* Manufacturer: Allwinner
* Model: TV BOX
* Brand: Allwinner
* Board: exdroid (H3Q44_V4.0_20200602)
* Device: dolphin-fvd-p1
* Hardware: sun8iw7p1
* Platform: dolphin
* Product: dolphin_fvd_p1
* Serial number: 95e0783000d314000085
* Total Memory: 4096 MB
* Available Memory: 441 MB
* Internal Storage - Total Space: 4665 MB
* Internal Storage - Free Space: 3174 MB
* Bluetooth Version: 4+
Hi everyone,
I could really use some help with a project that's getting quite frustrating. I'm a beginner with Linux and embedded systems (actually just starting to learn programming now), and for the past two weeks or so, I've been trying to install a Linux distribution on an Allwinner TV Box, but haven't had any luck so far.
I managed to run neofetch (via Termux on the original Android system) and it reported the following hardware details:
* Host: Allwinner TV BOX
* CPU: sun8iw7 @ 1.008GHz (Apparently an Allwinner H3)
* Kernel (Android): 4.4.55
* Memory: ~4GB RAM (Detected as 4896MiB)
* Architecture: armv7l (32-bit)
The Problem:
I managed to boot a specific Linux image from a USB drive / SD card (specifically, Armbian_20.05.0-trunk-sunvell-r69-buster-current_5.4.33_minimal.img, which uses Kernel 5.4.33), but the system doesn't recognize the TV Box's internal storage. The internal storage itself seems fine, as the original Android OS (Kernel 4.4.55) boots up normally when I remove the USB drive / SD card.
What I've Tried:
* Image Used: Booting with the image mentioned above (Armbian_20.05.0-trunk-sunvell-r69-buster-current_5.4.33_minimal.img / Kernel 5.4.33).
* Internal Memory Issue: The main blocker is that after booting Linux, the internal storage (eMMC, I assume) isn't detected or mounted.
* Other Methods: I also tried messing around with a USB-A connection for flashing, but didn't get anywhere and honestly, I wasn't really sure what I was doing.
* DTB File: I attempted to replace the DTB (Device Tree Blob) file within the Armbian image, guessing it might be the cause of the hardware detection issue (especially the eMMC), but I did this without really knowing the procedure, and it didn't work.
* Research & AI: I've done a fair bit of research and used AI to try and guide me. It was helpful up to a point, but then the information became confusing and didn't solve the core problem.
My Question:
Given this seems to be an Allwinner H3 box running Android with Kernel 4.4.55, could anyone shed some light on this? Could the issue be the Linux Kernel version (5.4.33) being incompatible? Is it the specific Armbian image (Armbian_20.05.0-trunk-sunvell-r69...) or the wrong DTB for this board/eMMC combination? Is there a more reliable method or a recommended image/DTB for generic Allwinner H3 TV Boxes?
I'm almost at my wit's end and was hesitant to ask for help, but I'd really like to get this working. Any tips, tutorials, or pointers you could provide would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks!
* Manufacturer: Allwinner * Model: TV BOX * Brand: Allwinner * Board: exdroid (H3Q44_V4.0_20200602) * Device: dolphin-fvd-p1 * Hardware: sun8iw7p1 * Platform: dolphin * Product: dolphin_fvd_p1 * Serial number: 95e0783000d314000085 * Total Memory: 4096 MB * Available Memory: 441 MB * Internal Storage - Total Space: 4665 MB * Internal Storage - Free Space: 3174 MB * Bluetooth Version: 4+ Hi everyone, I could really use some help with a project that's getting quite frustrating. I'm a beginner with Linux and embedded systems (actually just starting to learn programming now), and for the past two weeks or so, I've been trying to install a Linux distribution on an Allwinner TV Box, but haven't had any luck so far. I managed to run neofetch (via Termux on the original Android system) and it reported the following hardware details: * Host: Allwinner TV BOX * CPU: sun8iw7 @ 1.008GHz (Apparently an Allwinner H3) * Kernel (Android): 4.4.55 * Memory: ~4GB RAM (Detected as 4896MiB) * Architecture: armv7l (32-bit) The Problem: I managed to boot a specific Linux image from a USB drive / SD card (specifically, Armbian_20.05.0-trunk-sunvell-r69-buster-current_5.4.33_minimal.img, which uses Kernel 5.4.33), but the system doesn't recognize the TV Box's internal storage. The internal storage itself seems fine, as the original Android OS (Kernel 4.4.55) boots up normally when I remove the USB drive / SD card. What I've Tried: * Image Used: Booting with the image mentioned above (Armbian_20.05.0-trunk-sunvell-r69-buster-current_5.4.33_minimal.img / Kernel 5.4.33). * Internal Memory Issue: The main blocker is that after booting Linux, the internal storage (eMMC, I assume) isn't detected or mounted. * Other Methods: I also tried messing around with a USB-A connection for flashing, but didn't get anywhere and honestly, I wasn't really sure what I was doing. * DTB File: I attempted to replace the DTB (Device Tree Blob) file within the Armbian image, guessing it might be the cause of the hardware detection issue (especially the eMMC), but I did this without really knowing the procedure, and it didn't work. * Research & AI: I've done a fair bit of research and used AI to try and guide me. It was helpful up to a point, but then the information became confusing and didn't solve the core problem. My Question: Given this seems to be an Allwinner H3 box running Android with Kernel 4.4.55, could anyone shed some light on this? Could the issue be the Linux Kernel version (5.4.33) being incompatible? Is it the specific Armbian image (Armbian_20.05.0-trunk-sunvell-r69...) or the wrong DTB for this board/eMMC combination? Is there a more reliable method or a recommended image/DTB for generic Allwinner H3 TV Boxes? I'm almost at my wit's end and was hesitant to ask for help, but I'd really like to get this working. Any tips, tutorials, or pointers you could provide would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!