Posts by kszaq

This is an unofficial LibreELEC build aimed at devices based on Amlogic S905/S905X SoC.

Kodi Jarvis is now obsolete, these builds are no longer updated (apart from security updates).

How to install, update, FAQ: LibreELEC

7.0.3.012 (2017-01-06) (updated 2017-05-28 to 7.0.3.012l)
Source code: GitHub - kszaq/LibreELEC.tv at libreelec-7.0

Download: Index of /s905/7.0.3.012/

Device trees: Index of /s905/7.0.3.012/device_trees/

Issues with booting? Freezes? Use a build with disabled temperature sensor:
Recommended: LibreELEC-S905.arm-7.0.3.012l-temp_sensor_disabled.img.gz

Important: please read Updating section below!

Important notes:

• These are community supported builds so please post all bugs/issues in this forum area only.
• For any non-personal use you should refer to Kodi Trademark Policy. Please also follow these guidelines for LibreELEC branding.
• I created this build for myself and work on it in my free time. I also don't know a lot of things so please be kind and patient if you encounter any bugs.

Reporting bugs: [READ FIRST] Reporting bugs

Changelog:

• no more 64-bit usespace build!
• update media_build drivers to CrazyCat69, 2016-12-23 (thanks CvH)
• improved Kodi buffering patch
• fixed freezing when trying to play some MP4 videos (LibreELEC)
• added a patch that might enable Bluetooth for QCA9377
• added a Python hack to improve 32-bit userspace detection in addons using platform.machine() (e.g. Spotify)
• updated LE addon repository
• other little tweaks and fixes
• 7.0.3.012c:
• fixed Bluetooth using hciattach (e.g. Realtek 8723BS)
• new QCA9377 WiFi driver
• new QCA9377 Bluetooth driver
• added an udev rule in hope to fix non-working WiFi on boot (you no longer have to toggle it in settings)
• fixed Docker support
• 7.0.3.012d:
• fixed "Cannot get MTD information for /dev/nand_env" error when setting/reading uenv variables
• fixed BT Audio for QCA9377 and RTL8723BS
• added experimental MT7601U and MT7603U drivers
• fixed keyctl syscalls for Docker
• updated media_build patches
• Experimental: use hciattach to load BRCM BT firmware - should fix AP6212A BT
• 7.0.3.012e:
• adjusted Kodi patch to fix video stalling in some samples
• adjusted udev rule that fixes non-working WiFi on boot
• enabled CONFIG_UHID in kernel config for HID over BT devices
• adjusted udev rule that loads Broadcom BT firmware
• 7.0.3.012f:
• hopefully fixed loading BT firmware for Broadcom chips
• added some missing BT firmwares
• removed all wireless-related udev rules - should fix WiFi not loading on boot (again)
• 7.0.3.012g:
• more fixes to non-working Broadcom BT
• added a patch from meijjaa to fix non-working AP6212A BT
• media_build drivers updated to latest upstream version (2017-01-22)
• added an udev rule for QCA WiFi to solve non-working WiFi on boot and not break it for others
• last try of Kodi vq patch amendment
• 7.0.3.012h:
• media_build updated from LE 8.0
• optimized kernel size
• minor boot speed improvement for devices with eMMC
• backported Samba improvements from LE 8.0
• added BCM4335A0/B0 Bluetooth firmware
• 7.0.3.012i
• use standard advancedsettings.xml from LE (includes 175ms audio delay for ~24fps videos)
• kodi: optimize NFS chunk size
• optimized kernel size and Kodi binary size
• fixed AP6210 BT
• reverted NAND module load optimization
• added Kodi patch to fix video scaling for rotated videos
• 7.0.3.012j
• fixed reading ethernet MAC address from eFuse and added reading from nand_env
• minor improvement in copying user data in installtointernal script
• experimental: better scaling of Mali cores for smoother GUI
• 7.0.3.012k
• merged all kernel changes from 8.0 branch, including Nougat kernel imports, audio fixes etc.
• 7.0.3.012l
• kernel is back to Marshmallow
• subtitles security patch backport applied

Known issues:

• Built-in DVB tuners are not supported.
• 4K support is experimental.
• 3D and HDR are not supported!
• If you use S905X device the screen will be darker than normal on boot. It goes back to normal after you start/stop a video. (fixed in 7.0.3.012k)
• Suspend does not work on most devices. Use power off. Power off is a default action of IR remote power button.
• CEC might not work when your box has incompatible u-boot or your TV is not that well supported by Amlogic low-level CEC driver.
• DVB support is experimental, some USB DVB tuners don't work at all.

