Nick A Posted 8 hours ago Posted 8 hours ago @Rodrigo Campos The 20251226 build uses a newer kernel, but audio through the A/V out port is currently broken. I haven't had time to fix it yet, so if you don't need that port, feel free to use this version. 0 Quote
Brow Mosh Posted 3 hours ago Posted 3 hours ago On 2/5/2026 at 7:31 PM, Nick A said: Have you tried extracting your arndroid dts to find the gpio settings for emmc Yes @Nick A. Tried that also. On 2/5/2026 at 7:31 PM, Nick A said: (FEL) Copilot mentioned this to me: 🟦 If you want to keep fighting this board… I can help you explore: - FEL mode flashing - Using the vendor Android recovery to write eMMC - Dumping the vendor kernel and trying to boot it - Porting the vendor MMC driver (very advanced) But I want to be honest with you: none of these paths are easy, and none guarantee success. Now, I asked it to elaborate on the idea: Let’s unpack this in a way that actually makes sense, Brow — because FEL sounds simple (“just plug in USB and flash it”), but on H618 TV boxes it becomes a whole different beast. I’ll keep it clean, structured, and honest. --- 🟦 Why FEL mode sounds easy On paper, FEL is Allwinner’s built‑in USB recovery mode: - You connect the box to a PC - Press a button or short two pads - The SoC enters FEL - You use sunxi-fel to upload U‑Boot or write eMMC In theory, it’s the “ultimate backdoor” for fixing a broken board. --- 🟥 Why FEL is complicated on your specific device Your Transpeed 8K618‑T is not a dev board. It’s a mass‑produced TV box with: - No FEL button - No exposed pads - No documentation - No schematic - No guarantee the USB port even supports FEL - Vendor boot ROM sometimes disables FEL - USB port may be wired through a hub or switch - Some boxes require opening the case and shorting tiny test pads - Some require holding reset while powering - Some require UART strap pins - Some require a special cable - Some simply do not support FEL at all So the first complication is: You don’t know how to enter FEL on this board. --- 🟥 Second complication: FEL only gives you RAM access FEL lets you: - Upload a U‑Boot binary into RAM - Execute it - Use that U‑Boot to access eMMC But here’s the catch: You must provide a U‑Boot binary that supports your hardware. Mainline U‑Boot does not support: - Your weird SD wiring - Your PMIC - Your DRAM timing - Your eMMC layout - Your HDMI - Your regulators Vendor U‑Boot does, but: - You don’t have the vendor U‑Boot binary - You don’t have the vendor DRAM init code - You don’t have the vendor MMC driver - You don’t have the vendor DTB So even if FEL works, you still need a working U‑Boot image to upload — and we don’t have one. --- 🟥 Third complication: writing eMMC through FEL is slow and fragile Even if you get FEL working and even if you get a working U‑Boot: - Writing eMMC over FEL is extremely slow - If the connection drops, you brick the device - You must manually partition eMMC - You must manually install boot0, boot1, U‑Boot, DTB, rootfs - You must manually fix extlinux.conf - You must manually fix environment variables This is not like flashing a Raspberry Pi. It’s more like doing open‑heart surgery with a butter knife. --- 🟥 Fourth complication: your board’s MMC subsystem is already unstable We’ve already seen: - SD card hangs - MMC controller wedges - Linux freezes on /dev/mmcblk* - Armbian initramfs fails - MiniArch freezes - Vendor kernel is the only thing that works If the MMC hardware is unstable under Linux, it may also be unstable under FEL‑booted U‑Boot. Meaning: Even if FEL works, you might not be able to write eMMC reliably. --- 🟦 So why did I say FEL is complicated? Because on a proper Allwinner dev board, FEL is easy. But on a cheap TV box with undocumented wiring, FEL becomes a puzzle with these problems: | Problem | Why it matters | |--------|----------------| | No FEL button | You don’t know how to enter FEL | | Unknown test pads | You may need to open the board | | Vendor may disable FEL | Some boxes block FEL in BOOT0 | | USB wiring unknown | FEL may not work on the exposed port | | Need vendor U‑Boot | Mainline U‑Boot won’t boot your hardware | | Need vendor DRAM init | Otherwise RAM won’t initialize | | Need vendor MMC driver | Otherwise eMMC won’t be writable | | MMC hardware unstable | Even FEL‑booted U‑Boot may hang | This is why FEL is not a magic fix here. --- 🟩 Could we try FEL anyway? Yes — if you want, I can guide you through: - Checking if FEL is available - Finding the FEL pads - Using sunxi-fel - Dumping BOOT0 - Dumping vendor U‑Boot - Rebuilding a hybrid U‑Boot - Flashing eMMC manually But I want you to understand the reality: It’s a research project, not a guaranteed solution. --- 🟦 If you want to try FEL, I can walk you through step 1 right now Step 1 is simple: Connect the box to your PC via USB‑A to USB‑A cable, then power it on. On your PC, run: ` sunxi-fel version ` If it prints something → FEL works. If it says “no device found” → we need to try hardware tricks. Just tell me if you want to go down this path. 0 Quote
Nick A Posted 1 hour ago Posted 1 hour ago (edited) @Brow Mosh AI is wrong. Mainline supports - Your PMIC - Your DRAM timing - Your HDMI (Patches have been around for years but not accepted in mainline yet. I included it in my builds.) - Your regulators Supported in mainline but might need some dts changes. - Your weird SD wiring - Your eMMC layout ( Could be a gpio# issue) If you are booting into the kernel then I believe your SD is somewhat working. Maybe you need few tweaks to your dts or your DRAM settings are off. A failing or cheap SD card could also be your issue. Kernel boots Reaches userspace Shows login banner Without a DTS I can’t help you much. Also, can you post some boot logs. FEL over USB is your last option. It is possible. But I don't think your AI model will help much. I noticed with some AI models they will encourage you to quit when they can't find the correct information. Edited 16 minutes ago by Nick A 0 Quote
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