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ARMBIAN for Amlogic S905 and S905X (ver 5.44 =<)


balbes150

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Ok, next question after Armbian is doing just fine on my Nexbox A95, I am now trying to run Armbian 5.44 on my Mecool M8S Pro W and, as the name suggests, this is an S905W box (of type 2+16). As expected, the dtb for the Nexbox did not work, so I tried some others as well. However, based on what was written in this post on the (mostly German) kodinerds forum, what I would need is a dtb with p281 in the name (in the post, the 1 and 8 seem to be transposed). None of those seem to be available, however, in the dtb folders that come with Armbian.

 

Does anyone know where I could find those?

 

Cheers,

 

chessplayer

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Just now, chessplayer said:

Ok, next question after Armbian is doing just fine on my Nexbox A95, I am now trying to run Armbian 5.44 on my Mecool M8S Pro W and, as the name suggests, this is an S905W box (of type 2+16). As expected, the dtb for the Nexbox did not work, so I tried some others as well. However, based on what was written in this post on the (mostly German) kodinerds forum, what I would need is a dtb with p281 in the name (in the post, the 1 and 8 seem to be transposed). None of those seem to be available, however, in the dtb folders that come with Armbian.

 

Does anyone know where I could find those?

 

Cheers,

 

chessplayer

Based on the fact that it is a 905W cpu I think you could try the dtb's with 212 in the name, you might be in luck ;)

 

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1 minute ago, Reddwarf said:

Based on the fact that it is a 905W cpu I think you could try the dtb's with 212 in the name, you might be in luck ;)

 

Thanks for your always quick replies, but unfortunately, that was not the case, I already tried. Meanwhile, I have flashed Armbian 5.44 with the 3.14 kernel and used a device tree available from CoreELEC (gxl_p281_2g.dtb - see the attachment) with that - and it booted! :thumbup:

 

I would rather use the 4.16 kernel, but I will try this now anyway and see what goes. Again, great work you are doing here, thanks! :beer:

 

On the other hand, if there is someone who converts dtbs from one kernel version to another, that would be great ...

 

Cheers,

 

chessplayer

gxl_p281_2g.dtb

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Just now, chessplayer said:

Thanks for your always quick replies, but unfortunately, that was not the case, I already tried. Meanwhile, I have flashed Armbian 5.44 with the 3.14 kernel and used a device tree available from CoreELEC (gxl_p281_2g.dtb - see the attachment) with that - and it booted! :thumbup:

 

I would rather use the 4.16 kernel, but I will try this now anyway and see what goes. Again, great work you are doing here, thanks! :beer:

 

On the other hand, if there is someone who converts dtbs from one kernel version to another, that would be great ...

 

Cheers,

 

chessplayer

gxl_p281_2g.dtb

You could always try to update the kernel, some posts back there is a link to Balbes150's build tools at Github, it allows you to build the kernel and modules packages for a newer kernel which you can install in a running Armbian. I tried it and the updated kernel installed on 3.14 without a hitch, but uname still reports version 3.14, so that is something of a mystery I haven't figured out yet.

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2 minutes ago, Reddwarf said:

You could always try to update the kernel, some posts back there is a link to Balbes150's build tools at Github, it allows you to build the kernel and modules packages for a newer kernel which you can install in a running Armbian. I tried it and the updated kernel installed on 3.14 without a hitch, but uname still reports version 3.14, so that is something of a mystery I haven't figured out yet.

Ok, I will give that some thought, but that is for another day. Will first try to get going with the 3.14 kernel.

 

Cheers,

 

chessplayer

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https://osmc.tv/ is a media center Linux based distro originally for Pi and now also for S905* boxes, by Sam Nazarko.

 

It isn't Android. The S905* generic distro is from Hungary, so I used Google translate with Chrome!

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8 minutes ago, shippy said:

https://osmc.tv/ is a media center Linux based distro originally for Pi and now also for S905* boxes, by Sam Nazarko.

 

It isn't Android. The S905* generic distro is from Hungary, so I used Google translate with Chrome!

Thanks for the pointer, but Kodi-wise I am absolutely fine with LibreELEC / CoreELEC. I actually want to use at least one of the boxes as a server, since it seems that the cubietruck is not quite up to the task. I did try OSMC for the Pi quite a while back and liked that also, but, as I said, I always preferred the xELECs for the clients (even with the TVH server in the end, actually).

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14 hours ago, 朱涛 said:

@balbes150 Hey, balbes150. I'm trying to running a freepbx server on the TV box, however the freepbx seem only support debian Jessie. Can you release a download link armbian Jessie for the S905x cpu? Thanks a lot!:D

Don't know if it will work but perhaps you can get the Odroid C2 image to run on your tv-box: https://forum.odroid.com/viewtopic.php?f=138&amp;t=19403

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I'm running Armbian Debian Stretch from Balbes and have installed Kodi 17.6, MALI7, aml-codec and ml-remote on it. Kodi works beautifully and is able to do GPU acceleration of 1080p videos. Last week I picked up a 4k TV (TCL capable of 60hz panel - lower end model) and am trying to play 4k Movie using this. If I set kodi to use 1080p and disable "Auto adjust refresh rate" so it does not change the TV resolution, then the 4k movie plays just fine as a 1080p (minimal load on Amlogic CPU). But if I enable the "Auto adjust refresh rate" so that for 4k movies, it will change the TV mode to 4k mode, then on starting playback, the Video layer of Kodi disappears completely and I see the console text that was there at the time Kodi was launched.

