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[GUIDE] Custom ROM development for the rest of us [In Progress]

*** THIS IS NOT JUST ANOTHER EFFORT TO CREATE YET ANOTHER CUSTOM ROM***
Though Android is opensource, a lot of things are unknown regarding ROM development/modification. There are many custom ROMs available for Galaxy 3 (and also other phones) and lot of people are flashing them and making their phone more responsive, productive and faster; but very few people actually knew how to go about developing the ROM.
What I intend here is to find out and document correct way to build ROM for our favorite Galaxy 3, which is very popular in India.
The goal will be to develop the ROM from Android source + Drivers from stock ROM while documenting the process so that large number of people can contribute to the development.
I will shortly update the posts with what I have done.

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Can anyone help me convert system.img and userdata.img file into files flash-able by ODIN?
Thanks

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looking forward to what you come up with
Making one aint difficult keeping it bug free might get sometimes

Thanks rudolf895
I have experience in Android SDK and NDK development, but I am a noob when it comes to ROM development. Thats why this effort.
I have fetched android source using repo as well as I have also downloaded source for I5801 from Samsung open source website. After this I will look into extracting drivers from stock ROM and successfully compiling it for Galaxy 3.
rudolf895 said:
looking forward to what you come up with
Making one aint difficult keeping it bug free might get sometimes
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

abhijeet.pathak said:
thanks rudolf895
i have experience in android sdk and ndk development, but i am a noob when it comes to rom development. Thats why this effort.
I have fetched android source using repo as well as i have also downloaded source for i5801 from samsung open source website. After this i will look into extracting drivers from stock rom and successfully compiling it for galaxy 3.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
best of luck

Looking forward to it!

abhijeet.pathak said:
Thanks rudolf895
I have experience in Android SDK and NDK development, but I am a noob when it comes to ROM development. Thats why this effort.
I have fetched android source using repo as well as I have also downloaded source for I5801 from Samsung open source website. After this I will look into extracting drivers from stock ROM and successfully compiling it for Galaxy 3.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Do not fell shy to ask for help u need. Together we can make it better. We are with you whenever u need us.
ARMVK Dev Team

Thanks!
Thanks a lot for your support guys..
arunmcops said:
Do not fell shy to ask for help u need. Together we can make it better. We are with you whenever u need us.
ARMVK Dev Team
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

hehe, cant wait to see what you come up with, sounds promissing btw... i am also willing to help whereever i can, whereas this wont be too much in this case i guess.
good luck and thanx...

TY ..!
Thanx alot
This would be really helpful to alot of members here

interesting ! waiting ....

I applaud your thread, I myself was thinking about such a concept.
I wanna help, but I cant do that much (basic knowledge of C and basic/little knowledge of linux and adb).
I think first there should be a list of basic stuff. Like compiling the sources, extracting factoryrfs and co from your phone etc... Sometimes if you wanna start doing something and you dont know the basics you get scared off because of their apparent tremendous lack of knowledge.
I'd probably start dabbling if somebody told me how to compile the sources.

can you also specify your work environment, toolchain and such stuff, so anyone can start from zero? there is a kernel building vm image with all tools by sztupy somewhere on the forum that is eventually of interest, and there is also an extended version containing eclipse and some more tools for full android development:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=882010
hope this helps somebody...

Did you try using it? I think the scripts are specific and cant be used by us (without altercation)

no, i have absolutely no idea of kernel compilation and all that advanced stuff, but i guess it can be adapted for our use

Yup...me too in waitin line...Now i can say i dint made a mistake by buying it...
Sent from my GT-I5801 using XDA App

abhijeet.pathak said:
Can anyone help me convert system.img and userdata.img file into files flash-able by ODIN?
Thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
maybe you can create a ".tar" package including all those files.. .tar is flashable in odin..

What is necessary if I want to compile a ROM?

Hi guys. 2 months ago I've came into Android World deeper than before and now I'm very fascinated. I downloaded linux, all the necessary files to compile a rom but I still don't understand some things.
My device is Redmi Note 2 and I use stock MIUI 7. As we all know mtk and/or xiaomi haven't released kernel sources (6795) so developers have to think hard how to make a rom. And there are my questions. Does kernel source is really necessary? What if I compile rom successfully and then port boot.img from stock? Will it work? However developers made some roms based on LP for this device. And I read that I need device tree and vendor, which doesnt exist for redmi note 2 or I still can't use github.
Second question which I have is: does compiling for 64 bit CPU differ from compiling for 32 bit CPU (like 6592)? If yes, could you give me some tips?
Ohh I think you can understand what I wrote
Thanks in advance and please dont blame me for silly questions

