Pipo M8 Pro RileyROM 2.2 KitKat

[rrileypm]

I'm not saying you CAN'T run Xposed....you just DON'T NEED to run the module to get multi-user to work. Other Xposed Framework modules should work as expected.

Good luck with unbricking. It took me two days to figure it out....I had to walk away from it for a while...it all came together on the 2nd night. My eyesight isn't as good as it used to be, and I got a headache trying to see those little pins.

[owim]

On Xposed: right, that's what you wrote in OP. I'd like to run GravityBox, so, do I need do install Xposed framework or...?

On unbricking: tough luck! Really not looking into it. My first unbricking ever! At least, as a try. Sorry you had to go through it hard way.

As I understand, great chance is that NAND has failed from which there is no recovery. I'm worried this might be the case, since it just stopped working for no reason (no flashing, no any dangerous use).

On the other hand, you had the same issues with your tablet -- and you unbricked it! I'll give it a try these days, enough for today! Now I'm gonna try new KitKat on my tablet.

Cheers!

[oibo]

Dirty flash

It should take you that long to recreate your tablet.

If you are flashing from a previous Jellybean ROM, you MUST erase IDB before flashing or you risk bricking your tablet. Jellybean and KitKat are two very different OS's with a different boot loader and partition configuration....so erasing IDB is required. If you don't flash the new boot loader (top file in the flash tool) with this KitKat version...you will brick your tablet.

If you are flashing from a previous installation of RileyROM v2.2, you could try just flashing the system.img file and uncheck everything else in the flash tool, but I have not tested that. This new update only has one small edit in the framework.jar file....everything else is identical. You wouldn't have to erase IDB. Like I say, I haven't tried it...so results may very.

What I always do is make a backup of my current tablet setup with Titanium. Under batch operations, I do a "Backup All Apps/System Data". Be sure to copy the backup to your external SD.

After flashing, the first thing I do is enter my gmail accound and go to Google Play Store and install Titanium...and the key app (I highly recommend getting the paid version to unlock all of the features). After going into preferences and setting the backup folder to the one on your external SD...I do "Restore Missing Apps with Data". Go through the list and only check the apps you really need to restore. That will restore all of your apps along with the settings for those apps.

Since I frequently flash my tablets for testing...I have the whole restore operation down to 5 minutes, max.

In the mean time I've flashed to 2.2.1 and I have to report that a dirty flashing is not possible. During the boot process the recovery erased all data (beside the system and the stock apps). Thanks to your advice I had a Titanium Backup to recover.

[owim]

Howdy again, I have few Qs regarding this ROM customization of KK:

- Which launcher is used? I'll change launcher, have no idea how to add new desktop screens.

- Is Xposed framework installed? I'd like to add GravityBox, what should I do prior to that?

- There is no Contacts (People) icon. How to manage Contacts? (Other than through Hangouts or 3rd party apps).

- What else is changed?

Thanks a lot!


p.s. Still didn't play with the other bricked Pipo, will send more info on that as soon as I do.

[rrileypm]

I don't add any 3rd party apps...except superuser and reboot. So its stock everything. I will have to check on the contacts.

[owim]

Thanks, Riley! Maybe then this is not a right question for you: Battery usage after 8 hours doesn't show app usage as it should, just two items:



As you can see here, lots of apps were used in this very same period:



Have a clue why first screen doesn't contain all used apps? Thanks!

[rrileypm]

I'm afraid I don't know the answer to that.

Good question, though.

[owim]

Re: Pipo M8 Pro RileyROM 2.2 KitKat

^ Is it the same with your Pipo M8 Pro? Anyone else?

Sent from my NookColor using Tapatalk 2

[chrisbowen]

Check to make sure you are using a USB 2.0 port...not USB 3.0.

Sometimes the simple things just work.

Otherwise, I'm afraid you have a hardware issue with the tablet...the NAND chip may have failed. Especially if your other tablet flashes OK with the same setup.

You might try the unbrick procedure by taking off the back of the tablet and shorting pins 8 and 9 (I think) on the NAND chip. If there's two NAND chips, try each one to see which one works. I've had to do this before on my M8 Pro and was able to recover from a bricked state. One of those threads I posted above will give you the exact procedure...see post #2. At this point, it won't hurt to try.

Fyi I spoke with Anna at pipo. Only certain versions can ever take kit Kat. No fix for this

she didn't day why but mine only has 1 nand chip. It could be this causing the problems

she said it was un fixable - a new main board costs about 60$

i decided to live with jelly bean

chris

[rrileypm]

Same with mine. I can't even flash my ROM on it without bricking.


Sent from my P1 using Tapatalk

[chrisbowen]

Same with mine. I can't even flash my ROM on it without bricking.


Sent from my P1 using Tapatalk

Yeah there are certain models that won't take even the official kit Kat due to main board

i think the same with m9 pro but someone found a work around

[mrsaccess]

Fyi I spoke with Anna at pipo. Only certain versions can ever take kit Kat. No fix for this

she didn't day why but mine only has 1 nand chip. It could be this causing the problems

she said it was un fixable - a new main board costs about 60$

i decided to live with jelly bean

chris

Nice to see they admit it at last. I contacted her about this problem early in the summer and they wouldn't even acknowledge that the problem exists.

Even now they give the update at their website without any warning. I doubt a normal user will be able to unbrick his/her tablet if needed.

Imho the problem is that some M8 Pro's have a different NAND chip and Pipo's engineers ommited to add the driver for it in the new bootloader.

[rrileypm]

It's a challenge to support staff when the factory changes the product design midway through a product run. I've discussed this with Pipo, and they are trying to do better with their support...since their current products also go through modifications during production.

My M8 Pro is one of the early ones. Like most products, like cars, you have your enthusiasts (like me) who want to be the first to own a new product. But early purchasers should beware that it's actually better to wait let the factory iron out all of the wrinkles before pulling the trigger on a purchase.

Dnkn is our developer who created a modified KitKat version for his early M9. He's working on a new firmware for it. Maybe he can develop a solution to get KitKat running on the early M8 Pro's, too. Since mine is one of the affected versions...I can test his work.

We have a lot going on right now with these RK3188 Pipo tablets...the Pipo Project is in full force...so I'm optimistic.

[mrsaccess]

@rilleypm
What bothers me most with this situation is that some M8 Pro owners will brick their tablets trying to update them with the official update and they won't know how to fix them. Is Pipo going to fix these machines?

Of course I would like a kit-kat ROM for my m8pro but I know that even big vendors sometimes do not issue updates, so I can accept it.

[rrileypm]

Dnkn has taught me his technique in converting KK to these one chip tablets...it so happens that mine has only one NAND chip. I didn't have time today...maybe tomorrow I will play around with it.

If you remember, Pipo released the KK firmware for less than a day before they pulled it. The reason was that it would brick about half of the products they sold.

I will have to release two versions. A 1 NAND and a 2 NAND version. The only way to tell what you have is to remove the back and look.