Analysis of a standard MT6833 scatter file reveals the following critical partitions:
| Partition Name | Typical Function | File Reference | Required for Boot? |
| :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- |
| preloader | Low-level bootloader (initializes DRAM) | preloader_mt6833.bin | Yes |
| pgpt | Primary GPT (partition table) | pgpt.img | Yes |
| proinfo | Production info (IMEI, MAC, serial) | proinfo.bin | No (but critical) |
| lk | Little Kernel (2nd stage bootloader) | lk.bin | Yes |
| boot | Linux kernel + ramdisk | boot.img | Yes |
| vendor_boot | Vendor-specific boot image | vendor_boot.img | Yes |
| super | Dynamic partition (system, product, vendor) | super.img | Yes |
| userdata | User data partition (size varies) | userdata.img | No |
| md_udc | Modem firmware (5G/4G baseband) | md1rom.img | Yes (for telephony) |
| scp | Sensor Core Processor firmware | scp.img | No |
| sspm | Secure System Power Management | sspm.img | Yes |
Example snippet from a scatter file:
- partition_index: 5
partition_name: boot
file_name: boot.img
is_download: true
type: NORMAL
linear_start_addr: 0x5000000
physical_start_addr: 0x5000000
partition_size: 0x2000000
Preparation: When you plan to flash firmware on an MT6833 device, you typically need to prepare a few things, including the firmware images (which might be in .img or .gz format) and a scatter file specifically designed for your device.
Scatter File Structure: The scatter file includes lines that specify the memory address and the size of each component of the firmware. For example, it might include sections for: mt6833 scatter file work
preloader: A small program that initializes the hardware during the boot process.boot: The kernel and initial RAM disk used to boot the device.system: The main system partition where the Android OS files are stored.userdata: Where user data, such as app data and settings, are stored.Using SP Flash Tool: Once you have your scatter file and firmware images, you use SP Flash Tool to select the scatter file and then start the flashing process. The tool reads the scatter file, and then writes the corresponding firmware images to the specified locations on the device.
Alex had heard of scatter files but never worked with them directly. A scatter file, he knew, was essentially a text file used in the SP Flash Tool (a popular tool for flashing firmware on MediaTek devices) that contained information about the layout of the device's storage. It told the flashing tool where to place different parts of the firmware on the device's memory. How Does it Work
Curious and a bit intimidated, Alex dove into the project. He started by downloading a sample scatter file for the MT6833 chipset. The file was simple yet complex, listing various memory regions like preloader, boot, recovery, system, cache, and userdata, among others. Each region had a specific address and size, defining where on the device's storage the corresponding piece of firmware should be written.
Sometimes, you need to manually edit the scatter file—for example, to resize userdata, skip tee1, or change operation_type. Preparation : When you plan to flash firmware
partition_size and linear_start_addr to read raw partitions from the MT6833’s flash.proinfo or nvdata.