Posts by dtech

Quote from kpdozer

Hi. Thanks for all your hard work. And now, finally, you've added Entware support—that's fantastic.

I have an M8 S802 box. For some reason I can't figure out, I can't get it to boot from a USB drive—no matter what I try, I always end up in recovery mode. The only option that works for me is "apply update from EXT." The only firmware that successfully installed this way was LibreELEC-Amlogic.arm-M8-7.0.2-update.zip from this link: https://mega.nz/folder/W0Qk2JI…folder/3ohmxIaJ.

Everything works well on that version, except for Wi-Fi (which I don't need anyway). After that, I can successfully update to your build, but then the LAN stops working. I've tried many of your firmware versions, including LibreELEC-k200-AP6330_2G.arm, but the result is always the same—non-functional LAN.

Any idea how to fix this?

The problem is that I need a dmesg or a pastekodi output to continue. If there is no LAN, then this is only possible by connecting to WiFi or with diagnostics under UART.

If neither of these is available, then a photo from here would be a good start: Settings -> System Information -> Hardware.

Quote from defdefred

Ok thanks dtech.

How can we determine on our own which DTB to use?

With a few specific exceptions, which DTB is needed depends on 3 things: the SoC model, memory size, and the Ethernet interface.

• S905 (GXBB) + Gigabit Ethernet: gxbb_p200_*_1Gbit,
• S905 (GXBB) + 100Mbps Ethernet: gxbb_p201_*_100M,
• S905X (GXL) + 100Mbps Ethernet only: gxl_p212*,
• S905D (GXL) + Gigabit Ethernet: gxl_p230_*,
• S905D (GXL) + 100Mbps Ethernet: gxl_p231_*,
• S905W (GXL) + 100Mbps Ethernet only: gxl_p281_*,
• S912 (GXM) + Gigabit Ethernet: gxm_q200_*,
• S912 (GXM) + 100Mbps Ethernet: qxm_q201_*.

The memory size is the number before the "g" in the name, expressed in gigabytes.

Only RealtekWiFi is a special case for Realtek SDIO wifi chips, it lacks the entries typical for Broadcom SDIO chips, and these usually do not have integrated Bluetooth functionality either.

In the case of your stick, I looked this up from the attached dtb, although the MK808B Pro doesn't have an Ethernet interface, so actually another dtb could be good, which could be gxbb_p200 or gxbb_p201, which also has 1g in its name.

Quote from defdefred

Using the old dtb salvage from the old sd card and all boot perfectly...

I don't really recommend using the old dtb, please use the gxbb_p200_1G_100M.dtb from the device_trees directory, which is mostly equivalent to the above and is included in the current image.

There isn't much difference, but a few small things have changed in dtb since then, and because of this, the old one may cause operational problems.

Quote from Fartmaster5000

That's why I'm convinced that the T8 box I have is basically a paperweight. Can't do anything with it.

I just want to know what you expected? Wasn't the "legacy" in the title suspicious?! OMG...

By the way, boxes equipped with this SoC are still perfectly suitable for offline media playback, because it supports HDR10 in 4K, many addons still work with Leia, and it is still suitable for DVB or for IPTV use.

I think I wasted too much time on you, only for you to simply give up in the end. Many times you didn't even answer simple questions, many times you didn't even do my requests, and on top of that, basic things caused you problems that a simple Google search would have solved. That's all I wanted to note, so if you don't mind, I'll ignore any further technical questions you may have.

Have a nice day.

Quote from Fartmaster5000

Is there a plan in the future to support the latest versions of Kodi (21.3)?

Did you read the quote I copied from the first post? There's a link at the end.

Quote from Fartmaster5000

Well, now I have another problem. Since I can't do backup restore using OpenWizard, I try doing everything from scratch including installing all of the add-ons; however, none of them work and they all give the same error (the dependency on xmbc.python version 3.0.0 could not be satisfied).

So if I can't install my add-ons ... what's the point?

Since the previous two pages are full of your questions, some of which are completely offtopic, some of which could have been solved with a little research and using the forum's built-in search engine, I don't really know what answer to give to this question now. So I'll just quote myself, because it seems you didn't read the first post in the topic:

Quote from dtech

IMPORTANT NOTICE FOR MY IMAGES:

Please note that I am still maintaining these images because the developement version of LibreELEC (v13) does not officially support AMLMX devices, and there is no kernel driver for AMLGX devices with built-in tuners.

