LED (VFD) Displays in LibreELEC

  • ndroid

    I think he's saying that the display is stuck at "boot", which normally means the vfd driver has not been started or the wrong vfd.conf was used.

    Just lost a detailed reply to you grrr Anyway thanks Coolest and sorry for long delay in replying but been too busy to get time to look into until now.

    Anyway trying to get the internet default Andriid 7 DTB file so I can send it to you and ask you if would kindly help get a suitable conf file to get my front display panel workign in LE 8.2.3.3. and 8.4.2.1 on my Tanix TX9 Pro S912 3/32 Gb with gigabit port box. Have the servcice needed running and checked that it is working, but cannot find a suitable conf file for it having tried several similar box type ones availble here on this site all to no avail 9yes I know to reboot too after copying into the KODi correct config folder.

    Problem is I cannot get the Android 7 DTB file following Kszaq's instruactions as shown below. How the heck can I get to send the command as Putty connection to teh box running default Android will not happen using SSH like it does with LE ?? Help ?? I know little about Android as really dislike it so dont use it much if at all. I do have the original default Andorid 7 firmnware as run LE off of a fast SD card as usual.

    • Yes but only if you have original Android firmware on internal storage, otherwise dtb might be incorrect. You can execute dd if=/dev/dtb | gzip > /storage/downloads/dtb.img.gz and you'll find compressed device tree in Downloads share.
  • An update I thought hey must be that I have to use Android Terminal Emulator app but that command line does not work in the TE either as reports no such file or directory and also I get a Permission denied on the /dev/dtb bit too ?? So still stuck. Clearly cannot run it in LE as Android OS will not be running but maybe it does simply then look at internal memory and copies it from there to the LE /storage/dowmloads folder. Will try it in LE then. Be back later.

  • Okay I give up. In LE that ssh command says there is no such directory as /storage/downloads whcih is of course correct as a quick look in FIle Manager will show. So clearly I can see no way of gettign this Android original DTB file either from an Android boot up with ssh or TE, and not in LE KODI either of course. Please help somebody !!!

  • RayW

    This is *ELEC basics, LE creates a few shared folders, one of them is `downloads` and it's normally stored in /storage, together with a lot of other folders.

    Linux is case sensitive, so make sure you don't use caps when you type in commands.

    Try to run these commands and post the URL you get in return.

    Code
    cd /storage
    ls | paste
  • Okay I give up. In LE that ssh command says there is no such directory as /storage/downloads whcih is of course correct as a quick look in FIle Manager will show. So clearly I can see no way of gettign this Android original DTB file either from an Android boot up with ssh or TE, and not in LE KODI either of course. Please help somebody !!!

    If your box i rooted, boot to Android, and from Play Store instal "X-plore File Manager". Open X-plore, go to root//dev/ folder and find there the needed dtb.img file. Copy it to your favorite location...

  • RayW

    This is *ELEC basics, LE creates a few shared folders, one of them is `downloads` and it's normally stored in /storage, together with a lot of other folders.

    Linux is case sensitive, so make sure you don't use caps when you type in commands.

    Try to run these commands and post the URL you get in return.

    Code
    cd /storage
    ls | paste

    No I looked in File Manager and run the above commands in SSH but neither show a Downloads folder at all and I have two boxes one a s905x and the other my latest S912 and neither have a downloads folder. Cannto remember ever seeing one and do play around a lot with files in teh storage area so confused now ?? I can create a downloads folder but a bit odd that I should have to to be frank.

    I do know there is a downloads folder in Android as that is where you install APKs from after downloading them. This is not as straightforward as the instructions implied to be honest.

    Ahh forgot The url I get is http:://http://sprunge.us/31IMjz

    PS I have created a downloads folder in the /storage directory now and running the command from SSH now works okay. The DTB.IMG.GX file is now there in my newly created folder. But it should be noted that this folder is not created automatically as I have two boxes both with virgin LS 8.2.2.3 installs on SD card and as I say neither have this downloads folder created, so surely this is going to be a problem for everyone trying to run that ssh command line. I have to assume thsi is the Android DTB file and not the LE one but I will now try to attach it to this post if I can. Have to put it on a USB stick first úsing File Manager as dont know how to copy it from my box 'direct to a Windows folder usign SSH.

