fabiobassa

@audio kees if your need is just play video at 4k you probably won't go with armbian but rather with libreelec; if your goal is playing music you'd probably want to go with volumio either. Armbian is suited mostly for linux desktop replacement and server-like tasks.
Said so, tv boxes are the worst choice around in any case, especially if you choose among the lowest budget.
Much better if you go with properly supported Single Board Computer (SBC) and, as said, you'd better take a look to what libreelec suggests as preferred hardware (probably Raspberry Pi) if you want/need an out-of-the-box working system.
 
 
 

From the datasheet it seems interesting, but no, never seen such chip and never seen a driver for it
 

@audio kees Perhaps you can install armbian in eMMC and libreelec from sdcard/USB stick. It will work because armbian bootloader is capable of booting from several devices; altough it is quite strange libreelec bricks your board.

but thats tooo much
 
too much thermal stress for chip and so on ....
 
also the maskrom mode is more to get into SD/USB boot when you have a close bootloader or when you need to flash from pc , there you short that pin shortly only to say cpu internal loader use alternate drive , you have to release the short direct after boot to use the emmc and format it
 
please look if you can boot still from usb/sd card , please dont use usb sdcard reader only direkt sd card
 
 

Can you making one hi rec photo of both sides of the PCB its likely have pads for MASKROM but you can using the pads for MMC / NAND but need looking for the pining of then for getting the right one.
Also if being in MASKROM it shall booting DC-card with bootloader on it.
Then having (updated not factory Android) bootloader on the EMMC it shall also booting USB-flach sticks without problem.

HI @audio kees
 
first of all do you have also Ram chips at underside of the board , else i would say that you have a eMCP ( emmc + ram combination) , eMCP are now possible with multitool and armbian but sometimes instable outside android
 
for the brick , you dont need the clock under the chip , also possible to GND the clock at a resistor or test point , sometimes also at the pad for NAND  on right side of your picture is possible
but self with brick memory a boot from SD-Card or USB should always possible

Hi Fabio
 
 
I have buy a new keyboard, simple and this do work fine..
Feel me so stupid to not think about this, maybe the age of 67 do work here.
 
I did zip the system img and multitool did install on eMc.
 
But it does not boot from it, so I think that have to learn some more. I did read
to use only img, not the compressed one, but zip it and put on sd do work fine
multitool can unzip if fine.
 
Reading ahead will work. so I can get it bootable also, and edit in the files, need
maybe putty for that.
 
 
thanks all.
 
 

@audio kees
you need the most simple and stupid usb keyboard, not sofisticated ones nor wireless because of lack of drivers in multitool that has a very basic kernel
If you haven't one ... grab from a friend

remember.. kiss !!!  keep it simple (and) stupid

@audio kees did you try to press "Enter" on your keyboard?

yes when LAN port work for you and the box get a ip adress its now possible to ssh
 
do you have a usb cale keyboard attached to the tv box , you have to hit enter/space to except the license
( some wired and some wireless keyboard dont work under linux because they need some usb driver but that rare )
 

Update: this box is now running Linux 6.6.17-current-rockchip
 
Dtb applied: overlays=emmc led-conf7
 
The cpu speed is now capped at 1 GHz with better stability and hdmi output works (via usb to hdmi viewed on another laptop using ffplay). Excelent.
 
Installed sway and lima gpu is being utilized. But before I can access the lima gpu, I have to add my login to render group.
 
`sudo usermod -a -G render $LOGNAME`
 
Well done!

@BLFC i fix problem. Reinstall linux-headers.
My solution:
sudo apt update sudo apt upgrade reboot sudo apt install linux-headers-current-rockchip sudo apt install git sudo git clone https://github.com/jwrdegoede/rtl8189ES_linux/ cd rtl81* sudo make ARCH=arm KSRC=/lib/modules/$(uname -r)/build CONFIG_POWER_SAVING=n sudo cp 8189es.ko /usr/lib/modules/$(uname -r)/kernel/drivers/net/wireless/realtek/ sudo depmod -a sudo modprobe 8189es Thx for helping. Have a good day!

i can share a version 15.06.2021 and  17.03.2022
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1HR_wvgg6L5nkInjLSWeqi7eWsAzC0qlQ?usp=sharing

@Jaisere
the problem ISN' T the lima or xorg issue, but "VERY SIMPLE" :  it doesn't find the rootfs.

it is clearly explained in your log : WAITING FOR ROOT FILE SYSTEM

This indeed happen because when you update and upgrade maybe it takes a NEW KERNEl and new kernels DON'T support nand .

