X88 Pro S H616?

[Hasan Ali]

Hey everyone! 

I've got a cheap TV box I found on amazon for a steep discount and was thinking of using it as a server for home use. Unfortunately I should have looked up the exact model before I bought it, seems like the "Pro S" isn't well known in this forum at all. I have a decent amount of experience with programming, building off GitHub, setting up Armbian, but I've not tried using custom files to make my own Armbian build in years, as in flashing u-boot, kernel, dtb, all separately. I was hoping someone had a build I can use for this to boot at least, I can connect to it via serial and if I can get a bootable build that can actually connect via ethernet at least, or Wi-Fi (Unbranded AW859A chip), then I could possibly look around for drivers (WIFI, HDMI, BT, etc.) to make things work slowly until I can compile something for myself and the community.

Please let me know if you need any clarifications, I am more than happy to provide any. The CPU is an Allwinner H616, running 32GB Generic EMMC Storage and 4GB Micron DDR3 SDRAM (D9PQL). I'm not sure if this matters too btw but the PMIC is an AXP305. The board has the serial code X88PROB-H313-D4-V1.0 typed on it btw. I cant identify which pins short EMMC in order to boot to SD but would be happy to provide pictures if this thread catches on at all. (I am assuming the reset button in the AUX port would allow me to boot to SD or maybe the default kernel priotizies it, I cant tell anyways until I have an Armbian build that would work. Also if anyone can point me to any tool that can flash the EMMC for Allwinner then that would be golden.

 

Picture of the TV Box!

[going]

5 часов назад, Hasan Ali сказал:

Also if anyone can point me to any tool that can flash the EMMC for Allwinner then that would be golden

Sunxi-tools

 

See custom-u-boot-configuration-howto

[Hasan Ali]

Thank you @going, any idea what else I need and how to install them? For example, I will likely start with an H616 OrangePI Build, what do I need to add from that point to make it work from the current files I have of the android firmware. I know I should transfer Uboot, what else, dtb? kernel? etc.

[going]

8 часов назад, Hasan Ali сказал:

I will likely start with an H616 OrangePI Build

First, find the documentation for this device. Processor, memory chips, wifi\Ethernet chips.

Read the documentation about the capabilities of the sunxi-tools utility. Build and install this program on your external Linux computer.

Try to connect from this computer to the device that you are breaking. Try to read and save all the files that you managed to take.
Of particular value is *.dtb.

If there is a USB port on the device and it is possible to boot from it and luck to read and save a binary dtb file, then no special problems are expected.

If there is no USB connector, then you will have to disassemble the device and pick up a soldering iron.

Are you ready for such a development?

 

9 часов назад, Hasan Ali сказал:

I have of the android firmware

I'm not an Android expert. I can only give advice on how to assemble an image using the armbian assembly system.

 

Good luck. Write if something starts to work out there are people who have done hacking of such devices.
You can search for them on the forum.

[Hasan Ali]

Thanks for the reply@going! I am ready to do that, as I already did, I soldered wires to the serial output of the board, and connected it to my CH134A Serial to USB adapter to access the terminal through putty, everything is still in android, I managed to backup the original system. I already know all the capabilities of this little machine. I've already done all of this work on an RK3318 board a few years ago, however I completely forgot how I did it the first time and how to compile an armbian build to work with this cpu, I'm not sure what else I need to transfer from the original system other than uBoot & Dtb, I am using an SD to boot, I still haven't had success since I am not sure how to put the uBoot or dtb files in the correct locations in armbian and the link you provided earlier wasn't very clear for me.

[going]

@Hasan Ali The bootloader and kernel versions in your original firmware and what is going to Armbian are most likely different.

You must convert the original dtb into a text file of the dts and create your own for your device and in accordance with the requirements

and capabilities of the new kernel and u-boot versions. Add compilation capability to Makefile.

Make these changes in the form of patches and add them to the appropriate directories in the userpatches/patch directory.

 

Currently:

cache/sources/linux-mainline/6.1> ls arch/arm64/boot/dts/allwinner/*h616*
arch/arm64/boot/dts/allwinner/sun50i-h616.dtsi
arch/arm64/boot/dts/allwinner/sun50i-h616-orangepi-zero2.dts
arch/arm64/boot/dts/allwinner/sun50i-h616-x96-mate.dts

u-boot> ls arch/arm/dts/*h616*
arch/arm/dts/sun50i-h616.dtsi
arch/arm/dts/sun50i-h616-orangepi-zero2.dts
arch/arm/dts/sun50i-h616-x96-mate.dts

 

[going]

7 часов назад, Hasan Ali сказал:

I am using an SD to boot, I still haven't had success ..... and the link you provided earlier wasn't very clear for me.