Related
Warning/disclaimer: This thread is intended for those who already know how to compile a kernel and have a working knowledge of Linux and its derivatives. There shouldn't be a great deal of risk involved, but you are responsible for what happens if you decide to follow these instructions.
Polite request: Please don't post replies to this thread that aren't of a technical nature directly related to compiling, modifying, or testing the kernel.
Introduction:
It appears as if Lenovo have released a buildable and bootable kernel source. I've done some preliminary testing with it. However, it would be better if we could get lots of people building and running the kernel, so that we can spot any remaining problems. This is also an opportunity to start hacking it to add/fix features such as USB OTG, etc.
Kernel source:
Get it from the Github repository at: https://github.com/gmarkall/lenovo_a1_07_kernel
Toolchain:
The Makefile seems to suggest that Codesourcery 2010q1 has been used by Lenovo to compile the kernel. Get it from https://sourcery.mentor.com/sgpp/lite/arm/portal/release1293, and make sure that the arm-none-linux-gnueabi-* binaries are on your path.
Building the source:
You may wish to edit the Makefile around line 192 to set CROSS_COMPILE=arm-none-linux-gnueabi- instead of the hardcoded path that is the default.
Then, to build the kernel:
Code:
make distclean
make a1_07_defconfig
make uImage
Booting the kernel
Normally, Android devices have two boot images that consist of a kernel and a ramdisk. One boot image is for the recovery, and the other is for the Android system. This makes it safe to flash a new boot image containing an untested kernel for the Android system, since the recovery can always boot up using the other boot image. However, the A1, by some bad design decision, only has one kernel - the bootloader always loads the same kernel, and just loads a different ramdisk depending whether it is to boot into recovery or system. As a result, it is not safe to flash a kernel to your A1 unless it's already been tested, since a bad kernel will make it impossible to boot from the internal memory, and you'll need a bootable SD card.
The solution to this problem is to make a bootable SD card for loading the kernel and ramdisk from. A bootable SD card consists of two partitions:
* A small bootable VFAT partition, that holds the X-Loader (MLO), U-Boot (u-boot.bin) and the kernel (uImage).
* An ext2 partition that holds the root filesystem.
In order to create a bootable SD card, use the omap3-mkcard.sh script that is attached below. To invoke it for making /dev/mmcblk0 a bootable SD card:
Code:
sudo omap3-mkcard.sh /dev/mmcblk0
You may need to hack the script if your SD card device isn't a /dev/mmcblk* one, since the script searches for partitions denoted "p1" and "p2" - this may need changing to just "1" and "2" respectively (thanks Xbdesign and Brancaleone for this).
This will create the necessary partitions, set the bootable flag, and format them. You will then need to mount the first partition (e.g. /dev/mmcblk0p1), and copy MLO and u-boot.bin to it (also linked below). Then, copy the uImage that you built from your kernel tree, which will be located in /arch/arm/boot. You can now unmount this partition.
Next, mount the second partition (e.g. /dev/mmcblk0p2). This will need to contain the same set of files that the initial ramdisk contains. There are two different ramdisks that you might want to use - one is from the Cyanogenmod 7 build, and the other one is from the stock system. Download links for these are also below. To extract the ramdisk, copy it onto the SD card second partition, then run the following commands (assuming the ramdisk is called ramdisk.ub):
Code:
dd if=ramdisk.ub of=ramdisk.img.gz bs=64 skip=1 # Strip off the U-Boot header
gunzip ramdisk.img.gz # Unzip
sudo cpio -idmv < ramdisk.img # Extract the cpio archive
Then, unmount the second partition of the SD card.
You should now be able to remove the SD card and insert it into your A1. Power down the A1 and power up again, and it should hopefully boot from the SD card and load your kernel. If it's booted from the SD card and loaded your kernel, you should be able to see that it was compiled on your host by looking in Settings -> About Phone -> Kernel Version.
Troubleshooting:
This is not a comprehensive guide, just a few pointers to where a problem might be - please post replies to the thread to get troubleshooting suggestions.
System boots up, but is not running my kernel - it didn't boot from the SD card. If the A1 is plugged into the charger/USB, you sometimes need to reboot multiple times before it boots off the SD card (I think it doesn't always turn off fully when the charger is plugged in).
The static Lenovo logo flashes up over and over again - it's booted from the SD card, but didn't manage to load your kernel
The static Lenovo logo comes up and stays there/goes to a black screen - it's probably loaded your kernel and mounted the root file system, but failed to mount /system. Try running adb shell to see what happens. If you get something like
Code:
/system/bin/sh: no such file or directory
then your kernel is running but /system isn't mounted.
IRC Channel
Join #ideapad-a1 on irc.freenode.net to discuss the kernel and other A1 development-related topics!
Download Links:
MLO
u-boot.bin
omap3-mkcard.sh
Ramdisk for Cyanogenmod 7
Ramdisk for ROW 2643 stock release
I've added the two ramdisks that I suspect will be most common - if you need another ramdisk, you'll have to extract it from an OTA.
Also, I compiled a tun.ko - www.doc.ic.ac.uk/~grm08/ideapad/tun.ko
Here's a cifs.ko - http://www.doc.ic.ac.uk/~grm08/ideapad/cifs.ko
EDIT: AutobahnA1 and infraredevans have confirmed that tun.ko works on ROW_2643.
