New ROM MTD format AML8726-MX (Jynxbox M6)

[Finless]

BINGO! 2 different u-boot's

OK... First I am going to translate these terms so it makes sense.

spi_MX.img = u-boot.bin
They are the same thing from new ROM to old ROM style!

In some ROM kits is
uboot_MX.img Again this is u-boot.bin name in older ROM style.


I could not figure out why after flashing a new ROM that actually also flashes u-boot, I hard bricked!
Then I looked.... this special spi_MX.img (u-boot) is 2.8 megs! In regular ROM updates the u-boot (uboot_MX.img) is only 337K.
I am pretty sure the large u-boot has a recovery built in! In fact I proved it by using this u-boot and did not put a uImage_recovery on SD. It booted to a "no version" recovery!

So my previous findings about not being able to boot a recovery from SD are false!!!!
You can do that but it has to be built in u-boot!
Now the question is.... How do you make this cool u-boot with recovery built in?

More to follow I am sure!

Bob

[shaunmt]

OK... First I am going to translate these terms so it makes sense.

spi_MX.img = u-boot.bin
They are the same thing from new ROM to old ROM style!

In some ROM kits is
uboot_MX.img Again this is u-boot.bin name in older ROM style.


I could not figure out why after flashing a new ROM that actually also flashes u-boot, I hard bricked!
Then I looked.... this special spi_MX.img (u-boot) is 2.8 megs! In regular ROM updates the u-boot (uboot_MX.img) is only 337K.
I am pretty sure the large u-boot has a recovery built in! In fact I proved it by using this u-boot and did not put a uImage_recovery on SD. It booted to a "no version" recovery!

So my previous findings about not being able to boot a recovery from SD are false!!!!
You can do that but it has to be built in u-boot!
Now the question is.... How do you make this cool u-boot with recovery built in?

More to follow I am sure!

Bob

I downloaded a copy of the ROM. It looks like spi_MX.bin and uImage_recovery are the same thing, only spi_MX.bin must have the bootloader hidden in front of the recovery.

ShaunMT

[Finless]

I downloaded a copy of the ROM. It looks like spi_MX.bin and uImage_recovery are the same thing, only spi_MX.bin must have the bootloader hidden in front of the recovery.

ShaunMT

I am posting a little ahead of you.... But yes... same thing I just said
The new u-boot has a recovery in it.

Bob

[niabi]

In time my friend! I just have to know for sure how stuff works before I share it. Make sense?

FYI a repack of boot will never be the same. On AML I have never been able to repack that without removing a file because it is always too large on the repack. In this ROM there are several initlogo.rle files and all you need to do is remove 1-2 of those (the ones not really used) and it will repack.

But here is a tip, the latest Mygica ROM I used has a 80 byte offset to the header instead of 64. But on repack you can use 64 and it will still work.

Bob

sure, makes sense

I knew about the 80 byte offset, that is how I unpacked my boot.img. But never tried to flash my repack because it was always 64 bytes, maybe I will try it

Thanks

[Finless]

OK brain is fried.... calling it quits for the night. Wife and I are going out to dinner.

But I have to say figuring all this new crap out... IS FUN!
Reminds me of the early days when I first cracked RK29 ROMs and the stupid CRAMFS system they used along with other things that made it difficult (RK boot and kernel images for instance)

Stay tuned another day as I think I have most of this nailed now.

Bob

[niabi]

Well for whatever is worth, I just tried flashing my rebuilt boot.img and it didn't worked guess I need to mess around with it a bit more

[tranceyard]

Good job

And how about CWM booting from sd card?

Any clues?

[Finless]

Good job

And how about CWM booting from sd card?

Any clues?

If you read through this you will see you cant boot recovery from SDcard anymore.
But later I will work on a CWM.

Shawn may have one that will work already. I will test his later.