That's all!!

No lima issues , no mesa issues, no other than newer  kernels not recognize NAND

if you want desktop environment and at same time install in internal flash try to find a 4.4.xxx kernel with xfce or lxde already installed

Or you can try this rootfs but you still have to use a 4.4.xxx kernel
 
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1jmtwGs88iXfCs7UtaEv1d5h7C9-9KGFg/view?usp=drive_link
 

@Jaisere
the rootfs i gave to you clear says " utgard armsoc"

DON'T UPGRADE DON'T DO NOTHING or you will loose the optimization made by linaro team

the chromium browser itself uses a sort of hardware acceleration, the video uses a sort of gpu.. but DON'T EXPECT too much

For nice graphical environmetn follow @jock 's suggestion, but will loose NAND
 

@Jaisere
this COULD be a challenge , but really isn't.

The images provided by @jock are complete, have the BOOT folder filled with all necessary : kernel, init, dtb , environment

This rootfs has BOOT folder empty. So you still need kernel and other stuffs from a working 4.4.194 image

You should mount the image from jock under linux, grab the BOOT folder complete....... then  mount this rootfs linaro, again under linux, paste the BOOT folder, and burn regularly by multitool
It will conseguentially boot

@Jaisere

correct

@Jaisere

you welcome.  Just grab the boot folder from a working image and put into the linaro one. then burn this " frankenstein"  image with multitool.
But I repeat, if you want latest patches use the @jock 's very last images on a sd or usb and you will be surprised how amazing are those boxes

Don't forget to add a like to the posts, it help good consideration and reputation of the authors of this thread on the forum. Ty

@Jaisere

you welcome.  Just grab the boot folder from a working image and put into the linaro one. then burn this " frankenstein"  image with multitool.
But I repeat, if you want latest patches use the @jock 's very last images on a sd or usb and you will be surprised how amazing are those boxes

Don't forget to add a like to the posts, it help good consideration and reputation of the authors of this thread on the forum. Ty

cool, thank you so much for the help
 

if im understanding this correctly, if I burn the images too a usb / sd card, load into linux I should be able to move the 4.4 kernel into the rootfs, then turn that into its own image that I can burn to the on board nand with multitool?

please correct me if im not quite understanding

awesome, its alright if I cant use Lima specifically (and I did suspect panfrost wouldnt be of use to me, I was just grasping at straws for a while) but if I can the graphics chip work at all would be a huge step forward, thanks 

@fabiobassa and @RaptorSDS the issue isnt due to the desktop environment or it not booting, My system works with the 4.4 legacy, it just doesn't use the Mali400 chip for graphics. I provided the image of what happens when I use anything other than the legacy kernal as extra context, that doesnt happen when I update or upgrade, when I set up a desktop environment myself it works fine. I will try @fabiobassa's rootfs just to see what its about, and if it some how allows me to used the Lima, panfrost, or built in Mali drivers I will stick with it, thanks!

@Jaisere to find the image look at first post below install SD-Casrd you find the link to Jock archive
Armbian_22.02.0-trunk_Rk322x-box_focal_legacy_4.4.194_xfce_desktop.img.xz
 

@ego worker Now I'm checking edge 6.6.7 kernel and it works like a charm: made some stress tests with openssl speed -multi 4 while running KDE and hardware video decoding with no particular issues
My eMCP reads at most at 28.4mb/s in DDR mode, sometimes also times out, but it is a scrap board with plenty of issues; decent and non-abused eMCPs read  up to 90mb/s in DDR mode.