EDIT 2/3: Please test out cifs.ko! (It doesn't work - it needs slow-work.ko. Will get that done when I can. Thanks to Ilikecokethree on the Lenovo forums for pointing that one out).
你懂中文吗，大神！
我是中国人 关注你的帖子很久了，我不懂英文，用翻译软件看的大概，我们这里很多人支持你，都在用你的rom 很棒！比联想官方的好多了，谢谢！
I think I did exactly the steps as you told, but it still boots the original kernel, may something be wrong? Thank you very much.
PS: I'm a chinese too, and my English is not good either
gmarkall said:
This is also an opportunity to start hacking it to add/fix features such as USB OTG, etc.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Please do not forget to try the WiFi-based geolocation, which is also missing!
I wish I had the knowledge to work on it myself but I am far from taking over such tasks...do not have the slightest idea about how these things work.
Good luck and please keep us informed!
geoponer said:
Please do not forget to try the WiFi-based geolocation, which is also missing!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Geolocation bug has nothing to do with kenerl. It's a missing entry in framework-res.apk in ROM from Lenovo
see : forums.lenovo.com/t5/IdeaPad-Slate-Tablets/A1-Geocode-Bug-in-Firmware-Solution/td-p/709701
betabox said:
Geolocation bug has nothing to do with kenerl. It's a missing entry in framework-res.apk in ROM from Lenovo
see : forums.lenovo.com/t5/IdeaPad-Slate-Tablets/A1-Geocode-Bug-in-Firmware-Solution/td-p/709701
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Also, it's working in CM7.
hohoxu_hao115 said:
I think I did exactly the steps as you told, but it still boots the original kernel, may something be wrong?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sounds like it's booting from eMMC instead.
Can you post the partition table of the SD card as listed by fdisk, and also a directory listing of each of the two partitions? I ask this to confirm what's happened - seems like you're the first person to follow these instructions, and it's quite possible I made a mistake somewhere.
betabox said:
Geolocation bug has nothing to do with kenerl. It's a missing entry in framework-res.apk in ROM from Lenovo
see : forums.lenovo.com/t5/IdeaPad-Slate-Tablets/A1-Geocode-Bug-in-Firmware-Solution/td-p/709701
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Apologies for the off-topic, but I think that we are discussing two different things here: I am referring to the Geolocation bug, which prevents me from e.g. checking in with Foursquare by using only WiFi location information (active GPS signal is needed) while you have solved the Geocoding bug, which has nothing to do with the Geolocation one...
Please correct me if I am wrong.
@Graham: I plan to install the CM7 that you have been working on (with the feedback from other users - I keep an eye on that thread!) but since I use my A1 for professional purposes as well, I would like to make sure that everything is working fine before moving to CM7. Apologies for not being able to contribute to the beta testing of CM7 but I am really looking forward to seeing a version based on the source code provided by Lenovo, which I think will lead to a more stable version of your CM7. I cannot thank you enough for taking the time to work on this, really!
geoponer said:
Apologies for the off-topic, but I think that we are discussing two different things here: I am referring to the Geolocation bug, which prevents me from e.g. checking in with Foursquare by using only WiFi location information (active GPS signal is needed) while you have solved the Geocoding bug, which has nothing to do with the Geolocation one...
Please correct me if I am wrong.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think that whether it works in CM7 or not, it almost certainly isn't a kernel issue. I'll test it by signing up for Foursquare and give it a try out on CM7 to see if it works later on. Will post my findings in the CM7 thread.
Hi Graham,
just gonna pile up several questions/thinkings and feel free to comment them the or answer on your liking
We do have few hickups on CM7 but I am more excited about idea of having proper recovery then ironing current CM rom that works more than satisfactory right now. Do we have enough code (I assume that target here is u-boot) on our hands that someone can implement necessary changes to internal partitions and boot procedures?
what is your opinion on replacement of u-boot with something else? for example LK loader or to be more precise with its current HD2 implementation known as cLK. it allready has some neat features like HBOOT like GUI, ability to change partition sizes on device itself (without computer), ability to boot from different partitions (would be nice to have android and ubuntu side by side loaded on our devices) and last but not least it has fastboot support enabled...or is it better way fill up u-boot with desired features if possible?
so...just my wishful thinking...not enough knowledge on my side to do anything regarding all this just hoping that some of you, more capable guys gets interested in this
dusko_m said:
Hi Graham,
just gonna pile up several questions/thinkings and feel free to comment them the or answer on your liking
We do have few hickups on CM7 but I am more excited about idea of having proper recovery then ironing current CM rom that works more than satisfactory right now. Do we have enough code (I assume that target here is u-boot) on our hands that someone can implement necessary changes to internal partitions and boot procedures?
what is your opinion on replacement of u-boot with something else? for example LK loader or to be more precise with its current HD2 implementation known as cLK. it allready has some neat features like HBOOT like GUI, ability to change partition sizes on device itself (without computer), ability to boot from different partitions (would be nice to have android and ubuntu side by side loaded on our devices) and last but not least it has fastboot support enabled...or is it better way fill up u-boot with desired features if possible?
so...just my wishful thinking...not enough knowledge on my side to do anything regarding all this just hoping that some of you, more capable guys gets interested in this
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I do want to implement something that's pretty much as you describe. My biggest motivation is that it's currently not safe to flash a kernel since you can break both system and recovery that way in one go - I really want to make the boot process more robust.
gmarkall said:
Also, I compiled a tun.ko - tun.ko
I haven't tested it yet - is anyone able to try it please?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The module loaded without a problem on my 2643_ROW Kernel. Installed "Rooted AnyConnect" from the "Play Place". Now I can connect to my company VPN.
gmarkall: YOU ROCK! THANK YOU!!!
tun.ko
Graham
The tun.ko module works perfectly with openvpn on 2643_ROW.