Note on 32-bit build: If you want to update from 64-bit build, you may need to clean your addon cache:
rm -rf ~/.kodi/addons/packages/*  ~/.kodi/userdata/Database/Addons20.db ; systemctl restart kodi
(thanks to koenkooi for providing a one-liner)
After doing this you have to reinstall addons that are not working.

If you update from 64-bit to 32-bit build your device tree may not update automatically even if you put it in Update folder! You have to replace it manually or perform update process for the second time - i.e. once again put 32-bit build and device tree in Update folder and reboot.

CAUTION: If you use a device tree from a previous build, you may experience audio stuttering issues, no passthrough or no audio at all.

Quote from CGarces

Sorry I'm lost.

8GB eMMC ~4.8GB for data (4.6G on my box) 1 GB for system... where is the rest?

Here is partition list with sizes in device tree provided by Amlogic: linux-amlogic-le/gxbb_p200.dts at amlogic-3.14.y · kszaq/linux-amlogic-le · GitHub

Data partition size "0xffffffff" means "the rest".

Quote from rkmfl

I make some pretty dumb mistakes .. but this isn't one of them, lol.

No SD card is in the device. I don't know if it helps, but I did use the feature you added and recommended, "installtointernal" to move over to the NAND from the SD.

But again, there is no SD in the unit and no USB thumb drive. Nothing. What you are looking at is the NAND patitions.

Could this be a result of the "installtointernal" due to the original SD being 2GB and the "installtointernal" using same partition structure?

No, installtointernal script doesn't look at SD card partition size nor does it change partition size. It formats system and data partitions according to size provided by device tree flashed to internal memory. This is because the device tree is parsed by u-boot before any OS loads.

Please look again. If the data you provided was showing internal memory, you'd have /dev/system and /dev/data in first column, not /dev/mmcblk1p1 and /dev/mmcblk1p2.

Quote from rkmfl

@kszac, that's exactly my point. My other s905 boxes do have ~4GB data partitions on 8GB NAND's.

On the s905 100Mbps Realtek (gxbb_p200_1G_100M_REALTEK) it partitions to only 1.4GB (not ~4GB) despite being the same 8GB NAND, which I've tirple-confirmed including a photo of the NAND itself.

Code

Filesystem                Size      Used Available Use% Mounted on
devtmpfs                305.7M         0    305.7M   0% /dev
/dev/mmcblk1p1          511.7M    146.2M    365.5M  29% /flash
/dev/mmcblk1p2            1.4G      1.3G         0 100% /storage
/dev/loop0              127.0M    127.0M         0 100% /
tmpfs                   407.6M         0    407.6M   0% /dev/shm
tmpfs                   407.6M      6.4M    401.2M   2% /run
tmpfs                   407.6M         0    407.6M   0% /sys/fs/cgroup
tmpfs                   407.6M    244.0K    407.3M   0% /var
tmpfs                   407.6M         0    407.6M   0% /tmp

This looks like LE running from a 2GB SD card, not internal memory.

Poida If you don't need CPU temperature readings, I will release two 7.0.3.012 variants: with and without it. In that case with and without freezes.

sYCO You can upgrade from 64-bit to 32-bit (and you will have to once I release 7.0.3.012). After switching you need to:

• login over ssh and run rm .kodi/addons/packages/*, then systemctl restart kodi
• go to Addons menu, select LE addon repo and refresh it
• reinstall any addon that is not working

Quote from kostaman

That would be great. I have 2 addons with this issue whilst testing 32bit userspace.
The authors have no answer in relation to the detection being 64bit during installation.

