CSC Armbian for RK3318/RK3328 TV box boards

[Ineptitude]

@jock Thanks for responding so quickly. What a shame it had to be a convoluted endeavour. Here's to hoping the drivers turn out to be wrong or there is a better suited version out there. Like I said, I am very limited in knowledge and thus flying blind. I appreciate that you took time to look into it.

[Ben Voutour]

here is the dmesg with verbosity=10

I booted with no emmc as I removed it...(Poor BGA Solder Job)

 

the boot source is a legit 256GB microSD card

 

the system has a 1,296 MHz clock but i assume that the ddr clocking is default...

can it be overclocked further?

i have a fan and heat sink on the cpu

the power supply is a 5v 2a D-Link Power Supply (Wall Brick) (Hardwired to PCBA)

the case is gone in favor of open board design

the cvbs+Analog Left/Right is Also Hard-Wired as well.

the issue is atm i'm on bookworm (6.6.1) (Nightly) and my LED Clock is Not Working...

And Yes, I'm Back again

 

dmesg.txt

[jock]

11 hours ago, Ben Voutour said:

the system has a 1,296 MHz clock but i assume that the ddr clocking is default...

can it be overclocked further?

i have a fan and heat sink on the cpu

the power supply is a 5v 2a D-Link Power Supply (Wall Brick) (Hardwired to PCBA)

the case is gone in favor of open board design

the cvbs+Analog Left/Right is Also Hard-Wired as well.

the issue is atm i'm on bookworm (6.6.1) (Nightly) and my LED Clock is Not Working...

And Yes, I'm Back again

Hello!

 

If you mean overclock the cpu, it depends on your sample. rk3318 are rated for 1.1ghz, for so far it looks like a software limitation rather than a hardware one. Some people pushed them up to 1.5ghz, but the increased horsepower is not worth the heat at all IMHO.

About overlocking the ddr, actually they are underclocked at 333mhz: dynamic reclocking requires a proprietary Trust OS blob, but this won't allow CPU to go beyond 1.1ghz. On the other side, booting the device at 667mhz caused many boards to not boot at all (notably X88 Pro 10 market models)

 

About the LED Clock, if you mean the frontal led panel, there is a kernel driver + userland application which work together; they do the job, but are rather suboptimal for technical reasons and not included into regular images.

[Ben Voutour]

could you tell me if there is a working memory oc with working trust blob and get my cpu to hit 1.5 GHz (It has a nice cooler on it already.

is there a higher verbosity other than 10?

if so , what is it?

[Ben Voutour]

4 hours ago, jock said:

Hello!

 

If you mean overclock the cpu, it depends on your sample. rk3318 are rated for 1.1ghz, for so far it looks like a software limitation rather than a hardware one. Some people pushed them up to 1.5ghz, but the increased horsepower is not worth the heat at all IMHO.

About overlocking the ddr, actually they are underclocked at 333mhz: dynamic reclocking requires a proprietary Trust OS blob, but this won't allow CPU to go beyond 1.1ghz. On the other side, booting the device at 667mhz caused many boards to not boot at all (notably X88 Pro 10 market models)

 

About the LED Clock, if you mean the frontal led panel, there is a kernel driver + userland application which work together; they do the job, but are rather suboptimal for technical reasons and not included into regular images.

should i use a 5v 5a power brick?

 

[jock]

51 minutes ago, Ben Voutour said:

could you tell me if there is a working memory oc with working trust blob and get my cpu to hit 1.5 GHz (It has a nice cooler on it already.

don't know, I don't care about overclocking

 

52 minutes ago, Ben Voutour said:

is there a higher verbosity other than 10?

No, maximum is 7

 

32 minutes ago, Ben Voutour said:

should i use a 5v 5a power brick?

no, it is useless

[Ben Voutour]

i'm testing dietpi 8.23

so far so good.

[jock]

6 hours ago, Ben Voutour said:

i'm testing dietpi 8.23

Which are known to "steal" the work of others without giving credits and support.

