Guide to install Wasser firmware on Beelink R89, from Linux !

[Kytrix]

Hi everyone !

Few days ago I would like to update my Beelink R89, First, like I did with my previous androids phones and tablets I try to use a recovery like CWM or TWRP.
Only one version of TWRP works:
TWRP_2.8.7.0_R89_SDcard.img
I use this one to made a backup of the original firmware (but I didn't test the backup restore lol)
Because the Wasser rom is not in a classic android ROM format (one big zip file including all images + other stuff), I was not able to flash directly from TWRP


Then I find another way, with a tools made by rockchip and running on linux : rkflashkit
I find a guide here: http://www.cnx-software.com/2013/11/...ware-in-linux/ and I will report here the needed steps !

!Use at your own risk !

Summary

1. Download & install rkfashkit
   This tool is needed to flash the images on the device (we will see later why I talk about images and not image !)
2. Download & install rk-tools
   This tool will convert the one-file Wasser image to several partition images wich are needed by rkflashkit.
3. Convert images using rk-tools
4. Prepare the Device (beelink R89)
5. Flash the images !

1. Download & install rkfashkit
   rkfashkit is a open-source tools made by rockchip used to flash the rockchip device. This projet is hosted on github, an very common opensource project site.
   create a folder to put all your tools somewhere then go inside and run the following commands:
   

   git clone https://github.com/linuxerwang/rkflashkit
   	cd rkflashkit
   	./waf debian
   	sudo apt-get install python-gtk2
   	sudo dpkg -i rkflashkit_0.1.1_all.deb

   Now rkflash is installed, and you can launch it with gksudo (alt+F2 gksu or gksudo) and type rkflashkit.
   or by a commande line

   sudo rkflashkit

   the following window must appear:
   

   ---

2. Download & install rk-tools
   As I explain before, rkflashkit doesn't support direct flashing off single-img file. It can only flash one image file by partition.
   For that reason, we need another tool called rk-tools, also availlable on github, to install it, lanch in your beelink-what-you-want folder:
   

   git clone https://github.com/rk3066/rk-tools.git
   	cd rk-tools
   	sudo apt-get install libssl-dev libcrypto++-dev
   	make

   Once done, you can use the tools (this tools are not installed, so you can only call them from the rk-tools folder!)
   Now it's time if you didn't did it before, to download your wasser image.
   extract the .img file from the Zip/7z file in your beelink folder

   ---

3. Convert images using rk-tools
   This wasser image file must be converted to another img format, called unpacked image ! (before extract all images !)
   this is the content of my beelink folder (and your's I hope):
   [CODE]rkflashkit
   rk-tools
   wasser-2.0.9a-beelink-r89-rk3288.7z
   wasser-2.0.9a-beelink-r89-rk3288.img[CODE]
   
   here we go to convert the img file:
   

   rk-tools/img_unpack wasser-2.0.9a-beelink-r89-rk3288.img wasser-2.0.9a-beelink-r89-rk3288_unpack.img
   	rom header code: 1030000
   	rom version: 4.4.2
   	build time: 2015-05-25 11:06:21
   	chip: 80
   	checking md5sum....OK

   now you must have in your folder another file called wasser-2.0.9a-beelink-r89-rk3288_unpack.img
   Then we are going to unpack the image into several firmware image !
   

   rk-tools/afptool -unpack wasser-2.0.9a-beelink-r89-rk3288_unpack.img firmware
   	Check file...OK
   	------- UNPACK -------
   	package-file 0x00000800 0x00000144
   	RK3288Loader_uboot_V2.17.02.bin 0x00001000 0x0005E94E
   	parameter 0x00060000 0x000002F9
   	Image/misc.img 0x00060800 0x0000C000
   	Image/resource.img 0x0006C800 0x0001C800
   	Image/kernel.img 0x00089000 0x005D324C
   	Image/boot.img 0x0065C800 0x00120E01
   	Image/recovery.img 0x0077D800 0x00994000
   	Image/system.img 0x01111800 0x282F4000
   	RESERVED 0x29405800 0x00000000
   	update-script 0x29405800 0x000003A5
   	recover-script 0x29406000 0x0000010A
   	UnPack OK!

