balbes150

Judging from this line, you didn't use the latest Armbian Bionic image. Only they have all the pre-settings for the correct operation of the build system.

Updated images 20200523. U-boot has been added to all images to automatically run on Odroid C1.

What system do you run the build on ? And write in detail, all the steps that you do.

ver 20200525 fix web browser to Focal

You need to change your habits. Everything is much simpler on the RK platform. There is no need to activate multi-boot (make changes to the regular firmware to run Armbian). Therefore, you can launch Armbian from an external media on a "clean" TV box (with Android). Run the ddbr utility and create a full compressed copy of eMMC. Connect this media to a "dirty" TV box, run Armbian, and restore the copy from the ddbr utility. The ddbr utility makes an exact copy of the entire eMMC (clones exactly all the bits "as is").

One suggestion is to forget about this WiFi chip and use a USB chip.

As far as I remember, this is a non-eMMC option. This is NAND, it is not supported. There is no such function for the new kernel. The old u-boot does not support running a new kernel from eMMC.

I tested the TX9S (original model, not a clone). No problems with HDMI were detected. You may have problems with the quality of the cable, connectors, TV parameters, and so on.

If you followed the instructions exactly, you should have made a full backup before installing the system in eMMC. If you have such a copy, you can easily return the exact state of the eMMC (firmware) at the time before installation. If you didn't make such a copy, you will have to solve all the problems yourself (no one knows what and what state you have in eMMC).

HDMI works on the s805 with all DTBS from the image composition. If there is no image, you need to check the connection and hardware used. I have two TV boxes s805 HDMI works.

Everything works fine. The fan is controlled automatically. I use T4 to build images of LE and ArmbianTV (this is the maximum load on the entire system) and the fan works correctly (when need to turn on the minimum speed, and when continue to increase the load goes to the maximum speed of rotation).

The clean build of the Focal-server on NanoPC T4 with NVMe took 22 minutes.

Sorry, I don't use the 4.4 kernel, I don't know what bugs are in it now. I don't have any problems on the 5.7 core (the system is on eMMC and NVMe).

I added a file (boot.ini) and a u-boot for C1 to the image. Can you check the launch of a new image (via the link)? After recording the image, you only need to configure the DTB in (uEnv.txt) and see if u-boot works or not. https://yadi.sk/d/VHUG7M545Mmw5A

A question for those who use the header package for the kernel. Previously reported errors with this package (due to the build on x86). I'm wondering if there are any header errors after transferring the build to the ARM platform ? deb files with the new kernel collected on the ARM platform https://yadi.sk/d/4swKv82e0Cd29A

Checked the test build on AM6 (s922). When starting the system and building from the SD card, the clean build of the Focal-server version took 101 minutes. Installed the same system from the SD card to eMMC. Launched a clean build of the Bionic-desktop version for s812 (running, downloading all sources, full kernel build, u-boot, all packages, etc.). build Time is 73 minutes. This shows how media parameters affect the overall build time.

the image version and media from which the system starts are not specified.

Update version 20200523. Good news. Martin solved the color problem. now all the colors in DE are displayed correctly.

A clean test build of the Focal-server image on the Ugoos X2 TV box (s905x2). The build system (Armbian Bionic desktop) is started from the SD card. I cloned GIT, started the build, and the system automatically got all the necessary packages (dependencies), installed them, and started the build (downloading sources, building the kernel, and so on). The entire process from the start of the build to the output of the finished image took exactly 201 minutes. The total amount of space used on the SD card (together with the finished image) it was about 11 GB. This means that 16 GB of storage will be enough to build the server version (perhaps 16 GB will be enough for the desktop version). I consider this a good result for a minimal device with 4 cores and the slowest media (SD card). It would be interesting to compare the results of the build process on different TV boxes (chips) with different media.

The new version 20.05.5 (20200522). All images are build entirely on the ARM platform (rk3399 + NVMe). After fixing bugs, the process of building the first image (including downloading sources, building all packages, building the kernel, u-boot, and so on) took less than 50 minutes.

0.000000] Linux version 5.1.0-aml-s905 old kernel

Because u-boot writing is performed in a single pass on any system. All data in u-boot strictly corresponds to a fixed partition size.

The only point that will fulfill this advice is the minimum price. All other items are not feasible with this equipment. Especially trouble-free operation (startup) of the system and support. You can forget about using built-in WiFi, this is the additional cost of buying a good external module , which will be more of a price difference with good equipment (as a result, the final price will be higher than if you immediately buy a normal device). Even if you are lucky enough to buy the first test samples and be able to use them, the next purchase (as you will think of the same equipment\model), you will not be a pleasant surprise, the new samples may be completely different inside, not suitable for use with the already configured and used system. A good model with the s905x3 will cost significantly more than your budget, with no significant advantages. Unfortunately, the actual price of C4 for your requirements will be significantly higher than $ 100. My priorities are based on the technical advantages and availability of Linux support. AML produces chips exclusively designed for Android and TV boxes, all their technical solutions are aimed only at this. AML regularly deceives not only users, but also manufacturers by providing deliberately false information about their equipment. Yes, but there are still a number of elements that are not finished. This shit is not interesting, even if it will be distributed for free (technically, this is a very bad decision). You are mistaken, if you do not need the features that only SBC has (additional GPIO ports, etc.), good TV box will always be cheaper and easier to use. If you study (small time) the features of the equipment you are going to use before using it, it will be easier to use TV boxes than SBC. My recommendation for a specific model is based on important nuances that few people remember. For example. for good WiFi performance, you must have an external antenna. And there are many such nuances.

Read the topic, I already answered the question why the image size is fixed. There will be no changes.