    Cannot attach the file as it says the extension is invalid ??? Weird . SO do I simply remove the extension and leave it as dtb.img . Tried it and also invalid ??? so how can I send you this dtb file ?? Ah maybe add the extemsion .zip. That worked but the file shows as 0 Byte ?? Let me know if that is okay please Coolest. Doesnt look right '. So how do I attach files here, seems non intuitive ??? Ah it was 0 bytes somethign wrong with my USB stick as keeps changing to 0 bytes form about 38K Now used a differfent stick and now okay so re attached it.

    Very much appreciate if you can help here with the display conf file for these really nice TX9 Pro boxes.

  • If your box i rooted, boot to Android, and from Play Store instal "X-plore File Manager". Open X-plore, go to root//dev/ folder and find there the needed dtb.img file. Copy it to your favorite location...

    Thanks Sholander. But already sorted it if you see my response to The Coolest. Had to create a /storage/downloads folder manually first. Now got the file but cannot seem to upload it here by using simple attachments and adding a .zip extension for compatiobility with this forum. Anyway I really dont want to play much with Android and adding any more apps to it is something I try to avoid. I detest Android I have to say and I am fully a long time Linux based man and love LE for KODI.

    Everytime I do try to use Andorid on these boxes I find it is not fit for purpose and so difficutl to navigate using the remote a real PITA which KODI is not. Gets me quite irritable I have to say but maybe put some of that down to old age. I dont even like Android based smart phones much either and far prefer my awesome iPhone, but I appreciate that is subjective of course as at least Android does work ok with a smart phone unlike with these boxes, clearly needs a keyboard attached whcih should not be essential as it is not in LE KODI.

  • RayW

    Sadly that didn't work right, the output didn't contain the DTB.

    You may have to follow Sholander 's suggestion.

    Well I have to give up now. Bloody Android is a heap of crap and cannot understand how anyone likes using it to be honest.

    Anyhow installed that XPlore File Manager and spent 30 minutes trying to copy the /dev/dtb file across to my USB stick. Gave up in the end as the XPlore app is virtually unusable and IMHO is truly not fit for the purpose. Why oh why can they not learn in Android how to run a decent File Manager feature (and any other feature too) properly like they do in KODI with their easy to use intuitive File Manager facility ?? Literally everything is a pain in Android and a complete mess, difficult to configue and messy to use. Everythjing we usually need is always far better implemented in Linux KODI !!!

    Anyway I could at least look at that DTB file in XPlore and it is shown as 0 bytes. So go figure, I cant. I just go around and around in circles and get nowhere in Android and the remote is next to useless. How the hell can you use this Xplore app to simply copy a file from one place to another ?? I have been a PC power user for several decades now and been on Unix detailed tech courses etc etc and have little probelm with Linux based KODI. But I repeat Android I find is a real PITA. As I said before I stick with Apple phones and tablets (worth the extra cost or get an older second hand one), and LE Linux based KODI streaming boxes. Just wish I could find a non zero byte DTB file in the Andorid system files and copy it to my USB stick so I can post it here for The Coolest.

    Hey Coolest thanks a lot man for trying to help here, much appreciated and Sholander too. Sadly I just cannot see how he can use that XPlore app ???????? Beats me for sure.

  • Well I have to give up now. Bloody Android is a heap of crap and cannot understand how anyone likes using it to be honest. Sadly I just cannot see how he can use that XPlore app ???????? Beats me for sure.

    ??? It is as simple as it gets ;)

    Use a mouse, and use Xplore in 2 pane mode; on left open (single left button click) root/dev folder and on the right open your disk.

    Long left button press on dtb.img brings up a menu in which you choose what to do with the file. Choose copy and it will send it to the right pane...

  • I'm not sure which version of the vfd driver the build you're using is running, so I can't really help you with that, may have to ask wrxtasy.

    Also, I was asking for the DTB from the Android that is on your box, not the one you use with LE.