[ROM] Unofficial OpenELEC for MXIII-G & Tronsmart MXIII+

[Bigredfan]

Also, find the zip file for libreelec 7.0.0.1 here:-

http://5.189.137.29/Openelec/MX3G/kszaq/

That's what I ended up doing thanks

[winny.uk]

Out of interest I gave the "kszaq\LibreELEC-MX3G.arm-7.0.0.1.img" (Apr29) build a try and confirmed the same problems with my box powering off at the OE Wizard with LAN connected.
Just wanted to share findings as it confirms any changes or backporting from Wilro are not related to the root cause.
Can anyone confirm if they are having the same issues with newer builds?

[hscotty55]

No issues yet with kszaq\LibreELEC-MX3G.arm-7.0.0.1.img on Tronsmart MXIII Plus

[wilro_6276]

Out of interest I gave the "kszaq\LibreELEC-MX3G.arm-7.0.0.1.img" (Apr29) build a try and confirmed the same problems with my box powering off at the OE Wizard with LAN connected.
Just wanted to share findings as it confirms any changes or backporting from Wilro are not related to the root cause.
Can anyone confirm if they are having the same issues with newer builds?

Hi winny.uk,

Sorry I haven't been able to find what's causing this, not being able to reproduce the problem hasn't helped (sigh), I rolled this out on a couple of friends boxes here (different TV's, A/V setups), & still haven't hit this problem. Have you tried my latest 6.0.3x build (same kernel, older kodi/OE build chain)? As this affects both my OE & LE builds (very similar OE7 based build chain, but with very different kernel's), There may be a regression in OE7, but I can't find anything glaringly obvious here, the differences between them & the test build that works don't appear related to any significant change in heat/power draw of the device.

Couple of things to try:

1. Disable CEC - What kind of TV are you using? Is it 4k capable? (I don't have access to anything 4k personally, but the 4k kodi patches haven't changed since the early OE7 test build days)
2. Are you running anything off the USB/AV ports? - If so try running it with nothing but the bare minimum connected (I have read about issue with attached device that generate excessive heat)
3. Try a different power pack for the device (if possible) - I'm using a 3A one personally (only because I had it lying around spare, & natively supports my local wall power outlet, rather than a US > AU adapter
4. Try forcing the use of the "hotplug" scheduler via autostart.sh

The only other thing that comes to mind is that the heatsink in your box is crap, but then I would have expected this problem to have shown up long before now.

[winny.uk]

Thanks Wilro. I have "OpenELEC-MX3G.arm-6.0.3e" flashed onto the Nand. If this wasn't stable I'd definitely be suspecting the box as well.

1. My tv is a cheapo LG 1080p. The CEC works using a Raspberry Pi 2 as a client (running OE 6.95.3) but not from MXIII-G box running OE 6.0.3e (or the later builds). I've not found an option to disable it permanently in OE but will search around and try this later.
2. There's nothing in the usb ports.
3. I'll see if I have another suitable psu. Current one works with 6.0.3e but I'm willing to try anything at this stage!
4. Thanks for this. Will read up and try this too.

Cheers
Winny

[wilro_6276]

Thanks Wilro. I have "OpenELEC-MX3G.arm-6.0.3e" flashed onto the Nand. If this wasn't stable I'd definitely be suspecting the box as well.

1. My tv is a cheapo LG 1080p. The CEC works using a Raspberry Pi 2 as a client (running OE 6.95.3) but not from MXIII-G box running OE 6.0.3e (or the later builds). I've not found an option to disable it permanently in OE but will search around and try this later.
2. There's nothing in the usb ports.
3. I'll see if I have another suitable psu. Current one works with 6.0.3e but I'm willing to try anything at this stage!
4. Thanks for this. Will read up and try this too.

Cheers
Winny

OK, to disable cec, it'll be in one of 2 places - on my kernel's (6.0.3x & 6.95.x), it's in "addons" & called "Wetek HDMI CEC", under kszaq's kernel (LibreELEC & some of my test builds), it's under System->Input->Peripherals. Make sure it's disabled. You may also need to disable it in autostart.sh "echo 0x0 > /sys/class/amhdmitx/amhdmitx0/cec_config", as the system enables it during boot.

If 6.0.3e isn't causing the shutdown prob's, then the CEC drivers are unlikely to be the cause of the problem (6.0.3e & 6.95.x use the same kernel & cec drivers), however it's certainly worth a shot regardless

The new CEC drivers in kszaq's kernel supports a lot of extra "features", however, It doesn't appear to like my old Samsung TV, which only has very basic CEC capabilities.

[wilro_6276]

Howdy All,

I have uploaded a new LibreELEC build based on kszaq 's latest 7.0.0.2 release - No real MX3G specific changes in this build compared to the last.

I did get a kodi crash/restart when connecting it to an old Panasonic TV (no CEC support), however, since disabling CEC, it hasn't missed a beat. I still have to test it on my old samsung to see if the CEC support is more stable (next week, hopefully!)

Enjoy!

[casper1977]

Apologies if this has been asked before but I couldn't see anything that answers my question in the thread (it's getting quite long!). Will wilro's excellent ROM work on the 2GB+16GB version of the box now being sold on gearbest? It's now cheaper than the 8GB version (which I've had and used the ROM on), so would prefer to buy this one if I can.