I can now access my Amahi home server,awsome.
Thanks a lot you are doing a great job.
Dont want to sound presumptuous but any chance of a cifs.ko to go with it .
Cheers
Infraredevans said:
Dont want to sound presumptuous but any chance of a cifs.ko to go with it .
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'll give it a whirl... give me a few minutes.
gmarkall said:
I'll give it a whirl... give me a few minutes.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Here it is: http://www.doc.ic.ac.uk/~grm08/ideapad/cifs.ko
To compile it I had to copy md5.h from another kernel source to fs/cifs in the kernel tree. I also had to edit init/Kconfig so that CONFIG_SLOW_WORK defaulted to yes. I configured the module with the options:
Support Legacy LANMAN servers which use weaker security
CIFS Extended attributes
CIFS POSIX attributes
and without statistics, debugging, or experimental features. Let me know if this is a suitable config - I could always tweak it and build another one.
arm-2010q1-202-arm-none-linux-gnueabi.bin
Did someone manage to install arm-2010q1-202-arm-none-linux-gnueabi.bin on 64bit system?
xbdesign said:
Did someone manage to install arm-2010q1-202-arm-none-linux-gnueabi.bin on 64bit system?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I did - I didn't have any problems, but my random guess about how to solve it could be to install ia32-libs. If installing that doesn't solve it, can you post a bit more detail about the problem?
I am using ubuntu 10.04 LTS and just cant install / find Getlibs to install a 32-bit version of xulrunner :-(
xbdesign said:
I am using ubuntu 10.04 LTS and just cant install / find Getlibs to install a 32-bit version of xulrunner :-(
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Do you need that to run the installer? I just downloaded the tar version instead and extracted it. I saw there was an installer as well, but I thought it would be more hassle than using the tarball so I just ignored it.
Alright, noob here. Since I cannot post in the PACMAN development thread (http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2164406) I will put this here.
- Problems installing PACMAN ROM
- After receiving "Errors Flashing", failures, downgraded recovery to TWRP 2.3.3.0
- 2.3.3.0 displayed "Error 7"
- Searching on error 7 led me down the path of the assert checks
- updater-script assert command in PACMAN ROM package is checking for model "ville".
- My HTC One S Special edition returns "villeplus" from "adb shell getprop ro.product.device"
My understanding is that the North American S4 and the Special Edition share identical hardware, only differing in drive size (16 vs. 64GB), so I am assuming any ROM designed for the ville will work on my phone.
Assuming it will I should be able to edit the "updater-script" file, but when I extract it windows is telling me that 23 files are duplicates. I'm not sure if this is because its windows vs. Linux that I'm extracting it on?? In any case, I don't seem to be able to modify the file without adversely affecting the integrity of the archive. Also would assume replacing the file will affect the MD5 hash which I believe TWRP checks when loading the ROM?
So first off, can someone confirm that this ROM will be compatible with my phone and 2, any suggestions on modifying the updater-script file within the archive?
Update
I was able to modify the updater-script file tonight using file X-Plore and text edit, so now the script is looking for "villeplus" rather than ville. My phone is S-OFF which I read means that it does not do signature checks... however, I'm not sure if that also means it bypasses MD5 checksums - I suspect not since I'm pretty sure I saw it verifying MD5 previously. So, since I tampered with the ZIP it still may not work.
My real question now that remains is even if it will work, do I want to flash a ROM built for the ville to my villeplus. The more I read about custom ROMs the more it appears that they are extremely specific to models.
I am still extremely curious to try it... rumor has it that curiosity didn't work out so well for the cat though. :-/
merovingian_a51 said:
I was able to modify the updater-script file tonight using file X-Plore and text edit, so now the script is looking for "villeplus" rather than ville. My phone is S-OFF which I read means that it does not do signature checks... however, I'm not sure if that also means it bypasses MD5 checksums - I suspect not since I'm pretty sure I saw it verifying MD5 previously. So, since I tampered with the ZIP it still may not work.
My real question now that remains is even if it will work, do I want to flash a ROM built for the ville to my villeplus. The more I read about custom ROMs the more it appears that they are extremely specific to models.
I am still extremely curious to try it... rumor has it that curiosity didn't work out so well for the cat though. :-/
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Unfortunately, i have to fully disappoint you.
The villeplus is having the exact same hardware as the ville. Theoretically ideal. Unfortunately, HTC decided to make it a "/data/media" device unlike its brother, the ville.
Explained: the Ville has a partition for the SDCard and its mounted with its own mountpoint, /sdcard.
The Villeplus has a partition for the SDCard too, but its mounted inside the /Data partition as /data/media. This means a lot of problems from every imaginable aspect.