The official LibreELEC support for Amlogic devices is being prepared using the mainline kernel (v6.x), but since the quality of the original Amlogic kernel code (it was made for Android) is very poor and also quite outdated, so the migration to the mainline kernel is a very slow process. The implementation of hardware-accelerated video decoder drivers is already in a pretty good state, but support for most of the built-in dvb drivers is not yet implemented.

The use of legacy kernels (v3.x) has security risks, keep this in mind when using my legacy LE 9.2 images. At the same time, the version of Kodi v18 (Leia) is no longer developed, so it may happen at any time that an external add-on stops working (especially online add-ons) and no longer receive updates for this version of Kodi.

If you are interested in the current mainline kernel-based version, please visit this topic:
Official LE13 Test Images for Amlogic (Kodi-22)

I don't know what addons you're using, but Kodi 18 (Leia) was the last one to use Python 2 addons, they switched to using Python 3 from Kodi 19 (Matrix). However, with version 19, support for older Amlogic devices on previous 3.x BSP kernels has ended.

Quote from Fartmaster5000

Seems like I'd be better off finding a ROM, cracking the bootloader and flashing the new ROM.

Well, I wish you good luck with that.

Quote from Fartmaster5000

1. Did the alternative solution from dtech - worked like a charm, but some of the buttons didn't work on the remote. I figured it might be because I didn't press all of them before doing the "postkodi" command and it might be difficult to get the right calibration without all of the inputs.

A single button code would have been enough for me, because I only needed the vendor code, and I rewrote the codes based on the factory remote control code list to match Kodi layout, but a few of them are not standard, but most of the buttons are, and they work in theory. It still took me more than half an hour to create the config, so please don't expect more from me.

Check the code list in an editor (the function is after the "#"), and if any of the list doesn't work, please let me know. It's possible that I mistyped one and didn't notice, since I can't test it without a similar remote control.

Quote from Fartmaster5000

2. I also noticed that my Kodi screen is "cut off". it's like it's zoomed in too much or stretched out and I need to bring it back into scope.

If you are using HDMI, look for overscan in the TV menu and reduce its size to 0. If you are using CVBS, you will need to perform a display calibration.

Quote from Fartmaster5000

3. I installed OpenWizard and tried to restore my previous backup, but it failed. I checked the log and it said due to insufficient memory. So I started over with a much bigger flashdrive, pressed every button on the remote, and did the paste Kodi.

These solutions should be avoided. Under LibreELEC, only use LibreELEC settings to create backups, and only use them for the current version and device. Migration between different versions and platforms is not possible.

Quote from Fartmaster5000

Do i paste it there using SSH? Not sure what the commands are

File transfer doesn't work with PuTTY, if you want to transfer files over SSH, you need WinSCP.

Edit: Here's an alternative solution for SSH, because it seems LE forum allows to download attachments without logging in.

cd /tmp
wget https://forum.libreelec.tv/core/file-download/604/ -O remote_t8plus2.zip
unzip remote_t8plus2.zip
cp remote.conf ~/.config/
reboot

Quote from Fartmaster5000

dtech - looks like it worked this time! I see that error in there several times (likely for each button I pressed). https://paste.libreelec.tv/cheerful-boxer.log

I created a configuration based on the layout, most of the buttons are functional, but most of the special buttons above are not defined in it.

Please extract the attachment, then open the following UNC path and copy the remote.conf file here:
\\10.0.0.11\Configfiles (If your box currently has a different IP address, you should obviously replace that part.)

Then restart the box and try the config, then report back whether it is working or not.

Quote from Fartmaster5000

https://paste.libreelec.tv/natural-giraffe.log is the link.

I did it again and it says "link already exists". Does that mean I need to start over again?

Just because you send the same link again doesn't mean it will includes the line I need...

Although I haven't studied the algorithm that generates the upload link yet, so chewitt will confirm or refute my theory: "link already exists" probably just means that the quasi-randomly generated link already exists, in which case you just need to run this command again because someone has already received the same link before.

I'm trying to help you, but the fact that we're not moving forward, or only making very small steps, is starting to get a little tiring.

Quote from Fartmaster5000

dtech - i did the pastekodi after pressing buttons on the remote. Then i provided the link output. What do i do next to get the remote to work?

Where is the link?

The previous one doesn't show any key press event, and the first one was almost full of sshd errors. Apart from that, you don't need to do anything else for now, I'll try to find a compatible remote control config for you.

