Posts by raspberry_kan

  • [S905L] Xiaomi Mi Box 4 Community Builds

    Hi chewitt ,

    I have organized the repositories and am now working on upstreaming the changes. The current work has been split across the following repositories:

    GitHub - Raspberry-Monster/linux: Linux kernel source tree
    Linux kernel source tree. Contribute to Raspberry-Monster/linux development by creating an account on GitHub.
    github.com
    GitHub - Raspberry-Monster/amlogic-boot-fip: Firmware Image Package (FIP) sources to sign Amlogic u-boot binaries in LibreELEC, Armbian and meta-meson
    Firmware Image Package (FIP) sources to sign Amlogic u-boot binaries in LibreELEC, Armbian and meta-meson - Raspberry-Monster/amlogic-boot-fip
    github.com
    GitHub - Raspberry-Monster/LibreELEC.tv: Just enough OS for KODI
    Just enough OS for KODI. Contribute to Raspberry-Monster/LibreELEC.tv development by creating an account on GitHub.
    github.com
    GitHub - Raspberry-Monster/u-boot: "Das U-Boot" Source Tree
    "Das U-Boot" Source Tree. Contribute to Raspberry-Monster/u-boot development by creating an account on GitHub.
    github.com

    Specifically, in the Linux repository:

    • rtw88-dt-mac contains the rtw88 patches that allow the driver to read the MAC address from nvmem.
    • mibox4-dt contains the device-tree changes for the Mi Box 4.
    • mibox4-bringup combines both sets of changes to produce a usable kernel for testing.

    Due to the type-system changes, some additional patch is needed to provide the u128 type, for example:

    packages: libbpf: Fix missing u128 type · Raspberry-Monster/LibreELEC.tv@e60ff90
    Signed-off-by: YuChia-Kan <[email protected]>
    github.com

    At the moment, I am working on upstreaming the Linux kernel changes. Once those changes have been merged, I plan to submit the corresponding U-Boot patches upstream as well.

    I hope this organization meets LibreELEC's requirements.

    Thank you again for your patience and guidance!

  • [S905L] Xiaomi Mi Box 4 Community Builds

    Hello chewitt ,

    I'm very happy to report that the custom U-Boot built with LibreELEC's amlogic-boot-fip has successfully booted on the Mi Box 4.

    After replacing the stock U-Boot, it seems that we can boot pretty much any system we want. We can also "dd" an image directly to the eMMC.

    However, when using the stock FIP, we still need an autoscript to boot the system before replacing the stock U-Boot.

    Most features are working fine, including Wi-Fi, hardware video decoding, HDMI, and CEC. I haven't been able to test the analog AV port since I don't have the necessary equipment. Bluetooth is also currently unavailable because the required firmware is missing from linux-firmware.

    Meanwhile, I've backported a change from the upstream LTS kernel that allows the MAC address to be read from the SoC's eFuse.

    I'll post more updates as soon as I make further progress.

  • [S905L] Xiaomi Mi Box 4 Community Builds

    Yes. The current setup boots from a USB drive. I found the information that allowed me to boot from external drives through adb shell reboot update on a TV box enthusiast forum, in a post about the Mi Box 4C.

    However, if I want it to boot more like a normal SBC, there are still some patches and bootloader work to be done. In particular, the replacement U-Boot is not compatible with the vendor boot chain, so at the moment an autoscript is needed to boot from USB. Interestingly, if the goal is to install LibreELEC to the internal eMMC, the new boot chain seems to work fine.

    As soon as I managed to boot into LibreELEC, I made a full backup image of the stock Android installation.

    Secure Boot is not enabled by default, which seems to be good news for loading an external U-Boot. Codex has already helped me extract the FIP from the full disk image, and I am now working on implementing U-Boot with its help.

    There are still a few glitches that need to be resolved, though. The most important one is the cold-boot behavior: some hardware, including Wi-Fi and USB, does not power up as expected.

    I'm still working on it. :)

  • [S905L] Xiaomi Mi Box 4 Community Builds

    @chewitt

    I see. So, if the goal is to eventually add Mi Box 4 support to the official LibreELEC builds and upstream the relevant changes, there are several things that need to be done first.

    The device tree and the rtw88 patches should go through the proper Linux upstream process, including following the kernel commit requirements and running the relevant DT binding/schema checks.

    For emmctool support, the device would also need proper upstream U-Boot support rather than relying on modifications to the vendor bootloader, so that installing LibreELEC to the internal eMMC can be done through a supported boot chain.

    Did I understand this correctly?

    Anyway, thank you very much for the advice. Have a great day!

  • [S905L] Xiaomi Mi Box 4 Community Builds

    Hello guys,

    Recently, I extracted and ported the DTS for the Mi Box 4 (MDZ-21-AA) from the stock image, adding support for the internal Wi-Fi module.

    Some kernel patches are also required for the Wi-Fi driver. By default, the driver reads the MAC address from the Wi-Fi chip's eFuse, while on the Mi Box 4 the MAC address is actually stored in the SoC's eFuse.

    The images, guides, and patches have all been uploaded to GitHub:

    GitHub - Raspberry-Monster/MiBox4-LibreELEC
    Contribute to Raspberry-Monster/MiBox4-LibreELEC development by creating an account on GitHub.
    github.com

    Feel free to ask questions or point out any issues.

    I'm still learning, so any feedback is welcome. I'll try my best to help.

    Have a good day!