I spend a week together with Torxx from ViperOneS to get Viper to run on it and we found out that a.) the Kernel needs to be adjusted and b.) some libs and etc. which is real dev work and which no dev in the OneS section has time for.
Later i spent another two weeks with Philz and mdmower trying to at least get recovery to mount the sh.it thing as USB, which turned out to be impossible at this time as it is only possible through the MTP protocoll, which no recovery supports as of yet.
Since i am a n00b myself i did not entirely understand the nature of the problem, but it seems to be very complex.
At some point i suggested to actually rewrite the partitions on the phones so they would work the same way as on the ville. I even tried myself and flashed a Ville RUU to my Villeplus (it works, doesnt break anything) but with the same effect as custom roms: my SD was then in Data/media and the internal apps memory and RAM were shifted to somewhere else with not enough space so the phone kept running out of space and crashed often. Also all system components trying to access stuff on the SD failed to find their stuff and crashed.
Since we don't actually have means to change the chip controller programming so it offers the partitions differently to the ROM we cannot go that way either (Zarboz tried to explain it to me but i failed understanding it, somehow the device pathes are put into the actual chip and not part of any RUU, so to change them one would need to have some special software tool like we could have done on the HD2 back then).
The only viable way would be to adjust ROM modules and Kernel to this structure, which won't happen as no dev has this device and there are like maybe 5 active users here.
You are out of luck my friend. Sorry. I too was full of hope and gave it up when all devs i contacted signalled that there is no benefit for them and they wouldn't waste their time basically.
Sneakyghost said:
Unfortunately, i have to fully disappoint you.
The villeplus is having the exact same hardware as the ville. Theoretically ideal. Unfortunately, HTC decided to make it a "/data/media" device unlike its brother, the ville.
Explained: the Ville has a partition for the SDCard and its mounted with its own mountpoint, /sdcard.
The Villeplus has a partition for the SDCard too, but its mounted inside the /Data partition as /data/media. This means a lot of problems from every imaginable aspect.
I spend a week together with Torxx from ViperOneS to get Viper to run on it and we found out that a.) the Kernel needs to be adjusted and b.) some libs and etc. which is real dev work and which no dev in the OneS section has time for.
Later i spent another two weeks with Philz and mdmower trying to at least get recovery to mount the sh.it thing as USB, which turned out to be impossible at this time as it is only possible through the MTP protocoll, which no recovery supports as of yet.
Since i am a n00b myself i did not entirely understand the nature of the problem, but it seems to be very complex.
At some point i suggested to actually rewrite the partitions on the phones so they would work the same way as on the ville. I even tried myself and flashed a Ville RUU to my Villeplus (it works, doesnt break anything) but with the same effect as custom roms: my SD was then in Data/media and the internal apps memory and RAM were shifted to somewhere else with not enough space so the phone kept running out of space and crashed often. Also all system components trying to access stuff on the SD failed to find their stuff and crashed.
Since we don't actually have means to change the chip controller programming so it offers the partitions differently to the ROM we cannot go that way either (Zarboz tried to explain it to me but i failed understanding it, somehow the device pathes are put into the actual chip and not part of any RUU, so to change them one would need to have some special software tool like we could have done on the HD2 back then).
The only viable way would be to adjust ROM modules and Kernel to this structure, which won't happen as no dev has this device and there are like maybe 5 active users here.
You are out of luck my friend. Sorry. I too was full of hope and gave it up when all devs i contacted signalled that there is no benefit for them and they wouldn't waste their time basically.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Wow, Sneakyghost, I can't thank you enough for your prompt (I just PM'd him last night folks) and very thorough response.
I'm wondering why HTC did this - thinking maybe to prevent/protect users from tampering with the device - perhaps other ROMs wouldn't run on it in a stable fashion.. or they just don't want people messing with custom ROMs. Perhaps this was a new architecture for them (wondering if the One and One X followed this same design?).
In any case, looks like I'll be sticking to looking at launchers and custom widgets. I'm actually quite happy with 4.1.1 and Sense (maybe because I'm new to Android, not sure), I mainly wanted to try experiment with custom ROMs, and learn about how all this stuff works. At least till the M4 comes out anyways..
Thanks again so much for your response, it is much appreciated and well explained.
Sneakyghost said:
... Unfortunately, HTC decided to make it a "/data/media" device unlike its brother, the ville.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Oh the irony, the (unreleased) 4.2 update for ville actually reformats partitions for data media. I don't think the update will ever be officially available to US users, but it is funny nonetheless.
This, my friend, is indeed ironic, if not even sad.
Considering what it means, I come to understand that porting ROM's from Ville to Villeplus would have gotten much easier then. Only that it is too late.
Torxx and I gave up due to the amount of work attached to the previous system structures, but if the Ville turns into a datamedia device with that update, many ROM devs and chefs would have to deal with it plus HTC would have done the most difficult part already anyway...
What a shame that this comes so late now and doesn't even get released probably...
mobile post
Hello everyone,
I have bought various Android TV boxes in the past, and haven't had problems getting them up and running.
I recently ordered 2 chinese models from eBay however, which are giving me nothing but grief. I apologize in advance for such a loooong post, but I am at my wits end and I am really hoping someone can help me out.
