Device tree files seem to be missing ....Help?

[Garzie]

OK - scratching my head a bit here - hoping i am missing something simple

my little X96 air box ( s905x3 4g 100M generic) needed a refresh so i set about downloading the latest img.gz file from github, flashed the file onto a new clean sd card with rufus and went to find rename the SM1-s905x3-4.dtb file - but found there are NO files with filenames starting SM1 in the device tree folder now on the SD card???

file i tried “CoreELEC-Amlogic-ng.arm-21.3-Omega-Generic.img.gz”

• tried 3 times - same result
• updated rufus to latest and tried again - same result
• different SD card - same result
• checked checksum of the file i downloaded in case corrupted - checked ok
• tried balena etcher as an alternate sd flashing tool - and it reported errors / file corrupted - but i don’t see how it can be

what am i missing

[vpeter]

You meant sm1_s905x3_4g.dtb? It is there.

[Garzie]

hi vpeter

yes - that file - but no, its not present - all the files in the device trees folder begin with the letter “g”

does this look right - 67 files 2.66mb?

this is the rufus settings i used - all default

[vpeter]

You are doing somethingh wrong. gxbb_ files comes from CoreELEC-Amlogic.arm-9.2.8.

CoreELEC-Amlogic-ng.arm-21.3 has sm1_s905x3_4g.dtb.

[Garzie]

thats interesting vpeter - rufus said it was successful in writing “CoreELEC-Amlogic-ng.arm-21.3-Omega-Generic.img.gz” to the sd - but those files are much older - v odd can only assume the sd is corrupted somehow - and those files are from a previous use that for some reason have not been formatted by rufus before burning the new image.

i have tried a few more times with the other sd - this one indeed shows the sm1 files in the device tree folder - but still will not boot in the X96 air box.

so it looks like i have been experiencing 2 separate issues - that compounded confusion

this one is a 64GB card fresh out of the wrapper. i wonder if the box cannot recognise larger capacity sd cards than 32GB???

anyway - will find and try another sd card - under 32GB and working in other devices

thanks for shedding some clues to help me understand what’s going on

[freddy]

Reads like you are using the Download Helper?

Avoid that and download direct from github

[Garzie]

thanks freddy, but no, i am using the file from github

my current theory is that its just a case of 2 separate issues with the SD cards i am using - one being corrupt and the other not compatible with the X96 box for some reason - maybe size

am trying a 3rd sd card now and will report back

[Garzie]

OK - just to close this out - the 3rd sd card worked - so it looks like it was just 2 bad or incompatible sd cards causing issues

[Garzie]

in case its of use to anyone else - i have now tried 2 different brand new 64GB sd cards in the X96Air box and it will not boot from them - different brands ( Kodak and SanDisk ) both class 10, UHS-I, A1 spec

if you go into the boot menu it sees them as empty disks with only system volume information on them

but it will boot on smaller capacity SD cards of the same spec - so looks like it cannot deal with larger than 32Gb cards