If they detect platform by running platform.machine() in Python this will be solved. I made Spotify for Kodi work that way.

Quote from renzz

kszaq - did you ever check if CEC can be disabled by modifying u-boot variables? I have problems with it preventing my AV receiver from switching sources. Thanks.

You can try running fw_setenv cecconfig cec0x0. This works on my WeTek Hub but might not work on other boxes. This command should disable CEC at u-boot level and in Android but you should still be able to use CEC in LE.

Quote from Chainiy

I tried to compile and install the latest version of the Stalker PVR, but the system complains that I have a 64bit and does not work. Can you help me?

I am working on a workaround for plugins to detect 32-bit userspace properly.

Quote from ky41083

Are you looking to collect any device tree sources (actual decompiled code) from S905 boxes that do not have an official device tree image in your download collection?

Or are you trying to stick with the generic DTB method, to avoid building / uploading possibly 100's of separate DTB binary images?

If you want more, I will be happy to upload a few, listed by box Make/Model...

Would it be at all feasible, to dynamically load the correct DTB at boot, based on detected hardware ID's?

Thanks for a great beta!

I want to stick to generic device trees. So far it seems that every box can use one from the trees I provide. Creating a new device tree is very time consuming because you need to decompile dtb, find dtb from earlier kernel version that you can compare it with, compare manually and manually insert every change. These boxes do not provide any hardware ID that you can rely on to load a proper device tree.

Quote from rkmfl

@kszac, I don't know if you noticed my post that the Realtek install does not seem to partition properly? On the 8GB eMMC, the main partition is setup as 1.4GB

Device trees use a standard partition layout provided by Amlogic. For 8GB eMMC, system partition is a bit less than 1GB, data is ~4.8GB. If you want to resize partitions, you have to modify device tree on your own.

Possibly yes. But I won't do it nor do I know how to do this.

No, beacuse S905X doesn't need (and thus doesn't use) SARADC driver.

Quote from dynamic2

Libreelec is working fine on my TX5 Pro 2/16 only no wifi i opened up to check the wifi adapter its a Fn-Link 8223A
any way to get that working or can i do someting ive the android firmware where wifi is working.

What's the result of udevadm info /sys/bus/sdio/devices/sdio*?

Please also try modprobe wlan and see if WiFi starts.

max63_ I haven't seen a S905X device with 1Gbit port... What's the speed if you use Android?

Look in LibreELEC Settings -> About for Architecture.

The only way to update u-boot I can recommend is to install the latest Android firmware from manufacturer. I haven't tried and I don't recommend flashing u-boot from a different device.

S905 devices without freezes are WeTek Hub, WeTek Play2 and Odroid-C2. All my non-branded S905 devices "died" in one or another way, I can't check.

Quote from topher67

Is there a way I can check on my current build which version it is?

It's in System Information screen.

You most probably can't use vendor-provided device tree because if it boots at all, some things will not work, e.g. sound.

Quote from stormrev

kszaq
couldn't you release images with temp sensor loaded as kernel module and then we (S905) can blacklist it on first successful boot?

/storage/.config/modprobe.d/blacklist.conf

It's not that easy. [emoji6]

To provide temperature reading you need to select two things: AML TEMP SENSOR and SARADC. The first one has to be built in and it changes the way how Mali driver is compiled. The second one can be compiled as a module and its the one causing boot issues. The thing is that if you don't load SARADC, kmsg is spammed with errors because of a non-working sensor. Also there is a short noise when the module is loaded.

I don't want to introduce these because of some devices with old firmware. I think I'll provide an extra build for every release, one of which will have a disabled temperature sensor.

Quote from wkchick

Not sure whether it works and also fix the temperature sensor problem but I definitely will try.

Please test with 7.0.3.011.
[hr]

Quote from Poida

And, jf the sensor is disabled? Will it just continue to overheat and never shut down?

I suspect that it will heat up until burned.

Current usage is that if you stress CPU it will throttle after reaching 70°C and shut down after exceeding 85°C.