[ukmark62]

Apologies if this has been asked before but I couldn't see anything that answers my question in the thread (it's getting quite long!). Will wilro's excellent ROM work on the 2GB+16GB version of the box now being sold on gearbest? It's now cheaper than the 8GB version (which I've had and used the ROM on), so would prefer to buy this one if I can.

I would be very surprised if it did not work, as the only difference I can see is the extra 8gb storage. I have used wilro's fantastic ROM on a CX-S806 box (android 4.4, 2gb ram, 8gb rom and S812 chip) and it works perfectly (I don't use ethernet - but everything else works - wifi, bt etc). I can't be sure as I don't have the 16gb version, but I have used various OE roms on different AMlogic boxes mainly with success - as long as it is the same CPU, GPU there's a very good chance it will work.

Just in case, I would download the AMlogic USB burning tool and have the stock Android image that ships with your box available, on the off chance that you brick the device. I have used this many times (without failure) to recover bricked boxes.

[Bruur]

Just a word of caution though:

I've recently purchased a couple of new MXIII-G 2GB/16GB boxes. These come with the latest Lollipop firmware. When I look in Android into Settings and then into the details about the box, its shows this version of the software: 201L1

Now the problem I have with this firmware is that it doesn't allow me to flash anything anymore. When I flash via a MicroSD card, it just shows the GoogleTV logo and the screen goes blank and this repeats until I give up and let go of the hidden recovery button. Then it boots into Android again.

The problem is even bigger when I flash the box using the USB Burning tool to rollback to a Android version which hopefully allows flashing via microSD. This simply bricks the device. I've tried Android firmware versions 108L, 106L1, 104L1, 101L1. The light on the power button stays red and there is no HDMI output anymore. I can still flash firmware via the USB Burning tool but even all though the tool tells me the burn is successful, the box remains bricked. My supplier is telling me the factory used firmware encryption and we are looking into a solution.

I just want to warn you guys, that there are MXIII-G 2GB/16GB out there which brick very easy!

[loki7777]

Where did you get this box from?And from where you have FW 108L I never saw it before?

[Bruur]

I've bought my MXII-G 2GB/16GB boxes from a private seller who directly gets them from the factory. I've bought many boxes from this seller and the support (by proxy) from the factory has been excellent. The product has always been genuine. But sometimes the disadvantage is that I always get the latest model coming off the line. Which means, the latest improvements in chipsets and firmware. It's the disadvantage of being of the front-line, I guess.

The 108L1 firmware I've found here: http://4pda.ru/forum/lofiversion/ind...73262-780.html

I've also received this same version directly from the factory via my seller.

[winny.uk]

One thing struck me with my ongoing testing; my stable version 6.0.3e is on Nand and I'm testing 6.95.x and 7.x builds from micro-SD cards, What if the problem is nothing to do with the builds and somehow related to running from micro-SD? If I take one of the "problem" test builds and flash the equivalent version onto the Nand I should continue to see the same behaviour.

So I opted for "OpenELEC-MX3G.arm-6.95.3a.zip" and flashed the box using the toothpick method. Initially after booting the box powered off as expected, but after trying a few more times and rushing through the OE Wizard I could start to use Kodi. Trying to access Programs>OE Config>About, or System>Add-ons, would result in more powering-off as previously reported. However after a few more attempts I eventually managed to get to the option of turning off the wireless and checking the status of the CEC add-on (disabled by default).

As I type this the box has been powered on for several hours, has successfully played some high bitrate samples and movies (Avatar 1080p) over ethernet. So far I would say this is as stable as the previous 6.0.3e version.

Wilro - thanks for your patience and sage advice. I had tried various combinations of micro-SD card sizes and manufacturers but I will stick to Nand flashing for the time being. Fingers crossed...

[MinixCrazy]

Just a word of caution though:

I've recently purchased a couple of new MXIII-G 2GB/16GB boxes. These come with the latest Lollipop firmware. When I look in Android into Settings and then into the details about the box, its shows this version of the software: 201L1

Now the problem I have with this firmware is that it doesn't allow me to flash anything anymore. When I flash via a MicroSD card, it just shows the GoogleTV logo and the screen goes blank and this repeats until I give up and let go of the hidden recovery button. Then it boots into Android again.

The problem is even bigger when I flash the box using the USB Burning tool to rollback to a Android version which hopefully allows flashing via microSD. This simply bricks the device. I've tried Android firmware versions 108L, 106L1, 104L1, 101L1. The light on the power button stays red and there is no HDMI output anymore. I can still flash firmware via the USB Burning tool but even all though the tool tells me the burn is successful, the box remains bricked. My supplier is telling me the factory used firmware encryption and we are looking into a solution.

I just want to warn you guys, that there are MXIII-G 2GB/16GB out there which brick very easy!

Agreed, I have one of these boxes came with the 201L firmware that I bought on my last purchase that I could not flash and I tried similar troubleshooting steps to get it to flash but gave up on it. Please let me know if you find a fix for this...

Do you have a copy of the 201L IMG to burn?

Frank

[Bruur]

I don't have a copy of the 201L to burn, it just came pre-installed on the box. And if I had, I wouldn't feel good about spreading this around if it locks the box and nothing can be flashed any more.

By the way, did you also brick it after flashing using the USB Flashing tool? And you are stuck with a red light on the power button and no HDMI output?

Of course I'll post a fix once I've found one!