The action was for this model here:
www.ebay.com.au/itm/231275032090
It appeared to be a pretty standard model, like a Justop 4.0, but with a hard switch where the optical should be, and a cut down remote.
Firstly, the Specifications according to the auction:
1GB ddr3
4GB nand flash
Allwinner A20 dual core 1GHz CPU
On closer inspection after receiving the unit, an additional physical difference is that the reset button appears to be between the USB ports, instead of behind the AV out - not a big deal.
After powering it up, I am having huge problems with them.
Firstly though, what the software says about the hardware:
Advanced Settings/About Tablet:
Model Number : BBA22
Android Version : 4.2.2
Firmware Version : V2.0
Kernel Version : 3.4.39 [email protected] #10 Wed May 14 22:36:36 CST 2014
Build Number : BBA22-UI4-V2.0.1
And what Droid Info says about the (relevant)hardware:
Model : BBA22 (sdk-normal)
Manufacturer : unknown
Chipset : sun7i
RIL version : sw-dataonly-ril-0.5
Build Number : BBA22-UI4-V2.0.1
Build Bingerprint : softwinners/ninss/ninss4.2.2/NinssSoftware/20140521:eng/test-keys
OS Version : Jelly Bean MR1 (4.2.2)
SDK : 17
CPU Architecture : ARMv7 Processor rev 4 (v71)
Now, the BIGGEST issue these things have, is that at random points of use, it comes up with a message "Warning - System configuration is inconsistent with the production configuration, please contact your supplier, thank you!". This message will flash over and over again for anything from 30 seconds to half an hour. I half suspect it has tablet code SOMEwhere in it also, as it keeps coming up with 'touch the circle' walkthroughs for applications like avia. This might be unrelated though, I have no idea.
So anyway, I have tried doing the Justop 4.0 flash method with a SD card, however it will not turn on if there is a card in the slot. Also, when you hold the reset button down and power it up, it does not seem to go into the diagnostic mode so I can't flash it that way either. I am guessing the ONLY way I can update short of soldering in a serial port, is to use the backup/restore function.
I read through this whole thread here, but cound not fine anything to help me:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2398632
If anyone has any ideas, please let me know, I seriously can't get anything to work. I thought maybe the 'hotspot' being enabled was causing the incinsistency problem, but I used a process killer to stop that at startup, still no luck. Doing a system reset through advanced config didn't help either, I got the error almost as soon as turning the unit back on.
I've attached pictures of the error I am getting, the top of the board, and the back if the board.
Cheers,
Smak
PS - I am yet to hear back from the seller, but if I ever do, I will post the result here...
Smakky said:
Advanced Settings/About Tablet:
Model Number : BBA22
Android Version : 4.2.2
Firmware Version : V2.0
Kernel Version : 3.4.39 [email protected] #10 Wed May 14 22:36:36 CST 2014
Build Number : BBA22-UI4-V2.0.1
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I seem to be in a very similar situation. My device also reports as being "BBA22" but it's a different form factor and the identification on the board is "TXCZ_A20_v1.0". I tried contacting the people that made the board (Shenzhen Tianxing Chuangzhan Electronic Co.) but they refused to help. I also tried contacting the company that made the firmware images (Shenzhen NINSS Technology Ltd.) and they also refused. The supplier I bought the device from says they have the image file but they can't seem to figure out how to get it to me (they tried emailing the +200mb file then they gave up and stopped responding). The build number on my device is "BBA22-UI4-V2.0.4" so apparently there's an update available that may work on your device.
I'm pretty sure you need to flash the image using the Phoenixsuit program to make a special sdcard that you place in the device and boot from to reflash the device.
Please post your image file if you ever get it!
tisdall said:
I seem to be in a very similar situation. My device also reports as being "BBA22" but it's a different form factor and the identification on the board is "TXCZ_A20_v1.0". I tried contacting the people that made the board (Shenzhen Tianxing Chuangzhan Electronic Co.) but they refused to help. I also tried contacting the company that made the firmware images (Shenzhen NINSS Technology Ltd.) and they also refused. The supplier I bought the device from says they have the image file but they can't seem to figure out how to get it to me (they tried emailing the +200mb file then they gave up and stopped responding). The build number on my device is "BBA22-UI4-V2.0.4" so apparently there's an update available that may work on your device.
I'm pretty sure you need to flash the image using the Phoenixsuit program to make a special sdcard that you place in the device and boot from to reflash the device.
Please post your image file if you ever get it!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That is good to know, I might email them again now. Will let you know the outcome!
OK, so I got a reply from the seller.
I've attached the patch file and the instructions to this message, but theres a few things to note.
- Its only like 20 meg big, so it isnt a full firmware update
- The instructions talk about pressing the reset button at the start.., I don;t think this is neccesary if its rooted already
- The instructions are VERY engrish-y, basically just dump the update.zip onto a sd card, and apply the patch through the settings menu
- The default language is changed to some form of Chinese after applying, theres plenty pictorials on how to change the android language though.
- The version has been updated from BBA22-UI4-V2.0.1, to BBA22-UI4-V2.0.3 - This is still lower than the one you mentioned @ BBA22-UI4-V2.0.4
So far though, I have re-installed all my apps, and haven't seen the error.. yet. I was a little concerned it is still giving me touchpad tutorials, but mouse mode on the remote is making short work of those.