That's the best way to kill armbian project 😒

[Ben Voutour]

is there a build of Trixie for this system?

i just blocked them from my github list

thanks for the heads up.

 

[jock]

52 minutes ago, Ben Voutour said:

is there a build of Trixie for this system?

Nope, but I think you can install bookworm and then upgrade to testing repositories.

armbian repositories should stay with bookworm though

[Ben Voutour]

i'm gonna be testing Trixie With RK3318

and can you make it so that the composite video and audio actually work on ntsc/pal 720x480 and 720x576?

my SoC is Clocked At 1,200 MHz ~ 1,296 MHz with OnDemand Governor

how is the dtb going?

and is it possible to boot android from the sd card instead of the EMMC (Since I Removed it.)?

and is acceleration gonna work properly?

 

[jock]

51 minutes ago, Ben Voutour said:

and can you make it so that the composite video and audio actually work on ntsc/pal 720x480 and 720x576?

No chances you ever get that working if there's no driver. And there's no driver, unless you want to write it.

[Davide Cavestro]

So I got a crappy rk3318 tvbox with internal emmc probably bad soldered.
Since it stopped working, I booted it with the multitool, saw that erase mmc fails, but the terminal works.

 

GIven that I'm here to learn having fun, I gave a look at multitool and saw it generates a rootfs with a selection of debian packages.

So why not trying to reuse it pre-installing busybox, kodi, etc, then replace the menu with a proper init i.e. to start kodi standalone?

So my question: why the choice to use an NTFS as main partition? Just as an easy way to make it readable to most systems?

[Ben Voutour]

is there any chance since rk3318/rk3328 are ARM64(AARCH64), Could Windows 10 or 11 For ARM run on it?

 

and where can i get a retroarch/emulation/kodi based JEOS for rk3318?

Kinda Like Batocera Linux / EmuElec / LibreElec ?

and can i boot android from the microSD slot? (my eMMC is DEAD.) (Removed from Board)

and what can i use the usb 3.0 port for?

i only have a 500GB Samsung Story Station Drive (USB 3.0)

and the 2.0 port is connected to a hub for the keyboard/mouse , controllers/etc

and is there a way to get optical audio out of the box?

is there some hidden solder points?

(The only way i managed to do it is through HDMI to a TV with Optical Audio Out and a Cheap Ass External DAC powered by usb 5v)

[Energokom]

1 hour ago, Ben Voutour said:

is there any chance since rk3318/rk3328 are ARM64(AARCH64), Could Windows 10 or 11 For ARM run on it?

 No. Only linux or android

[jock]

6 hours ago, Davide Cavestro said:

So why not trying to reuse it pre-installing busybox, kodi, etc, then replace the menu with a proper init i.e. to start kodi standalone?

Then it would not be a maintenace tool anymore but something else; but feel free to take it as a base for anything else!

Hint: speaking of Kodi, you are just heading on something like LibreElec

 

6 hours ago, Davide Cavestro said:

So my question: why the choice to use an NTFS as main partition? Just as an easy way to make it readable to most systems?

Yes, and also because it is the only what to make it cross-OS down to Windows XP.

Previously (four months ago) the partition was FAT32, but it would not support files larger than 4Gb

 

[Ben Voutour]

how do i flash this to the existing armbian sd card since my build is for 333MHz.

and i want to add this RK3318 DDR 666 Mhz V1.16 instead of being clock-blocked to 333MHz.

where would i find a trust blob for RK3318 with 1.5GHz Working?

once the cpu and memory is at 1.5Ghz and 666 Mhz Respectively might make kodi and retroarch run much better than they do ATM.

Can Someone Build The Kernel Module for the LED Indicator Panel and bundle all the other stuff like CVBS/RCA_Left/Right Kernel Blobs

someone please upload the dtb with all the components present for rk3318?

where can we get a TRM Specifically for RK3318 and not RK3328?

since the two are similar and software locked to show as either RK3318 or RK3328 so we need a cert file to unlock the cpu clock (TRUSTED_FIRMWARE_BIN-BLOB)

so in a weird way it is a Software Defined ASIC that targets RK3318/RK3328 as Two Separate Hardware Device Tree Bin-Blobs (DTB)

then again i might be wrong...

and will the dtb from armbian work on LibreElec v12 Nightly?

