Posts by Jeffers

deleted

Quote from wrxtasy

The best thing you can do for these cheap S905X or S912 boxes and dongles is run them for a while and then open them up and twist or remove the heatsink off the SoC. Then clean up the SoC and heatsink with something that does not leave a greasy residue, like electrical Contact Cleaner.

Most heatsinks look like they are just fixed on with some sort of Silicon which makes for pretty bad heat transfer.

Then simply get some 30% Silver (or better) thermal paste, you only need tiny amounts and use this Sandwich Wrap method for applying the paste:

How to Apply Thermal Paste - iFixit

Just did this yesterday to a MECOOL S905X that would get pretty hot, especially when using Android and it now runs 10 - 20 Degrees C cooler as a result AND I can increase the GPU Mhz for a snappier, smoother LE Kodi user interface !

Some LE Temp monitoring tips:

SSH Login and....

Code

echo "cat /sys/class/thermal/thermal_zone0/temp" > temp 
chmod +x temp 
watch ./temp

and I use this for the GPU:

Code

echo "echo 2 > /sys/class/mpgpu/scale_mode" >> /storage/.config/autostart.sh

W.

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Useful video on how to apply the paste:-

I will need to test when I get back to Spain.

I also have a Mecool M8S Pro L android, that runs at 70 degrees when watching a stream via Kodi

Quote from Iridium

Access to SSH is explained in the LE wiki SSH

OK, I wasn't using LibrElec as I also use some Android Apps, maybe that explains the temp. difference.

Quote from Iridium

Room temperature is about 20^o but it's also in a cabinet so a bit higher. When you get the unit, check the temp via SSH with "cputemp" and also "top" to see what it is the main process that might be causing the issue - if there is one.

What happens is the Mecool just freezes and have to pull the power cable and plug it back in.

Thanks for suggestions, how do I use SSH "cputemp" and "top"?

I could try it on a box I have in the UK.

Quote from Iridium

My Mecool M8S Pro+ runs at about 45 - 50^o in a heated house. If you're above 60^o then something is not right.

Interesting, what is the 'highest' room temperature when using?

My unit is in Spain, will be a about 10 weeks before I can test it again.

I also saw lots of youtube postings about Mecool temperature problems, running hot and crashing.

Quote from doggyofone

Jeffers, I am going to either wait, as there is a a lot of stuff coming - ie: Rockchip Libreelec build(s), new Amlogic processors, or consider an S905D processor/box. S905D are a bit hard to find and more expensive than S912. I have had lots of advice to skip the S912.

I have a 3x S812 boxes that are running great on Demetris's 8.2.2 build and he is shortly going to release Leia builds when it goes Beta. That will keep them alive until Kodi 19 I guess. I also have 1 S905X box (Mecool M8S Pro+) which runs really well and 2x S905 boxes I will likely get rid of.

So I don't need anything now but like to play with new tech.

Do you ever have any issues with your Mecool M8S Pro+ running hot?

Quote from doggyofone

I have read a lot over the last few days and appreciate your comments. I can't really find a good comfort level with any of the S912's. Based on testing that some sites have done performance is marginally better, but not enough to invest in one.

Thanks guys.

Let us know what you go for in the end?

Quote from dbkalyan

I have an M8S. Looking for this image: LibreELEC-S8X2.arm-8.0.2-MXIII-PLUS which I expect to upgrade my box to Krypton 17.. Currently I am using LibreELEC-MX3G.arm-7.0.1.4.img which is working perfectly with Kodi 16. Dual booting only.

I am a beginner and have problem trying to get to this image from Page 1. Any help would be appreciated

Googled what you were looking for and got this:- S802/S812-Libreelec images for 7/8/x

Quote from kostaman

Remove Pirate Addons and you should be good to go.

Easy as Hard Reset in Libreelec.

Your box is full of them.

Are pirate addons not allowed in LibreELEC?

Quote from ochentay4

Yeah: MXQ-4K RK3229 TV Box Firmware Update – March 8, 2016

There are newer firmwars than the one I posted, but didnt tried them. Proceed with care and with the possibility of bricking device.

Thanks, I either find a better firmware with acceptable performance, or the MXQ 4K is going in the bine

Quote from ochentay4

MXQ 4K (rockchip chip with 1GB RAM) I have is absolutely different from my Tronsmart MXIII (Amlogic S802 2GB RAM) that I'm trying to flash with LibreElec/Lakka. Dont mix up! MXQ 4K will probably never get a LibreElec release and the post I made about updating it was about upgrading original ROM with an updated one that has less bugs.

Any chance of sharing where you got your ROM for the MXQ 4K from, the stock ROM I have on mine is useless

Quote from ochentay4

Ok, not trying to get my hand holded, but some links or orientation wouldnt be bad.
I already made an USB-A to USB-A to flash a terrible MXQ 4K and made a tutorial on other places on how to flash the device, so I have "some" experience, but, as of today, I couldnt even start with the Tronsmart MXIII.
Ok. Will download and test AMBurn and some roms.

Ok. Boot from USB also dont work. Could you or someone tell me what bootloader could I try and how to flash it?

I have a MXQ 4K 16GB/2GB which is pretty useless with it's original firmware very slow. Did you flash yours with LibreELEC are you able to point me in right direction regards LibreELEC, DTB and remote .rtf versions to install on it?

Quote from Habibie

That's great unless you had to shell out for the S/H cost back to the seller.