If you are looking to compile roms then you picked the wrong device to do it. They are the worst with kernel source. You can't completely compile a rom but use a patch system that does most of the work.
Yes it is different. There are some Tuts around but they are few as most don't use that type of chip.
If you really want to learn to develop then I would suggest getting a different device. One that respects the copyright and gpl laws.

zelendel said:
If you are looking to compile roms then you picked the wrong device to do it. They are the worst with kernel source. You can't completely compile a rom but use a patch system that does most of the work.
Yes it is different. There are some Tuts around but they are few as most don't use that type of chip.
If you really want to learn to develop then I would suggest getting a different device. One that respects the copyright and gpl laws.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you for your advices. I have HTC desire 310 and I found the kernel sources. I know what I'll do in my free time

Monsterlevel said:
Thank you for your advices. I have HTC desire 310 and I found the kernel sources. I know what I'll do in my free time
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
To compile a rom u need kernel source, device tree and proprietary, bye

How to build/port Bugless Android Nougat for MT65xx (MT6582) devices?

How could I be able to build/port bugless Android 7 (Nougat) for MT65xx based devices (Specifically MT6582 device "Mine is Infinix Hot X507")? I am looking for building/porting a bugless Lineage OS/Resurrection Remix/AOSP/... latest release ROMs for my MT6582 device. I've no experience in building/porting Android ROMs. My question could be what are the topics/guides I need to learn from in order to have the skills of the person who is able to build/port a bugless Nougat version for my device?
It doesn't matter the topics/guides are for porting/building (also is it easy/hard), however the more convenient approach for me is the one by which I could have a bugless fully device-compatible ROM at the end.
I have good programming knowledge base and dealing with command line software. Also I will start learning Linux Kernel in few weeks after my exams.
I need your valuable help and suggestions. Thanks in advance.
Research/Outcomes till now:
■ I have read a little about porting. I understood that first I need a to-be-Port-ed ROM of another phone having the same CPU. I have found one here, but unfortunately it has some bugs. The publisher says that this version is unstable and needs someone to build it for MT6582. I'm looking for being able to have the skills to be that person .

omareg94 said:
How could I be able to build/port bugless Android 7 (Nougat) for MT65xx based devices (Specifically MT6582 device "Mine is Infinix Hot X507")? I am looking for building/porting a bugless Lineage OS/Resurrection Remix/AOSP/... latest release ROMs for my MT6582 device. I've no experience in building/porting Android ROMs. My question could be what are the topics/guides I need to learn from in order to have the skills of the person who is able to build/port a bugless Nougat version for my device?
It doesn't matter the topics/guides are for porting/building (also is it easy/hard), however the more convenient approach for me is the one by which I could have a bugless fully device-compatible ROM at the end.
I have good programming knowledge base and dealing with command line software. Also I will start learning Linux Kernel in few weeks after my exams.
I need your valuable help and suggestions. Thanks in advance.
Research/Outcomes till now:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
First of all, chances are high you won't get a fully bugless one at the very first boot.there will be device specific files that causes minor bugs which you can only find and fix after the ROM boots successfully. This should be your primary objective,there are lot of guides for porting mediatek devices you can follow guides for marshmallow ROMs as its similar.
But i must it will be easier trying a marshmallow or lollipop roms first if youre new,anyway I wish you Good luck:good:
- Now to the ROM (trust me I know all about it)
It is based on 3.10.103 kernel so first you have to build one for your device. basic things like data aren't working in this beta release.
The publisher says he needs someone to build it for mt6582? Well,**** .
Building ROMs/kernels aren't easy but I'll tell you what is though ,stealing someone's days of work, put it in your blog without even giving some credits,this youtuber may not know about it so...I'm not gonna do anything about it
Will this build be fixed? It was ditched because of the above mentioned problem but I/other devs may release another stable build for our device(lenovo a5000) but it may or may not be available to the public
Edit :it's out now

Will there be a Custom Rom?

Does anyone know about this topic?

https://forum.xda-developers.com/mi-note-10/how-to/custom-development-t4018813
In short:there are same some efforts trying to get custom Roms but nothing groundbreaking yet.
I am working on the device tree right now to compile from source. Not ready yet and don't have the device in hand right now (should arrive soon) s.o. else is trying with treble images.

nchantmnt said:
https://forum.xda-developers.com/mi-note-10/how-to/custom-development-t4018813
In short:there are same some efforts trying to get custom Roms but nothing groundbreaking yet.
I am working on the device tree right now to compile from source. Not ready yet and don't have the device in hand right now (should arrive soon) s.o. else is trying with treble images.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I thought device tree is something that was used to be leaked from Xiaomi

