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SP970 Pinouts, Test Points & EDL 9008 Recovery Pads

The SP970 provides clearly delineated test pads on the rear surface of the circuit board for EDL mode and serial communications.

PCB Test Point Map

Section titled “PCB Test Point Map”

Bottom / Solder Side

Section titled “Bottom / Solder Side”
   ┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
   │ [USB-A]                                                 │
   │                                                         │
   │   ( ) ( ) <── EDL Test Pads                             │
   │                                                         │
   │   ( ) TX (1.8V)                                         │
   │   ( ) RX (1.8V)                                         │
   │   ( ) GND                                               │
   │                                                         │
   │        ┌─────────────────────────┐                      │
   │        │     Micro-SIM Tray      │                      │
   │        │     (top side)          │                      │
   │        └─────────────────────────┘                      │
   │                                                         │
   │   [Antenna Pad]                                         │
   └─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

1. Entering Qualcomm EDL Mode (9008)

Section titled “1. Entering Qualcomm EDL Mode (9008)”

To recover from a corrupted bootloader or bricked flash:

  1. Unplug the SP970 from USB power.
  2. Locate the two circular gold test pads labeled EDL (or adjacent unlabeled pads near the USB connector).
  3. Short the two pads together using metal tweezers or a bent paperclip.
  4. While holding the short, plug the USB stick into your computer.
  5. Wait 2 seconds, then release.
  6. Verify device detection on Linux:
    Terminal window
    lsusb | grep 05c6:9008
    # Qualcomm, Inc. Gobi Wireless Modem (QDL mode)

2. Hardware UART Serial Console (1.8V Logic)

Section titled “2. Hardware UART Serial Console (1.8V Logic)”

The SP970 exposes its low-level serial console via 3 test pads on the bottom layer:

Pin Connections:

Section titled “Pin Connections:”
  • TX: Connects to adapter RX (1.8V)
  • RX: Connects to adapter TX (1.8V)
  • GND: Connects to adapter GND (or USB outer shell)
  • Baud Rate: 115200 (8N1)

3. GPIO Pin Assignments & LEDs

Section titled “3. GPIO Pin Assignments & LEDs”
Function Hardware GPIO Polarity Description
Power / 4G LED GPIO 0 Active High Solid blue upon cellular network attach
Wi-Fi LED GPIO 1 Active High Blinks with wireless packets
SIM Detect Switch GPIO 50 Pull-up High when SIM is inserted

Frequently Asked Questions — SP970 (V3 / V10)

Does the SP970 4G USB modem run OpenStick Debian Linux?

Yes, genuine Qualcomm MSM8916 SP970 V3 and V10 boards with eMMC flash run OpenStick Debian Linux via the lk2nd bootloader.

👉 Ready to flash? Download the 1-Click OpenStick Debian Installer or browse Verified Store Links.