Banggood did not ask me to return the faulty unit, so no costs on my side

Quote from geerEbustAzonAli40

GearBest looks affiliate-kick-back-0verpriced , AliExpress seems sorta like eBay. I find it difficult to measure reputation , when surveying vendors for TV Boxes. any "other usual places" to investigate ?

http://freaktab.com/forum, forum.kodi.tv, forum.libreelec.tv all talk about kodi on TV Boxes, any others ?

thanks in advance

I bought a Mecool from Banggood with the faulty chip, they offered a new replacement or a full refund. I took the refund and they refunded me in full, can't ask for better service than that.

I have an MX111 4K s802 2GB/8GB

I am using LibreELEC USB/SD creator to create a bootable SD card and rebooting the MX111 using a tooth pick.

I have tried the following two images:-

LibreELEC-S8X2.arm-8.2-S82.img.gz

LibreELEC-S8X2.arm-8.2-MXIII-PLUS.img.gz

Following tooth pick reboot using both images MX111 stays on initial logo screen.

Only items plugged into box during toothpick reboot was power cable, Ethernet cable and SD Card.

Any suggestions on if I am using correct/incorrect image or how I overcome MX111 not booting into LibreELEC issue?

Quote from wrxtasy

Yes it can be done. S912 boxes work well for 4K HDR with HD Audio. I suggest one with Gigabit LAN (1000M).

Be aware not all AMLogic Hardware is created equal. Dirt cheap means corners have to be cut both with hardware components, heatsinks, thermal management and remote controls. As an example take a look here at the MINIX U1 / U9 heatsink and thermal management vs generic AMLogic Boxes:

START HERE - Pick the Right Kodi Box (updated December 2017)

The AML S912 boxes run the hottest of the AML family due to all the processing cores packaged into the SoC.

So with the U1/U9's massive heatsink, you find they run the coolest of the lot and consequently will be the most stable - but for that you have to pay $$

However poor quality heatsink bonding on cheap AML boxes can be improved a bit with a bit of simply DIY.

All you do is open up the device, carefully remove the heatsink and clean up the SoC and then follow these instructions to apply some proper thermal paste (using Cling Film wrap) to whatever the original heatsink was covering up:

How to Apply Thermal Paste - iFixit

You only need to apply tiny amounts, really no bigger than a match head in quantity. Be carfeful to not apply too much paste and have it spill over to nearby IC electrical components. Silver paste conducts electricity.

I simply bought a 1.5g $5 Syringe of 30% Silver - Thermal paste the SoC (CPU) temp dropped between 15 - 20 Degrees C on a S905 Box.

If you were buying any AMLogic box, the Wireless remotes to get would be something like the MINIX A2 lite or the $14 aftermarket Xiaomi Mi Box.

You will then have one responsive snappy setup.

The new MINIX A3 lite remote has annoying wake from sleep issues.

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Quote from wrxtasy

Yes it can be done. S912 boxes work well for 4K HDR with HD Audio. I suggest one with Gigabit LAN (1000M).

Be aware not all AMLogic Hardware is created equal. Dirt cheap means corners have to be cut both with hardware components, heatsinks, thermal management and remote controls. As an example take a look here at the MINIX U1 / U9 heatsink and thermal management vs generic AMLogic Boxes:

START HERE - Pick the Right Kodi Box (updated December 2017)

The AML S912 boxes run the hottest of the AML family due to all the processing cores packaged into the SoC.

So with the U1/U9's massive heatsink, you find they run the coolest of the lot and consequently will be the most stable - but for that you have to pay $$

However poor quality heatsink bonding on cheap AML boxes can be improved a bit with a bit of simply DIY.

All you do is open up the device, carefully remove the heatsink and clean up the SoC and then follow these instructions to apply some proper thermal paste (using Cling Film wrap) to whatever the original heatsink was covering up:

How to Apply Thermal Paste - iFixit

You only need to apply tiny amounts, really no bigger than a match head in quantity. Be carfeful to not apply too much paste and have it spill over to nearby IC electrical components. Silver paste conducts electricity.

I simply bought a 1.5g $5 Syringe of 30% Silver - Thermal paste the SoC (CPU) temp dropped between 15 - 20 Degrees C on a S905 Box.

If you were buying any AMLogic box, the Wireless remotes to get would be something like the MINIX A2 lite or the $14 aftermarket Xiaomi Mi Box.

You will then have one responsive snappy setup.

The new MINIX A3 lite remote has annoying wake from sleep issues.

Display More

wrxtasy, am I correct in thinking that you achieved a 15-20 Degrees C temperature drop by re-using the existing heatsink and replacing the thermal paste?

That being the case, why oh why don't the manufacturers use better quality thermal paste in the manufacturing process.

Would you recommend fitting a bigger heat sink when replacing the thermal paste?

Quote from Tim_Taylor

Generally - not personally You - a lot of users using cheap cables - many of them don´t know about the bad quality.

I tested ATV box from a friend - working perfect with my 15€ HDMI cable from amazon store connected @AVR

And I use XBMC/KODI many years too - boxee, raspberry pi 1, 2 and 3 - hifiberry etc.

I ordered some of these:- AmazonBasics High-Speed HDMI 2.0 Cable - 1.8m / 6 Feet (2-Pack) (Latest Standard) Supports Ethernet, 3D, Audio Return.

Are these good enough??