   Now we get a new folder called firmware, and all partition images are in "image" subfolder
   here is the content of the firmware/Image folder:
   

   boot.img
   	kernel.img
   	misc.img
   	recovery.img
   	resource.img
   	system.img

   ---

4. Prepare the Device (beelink R89)
   Now it's the tricky time ! why ? because you will need to put your beelink in recovery mode !
   I find a long moment before find how to do on the update firmware topic with windows tools !
   First I try like phones : power + volume-down (on remote)
   Then I try lot of other things, with keyboard and so on !
   You maybe know it already, but there is a "recovery" button inside the jack AV hole ! YES AMAZING !
   Me I use a matche.
   Insert a thin object, and hear the little click when you press gently ! yeah you got it !
   
   
   
   now, launch again rkflashkit (with root privileges)
   the device section is empty, because the beelink is not connected in recovery/booloader mode:
   
   So let make it detect !
   plug your microUSB cable from the device to the computer (like for charging your phone)
   then press the button (by pushing your tool) and plug the power and press power button if not powering
   still continue pressing the button for a few seconds ! (I can't tell you what's going on screen, I'm far far away from my hdmi cable)
   If it works you will get this inside rkflashkit:
   
   we see the device is well detected !
   Now we are ready to flash !!

   ---

5. Flash the images !
   In rkflashkit,
   choose boot item inside the combo-box NAND Partition.
   choose the boot.img file you extract (inside your beelink/firmware/Image folder)
   

Then click the Flash Image and Confirm !

depending of the file it will take more or less time (the bigest, system.img is longest)
for each file you will get some information in the log windows. Each flash had 2 parts : writting, then reading. At the end of the flash process of one file you will get a green DONE like on this image



Now do the same for the other files :
kernel.img
misc.img
recovery.img
resource.img
system.img

BE CAREFULL TO CHOSE THE RIGHT FILE ACCORDING PARTITION !

now you can click reboot Device button, and unplug your device and start it normaly.

The first start will be longer because of first application initialization and data auto format !


ENJOY !

[palmunix]

Thanks for the guide! After flash Wasser RC2, only blank screen here.

[Kytrix]

You mean the Wasser 3.0 ?


and the 209 works ?

[abdul_pt]

Wouldn't be easier to use upgrade_tool ?

http://freaktab.com/forum/development-area/rom-hacks-and-mods-development/10503-rockchip-linux-upgrade-tool#post10503

[Kytrix]

It seems to be the same tool,

but the script seems to be easier to use !

[abdul_pt]

And the fact that you can flash the update.img, without having to split it ???

[Kytrix]

yes ...
maybe with the script it"s automated.
I will try

[Kytrix]

I try the script but it's doesn't flash resource image. and my R89 was not booting after that.

So I try with rkflashkit in console mode (more easier than flashing one image at time):

sudo rkflashkit flash [USER="1209"]misc[/USER] misc.img @resource resource.img [USER="36145"]kernel[/USER] kernel.img @boot boot.img [USER="50465"]ReCoVeRy[/USER] recovery.img @system system.img reboot

I flash the bootloader first time with upgrade_tool first time, I didn't know if it I had to do this, or just flash with rkflashkit will work alone.

I'm with the last wasser lollipop now !

[Tuk]

Hi guys, I did exactly step by step from post, but stucked in blackscreen with wasser 3.0rc2 firmware.

fw 2.09 working perfectly using console mode or by gui

I'm rktools 0.1.3

What's happening?
Theres another trick to make this work with 3.0rc2 firmware?

Regards

[Kytrix]

Hi Tuk,

I'm also with 3.0rc2 !

for 3.0, I didn't use myguide, but I flash with commands on my post above.
I use the guide to create the splited img files, but after, I use the command rkflashkit to flash all image + upgrade-tool to flash just bootloader image. (maybe it's not needed)

regards.