Is anyone willing to assist...please

[2Old2Slow]

So I plugged the wrong power supply into my faithful Orion Meta...it doesn't want to play the game anymore. I'm not an Android expert but had learned how to flash the Meta and was running Wasser fw....

So after, what I thought was some reasonable research here and elsewhere I decided to get an MXIII Plus from Geekbuying...all good so far. It arrived with 106L1 FW and Kodi 15.2 and after plugging it all in seemed to work except for a slightly shaky display which I've since traced to the use of the active U-Vision upconversion cable I was using successfully on the Meta with my 4K TV. No shaky display with a normal HDMI cable.
The other thing I noticed was that whenever I enabled the AMlogic hardware acceleration codec in Kodi 15.2 the box would freeze when I started to play a video....the only way out was to pull the power plug and reboot. So further research on the Kodi forums shows that since Isengard the Kodi devs have removed some sort of internal acceleration workaround requiring a rooted box and Kodi compliant firmware.

That was what I thought I was buying....So there was some discussion about SPMC working correctly (I was using SPMC on the meta so am familiar with it) so I loaded up the latest SPMC (fork of Isengard 15.0) but it still won't allow the Amlogic codec to be enabled...box still freezes. Now I left Kodi 15.2 on the box as well, should I have completely uninstalled that before installing SPMC or should I wait for yet another Trony fw to be released or should I learn how to use init.d and the Chmod 666 command scripts...as I say I'm still an droid newb so mucking around with system files scares me a bit.

No one here has bothered to respond to my other posts but if someone could point me in the right direction....or do I just try to get hold of another RK3288 box and give up on Amlogic socs...if that is the right terminology...or in fact is there a better firmware that allows the Amlogic hardware acceleration to be enabled...I am probably willing to go back to a droid 4.4 fw with SPMC 14.2 except I guess there will be some add ons that depend on Isengard now...

Any help....?

[RISCy Dude]

Hello 2Old2Slow, I do not own this box or an AML device, so unfortunately, I cannot help you. I am sorry you have not found assistance yet. Due to Black Friday mania, as well as, a major US holiday, participation seems a little light on Freaktab. Hopefully after the madness(don't forget Cyber Monday), you will find the assistance you seek. I am confident you will find a solution if one exists.

Your box comes in two versions, a 1GB/8GB model with single-band WiFi, and a 2GB/8GB model with dual-band WiFi, It may help if you state which model you have.

Too bad about your Meta, have you looked to see if it could be repaired? Many devices will have some sort of over-voltage/over-current protection device.
The madness will end soon, and a small window will open between it's end and Christmas.
Good luck and hang in there.

[2Old2Slow]

Hi RISCy..thanks for the encouragement, it is the 2GB/8GB box...I completely uninstalled the original Kodi 15.2 and it seems to have stabilised the SPMC install, still can't enable the Amcodec in hardware acceleration though...
So where do I look for the over voltage thingy...it is apart at the moment, I think i saw someone say sometimes the overvoltage circuit is directly under the power connector, not sure it was a Meta they were talking about though...will dig around a bit more...again thanks.

[stevemp]

Check your settings display and make sure it's 1080p @60hz, if you have a 4k tv could be trying to use a setting that doesn't work. I am using Kodi Jarvis 16.0 beta 4 and hw acceleration is working at 1080p.

[2Old2Slow]

Will check...the display setting in Android is set to 4K @ 30hz...sort of defeats the purpose to drop back to 1080p.

So I set the droid display setting back to automatic....and it now seems to work...I am such a fool obviously the codec isn't able to upconvert to 4k...the auto setting is also allowing me to play 4k including Sintel which the Meta couldn't do...thank you, I'm glad it was just that simple.

[RISCy Dude]

........
So where do I look for the over voltage thingy...it is apart at the moment, I think i saw someone say sometimes the overvoltage circuit is directly under the power connector, not sure it was a Meta they were talking about though...will dig around a bit more...again thanks.

I don't own the Meta either, so it would be hard to say. Generally, in order for a protection device to be effective, it will be just after the power port, electrically, not necessarily physically. Though it is usually physically close too.
A multi-meter(~$10US) or DVM will be required to troubleshoot. I would not recommend using a test-light.

I would start(no power connected) at the power port's positive(+) conductor(pin) and trace it inward until you lose continuity. This will need to be methodical, and a familiarity with the circuit's traces is necessary. This will work if the protection device is a fuse or similar. However, If a power IC, regulator, etc got cooked, you would need more info on the IC or regulator used. Electronics experience would be helpful.

I would look in the area around the power port,.....extreme upper-right quadrant in this pic(from CNX)... front-side or reverse-side of the PCB.
Good luck.

[RISCy Dude]

Glad to hear you got the Plus going 2Old2Slow.
Nice job @stevemp.
Good day to all.

[2Old2Slow]

Yeah thanks...I was panicking for nothing all good now...no overvoltage device on the meta...I have a DVM and know my way around most circuits...anyway the Meta get consigned to the anals of history...again thanks for the help.