So I need to reflash with correct entry? Will it refuse to flash with same ota veriso
try,
and commands:
cat /proc/cpuinfo
cat /proc/meminfo
cat /proc/version
Note: Only 4 + 32G, 4 + 64G support BT function.
Have you tested Android if Bluetooth works or is in fact available in your box ?
I have enabled by on the android box, and my phone, the two seem to find each other but can’t sync…when it comes up with the access code on one, it doesn’t ask for the code on the other.
The phone does find the x96 on Bluetooth though…just can’t sync
Thanks very much Kostaman for your efforts. Sorry for late reply but have been ill this week with a nasty stomach bug.
Anyway yes it seems that there is a new bootloader image in the zip file. Cannot check the rogue box as it is with a non local friend and I am sure he will not want to open the box. Strange as my Chinese supplier deals direct with the factory in Shenzhen but I am disappointed that they seem unwilling to help him on this problem.
I have a good friend in Canada who is very knowledgeable on these streaming boxes too and he supplies his customers with them. He just got 5 new X96 Max+ boxes and they would not boot to CE off of the SD card but he just carried out an OTA upgrade as offered onscreen and bingo then the boxes booted to CE. That did not happen with the two rogue boxes my friends have.
Okay today I will try to get my friend to update his box via the Burn Card Tool with the image file. I will talk him through it as he has already made the special burn card withthe latest image file. If that does not work then he can try making a bootable CE USB stick and try that in both ports.
I will let you know how I get on.
Finally I see now Tanix have brought out a new TX5 Max box with the same spec as the X96 Max+ so has anyone had any experience ot this box ?? Certainly I do trust Tanix as they seem a reliable brand name unlike X96 which has no official brand name on the boxes. They have brought out some great boxes at good prices. The TX3 with the S905X3 processor is low on its auxiliary specs like no gigabit Ethernet for example.
HEre are teh side by side photographs of the X96 Max+ motherboards. The first photo with the component mounted on a dodgy loooking daugter board is from the 4/32GB box that will not boot and the second one is from my own perfectly normal 4/64GB box that works very well with CoreELEC 9.2.4.2 -ng. So clearly there are wqay too many difference to be simmply a later upgrade to the mobo and that kludgy lookign duaghter board !!! So it seems the rogue boxes with my two friends are indeed clones and my Chinese supplier has agreed to replace them hopefully with the new Tanix TX5 Plus box which I am having difficutly locating online anywhere other than Amazon in Canada ?? The rogue box shows it is a newer board version but that would be what a clone producer would do anyway and by the time he starts making the clone some similar freely available components would have newer production series codes too. Strangely though the rogue boxes came with a much earlier Android version that did not even have the FOTO Update app installed as clearly genuine OTA updates would not be able to be linked to and certified.
SO if your X96 Max+ box will not boot carefully open the base of the box (use a thin knife blade to snap it open but take care not to tear the little warranty seal) and check yours to these photos. If it is a clone then deand it is replaced by your supplier. These deplorable clone producers must not be allowed to get away with it, though that is sadly a big ask.
Why it should be a clone? One is from 2019, v3.1 and the other one from 2020, v4.0.
But when you have the devices already open just attach a UART and make a log. I am sure the booting can be fixed.
EDIT:
And the boxes do have a uSD slot so the SDIO adapter can be used.
I think I explained why I am sure it is a clone as Kostamman also suspected in the circumstances. You can see the kludge the rogue box board is and they would certainly not totally reorganise (disorganise) the original mobo as such with an upgraded version. There would simply be minor changes and improvements maybe a new memory chip or similar upgraded device. PLUS the rogue boxes also had an older version of Android which conveniently did not have the FOTA update app installed either and importantly of course it will not boot into CE like the other genuine boxes correctly do. Enough reasons for me and for most folk I would reckon. The Chinese supplier is slso said he is going to exchange them anyway for a box (maybe a new TX5 Plus if we can acquire one yet) that will boot to CE
I am not into reading UARTs and neither should I have to anyway. Also I do not have the rogue boxes here as they are not local to me but at a friends house where he has helped as technically as far as he can and I’m happy it will not boot into CE no matter all the usual methods and tricks we try. The box is non standard for sure.
Then everything is clear and solved, closed.
