MK822: Delight or freak show? You decide!
MODS: This might be posted to the wrong forum now that I look at it and might need to be moved as it doesn't look to be a Rikomagic device. Apologies if so!
I recently purchased an MK822 from AliExpress, as my first mini PC that isn't in the "stick" form factor.
Unfortunately it won't display properly on my 720p TV but will on a 1080p TV. (black bars on either side of a squared off, squashed looking screen and only two resolution choices on the 720p set as opposed to really good display a whole page of resolution options on a 1080p set.
The video also occasionally blanks out and comes back, but I'm guessing that it might be due to how hot the SOC gets when it is running. I have ordered some heat sinks to apply to it.
I've been emailing the seller but I imagine that they will be of no help ultimately.
Since I'm kind of stuck with it anyway, and being a hardware hacker and the inquisitive sort I had to open this thing up and take a look.
What I found is not what I expected.
Instead of a system built on a PCB this unit is actually a "stick" form factor mini PC docked into it's own little expansion base and connected with custom made micro USB cables to link it to the base.
I have no clue what brand of mini PC this is. Boots with "R-BOX" logo.
It even extends the SD card slot by making use of a 'dummy" micro SD card simply wired out to a full size SD card slot on the base with a ribbon cable!
There is an unused 3 wire connection as well where they simply left the ribbon cable in there. I'm not quite sure what it could be, and I haven't taken any measurements from the wires yet.
There appears to be an IR sensor in there too, but I'm not sure how to go about finding out what IR protocol it uses to find out if that functions or not.
As a hobbyist and experimenter I'm delighted!
It's like a little developer setup or something!
Too bad it doesn't work quite right.
I currently have a dual core stick on the way that might have the right connections for this base, so even if the stick PC ends up not being great I can perhaps use another one on this base that works better.
If so I'll post it as a separate project.
Here are the pics:
Has anyone else seen something like this?
I recently purchased an MK822 from AliExpress, as my first mini PC that isn't in the "stick" form factor.
Unfortunately it won't display properly on my 720p TV but will on a 1080p TV. (black bars on either side of a squared off, squashed looking screen and only two resolution choices on the 720p set as opposed to really good display a whole page of resolution options on a 1080p set.
The video also occasionally blanks out and comes back, but I'm guessing that it might be due to how hot the SOC gets when it is running. I have ordered some heat sinks to apply to it.
I've been emailing the seller but I imagine that they will be of no help ultimately.
Since I'm kind of stuck with it anyway, and being a hardware hacker and the inquisitive sort I had to open this thing up and take a look.
What I found is not what I expected.
Instead of a system built on a PCB this unit is actually a "stick" form factor mini PC docked into it's own little expansion base and connected with custom made micro USB cables to link it to the base.
I have no clue what brand of mini PC this is. Boots with "R-BOX" logo.
It even extends the SD card slot by making use of a 'dummy" micro SD card simply wired out to a full size SD card slot on the base with a ribbon cable!
There is an unused 3 wire connection as well where they simply left the ribbon cable in there. I'm not quite sure what it could be, and I haven't taken any measurements from the wires yet.
There appears to be an IR sensor in there too, but I'm not sure how to go about finding out what IR protocol it uses to find out if that functions or not.
As a hobbyist and experimenter I'm delighted!
It's like a little developer setup or something!
Too bad it doesn't work quite right.
I currently have a dual core stick on the way that might have the right connections for this base, so even if the stick PC ends up not being great I can perhaps use another one on this base that works better.
If so I'll post it as a separate project.
Here are the pics:
Has anyone else seen something like this?
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