the following screen. Follow the prompts: first, enter the root password twice. The password must include uppercase and lowercase letters, numbers, and punctuation. Then select shell and enter 1 to choose bash. Next, enter the username and password for the new regular user account.
After setup, the desktop will appear. You can connect via Ethernet or Wi-Fi and enable SSH manually.
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