 

Has anyone successfully played 4k Video in 4k resolution using Amlogic S905's ? If no one has successfully done, then I will give up on this at this time. But if you have then please share details on the hardware and software you're running. Thanks in advance!!

 

 

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On 7/12/2018 at 7:17 PM, chessplayer said:

Thanks for the pointer, but Kodi-wise I am absolutely fine with LibreELEC / CoreELEC. I actually want to use at least one of the boxes as a server, since it seems that the cubietruck is not quite up to the task. I did try OSMC for the Pi quite a while back and liked that also, but, as I said, I always preferred the xELECs for the clients (even with the TVH server in the end, actually).

On 7/12/2018 at 7:17 PM, chessplayer said:

Thanks for the pointer, but Kodi-wise I am absolutely fine with LibreELEC / CoreELEC. I actually want to use at least one of the boxes as a server, since it seems that the cubietruck is not quite up to the task. I did try OSMC for the Pi quite a while back and liked that also, but, as I said, I always preferred the xELECs for the clients (even with the TVH server in the end, actually).

Actually I am thinking of Libreelec+ Docker Openwrt for additional server/router functions all on the same S905W generic Android Box,after finding that building Openwrt into LE won't be easy given lack of package manager.

Those LE guys say Kodi is unstable on Android Boxes natively but LE  is fast and fine !

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On 6/29/2018 at 12:32 AM, deranger said:

The kernel 4.16 debian images are great, however the kernel lacks many many precompiled modules, like V4L tv tuner drives for example. A cheap android box would meake an awesome HTPC and TVoverIP server.

What kernel source is used for this 4.16 kernel? What are the steps to build one?

4.16 uses this commit to build the kernel. The easiest way to build your core on the TV box.

https://github.com/150balbes/Amlogic_s905-kernel/commit/c3528191c4d3ab675c2aca5a73c2856f216f6540

 

On 6/30/2018 at 10:48 AM, Reddwarf said:

Re: script on Github. Can your script be modified to run on an ARM computer under Armbian?

The script is useful for cross-compiling, to build on the device itself enough conventional commands "make -jX image dtbs"

 

 

On 6/30/2018 at 9:56 PM, Reddwarf said:

1. I haven't tried to make a swap partition but the thought has crossed my mind...

You can create a file instead of a SWAP partition. You can create a SWAP file on the eMMC. It will be significantly faster than on USB or SD.

 

On 7/3/2018 at 10:01 AM, Reddwarf said:

Can Armbian run on tv-boxes with RK3328 (and RK3329) CPU?

I think it's possible.

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I was trying to build a firmware by using this tool > https://github.com/150balbes/build . I'm not a expert, so i met few problems. here is the issue. I added BRANCH="dev" in the config-default file. After building the kernel version is 4.17.3. How can i specifically set the kernel version to 4.16.1? I tried to flash the firmware which i built, no surprise, it can't boot... my devices cpu is s905D. BTW, i need a jessie firmware... Thanks a lot for your helping!!!

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24 minutes ago, 朱涛 said:

I was trying to build a firmware by using this tool > https://github.com/150balbes/build . I'm not a expert, so i met few problems. here is the issue. I added BRANCH="dev" in the config-default file. After building the kernel version is 4.17.3. How can i specifically set the kernel version to 4.16.1? I tried to flash the firmware which i built, no surprise, it can't boot... my devices cpu is s905D. BTW, i need a jessie firmware... Thanks a lot for your helping!!!

1. You will not be able to build the Jesi version from the current BUILD. All repositories have changed a lot and become non-working. Try asking other users if someone has old images.

2. To build version 4.16, you need to enter the source directory, manually set the GIT state to the desired commit, and manually run the Assembly (either through the script in cross-compile mode, or not directly on the TV box).

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Hi @balbes150,

 

thanks for all your work on these boxes. In order to try things out, I just built the latest kernel (4.18-rc5) using a VM with Ubuntu 16.04 as per your instructions. However, I am particularly interested in getting it to work on a 905W machine. I tried with the pre-built 4.16 kernel version by using the p212 dtb, but that did not work. Using the old 3.14.29 kernel, I was able to use a p281 dtb I found on CoreELEC and that works. What is the best way to transfer that dtb over to the new kernel? Unfortunately, the DEB package containing the dtbs only contains the ones already available for the pre-built kernel as well.

 

Cheers,

 

chessplayer

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1. You will not be able to build the Jesi version from the current BUILD. All repositories have changed a lot and become non-working. Try asking other users if someone has old images.