[Ben Voutour]

On 7/21/2023 at 8:21 PM, Energokom said:

My RAM = D9PQL 

Operating frequencies and memory timings:

800 MHZ (11-11-11-28) / 39-208-5-12-6-6-24

761 MHZ (10-10-10-27) / 37-199-5-12-6-6-23

685 MHZ (9-9-9-24) / 33-179-5-11-6-6-21

609 MHZ (8-8-8-22) / 30-159-4-10-5-5-19

533 MHZ (7-7-7-19) / 26-139-4-8-4-4-16 - At this frequency 533 MHZ, my TV box is now working flawlessly

457 MHZ (6-6-6-16) / 22-119-3-7-4-4-14

380 MHZ (5-5-5-14) / 19-100-3-6-3-3-12

My RAM Chips (x8 4GB Has 3HE77 D9PQL Printed on them.

could we get it to work at 800 MHZ? on RK3318-box?

and would it work for LibreElec?

[Energokom]

5 hours ago, Ben Voutour said:

could we get it to work at 800 MHZ? on RK3318-box?

and would it work for LibreElec?

My TV box freezes on the frequency 667. Until they make a u-boot with stable operation at 667MHz, it will not work well. If you need a frequency of 800MHz, you need to take a u-boot from android

[Ben Voutour]

On 11/25/2023 at 1:19 AM, Energokom said:

If you need a frequency of 800MHz, you need to take a u-boot from android

i use linux mint as my flash tool so i use the dd command so what do i have to do to put the 800MHz Android U-Boot on the Micro SD card?

"dd if="800mhz_u-boot.bin" of=path-to-sd-card status=progress seek=???"

[Ben Voutour]

On 11/29/2023 at 4:00 PM, Ben Voutour said:

"dd if="800mhz_u-boot.bin" of=path-to-sd-card status=progress seek=???"

i could also update the bootloader and set up the DDR to 666MHz.

could someone help me clock my cpu to 1.5 GHz? (I have a heatsink and fan.

and could the sd bus mode be changed for more speed? (Just Curious) since it it sdio 3.0

my particular card is a legit sandisk 256 GB micro SD card  Class 10 U1 A1

Features

Ideal for Android smartphones and tablets, Chromebooks, and Windows laptops

Load apps faster with A1-rated performance

View, access, and back up your phone’s files in one location with the SanDisk Memory Zone app 

Capacity

256GB

Form Factor

microSDXC™

Compatibility

Compatible with all microSDHC and microSDXC supporting host devices 

Sequential Read Performance

Up to 150MB/s

Interface

microSDXC I

In The Box

SanDisk Ultra microSD card

SD adapter

Warranty

10-Year Limited Warranty

Dimensions (L x W x H)

14.99mm x 10.92mm x 0.76mm

Weight

0.01lbs

Model Number

SDSQUAC-256G-GN6MA

Operating Temperature

-25°C to 85°C

Non-Operating Temperature

-40°C to 85°C

Certifications

CE, FCC, C-Tick/RCM, UKCA, EAC, ICES

My MicroSD Card

Edited December 1, 2023 by Ben Voutour
Specs Added

[vstrecker]

Good evening,

i have a box which was running a Android TV variant as I bought it, but I missed to much features for my planed Kodi box. So I setup your image - thank you for your work - and basically it works quite nice. The Box is as follows:

RUPA Android TV Box, 4K TV Box 11.0 RAM 8GB ROM 64GB RK3318 Quad-Core CPU WiFi 2.4/5.8Ghz BT4.0 3D 4K 1080P10/100M Ethernet HD2.0 Smart TV Box
Spezifikationen