Bob

[Finless]

Switching ROM formats

So today I have tried to see if I could get my Prometheus AML8726-MX to take on the new ROM format that the Jynxbox M6 has. No go even making a special recovery SDcard. I also tried to put the old ROM format used by the Prometheus to flash onto the jynxbox M6. It just wont take it either way.

It all seems to have to do with this .ubt file and the boot loader. I think it checks the formatting of NAND and if it matches will then do the updating. Of course the old boot loader doesn't know about .ubt files and wont do it either.

So it appears to convert a box to this new ROM it will take a flash tool or some uboot .ubt file to force format NAND to the new format.

I am now going to see if I can convert the files system from UBIFS to EXT4. I think with this new format if the kernel supports EXT4 it should work.

Bob

[niabi]

bob maybe you already know this, but here is a link for a bunch of Amlogic stuff, including kernel sources and "buildroot" sources, maybe somewhere there you can find an answer to all of this.

http: // openlinux.amlogic.com:8000/download/ (remove spaces, don't want to link directly)

there is a particular folder called "customer" which contains config files for a lot of their customers, with luck there is one for the Jynbox M6 there that might shed some light on this matter.

[FoneFreak]

its seems if you flash 1.1.6 on mx 2 clone it will change the format to MTD.

if this is the case i wonder if your M6 rom will flash on an mx 2 clone with the MTD format?

"MX2REF: Matricom Android FW from 1.1.6 and WJB's Linux builds from November 21 2013
will be using new uboot and have a different MTD layout, flash the NEWMTD build"

The above is for linux build but i wonder if it will work with FINLESS image for m6 into mx 2 clone with the MTD format?

[jellywobbles]

its seems if you flash 1.1.6 on mx 2 clone it will change the format to MTD....

Not sure that is correct - I flashed 1.1.6 on very latest g18ref "MBOX" clone yesterday & MTD was unchanged. Will double check again later & let you know.

[niabi]

just FYI, having the same MTD does not mean this will work for you, my ATV120 (dongle version of the ATV1200) has the same MTD and when I flash this I am only getting a black screen (no video)

so be careful flashing this on other devices unless you have a secure way to recover.

[Finless]

just FYI, having the same MTD does not mean this will work for you, my ATV120 (dongle version of the ATV1200) has the same MTD and when I flash this I am only getting a black screen (no video)

so be careful flashing this on other devices unless you have a secure way to recover.

+100

I have looked at the ATV120 ROM and the kernel and GPIO assignments are totally different. It's different hardware folks.

My ROM will work but needs the ATV120 kernel in boot.

Now, I was going to do a ATV120 ROM myself but after helping and chatting with niabi, he is working on a ATV120 ROM anyway.

niabi, thanks and use whatever you want from my ROM buddy! Help the people with ATV120's
Feel free to ask me anything!

Also I am glad to see the AMLogic group grow here.... It's time to not be so RockChip biased!

When the AML quad comes out... TRUST I will be all over it!

Bob

[niabi]

+100

I have looked at the ATV120 ROM and the kernel and GPIO assignments are totally different. It's different hardware folks.

My ROM will work but needs the ATV120 kernel in boot.

Now, I was going to do a ATV120 ROM myself but after helping and chatting with niabi, he is working on a ATV120 ROM anyway.

niabi, thanks and use whatever you want from my ROM buddy! Help the people with ATV120's
Feel free to ask me anything!

Also I am glad to see the AMLogic group grow here.... It's time to not be so RockChip biased!

When the AML quad comes out... TRUST I will be all over it!

Bob

Thank you Bob, I appreciate all the help!

I don't know how many people have an ATV120 ( I had an extremely hard time finding useful info on it), but as soon as I think its finished, I will release it still have a few things to learn but I already have a pretty good working ROM that includes:

init.d support
Xbox 360 and PS3 Gamepad support
a few tweaks on build.prop
and random other tweaks


and Amlogic is in my opinion way better than Rockchip for video, I had an MK808 and I still have a UG802 and my ATV120 has become my favorite by far, specially if using XBMC