But for this I need that log, which contains at least one line like this:
kernel: remote: Wrong custom code is 0xHEXACODE

Quote from Fartmaster5000

So what is the next step to get the remote to work? dtech

Last time we were here, this hadn't happened yet:

Quote from dtech

If you are ready with that, please press a few buttons on the remote control, then run the pastekodi command via SSH and copy the generated link here.

You will not see any changes on the screen, but the following lines that are important to me will appear in the log:
kernel: remote: Wrong custom code is 0xHEXACODE

And please don't post twice in a row, because I only get notified about the first one, and that's more than enough.

Quote from Fartmaster5000

Done. Says "Log files pasted to https://paste.libreelec.tv/saving-sawfly.log"

The installation wizard probably didn't complete properly, or this USB flash drive is also junk. The log is full of entries saying that the ssh key generation failed, so it tries again, but it can't be written.

There would be a workaround, but the easiest is to rewrite the image to the flash drive and start over. However, the toothpick method is not necessary again.

Please try uploading the log from the LibreELEC settings this way:

This is completely equivalent to the pastekodi command.

Quote from Fartmaster5000

LibreELEC is running and i am trying to SSH root@ipaddress with SSH definitely enabled during the LibreElec setup.

I would like to ask you for some photos based on these:

1. Settings -> LibreELEC -> Connections:

2. Settings -> LibreELEC -> Services (the focus is on SSH):

3. Does it respond to a ping sent to the IP address?

4. I would also like a screenshot of the filled state of your SSH client before connecting, like this:

Quote from Fartmaster5000

I did exactly what you said - but it will not connect (Connection Refused). I did some more digging and it looks like the Android Box's core OS has to have SSH enabled, but when you're doing this "boot method", you don't have access to it. Sounds like side loading / adb might be the only way to load everything.

As noted above, one of the key concerns I have is knowing if LibreElec is a ROM that will overwrite the stock ROM so it boots into Kodi by default. If I need to do the toothpick trick every time and reset everything, that is not a solution.

The LibreELEC image is not a ROM, it is just an operating system image that contains the kernel, root filesystem and dtb. If you run it from external media, it will not overwrite anything. The toothpick method only loads the autoscript on the card, which allows the bootloader to boot the OS from USB and SD card instead of eMMC, if it is connected, otherwise it will still boot from eMMC.

The toothpick method only needs to be done once, after that it will always be able to boot from external media, unless Android receives a master reset command, because that can overwrite the boot script changes. Also, if I may suggest, try using an SD card instead of a USB flash drive, because the USB is much more problematic.

The basic problem with your description is that it is not clear whether LibreELEC is running at all when you try SSH, whether you are trying with the IP address of the box, whether the network is working on the box at all, and whether SSH is definitely enabled or not. Instead, you mention things like adb and sideload, which are absolutely not needed for LibreELEC.

Quote from Fartmaster5000

I'm trying to SSH using Putty but it's asking me for the host name. I named my "System Name" MBR and found my (local) IP address, but the following command doesn't work: ssh [email protected]

You don't have to type a command in PuTTY to connect, you just fill in a single input field, where you enter the IP address of the device you want to connect to, then press the Open button below.

If the SSH server is really working, it will first pop up the fingerprint confirmation warning, and after accepting it, it will ask for the username, where you just type root. If you haven't changed the password, the default password will be libreelec. And that's it. If anything doesn't work, then SSH server doesn't enabled, or the IP address is wrong, etc.

I'd be happy if we didn't make this an offtopic, these should be basic things for a unix system. If these things are not clear, then please let's not discuss them in this topic. These are completely general things, they have their own place on the forum here: General Support.

Quote from chewitt

The Amlogic vendor kernel has some drivers that assume an era-appropriate vendor u-boot is installed so it can probably be done with a little manual fiddling (which there are no guides for) to fix wrong-named boot files, but I guarantee that some drivers don't work right, and as the maintainer of the AMLGX image; this is not something we have any interest in trying to support.

Basically, I mean that the uboot under the mainline version is not made for Android layout, so the appropriate recovery functions are missing. I can understand this in the case of a development board, but in the case of a box like the WP2, which is originally built on an Android-based WeOS, it may not be suitable in the classical sense.

In such cases, I would draw the attention of users that the image written with emmctool may limit the full use of the box. And since the drivers for the built-in tuners will probably never be included, this is probably a dead end. That's why I don't recommend this emmctool solution for mainline kernel versions.

It also looks a bit like the installtointernal script that was previously rejected by official versions. This is now roughly the same, just in reverse situation. However, those images didn't even have a bootloader, because the factory one was still in use.