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Posted

i have an android tv box.

model name: tx 10 pro.

i want to install ARMbian on it. there is a reset button under the av port.

it has 2 gb of ram and 4 gb of rom (though the internet says 8G ram and 128G rom, also the android ui too).

i have enabled both usb debugging and oem unlocking from the android developer option menu.

the tv box can go to recovery mode using adb command. until going to the recovery mode, the adb connects perfectly but whenever it goes into recovery mode, the adb cant connect to the tv box.

it consists option for fastboot inside the recovery mode but whenever i try to apply any command (e.g. fastboot/adb) the tv box doesnt show up among the devices when the device is in recovery mode.

As there is no zip file for direct linux installation that i can use with flash from usb option.

and the reset button beneath the av port does nothing, ive tried to flash multiple ARMbian Img files using both rufus and etcher but the screen just goes black whenever i press and hold the reset button beneath the av port. there is no option to install twrp as neither adb nor fastboot can connect whenever the device is in recovery mode. what to do?

Posted

@Nick A I am kinda new to these serial console. does it need any specific hardware? I dont know much about linux or TV Box boards. it's just in my region, tv boxes are really cheaper than SBCs'

Posted

@Hqnicolas Hey there, thank you so much for your response. I appreciate your cheering and yes, i am the first in such board and i have higher potential with little knowledge about linux.

Yes the processor is an Allwinner H616 and the GPU is Mali G31

 

1. i have attatched the photo below

https://mega.nz/folder/fzwkTJgC#rv5DZXbiCfuzVYUw_HjGRA

 

2. I cant even crack the bootloader (i have posted about it on XDA Forum), the manufacture modified android tv os is just stuck to the board. I tried multiple images including armbian and other Light-weight Linux distributions from this list. I have also tried Miniarch. I have tried with both  USB Flash drive and SD card and also tried to flash the image using both Rufus and Etcher. But it doesnt boot up and instead shows a totally blank screen

Posted (edited)
2 hours ago, erebus041 said:

But it doesnt boot up and instead shows a totally blank screen


You will need to debug that with a Connected serial debug using putty, Serial: dev/ttyUSB0  Speed: 115200 baud

Buy a USB TTL device that is capable of 115200 baudrate


IMG202501091630192.jpg.bfd7f1a9f170adbbc5db278f81a32de0.jpg

Edited by Hqnicolas
Posted (edited)
Quote

You will need to debug that with a Connected serial debug using putty

Is there any other way around? currently i dont have a usb to ttl. I'll make sure to buy it but cant it be done using software side?

Edited by erebus041
Posted (edited)
1 hour ago, erebus041 said:

I'll make sure to buy it but cant it be done using software side?


If you succeed we will have to update the software CVE List... :lol:

Don't be too hasty to achieve this feat, wait for your TTL to arrive and read things about the subject,

it's about the path and not the destination, publish your findings here, we all started here as a hobby

Edited by Hqnicolas
Posted

Thank you @Hqnicolas for your prompt response. The board was initially a tv box running android tv os 13.0, with cyanogen mod installed. I accidentally erased boot using fastboot erase command and now it's not running any operating system and the screen is totally blank. Are you sure that i might be able to run a linux distribution if i buy and connect a usb ttl device?

(Also to note, i see some soldering leads around the GND via on the pcb, it might be soldered before, i guess to somehow install something)

Posted (edited)

The usb ttl device will show you where your box stops booting using debug messages. Access to the serial console on ARM devices is even more important than on the PC. Even if you do not intend to do much U-Boot or kernel work, access to the serial console will be a life-saver when anything goes wrong.

 

The UART pins are clearly marked with RX, TX, GND on three easy to solder pins on the PCB. This is where you connect your usb ttl device. You are adding a serial port. Remember,  your RX and TX pins are crossed over. RX on your device is connected to TX on your PCB. Also, TX on your device is connected to RX on your PCB. GND on your device is connected to GND on your PCB.

 

Every Allwinner SoC has a (BROM). You can't delete this. When your box boots up it executes the BROM which then checks the buttons for FEL mode. The BROM first checks SD-card boot availability, then NAND. The BROM will try to load the SPL (secondary program loader) from U-Boot in each of these devices, which in turn loads the kernel.

 

There is a FEL button on the PCB (behind the AV socket), it can be reached by a non-conductive tool like a toothpick through the AV socket. Alternatively, enter FEL mode with the fel-sdboot.sunxi image written to an SD card.  A non-standard USB A-to-A cable can be used to connect using FEL.

 

https://linux-sunxi.org/FEL

https://linux-sunxi.org/FEL/USBBoot

https://linux-sunxi.org/UART

https://github.com/linux-sunxi/sunxi-tools

 

Your board might have secure boot enabled. Could be the reason why your board doesn't boot. Should be an easy fix. Just need to generate any RSA key and change the u-boot image type to TOC0.

 

 

Most Allwinner sunxi SoCs have separate boot ROMs in non-secure and secure mode. The "non-secure" or "normal" boot ROM (NBROM) uses the existing sunxi_egon image type. The secure boot ROM (SBROM) uses a completely different image type, known as TOC0. 

