If you want to understand what should be happening under a normal installation: Installing "multiboot" (i.e. pressing the hidden reset button while powering the device) runs the script aml_autoscript That script sets some uboot environment variables that are used by subsequent boots The boot process for these boxes is to use the original android uboot to intiialize the device and then hand off the boot process to the u-boot.ext from armbian. This is done in the script s905_autoscript (or emmc_autoscript). Which then essentially just runs (for emmc): if fatload mmc 1 0x1000000 u-boot.ext; then go 0x1000000; fi; (or "mmc 0" for SD card). The chainloaded u-boot then boots via the information in the extlinux/extlinux.conf file.

Current Armbian uses extlinux to load, not uboot scripts. I can't help you unless you are willing to follow my suggestions, which you seem to not want to do.

log into android and poweroff via any "power menu" apk inside android put you armbian flashed sd (try balena etcher) and use half of ear cleaning cotton bud's stick to put and press in AV/audio port ; keep pressing then put dc power - until anything comes in hdmi out-you can try 3sec 8sec method; put bud and press count 3 put dc in while pressing count upto 8 then let go

Thank you for the update, good to hear there is possible to run Linux on the box. In other hand, little bit is surprising, I try Nanopi M4 image and many other images, but non of work for me. Far as I know Rockchip have fixed boot order (emmc -> sd cadr ... ). Do you have a working Android on emmc and Armbian on sd card? On the weekend I will try also again the SD card boot. To answer your questions: I did not use any DTB at yet I only try rkbin boot loaders which not need to build. I was also able to extract the Android 11 Image there was model name "Giada JHS558" entered, I assume you have older Android version where the vendor use the Excavator Board as basis for the device tree.

Well, i have unbound the a24 driver by now: echo -n "6-0050" > /sys/bus/i2c/drivers/at24/unbind apparently it was an Radxa specific eeprom he had hanged on to: # i2cget 6 0x50 0x00 i | xxd -r -p WARNING! This program can confuse your I2C bus, cause data loss and worse! I will read from device file /dev/i2c-6, chip address 0x50, data address 0x00, 32 bytes using read I2C block data. Continue? [Y/n] RADXX but the neighbor is a mistery: i2cget 6 0x51 0x00 i | xxd -r -p WARNING! This program can confuse your I2C bus, cause data loss and worse! I will read from device file /dev/i2c-6, chip address 0x51, data address 0x00, 32 bytes using read I2C block data. Continue? [Y/n] R-Po����������������������������