Betriebssystem: Android 11.0
Chipsatz: RK3318 Quad-Core 64bit Cortex-A53
GPU: Penta-Core Mali-450
FLASH: EMMC 64 GB
RAM: DDR 4 GB
USB: 1 x USB 3.0, 1 x USB 2.0
LAN: Ethernet 10/100M Standard-RJ-45
Kabellos: 2,4 G / 5 G Dualband-WLAN 802.11 a/b/g/n
Bluetooth: 4.1
Kartenleser: Micro-SD-Karten, maximale Unterstützung 64G
DisplayPort: HDMI (HDMI 2.0a für 4k@60Hz)
Betriebsanzeige (LED): Eingeschaltet: blau; Standby: Rot
Stromversorgung: EINGANG: 100-240 V 50/60 HZ AUSGANG: DC 5 V/2,5 A
AV: Unterstützung

My main problem is, that Mesa does not find a 1920x1080 mode for the FullHD Monitor connected to the box HDMI

2023-12-01 12:24:32.501 T:1770     info <general>: RetroPlayer[RENDER]: Registering renderer factory for DMA
2023-12-01 12:24:32.501 T:1770     info <general>: RetroPlayer[RENDER]: Registering renderer factory for OpenGL
2023-12-01 12:24:32.746 T:1770     info <general>: CDRMUtils::FindConnector - using connector: HDMI-A-1
2023-12-01 12:24:32.992 T:1770     info <general>: Skipped 1 duplicate messages..
2023-12-01 12:24:32.992 T:1770     info <general>: CDRMUtils::FindEncoder - using encoder: 41
2023-12-01 12:24:32.993 T:1770     info <general>: CDRMUtils::FindPlanes - using crtc: 37
2023-12-01 12:24:37.038 T:1770     info <general>: Found resolution 1024x768 with 1024x768 @ 60.000000 Hz
2023-12-01 12:24:37.039 T:1770     info <general>: Found resolution 800x600 with 800x600 @ 60.000000 Hz
2023-12-01 12:24:37.039 T:1770     info <general>: Found resolution 800x600 with 800x600 @ 56.000000 Hz
2023-12-01 12:24:37.039 T:1770     info <general>: Found resolution 848x480 with 848x480 @ 60.000000 Hz
2023-12-01 12:24:37.039 T:1770     info <general>: Found resolution 640x480 with 640x480 @ 60.000000 Hz
2023-12-01 12:24:37.045 T:1770     info <general>: EGL_VERSION = 1.4
2023-12-01 12:24:37.045 T:1770     info <general>: EGL_VENDOR = Mesa Project


2023-12-01 12:24:37.105 T:1770  warning <general>: Your OpenGL drivers do not support OpenGL 3.2 core profile. Kodi will run in compatibility mode, but performance may suffer.
2023-12-01 12:24:37.128 T:1770     info <general>: Checking resolution 16
2023-12-01 12:24:37.166 T:1770     info <general>: CRenderSystemGL::InitRenderSystem - Version: 2.1 Mesa 22.3.6, Major: 2, Minor: 1
2023-12-01 12:24:37.167 T:1770     info <general>: GL_VENDOR = lima
2023-12-01 12:24:37.167 T:1770     info <general>: GL_RENDERER = Mali450
2023-12-01 12:24:37.167 T:1770     info <general>: GL_VERSION = 2.1 Mesa 22.3.6
2023-12-01 12:24:37.167 T:1770     info <general>: GL_SHADING_LANGUAGE_VERSION = 1.20

 

I tried lot of things I found in the forum, but always ended up with 1024x768. Setting:
 

extraargs=drm_kms_helper.edid_firmware=HDMI-A-1:edid/1920x1080.bin video=HDMI-A-1:1920x1080@60

into /boot/armbianEnv.txt ends up in a black screen but system runs and ssh works. I have enabled auto login on tty and start kodi --standalone from .profile. Even there are a few other problems, like needing another kodi-inputstream-adaptive package, because 64 bit needs 20.3.5 ++ the resolution is my main problem. If finished the box will be connected to a 55" tv set where it was already running with Kodi.

Any hint tho get the resolution fixed would be greatly appreciated.