As far as I can see there is no device tree published by xiaomi for tucana (our device)
Only thing we have rn is kernel source.
But we can create device tree by ourself. There are some basic guides online. Rest is compare with existing device trees for similar devices and copy&paste.
for now I have downloaded k20 device tree, removed everything k20-specific (e. G. Popup Camera) and adapt further files for our device(s)
When my handset arrives (should be today) I can start unlock procedure (should take some time to get the code AFAIK), then I can unlock bootloader, flash custom recovery and see if I can get my device to boot properly after flashing... Then comes troubleshooting.
Right now I am expecting maybe a halfway booting device or broken/missing functionality at best. But we will see

I hope soon

The more people help together the faster we can get some Roms ?

nchantmnt said:
The more people help together the faster we can get some Roms ?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you have a group for this, would you pm?

No group yet, but you still get an pm
Anyone willing to collaborate is welcome to pm me as well

I have seen this Android 9 source code. Is it helpful?
https://github.com/MiCode/Xiaomi_Kernel_OpenSource/tree/tucana-p-oss
I thought this model would have more support and after 4 months there is no Rom. I hope that now that the price is going down more people buy it and we have more community. Thank you for what you know and develop.

ignalop1983 said:
I have seen this Android 9 source code. Is it helpful?
https://github.com/MiCode/Xiaomi_Kernel_OpenSource/tree/tucana-p-oss
I thought this model would have more support and after 4 months there is no Rom. I hope that now that the price is going down more people buy it and we have more community. Thank you for what you know and develop.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just an incomplete kernel sources, I think is useless.

https://www.xda-developers.com/poss...-fcc-certified-snapdragon-730g-penta-cameras/
There will be a lite edition soon. The only difference on hardware is number of pixels.
If its ROM is same or almost the same to current models, we should get some progress around development.

Anything new?

UtkuAblak said:
Does anyone know about this topic?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Please look at the existing topics first, before opening another topic!

nchantmnt said:
As far as I can see there is no device tree published by xiaomi for tucana (our device)
Only thing we have rn is kernel source.
But we can create device tree by ourself. There are some basic guides online. Rest is compare with existing device trees for similar devices and copy&paste.
for now I have downloaded k20 device tree, removed everything k20-specific (e. G. Popup Camera) and adapt further files for our device(s)
When my handset arrives (should be today) I can start unlock procedure (should take some time to get the code AFAIK), then I can unlock bootloader, flash custom recovery and see if I can get my device to boot properly after flashing... Then comes troubleshooting.
Right now I am expecting maybe a halfway booting device or broken/missing functionality at best. But we will see
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, just tell me if you need help.

Same here, I am very tempted by the Note 10 but I am waiting for an aosp rom as many people complained about the stock miui rom

Any news or update on this? Would love to buy a Mi Note 10 as their prices have gone down but with the lack of development I'm kind of leaning towards the 9t even tho I'm worried about that front camera as some have had issues. I suspect not many are developing for this device because of the high price. Hopefully whoever said something up there about the Note 10 lite gets custom ROMs going with more devs

I'm still trying here but very short on time. We have some good progress on device tree thanks to someone else (thanks Hlcpereira).

nchantmnt said:
I'm still trying here but very short on time. We have some good progress on device tree thanks to someone else (thanks Hlcpereira).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
yes he is working on this device.

nchantmnt said:
I'm still trying here but very short on time. We have some good progress on device tree thanks to someone else (thanks Hlcpereira).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Awesome news! Thanks :good:

I think the development goes now straight because we have MIUI Stable based on Android 10 now.
Good luck!

Question Is there an easy way to make a custom rom?

I know how to root and install legit custom OS as long as it works on my device. Is there a easier way to make a custom rom through Windows 11?

https://forum.xda-developers.com/t/all-kinds-of-errors-when-flashing-a-rom.4545717/
If you can't figure out these simple errors, how are you planning on building custom ROMs and debugging?
*Just wondering*

I was wondering the same. Building a custom ROM is not an easy task. You should really know the ins and outs of Android to even attempt it. Not knocking you, there are around 10 custom ROMs in just this forum. What would you add or build that isn't already available?

Not that you can't and cannot learn how but as stated above. Building a custom ROM can be quite the undertaking and you have to ask... What can you provide and offer that's not already available?
Firstly you need a decent PC for your build environment. One with plenty of RAM and storage. Ability to run or dual boot Linux and know commands. Can be built in windows environment though.
Secondly you need a device that you're willing to troubleshoot, bootloop, soft brick and or hard brick. Plus know how to recover from the above (hard brick excluded)
If you're willing, it's definitely fun, challenging and can be rewarding. I use to build my own personal ROMs a couple of years ago.
You can look at ROM development from beginning to end here and android kitchen here
Best of luck!!

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