Scatter Emmc.txt--------------------------------n--------------------------------nlink — Mt6589 Android

The MT6589 Android Scatter File: A Blueprint for eMMC Storage

In the ecosystem of legacy MediaTek devices, particularly those powered by the MT6589 (a 28nm, quad-core Cortex-A7 SoC from 2013), the file named MT6589_Android_scatter_emmc.txt is a critical but often overlooked component. It serves as a partition layout table for the device’s embedded MultiMediaCard (eMMC) storage.

The “Link” You Mentioned

The “link” in your query likely refers to two things:

  1. Logical link – The relationship between each scatter entry and a physical range of eMMC blocks. For example, BOOTIMG at 0x1780000 links directly to block (0x1780000 / 512) on the eMMC device.

  2. Download link in SP Flash Tool – In the flashing tool, you load the scatter file, which then “links” each partition name to a corresponding image file (e.g., boot.img, system.img). The tool then uses the scatter addresses to write those images to precise eMMC offsets.

Why “emmc” in the name?

Unlike older MediaTek chips that used raw NAND with FTL (Flash Translation Layer), the MT6589 uses eMMC, which has a built-in controller. The emmc in the filename indicates that addressing is linear (LBA – Logical Block Addressing) rather than page/block based.

Write‑up: Understanding the MT6589 EMMC Scatter File

2. Typical Partition Layout (MT6589 eMMC)

Below is a representative snippet from a real MT6589 scatter file: The MT6589 Android Scatter File: A Blueprint for

- 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: 0x40000
  region: EMMC_BOOT_1

    

  • 

    partition_index: SYS1
partition_name: pgpt
file_name: NONE
is_download: false
type: NORMAL
linear_start_addr: 0x0
physical_start_addr: 0x0
partition_size: 0x80000
region: EMMC_USER
    

    • 

  • 

    partition_index: SYS2
partition_name: proinfo
file_name: NONE
is_download: false
type: NORMAL
linear_start_addr: 0x80000
physical_start_addr: 0x80000
partition_size: 0x300000
region: EMMC_USER
    

    • 

  • 

    partition_index: SYS3
partition_name: nvram
file_name: NONE
is_download: false
type: NORMAL
linear_start_addr: 0x380000
physical_start_addr: 0x380000
partition_size: 0x500000
region: EMMC_USER
    

    • 

  • 

    partition_index: SYS4
partition_name: protect1
file_name: NONE
is_download: false
type: EXT4_IMG
linear_start_addr: 0x880000
physical_start_addr: 0x880000
partition_size: 0xa00000
region: EMMC_USER
    

    • 

  • 

    partition_index: SYS5
partition_name: protect2
file_name: NONE
is_download: false
type: EXT4_IMG
linear_start_addr: 0x1280000
physical_start_addr: 0x1280000
partition_size: 0xa00000
region: EMMC_USER Logical link – The relationship between each scatter
    

    • 

  • 

    partition_index: SYS6
partition_name: seccfg
file_name: NONE
is_download: false
type: NORMAL
linear_start_addr: 0x1c80000
physical_start_addr: 0x1c80000
partition_size: 0x40000
region: EMMC_USER
    

    • 

  • 

    partition_index: SYS7
partition_name: uboot
file_name: lk.bin
is_download: true
type: NORMAL
linear_start_addr: 0x1cc0000
physical_start_addr: 0x1cc0000
partition_size: 0x60000
region: EMMC_USER
    

    • 

  • 

    partition_index: SYS8
partition_name: boot
file_name: boot.img
is_download: true
type: NORMAL
linear_start_addr: 0x1d40000
physical_start_addr: 0x1d40000
partition_size: 0x1000000
region: EMMC_USER
    

    • 

  • 

    partition_index: SYS9
partition_name: recovery
file_name: recovery.img
is_download: true
type: NORMAL
linear_start_addr: 0x2d40000
physical_start_addr: 0x2d40000
partition_size: 0x1000000
region: EMMC_USER
    

    • 

  • 

    partition_index: SYS10
partition_name: sec_ro
file_name: secro.img
is_download: true
type: EXT4_IMG
linear_start_addr: 0x3d40000
physical_start_addr: 0x3d40000
partition_size: 0x600000
region: EMMC_USER Download link in SP Flash Tool – In
    

    • 

  • 

    partition_index: SYS11
partition_name: system
file_name: system.img
is_download: true
type: EXT4_IMG
linear_start_addr: 0x4340000
physical_start_addr: 0x4340000
partition_size: 0x40000000
region: EMMC_USER
    

    • 

  • 

    partition_index: SYS12
partition_name: cache
file_name: cache.img
is_download: true
type: EXT4_IMG
linear_start_addr: 0x44340000
physical_start_addr: 0x44340000
partition_size: 0x8000000
region: EMMC_USER
    

    • 

  • 

    partition_index: SYS13
partition_name: usrdata
file_name: data.img
is_download: true
type: EXT4_IMG
linear_start_addr: 0x4c340000
physical_start_addr: 0x4c340000
partition_size: 0x190000000
region: EMMC_USER

Note: Actual sizes and offsets vary by device vendor (e.g., Micromax, Alcatel, Lenovo).

b) Unbricking a dead MT6589 device

If the device is hard‑bricked (no boot, no charging LED):

  • Short test points (if needed) to force brom mode.
  • Flash preloader and uboot using the Format All + Download option.
    → Warning: this wipes NVRAM (IMEI lost) — always backup nvram first.