I'll just have to wait and see, I guess.
Smakky said:
OK, so I got a reply from the seller.
I've attached the patch file and the instructions to this message, but theres a few things to note.
- Its only like 20 meg big, so it isnt a full firmware update
- The instructions talk about pressing the reset button at the start.., I don;t think this is neccesary if its rooted already
- The instructions are VERY engrish-y, basically just dump the update.zip onto a sd card, and apply the patch through the settings menu
- The default language is changed to some form of Chinese after applying, theres plenty pictorials on how to change the android language though.
- The version has been updated from BBA22-UI4-V2.0.1, to BBA22-UI4-V2.0.3 - This is still lower than the one you mentioned @ BBA22-UI4-V2.0.4
So far though, I have re-installed all my apps, and haven't seen the error.. yet. I was a little concerned it is still giving me touchpad tutorials, but mouse mode on the remote is making short work of those.
I'll just have to wait and see, I guess.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That seems very promising for you! Unfortunately it probably won't help me at all... It sounds like it's a sort of update patch instead of a whole image. Starting the device with the reset button causes it to load the recovery partition instead of the regular partition (I'm guessing you saw a green android with a text menu with options for recovery). I full flashing would/could involve an SDcard, but I think you would have to create it with Phoenixsuit and not just copy the file contents over (it would then just boot directly from the SDcard and you wouldn't need to press the reset button).
In my case, both the regular boot partition and the recover partition are wrecked so I couldn't even try this patch if I wanted to.
Thanks for posting, though... Hopefully it helps someone else out.
tisdall said:
That seems very promising for you! Unfortunately it probably won't help me at all... It sounds like it's a sort of update patch instead of a whole image. Starting the device with the reset button causes it to load the recovery partition instead of the regular partition (I'm guessing you saw a green android with a text menu with options for recovery). I full flashing would/could involve an SDcard, but I think you would have to create it with Phoenixsuit and not just copy the file contents over (it would then just boot directly from the SDcard and you wouldn't need to press the reset button).
In my case, both the regular boot partition and the recover partition are wrecked so I couldn't even try this patch if I wanted to.
Thanks for posting, though... Hopefully it helps someone else out.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hmm, is clockworkmod still a thing? I could try taking a backup of my ROM and see if that's something you can use.., only problem is I will need a bit of time. If I get a chance, I'll do it over the weekend. I will need a place to dump the image though, it will be too big to attach here, can sort that out later though.
Smakky said:
Hmm, is clockworkmod still a thing? I could try taking a backup of my ROM and see if that's something you can use.., only problem is I will need a bit of time. If I get a chance, I'll do it over the weekend. I will need a place to dump the image though, it will be too big to attach here, can sort that out later though.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'd appreciate that... Your board seems to have a completely different layout, but all the same components. I'm not familiar with clockworkmod, though, so I'm not sure how that backup would work. I guess I'd need to get clockworkmod flashed on to the recovery partition first and then I could flash the backup to the NAND from there?
tisdall said:
I'd appreciate that... Your board seems to have a completely different layout, but all the same components. I'm not familiar with clockworkmod, though, so I'm not sure how that backup would work. I guess I'd need to get clockworkmod flashed on to the recovery partition first and then I could flash the backup to the NAND from there?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm not actually too sure. The last timed I used clockworkmod was for flashing a galaxy s2 phone, so I'm not even too sure if its still around or compatible with tv boxes. There will definately be SOME sort of tool though, that can take a full backup suitable for restoring. I'm about at the limit of my knowledge, so I am sort of playing by ear and going into a google-learn-try sort of cycle as I try different things. Maybe someone with more experience will stumble in here and let us know what we need to do
This is interesting... I found another device with an identical PCB board: YBKJ_A20 (I can't post links yet, but a Google search will find it) Several chips are different so the firmware would differ. It's so hard to work with these devices when no one claims credit for making a lot of these things!
What is J4?
http://dl-1.va.us.xda-developers.com/2/9/3/6/8/3/3/DSC_0207s.jpg
I was wondering what the upper left 2 pin connector is for? (the little white 2 pin plug next to the USB)
Is it SPDIF? Power input? output? Something else? I see in this picture a cable connected so i'm hoping you can tell.
Ask BBA22-V.1.50 TV BOX Model Android 4.2 Firmware
Smakky said:
OK, so I got a reply from the seller.
I've attached the patch file and the instructions to this message, but theres a few things to note.
- Its only like 20 meg big, so it isnt a full firmware update
- The instructions talk about pressing the reset button at the start.., I don;t think this is neccesary if its rooted already
- The instructions are VERY engrish-y, basically just dump the update.zip onto a sd card, and apply the patch through the settings menu
- The default language is changed to some form of Chinese after applying, theres plenty pictorials on how to change the android language though.
- The version has been updated from BBA22-UI4-V2.0.1, to BBA22-UI4-V2.0.3 - This is still lower than the one you mentioned @ BBA22-UI4-V2.0.4
So far though, I have re-installed all my apps, and haven't seen the error.. yet. I was a little concerned it is still giving me touchpad tutorials, but mouse mode on the remote is making short work of those.
