Help with armbian-config firmware update. Mini Mx III - II (S905X)

[Juan Rangel]

Hi, I own a Mini Mx III - II (S905X) that I "flashed" with an micro SD with install script.

 

The tv box without any micro sd card inserted boot perfectly afterwards.

 

I keep it but today, after few months I see that I have this image installed: Bookworm 23.11.1

 

Armbian_23.11.1_Aml-s9xx-box_bookworm_current_6.1.63_xfce_desktop.img.xz

 

I have seen now that we have this version: 25.2.0

 

Armbian_community_25.2.0-trunk.86_Aml-s9xx-box_bookworm_current_6.6.63_xfce_desktop.img

 

So I have tried to use armbian-config system firwmare update to get up to 25.2.0.

 

After waiting to download and installa packages, I reboot my tv box but .... it doesnt boot properly.

 

It says: "Failed to mount /dev/mmcblk1p1 as root file system"

 

I am lucky as I keep the original micro SD card, so I have inserted it again and run again the install script, so now, again, I have 23.11.1 armbian booting perfectly in my tv box without any sd card.

 

The question is .... 

1. what have done armbian-config update to break this?

2. is the only way to keep my armbian OS up to last update by flashing again the new img file to sd card and make again the installation to my emmc of my tv box?

3. is there any other way not to loose all data to update to last updates?

 

Thanks a lot, 

[SteeMan]

All you should need to do is the standard debian process to apply updates regularly:  apt update   followed by: apt upgrade

[Juan Rangel]

Thanks I will try and inform here for future users.  

[Juan Rangel]

Hi, i have tried and ...same problem

 

First question is about (I am newbie in Linux) kernel. It seems that it has not been updated 

 

And the second question is that again, after reboot, the TV box doesn't boot. (See images, of before, after and failed boot)

 

There is a packet that it is changing something.

 

What will be the solution?

1. Before reboot, go to this file and change this ? 

2. You must prepare again the SD card with the official IMG and reflash again emmc. (This is a big problem because I will lost what I have in my actual TV box everytime I want to update/upgrade).

 

Any key ?

 

Thanks a lot. 

 

[Igor]

2 hours ago, Juan Rangel said:

I am newbie in Linux

Single board computers and especially TV boxes are meant for advanced Linux users due to random low level support. Here you can surely learn a lot about Linux internals, but Linux users experience, if you want to use computer for daily tasks, will be better if you start with a mainstream Linux:
https://www.armbian.com/uefi-x86/

https://www.armbian.com/rpi4b/
Also worth reading:
https://forum.armbian.com/topic/16976-status-of-armbian-on-tv-boxes-please-read-first/

 

[Juan Rangel]

Thanks, I have hello of my brother. 

 And by my own I managed to get all the hardware off my TV box working by doing lot of test with dtb files. 

 

I have this last step problem. How to keep the TV box updated. 

 

You can see my other posts (like a serie of them: first how to backup emmc of android TV box, how to use and edit dtb file, ...)

 

I hope someone could help me and I will write afterwards all the steps. 

 

Merry be it is very easy to "re-configure again" the boot process after apt upgrade and before the final reboot. 

 

This way, this post will be useful for some people, won't it? 

 

Thanks a lot. I will read also your links

[SteeMan]

So according to your last comment you are using a custom dtb file.  You do know that installing a new kernel version deletes the entire dtb directory and replaces it with what is shipped with that kernel version?

So if you have a custom dtb it may be the issue that it is being removed during the upgrade.  You need to put a custom dtb file in a location not under /boot/dtb. 

 

I don't know if this is your issue or not, but I thought of that based on the information in your last post.

 

Another suggestion, is to put a current image on an SD card and see that that boots.  That way you can determine if the issue is with the current code, or something that is happening during the apt upgrade.

[Juan Rangel]

Hi, it has solved the problem. I am going to make again all process to check if this way there will be no problem and I will publish here the results. Thanks a lot.

[Juan Rangel]

Hi, I have redone again all (flash sd, install to emmc, upgrade, ....) everything goes perfect if I use this config in extlinux.conf before any upgrade.

 

FDT /juan/meson-gxl-s905x-minimxiii-ii.dtb

 

Create the juan folder and put there the dtb file.

 

Thanks a lot @SteeMan

[Juan Rangel]

One last question, making tests I have tried both Armbian_23.11.1_Aml-s9xx-box_bookworm_current_6.1.63_xfce_desktop.img and Armbian_community_25.2.0-trunk.86_Aml-s9xx-box_bookworm_current_6.6.63_xfce_desktop.img

 

I think that it is more stable for me the 23.11.1 version.

 

I have been trying to find and archive repository to find any version between these two, but I haven't get managed.

 

is there any problem using one year ago version? I am not sure but I also think that 25.2.0 is not an stable release.Is it enougth using armbian-config or apt upgrade systems?

 

Thanks a lot.