 

Most secure-boot enabled devices do not burn the VENDOR_ID eFUSE, you can use any RSA key.

https://linux-sunxi.org/TOC0

Edited by Nick A
Posted

hey there @Nick A and @Hqnicolas. The UART has arrived, ive configured everything and here are the logs:

if i try to boot armbian using SD card:
U-Boot SPL 2025.01-rc2 (Nov 18 2024 - 10:55:29 +0100) DRAM:This DRAM setup is currently not supported. resetting ...

if i try to boot android:
 

U-Boot SPL 2025.01-rc2 (Nov 18 2024 - 10:55:29 +0100)
DRAM:D▒▒▒^!▒▒`▒▒▒▒▒▒c▒▒▒▒?[84]HELLO! BOOT0 is starting!
[87]BOOT0 commit : 12a0e3cc
[90]set pll start
[92]periph0 has been enabled
[95]set pll end
[97]unknow PMU
[98]unknow PMU
[100]PMU: AXP1530
[102]dram return write ok
[105]board init ok
[107]DRAM BOOT DRIVE INFO: V0.651
[110]the chip id is 0x5d00
[113]chip id check OK
[118]DRAM_VCC set to 1500 mv
[121]DRAM CLK =648 MHZ
[123]DRAM Type =3 (3:DDR3,4:DDR4,7:LPDDR3,8:LPDDR4)
[131]Actual DRAM SIZE =1024 M
[134]DRAM SIZE =1024 MBytes, para1 = 30fb, para2 = 4000001, dram_tpr13 = 6041
[147]DRAM simple test OK.
[150]rtc standby flag is 0x0, super standby flag is 0x0
[155]dram size =1024
[158]card no is 2
[160]sdcard 2 line count 8
[163][mmc]: mmc driver ver 2021-10-12 13:56
[167][mmc]: b mmc 2 bias 4
[175][mmc]: Wrong media type 0x0, but host sdc2, try mmc first
[181][mmc]: **Try MMC card 2**
[224][mmc]: RMCA OK!
[227][mmc]: MMC 5.0
[229][mmc]: HSSDR52/SDR25 8 bit
[232][mmc]: 50000000 Hz
[234][mmc]: 7456 MB
[236][mmc]: **SD/MMC 2 init OK!!!**
[312]Loading boot-pkg Succeed(index=0).
[316][mmc]: b mmc 2 bias 4
[318]Entry_name        = u-boot
[327]Entry_name        = monitor
[331]Entry_name        = dtbo
[334]Entry_name        = dtb
[338]tunning data addr:0x4a0003e8
[341]Jump to second Boot.
NOTICE:  BL3-1: v1.0(debug):73157bb
NOTICE:  BL3-1: Built : 16:49:57, 2021-10-29
NOTICE:  BL3-1 commit: 8
NOTICE:  cpuidle init version V1.0
ERROR:   Error initializing runtime service tspd_fast
NOTICE:  BL3-1: Preparing for EL3 exit to normal world
NOTICE:  BL3-1: Next image address = 0x4a000000
▒OTICE:  BL3-1: Next image spsr = 0x1d3

U-Boot 2018.05 (Jul 19 2024 - 10:45:47 +0800) Allwinner Technology

[00.419]CPU:   Allwinner Family
[00.422]Model: sun50iw9
I2C:   ready
[00.426]DRAM:  1 GiB
[00.429]Relocation Offset is: 35ebf000
[00.468]secure enable bit: 0
[00.471]pmu_axp152_probe pmic_bus_read fail
[00.475]PMU: AXP1530
[00.480]CPU=1008 MHz,PLL6=600 Mhz,AHB=200 Mhz, APB1=100Mhz  MBus=400Mhz
[00.489]drv_disp_init
[00.518]__clk_enable: clk is null.
[00.524]drv_disp_init finish
[00.527]gic: sec monitor mode
[00.551]flash init start
[00.553]workmode = 0,storage type = 2
[00.556]MMC:     2
[00.558][mmc]: mmc driver ver uboot2018:2021-07-19 14:09:00
[00.564][mmc]: get sdc_type fail and use default host:tm4.
[00.575][mmc]: SUNXI SDMMC Controller Version:0x40502
[00.623][mmc]: Best spd md: 4-HS400, freq: 3-100000000, Bus width: 8
[00.629]sunxi flash init ok
[00.633]Loading Environment from SUNXI_FLASH... OK
[00.642]usb burn from boot
delay time 0
weak:otg_phy_config
[00.656]usb prepare ok
[01.459]overtime
[01.463]do_burn_from_boot usb : no usb exist
[01.467]boot_gui_init:start
FAT: Misaligned buffer address (7be7b438)
34 bytes read in 4 ms (7.8 KiB/s)
tcon_de_attach:de=0,tcon=2[01.599]boot_gui_init:finish
[01.602]bmp_name=bootlogo.bmp
2764856 bytes read in 17 ms (155.1 MiB/s)
[01.643]update dts
* Unrecognized filesystem type *
[01.652]load file(ULI/factory/rootwait init.txt) error.
* Unrecognized filesystem type *
[01.664]load file(ULI/factory/snum.txt) error.
[01.668]name in map mac
* Unrecognized filesystem type *
[01.678]load file(ULI/factory/wifi_mac.txt) error.
* Unrecognized filesystem type *
[01.689]load file(ULI/factory/bt_mac.txt) error.
* Unrecognized filesystem type *
[01.701]load file(ULI/factory/selinux.txt) error.
* Unrecognized filesystem type *
[01.712]load file(ULI/factory/specialstr.txt) error.
[01.721]update part info
[01.762]update bootcmd
[01.764]No ethernet found.
Hit any key to stop autoboot:  0

Posted

You need to build u-boot with your DRAM settings. You can find the settings in Android DT file or you can extract it from a factory update using sunxi-tools.

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