I'll just have to wait and see, I guess.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hello
Thank You For This Firmware But It Work For BBA22-UI4-V2.0.1, to BBA22-UI4-V2.0.3.
My Device Model is ((BBA22-V.1.50)) with Android 4.2 and I had to update it with your firmware file to fix problem black page after boot.
after update my device with your firmware, black page broblem is solved but device not work properly and it show Error message for (android.process.acore) systematically in loop!
also I can not make very actions because this error message show repeatedly.
also the default device language is china and i can not change language (error message show repeatedly)
have you original firmware for ((BBA22-V.1.50)) with Android 4.2 device???
thank you for help me...
H.SHAFAGHI said:
have you original firmware for ((BBA22-V.1.50)) with Android 4.2 device???
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So... For everyone looking for a full firmware for this box, and stumbled upon this thread from google like I did: DESPAIR NO MORE.
I found a compatible firmware for this device (exacly as described and same board as the one OP has) It will work even if your box came preinstalled with another software version, but its the same hardware
Found it in another thread, posted by @daaviles30 Its not EXACLY the same as the one I had originally loaded but appears to work without any issue whatsoever (even the remote works), if a little bit better.
So here it is:
daaviles30 said:
A20_V20_SDK_EN_XBMC_0703-2.img*491.4 MB
*https:/ /mega.co.nz/#!XAIRiD5Q!aIb0tvvjvzUdaf11vIR7PAadeXPV8XizYJ9X2mAzpQI
RH46-update-a20.zip*582 KB
*https:/ /mega.co.nz/#!HZwTgQIT!LQGxb6R-lCIKe58RgIGROfufY-aq5PODSAq3-NPKOeo
PhoenixCard_V309
*http:/ /mega.co.nz/#F!HAIhBJyS!L_UQPNnYdPyHTD3ggnJ6OA
After flashing update and then go to the play store and download SuperSU update that and your ready to go.
---------- Post added at 03:57 PM ---------- Previous post was at 03:29 PM ----------
Titanium Backup Pro v6.1.5.3.apk*6.2 MB
*https:/ /mega.co.nz/#!vAAWRJga!vOFKlAq_25ssrG5kvwa3-oC-d0saL06YGBIWIyN2jss
You can delete all the unwanted system apps with this app.
Hope this helps Happy New Years.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The flashing process is exacly as described earlier in this thread. Use phoenix card to burn the img to an SD card, turn the device on with the card inserted in the slot and enjoy your restored android box.
It Working Only With Booting From Memory Card Slot...
amedeh123 said:
So... For everyone looking for a full firmware for this box, and stumbled upon this thread from google like I did: DESPAIR NO MORE.
I found a compatible firmware for this device (exacly as described and same board as the one OP has) It will work even if your box came preinstalled with another software version, but its the same hardware
Found it in another thread, posted by @daaviles30 Its not EXACLY the same as the one I had originally loaded but appears to work without any issue whatsoever (even the remote works), if a little bit better.
So here it is:
The flashing process is exacly as described earlier in this thread. Use phoenix card to burn the img to an SD card, turn the device on with the card inserted in the slot and enjoy your restored android box.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hello My Friend And Thank You For Replay...
This Android is Working And is Very Good But i Can Not Install This To My Device. I Copy The IMG File To A External Memory Card (Using PhonixCard Application) and put the Memory Card To My Device And PowerOn My Device. My Device Automatically Boot From Memory Card And New Android is Appear. It Is Very Fast And Have No Errors.
Now...
HOW I CAN INSTALL THE IMG FILE TO MY DEVICE (INTERNAL MEMORY) AND BOOT MY DEVICE WITHOUT USING MEMORY CARD (FOR ALL TIMES)???
H.SHAFAGHI said:
Hello My Friend And Thank You For Replay...
This Android is Working And is Very Good But i Can Not Install This To My Device. I Copy The IMG File To A External Memory Card (Using PhonixCard Application) and put the Memory Card To My Device And PowerOn My Device. My Device Automatically Boot From Memory Card And New Android is Appear. It Is Very Fast And Have No Errors.
Now...
HOW I CAN INSTALL THE IMG FILE TO MY DEVICE (INTERNAL MEMORY) AND BOOT MY DEVICE WITHOUT USING MEMORY CARD (FOR ALL TIMES)???
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Wow.
The Phoenixsuite makes an sdcard that flashes the internal memory. After it's finished flashing, you take the card out and it runs off of the internal NAND. That's it. It never runs the Android from the sdcard.
My device can boot from sd-card!!! I need to flash this to install your android!
tisdall said:
Wow.
The Phoenixsuite makes an sdcard that flashes the internal memory. After it's finished flashing, you take the card out and it runs off of the internal NAND. That's it. It never runs the Android from the sdcard.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hello My Friend And Thank You For Replay...
1- My Device Can Boot From SD-CARD With A Bootable Memory Card! (Such As OpenSuse Linux)
2- I Use PhonixCard Application That You Send.
(PhoenixCard_V309
*http:/ /mega.co.nz/#F!HAIhBJyS!L_UQPNnYdPyHTD3ggnJ6OA
3- I Can Not Use PhonixSuit Application And I Don't Know How To Use PhonixSuit. When I Connect My Device To My Computer To Use PhonixSuit, My Computer Don't Find Any Hardware And Can Not Connect!