I’m Chinese. My English is poor.
I have the same device,This device may use s905x2 chip，So the DTB file with x96max can be used normally。@rccardude @RayW
Hi shabaocaiji
From my research and experience I would bet that your X96 Max+ box is a clone. It will likely have by default the Andorid build ID 1719 and almost certainly will not have the FOTO Update app installed by factory default for obvious reasons being almost certainly a clone.
If you look at my photographs I posted earlier in this thread one of a good box motherboard which works fine with CoreELEC and the oither the problem motherboard box which is I feel almost certainly a clone box. You will see the one marked a later V4 is a really badly designed and kludgy motherboard with a terrible daugher board too not present on the neat genuine board, and also the CPU is in a slightly different position than the geniine motherboard and as such you will see on the heat sink that the heat transfer pad is not where it should be and is partly not fixed to the the metal heatsink as the genuine boardd cpu heatsink pad is. So to me these kludgy V4 motherboards clearly appear not to be genuine but likely a bad clone.
So anyone ordering this box ensure they tell the supplier that it must not have pre-installed by default Android build ID1719 ( there maybe other clone box Android version ID numbers by now too) and that it certainly DOES have the FOTO Update app preinstalled by the factory. If not or the supplier refuses to confirm those points then do not buy it and if you still after that get such a clone box then return it for a full refund.
The S905X2 boxes are I understand not an altrernative as they are an older slower and inferior cpu and system.
I’ll managed to install coreelax!! I used the 2gb dtb device tree.
When I used the 4gb dtb device tree it won’t boot into core elac install
The only way to confirm Ram amount specs of your box is to open it and take photos.
I was considering buying one of these, but I would certainly hope to avoid getting the clone one. Is there any chance you could send photos of the outside of the boxes that show any differences without needing to open the box or turn it on.
Edit: I mean essentially the way the connectors look (or are spaced etc) form the outside of the box (not the plastic casing itself as this can easily change between patches).
Many thanks.
Looks like I have one of these v4.0 boards that can’t boot either from an sd card or emmc. While booting from an sd card I just get to the Android recovery menu, and boot from emmc (after CE installation there, of course) stucks on the X96+ logo. However, usb boot to CE works just fine.
The only problem for me is that I don’t have a fast enough USB storage to run CE from it.
Will be happy to help you fix the issue with double boot from emmc. Let me know if I can do anything.
If I need to provide an uart log, will this uart-to-usb converter be good enough?
And many thanks for your hard work, CE is great!!
Thanks, I’ve seen it. My understanding is that the SDIO board is a more convenient alternative for uart reading, isn’t it? 15 EUR is a bit expensive for me, so I’d prefer to stick to the cheapest solution.
Is is possible to read uart without the board?
just to chip in, i also have a problem x96 Max + box i am struggling with - see below post i put on XDA asking for some help with a custom rom…
Hi ISlakar
having some odd issues with my x96max+ also. i have been unable to get CE on it at all. the box simply will not boot from the SD, in fact it wouldn’t even boot in to stock rom with the SD inserted, just got stuck at the x96 splash screen (but if i insert after stock is booted i see the SD and CE partition) my reset button appeared to be either broken, or disabled as it has no effect, does not even restart the box. i figured it may be disabled by firmware intentional or due to a bug so i tried some custom roms. non worked initially and no longer (or so i thought) was recognized by the AMlogic burning tool. the box appeared bricked however i noticed by chance that after around 4 minutes, it would suddenly ’ connect’ in the flash tool on my PC and teh clock would light up, and the box would stay connected in the flash tool. i tried same as you - many ROMS, none of the generic s905x3 roms will boot the box, and neither will the ‘stock’ x96 Max + roms i downloaded (various releases from last year and this). I found i can get the box to boot using slimbox ROMS for x96 AIR p1, p2 and V2. It does not run well with them though and hangs oftern for a few seconds, and still no way to get CE on with re-set button still seemingly broken or disabled. i treid ‘reboot update’ from terminal emulator but still no CE, it just seems to boot in to the boot loader, i dont get any CE splash screen. ive had loads of cheap boxes before and always have been able to get a decent ROM in them, and then get CE going from SD, but this one has me perplexed…
what ROM did you find that worked on you X96 Max+ ?
Thanks!!