Edit: I added https://paste.armbian.com/emagamaxiw
Edit2: I already moved to nigthly for testing

Edited December 1, 2023 by vstrecker

[Ben Voutour]

get flathub installer and some of the issues are more or less resolved

 

[vstrecker]

thank you for the hint. this version of kodi looks far better. still on 1024x768, but the version is much newer.

[mkultra]

hi folks, any idea why the MULTITOOL partition on SD keeps getting 'corrupted'? ie I can boot the TV box, the partition gets resized but then becomes 'inaccessible'.......error 'failed to mount' when plugged back into PC

I've used this procedure fine before but bagged another cheapo box.....this problem is doing my nut in lol...tried different PC, different card......

[jock]

34 minutes ago, mkultra said:

hi folks, any idea why the MULTITOOL partition on SD keeps getting 'corrupted'? ie I can boot the TV box, the partition gets resized but then becomes 'inaccessible'.......error 'failed to mount' when plugged back into PC

I've used this procedure fine before but bagged another cheapo box.....this problem is doing my nut in lol...tried different PC, different card......

Don't know, I never experienced such issue with either FAT or NTFS partitions, since the multitool uses the standard debian tools to do the resize and it works either in Linux and Windows.

[mkultra]

3 hours ago, jock said:

Don't know, I never experienced such issue with either FAT or NTFS partitions

ok got it working by plugging the SD card into one of my 'already working' boxes initially, letting it resize the partition, then back to the PC to copy the image onto........bizarre

right got too many boxes now....x3....lol.....I found they are really good for running adguard dns in a docker container......

anyone else running any interesting/docker stuff?

cheers

[Davide Cavestro]

Quote

 

Then it would not be a maintenace tool anymore but something else; but feel free to take it as a base for anything else!

Hint: speaking of Kodi, you are just heading on something like LibreElec

 

@jock Just an update about booting HK1 rbox r1 having a crappy emmc (cannot erase the bootloader using multitool nor dd)

 

I initially spent some time trying to fill the gap between the multitool boot process and other images

since I was able to boot multitool from sdcard but not armbian nor libreelec.

 

Provided that I'm still far from a deep understanding of the whole boot process, I saw that - simply overwriting u-boot on the sdcard - then both armbian and libreelec can boot even if the emmc still have its bootloader in place, that is when I remove the sdcard I can see the original boot splash screen.

 

All credits go to gausus at https://dietpi.com/forum/t/dietpi-on-rk3328-rk3318-tvbox/15587

Following his steps, I simply extract uboot from multitool image, then copy it in two chunks to the sdcard (I can provide full steps here in case someone is interested)

This way I can boot Armbian_23.08.0-trunk_Rk3318-box_bookworm_edge_6.3.13_minimal.img without further changes, while for LibreELEC-RK3328.arm-11.0.3-a1.img I had to place rk3318-box.dtb on the sd and change the FDT entry on /extlinux/extlinux.conf

[jock]

11 hours ago, Davide Cavestro said:

since I was able to boot multitool from sdcard but not armbian nor libreelec.

 

That is intended to work that way, for an important reason: the bootloader is not just a mere bootloader, but installs complex code in memory and you don't know what it does. More on that: that code runs in a secure context, which is not accessible by anything, so you really don't know what it does and what it can do.

One clear example is the fact that the stock bootloader artificially blocks the rk3318 when it runs beyond 1.1ghz, while we have seen it is pretty capable of running at 1.3ghz perfectly fine like the rk3328.

 

The idea is to remove as much as possible of the proprietary blobs (ie: the stock bootloader) and provide open alternatives; tinkering with the bootloader may work now but surely will cause troubles when there will be an updated bootloader.

 

Your case with broken emmc is a different condition by the way, because you have limited alternatives. However there are no real secrets in the boot process, just some complexities and some of them are explained here

[Taz]

I use Q96 Max to run Pi-hole, Home Assistant in supervised mode, WireGuard, NFS, qBittorrent and Apache. I have openwrt box setup so that it redirects all outgoing DNS to my Pi-hole instance, and since I have wireguard on my phone, I get zero advertisement even on google apps.