4- I Copy The IMG File To A SD-CARD (Using PhonixCard Application) and put the Memory Card To My Device And PowerOn My Device. My Device Automatically Boot From Memory Card And New Android is Appear. If Unplug The SD-CARD And Power On My Device, Old Android Is Appear!!! Master Android Software Is In My Device And I Need To Clear This From My Device And Install Your Android!
HOW I CAN INSTALL YOUR ANDROID TO MY DEVICE (INTERNAL MEMORY) AND BOOT MY DEVICE WITHOUT USING MEMORY CARD???
I need help!!!!
no any answer???
I have a 8T (KB2005), and I've been recently reading up on different mods and came across some posts from around 2014-2016-ish, like https://www.xda-developers.com/dual-boot-on-android-a-power-users-holy-grail/, which show that it was possible to install multiple firmwares and be able to choose which one to boot into similar to like on a PC (there was even a grub4android.)
But I can't seem to find any information about doing this with newer devices like the 8T. Does anyone know if it is possible? I already have my bootloader unocked, so I would assume that this and root would be required, but likely also the device needs to be able to use whatever mechanism that actually handles the actual multi-booting/choosing duties.
Thanks for any information.
blz8 said:
I have a 8T (KB2005), and I've been recently reading up on different mods and came across some posts from around 2014-2016-ish, like https://www.xda-developers.com/dual-boot-on-android-a-power-users-holy-grail/, which show that it was possible to install multiple firmwares and be able to choose which one to boot into similar to like on a PC (there was even a grub4android.)
But I can't seem to find any information about doing this with newer devices like the 8T. Does anyone know if it is possible? I already have my bootloader unocked, so I would assume that this and root would be required, but likely also the device needs to be able to use whatever mechanism that actually handles the actual multi-booting/choosing duties.
Thanks for any information.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The bits that really matter are:
The app/system data files (/data excluding /data/media)
The "system" partitions (system, system_ext, odm, product, vendor) - they live inside the super partition as logical (not physical) partitions
The "boot" partitions (boot, dtbo)
Whilst the firmware and "boot" partitions exist as A and B versions, there is only one version of the data and "system" partitions.
So you can't dual boot. However, you could backup the data and system parts and restore these for the appropriate slot.
But even here there are problems. The encryption keys used by different roms, and indeed different versions of OOS, mean that you can't decrypt the data on a slot that has different keys to the other slot.
Also, different roms store system settings in /data in different ways which is why you often have to do a factory reset when changing or upgrading roms.
The upshot of all of this is this: you can't meaningfully dual boot.
BillGoss said:
The bits that really matter are:
The app/system data files (/data excluding /data/media)
The "system" partitions (system, system_ext, odm, product, vendor) - they live inside the super partition as logical (not physical) partitions
The "boot" partitions (boot, dtbo)
Whilst the firmware and "boot" partitions exist as A and B versions, there is only one version of the data and "system" partitions.
So you can't dual boot. However, you could backup the data and system parts and restore these for the appropriate slot.
But even here there are problems. The encryption keys used by different roms, and indeed different versions of OOS, mean that you can't decrypt the data on a slot that has different keys to the other slot.
Also, different roms store system settings in /data in different ways which is why you often have to do a factory reset when changing or upgrading roms.
The upshot of all of this is this: you can't meaningfully dual boot.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you for the reply, for the information. I didn't know that the data partition was shared like that, which would have been nifty if multiple times could see the same apps and files, but I can see how the encryption keys would be a big problem as you said.
Thanks again.
There was an interesting project posted over on the TWRP thread that may be of interest to you.
GitHub - rain2wood/DualNine: // Generic DualBoot solution for Dynamic Android phones //
// Generic DualBoot solution for Dynamic Android phones // - GitHub - rain2wood/DualNine: // Generic DualBoot solution for Dynamic Android phones //
github.com
But, personally, it seems a bit impractical and not very useful in terms of what it offers. Mainly due to the issues regarding decryption. Also, it would need a bit of testing as the 8T has virtual AB partitions.
blz8 said:
I have a 8T (KB2005), and I've been recently reading up on different mods and came across some posts from around 2014-2016-ish, like https://www.xda-developers.com/dual-boot-on-android-a-power-users-holy-grail/, which show that it was possible to install multiple firmwares and be able to choose which one to boot into similar to like on a PC (there was even a grub4android.)
But I can't seem to find any information about doing this with newer devices like the 8T. Does anyone know if it is possible? I already have my bootloader unocked, so I would assume that this and root would be required, but likely also the device needs to be able to use whatever mechanism that actually handles the actual multi-booting/choosing duties.
Thanks for any information.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have Paralloid running on my Nord N10. As soon as my 8t gets here from amazon tomorrow....Also DSU loader is a dual boot method as well.
Hello fellas,
I would like to inscrease the system partition size so i can be able to flash some gsi roms that are larger than my device's system partiton, sush as pixel experience 11 gsi rom.
I know there is way using parted and gdisk but i'm not really familiar with linux and i'm afraid i can do something stupid and brick my device.
Does anyone with knowledge could please make a detailed tutoral teaching how to to that? 4 gb is a new good size for. Thanks in advance, cheers.