2. To build version 4.16, you need to enter the source directory, manually set the GIT state to the desired commit, and manually run the Assembly (either through the script in cross-compile mode, or not directly on the TV box).

After boot in my amlogic s905 i reset my password but user login say incorrect password help

 

Sent from my Redmi Note 4 using Tapatalk

 

 

 

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On 7/4/2018 at 8:36 PM, Reddwarf said:

I have tested your script undr Ubuntu 16.4 running in a Virtualbox, they only build server images, and when I choose other options than the default the image gets _DIRTY in the name. What's going on??

 

Correction: It does actually build desktop images but the name "server" persists....

How do you select settings in the graphical shell, which menu items do you choose ?

 

On 7/4/2018 at 9:26 PM, shippy said:

So I understand that @balbes150 doesn't approve of proot/chroot Linux over Android, which likely defeats the purpose of a (powerful) Linux OS.

 

1. Now given the popularity of Android apps, and the facts of Linux server stability plus all features we love, how about Android over Armbian?

This should be a better idea, if feasible:

I am a supporter of full systems. :) Thanks to the universal multi-boot you can use on TV boxes full different systems (Android Linux etc). If you need Android apps, use it. If you want Linux - use Linux. Emulation is always worse (with errors) than a full-fledged system. I allow emulation only when it is really necessary (there is no other possibility).

 

On 7/5/2018 at 1:08 AM, Gee said:

Hello, i have a S912 Box and Kodi dosnt run under latest armbian debian.

 

Now i want to buy a S905X Box couse of better driver support. Is it possible to start Kodi 18 (self compiled) under "Armbian_5.44_S9xxx_Debian_stretch_4.16.1_server_20180515" sucessful?

While KODI with HW works only under kernel 3.14 (on s905\x\D\W and s912). Core 4.x KODI can only be used with soft decoding (on s912 this makes it possible to play back only 720p in a software screen)

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20 hours ago, chessplayer said:

thanks for all your work on these boxes. In order to try things out, I just built the latest kernel (4.18-rc5) using a VM with Ubuntu 16.04 as per your instructions. However, I am particularly interested in getting it to work on a 905W machine. I tried with the pre-built 4.16 kernel version by using the p212 dtb, but that did not work. Using the old 3.14.29 kernel, I was able to use a p281 dtb I found on CoreELEC and that works. What is the best way to transfer that dtb over to the new kernel? Unfortunately, the DEB package containing the dtbs only contains the ones already available for the pre-built kernel as well.

These cores have different structure and dtb data. A "manual" transfer (creation) of a new variant of dtb is required.

 

 

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7 minutes ago, balbes150 said:

These cores have different structure and dtb data. A "manual" transfer (creation) of a new variant of dtb is required.

 

 

@balbes150, thanks for pointing that out. Since I am not familiar with these processes, are there any instructions on how to do something like that?

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Thanks In my tv adjust screen option now no problem but how i add wifi with my mobile hotspot

On the first page there are instructions and video how to configure Armbian.


Sent from my Redmi Note 4 using Tapatalk

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On 7/17/2018 at 6:57 AM, balbes150 said:

 

I am a supporter of full systems. :) Thanks to the universal multi-boot you can use on TV boxes full different systems (Android Linux etc). If you need Android apps, use it. If you want Linux - use Linux. Emulation is always worse (with errors) than a full-fledged system. I allow emulation only when it is really necessary (there is no other possibility).

 

While KODI with HW works only under kernel 3.14 (on s905\x\D\W and s912). Core 4.x KODI can only be used with soft decoding (on s912 this makes it possible to play back only 720p in a software screen)

https://forum.armbian.com/profile/1215-balbes150/

@balbes150

 

Thanks for your answers ! I too think emulation is not a good idea ??

 

Some clarifications:

I am only interested in  720p Kodi streaming on S905W/X/D Android Box (since RK3229 doesn't seem supported.)

Here is a good article by an old Silicon Valley hand:

https://betanews.com/2018/07/17/how-to-cut-the-cable-yet-stay-within-your-bandwidth-cap/
 

1.  Will Core 4.1 server work with S905* 720p streaming as for S912?

Can resolution be higher?

 

2. What will Core 4.1 advantages be over Core 3.1 for above? Speed, stability, performance, more support?

 

3. Any nice way of accessing Android apps under Armbian 3.1/4.1?

 

4. I am interested in Docker applications for Armbian 3.1/4.1 because I am considering running Openwrt (for network performance) over LibreElec in a container.

 

So do you think containerization might help with Multiseat, for example?

 

E.g., run LibreElec or Openwrt as host OS, then use LibreElec containers on top, with AV and 720p HDMI outputs assignment with Bluetooth remote/keyboard inputs?

 

What might be most efficient/stable host OS here? Alpine?

 

Cheers ,??

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Installed bionic with kernel 4.18, start screen doesn't take me to cli where i can choose user name and password.

 

It starts with gui, and i don't know user name and password, tried with user name "user" and "root", password 1234, it didn't accept any of them, what is the default user name and password?

 

Edit:

 

Figured it out, i managed to login, no need for help.

 

 

 

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