While all MediaTek chips use scatter files, the MT8163 has a few noteworthy quirks:
This paper provides a comprehensive technical overview of the scatter file utilized in the MediaTek MT8163 System-on-Chip (SoC) environment. The scatter file acts as the memory map blueprint for the device, dictating how firmware partitions are allocated, sized, and flashed onto the device's Non-Volatile Memory (NVM). Understanding the syntax and structure of this file is critical for firmware engineers, ROM developers, and security researchers involved in unbricking, porting operating systems, or modifying partition layouts on Android tablets and IoT devices powered by the MT8163. mt8163 scatter file
partition_index: SYS0 partition_name: PRELOADER file_name: preloader.bin is_download: true type: SV5_BL_BIN linear_start_addr: 0x0 physical_start_addr: 0x0 partition_size: 0x100000 region: EMMC_BOOT_1 storage: HW_STORAGE_EMMC boundary_check: true is_reserved: false operation_type: BOOTLOADERS d_type: FALSE reserve: 0x00 While all MediaTek chips use scatter files, the
partition_name: boot partition_size: 0x1000000 partition_offset: 0x1C00000 partition_index: SYSBoot partition_type: BOOT file_name: boot.img is_download: true SP Flash Tool cannot find preloader_mt8163
A (typically MT8163_Android_scatter.txt ) is a crucial configuration document used exclusively by MediaTek’s Flash Tool (e.g., SP Flash Tool, SP Multi-Port Download Tool). It acts as a partition table map for the device’s flash memory (eMMC). For the MT8163 SoC—a 64-bit, quad-core Cortex-A53 tablet/embedded platform—this file defines exactly where each firmware component (preloader, bootloader, system, etc.) resides in physical memory.
SP Flash Tool cannot find preloader_mt8163.bin in the same directory as the scatter file. Fix: Ensure the firmware folder contains the preloader binary. If missing, you can extract it from a full backup.