ZTE ZX2AA500 GB Ethernet Transceiver Problems (SOLVED big news for inside)

**chewitt** · August 29, 2018 at 9:12 PM Official Post

I'm not sure what mainline branch you're building from but if it's the amlogic one in my repo; once you've created an image add "textmode" to the end of the boot commands in uEnv.ini and it won't attempt to start Kodi which otherwise fails and loops endlessly. Instead it will boot to a console and you can connect a USB keyboard to play around.

Menion · August 30, 2018 at 6:18 AM

I am using Armbian images on mainline 4.18.x from the repository you linked few posts above

**chewitt** · October 9, 2018 at 2:16 PM Official Post

In the last couple of weeks i've been sporadically poking 4.18/4.19 kernels with a VIM2 board which uses the RTL8211F chip and experienced awful ethernet performance (major packet loss etc.) until the CONFIG_REALTEK_PHY was switched from =m to =y .. before the change the PHY was showing up as the CONFIG_GENERIC_PHY device, and since it's been fine.

It's probably unrelated, but it jogged my memory of your problem so I figured I'd post something.

Menion · October 11, 2018 at 9:36 PM

I have just solved the issue with the help of Sam Nazarko

We need to remove the "cali_val" property in dts bindings

He said that the cali_val 0x20000 that comes from AMLogic EVB introduce a lot of performances issue in the TV box hardware and he does know why it is widely used

It is possible that it is still needed for some TV box layouts, so maybe it is time to bring a new dts variant in the LE/CE family

Note: the value is still present in the android dts, so I REALLY have no clue of what is going on in android to make everything work ok there....

Menion · October 11, 2018 at 9:41 PM

Quote from chewitt

In the last couple of weeks i've been sporadically poking 4.18/4.19 kernels with a VIM2 board which uses the RTL8211F chip and experienced awful ethernet performance (major packet loss etc.) until the CONFIG_REALTEK_PHY was switched from =m to =y .. before the change the PHY was showing up as the CONFIG_GENERIC_PHY device, and since it's been fine.

It's probably unrelated, but it jogged my memory of your problem so I figured I'd post something.

This is another issue. Because the way the PHY lib works, I don't think that PHY driver compiled as modules work at all, due to the way the probing is done. If you check the gen_phy you see that the clock screw has been moved under specific dts bindings, but the 8211F also require a special init function

Whitesak · October 12, 2018 at 2:40 PM

Quote from Menion

I have just solved the issue with the help of Sam Nazarko

We need to remove the "cali_val" property in dts bindings

Hi, it´s very good news.

But what does it mean for us, dummies users? Waiting for a new coreelec version? Or, can we change some configuration on our actual coreelec?

Thank you very much.

Menion · October 12, 2018 at 3:26 PM

Means that you can use the dtb in the attached zip file, meaning that you copy it to dtb.img in the SD card root directory

Please consider that it will be reset to the old one if you upgrade, until we manage to put it in the supported dtb, still you can recopy it unless there is some modification made.

Whitesak · October 12, 2018 at 10:18 PM

Thank you very much.

I have tried your new dtb file, but unfortunately I don´t see any improvement.

My gigabit ethernet on my Sunvell T95Z Max is still slow.

I still must use USB Gbit adapter for high bitrate files.

papla83 · October 12, 2018 at 11:27 PM

Hi and thanks .

Does it works on 3gb/32GB version ? with ATVXperience ?

Thanks.

Menion · October 13, 2018 at 7:04 AM

Quote from Whitesak

Thank you very much.

I have tried your new dtb file, but unfortunately I don´t see any improvement.

My gigabit ethernet on my Sunvell T95Z Max is still slow.

I still must use USB Gbit adapter for high bitrate files.

You are probably doing something wrong with the dtb

Menion · October 13, 2018 at 7:51 AM

Quote from papla83

Hi and thanks .

Does it works on 3gb/32GB version ? with ATVXperience ?

Thanks.

You have problem with gigabit speed? If so it is possible the solution solves it, but the dtb attached is for 2gb RAM

AthieN · October 20, 2018 at 9:05 PM

Hey guys,

Any chance someone could post a patched DTB for the T95z Plus 3/32G (6255) model please? I've tried taking my original DTB and removed the 'cali_val' string and recompiled the ROM, but the LAN port is still clocking in at 100M instead of 1G and I can't for the life of me get it working properly. If no one has a patch available, would someone be able to walk me through what I'm missing? Any help would be greatly appreciated! Thanks in advance.

matthewcky2k · October 24, 2018 at 8:13 PM

it seems that this dtb allows the connection to work but then it crashes after you try and put anything over the ethernet. seems the whole network stack fails. only a reboot fixes. if i force to 100mbit then it works fine. will get some logs

matthewcky2k · log-2018-10-24-18.54.32.zip

logs from my box its the 2g/16gb version

matthewcky2k · October 25, 2018 at 11:22 AM

it seems that the with 100mbit it also crashes the network stack but it takes longer (maybe-5-10 minute after starting a file)

Menion · October 25, 2018 at 12:46 PM

You probably have another problem

Can you confirm that without the patch, you were not able to even get a gigabit connection?

matthewcky2k · October 25, 2018 at 1:22 PM

yes no gigabit whatsoever

Menion · October 25, 2018 at 3:05 PM

describe the connection between your tv box and the network (cables, switch in between, ecc...)

Also try to connect something else to the same ethernet cable you use for the tv box (a laptop for example)