[Arm-netbook] Allwinner A10 Android Box (not tablet) and some experiment of run Ubuntu.

[Tom Cubie]

On Thu, Feb 23, 2012 at 11:35 AM, matt <mattli.tw at gmail.com> wrote:

> Hi, all:
>
>      Share my experiment of hack of A10 TV-Box device.
> For someone also want use A10 as your need.
> *Note: *
> *1. It is only for reference not finish yet.*
> *2. Maybe I lost sometime of step..:P*
> *3. Thank's Rhombus Tech web site, it's give me a lot of information.*
>
> I am looking forward with HTPC tvbox hardware device.
> For run linux and XBMC, A10 device is cheaper but must of A10 device is
> tablet.
> Finally, I found a MELE A1000 android tv-box that it is A10 device.
>

Yes, currently mele A1000 is the cheapest device for hacking A10. I have
bought two.


> http://www.mele.cn/en/web/pro_show.aspx?cid=46&pid=60
>
> Buy from taobao in the china and the price is RMB$469.
> http://detail.tmall.com/item.htm?id=15051860754&prt=1329962623036
>
> The box SPEC.
> 1. Video output - HDMI, CVBS, VGA .
> 2. Audio output - R+L, SPDIF
> 3. 3 usb host port + SDCard slot.
> 4. External SATA port (real SATA not from usb)
> 5. Ethernet.
> 6. ...
>
> Internal board has
> 1. UART port connector.
> 2. USB device port connector
> 3. MIC pin
> 4. CVBS-IN pin.
> Inside picture :
> http://dl.dropbox.com/u/9959499/a10/A10_device_a1000_inside.jpg
>
> The A1000's sys_config1.fex
> http://dl.dropbox.com/u/9959499/a10/sys_config1.fex
>
>
> Below steps are my test for boot A10 tvbox to Ubuntu desktop.
> But it only see the welcome screen, couldn't login...:(
>
> ============================================
> You need another hardware to connect internal connector.
> ============================================
> 1. connect to internal UART port. (for see the console)
> 2. connect to internal USB device port. (for use adb)
> Pin define see the inside picture.
>
> ==============================
> Change the u-boot in the device.
> to support boot from MMC
> ==============================
> 1. build the u-boot that support boot from MMC.
>
> *git clone http://git.hands.com/u-boot.git*
> *cd u-boot*
> *git checkout lichee-dev*
> *vi include/configs/suni4.h*
> search mmc config
> a. #if 0 => #if 1  (enable u-boot support mmc)
> b. change #define CONFIG_MMC_SUNXI_SLOT 0
>
> *make sun4i CROSS_COMPILE=arm-none-linux-gnueabi-*
> got the u-boot.bin  (my build of u-boot.bin<http://dl.dropbox.com/u/9959499/a10/u-boot.bin>
> )
>
> 2. ref the http://elinux.org/Hack_A10_devices
>     use adb push the new u-boot.bin to tv-box.
>
> =====================================
> Build linux kernel and use SATA HDD as rootfs.
> =====================================
> ref the http://rhombus-tech.net/allwinner_a10/kernel_compile/
> The change of kernel config.
> 1. Change "Default kernel command string" to see the kernel boot log.
>     This is workaround method, I don't know why kernel could not use the
> u-boot env.
>
> *CONFIG_CMDLINE="console=ttyS0,115200 root=/dev/sda1 rw rootfstype=ext4
> init=/init loglevel=8 rootwait mac_addr=00:CE:39:*
> *B6:5D:B4"*
> *CONFIG_CMDLINE_FORCE=y*
>
>
Use this kernel instead.
https://github.com/allwinner/linux-2.6.36.git
The kernel could not use u-boot env, because the old kernel disabled the
kernel
tag which u-boot pass to kernel.



> 2. Disable initrd.
> 3. got the kernel image and copy it to SD Card partition 1 (FAT 16
> filesystem)
>     (my build of uImage<http://dl.dropbox.com/u/9959499/a10/uImage_git_root_sda1>
> )
>
> ======================================
> Build ubuntu 10.04 rootfs
> ======================================
> Thank's rootstock. It has easy way to get the prebuild arm version of
> ubuntu.
> *
> *
> *sudo rootstock \*
> *        --fqdn ubuntu \*
> *        --login ubuntu \*
> *        --password ubuntu \*
> *        --imagesize 3G \*
> *        --seed ubuntu-desktop,openssh-server \*
> * --serial ttyS0*
> * --dist lucid*
>
> got armel-rootfs-xxxxxxx.tgz.
> 1. extract it to SATA HDD partition 1 that is format as ext4 filesystem.
> 2. copy A10 display kernel module to rootfs
>     *disp.ko, lcd.ko, hdmi.ko  *copy to *lib/module/xxxx/*
> 3. vi etc/init.d/rcS  to add insmod of diplay kernel module.
> *   (cd $MODULES_DIR;insmod disp.ko;insmod lcd.ko;insmod hdmi.ko)*
>
> ======================================
> Boot up
> ======================================
> 1. plug SATA HDD to SATA port.
> 2. plug the SDCard that has kernel image.
> 3. UART connect to board press any key when power on the device.
>     you will see the u-boot command.
> 4. Type below command to load kernel image from SD Card.
>     *mmcinfo; fatload mmc 0 50000000 uImage_git_root_sda1 ;bootm 50000000*
> 5. You will see kernel boot message from UART and use SATA HDD as rootfs.
>
> =============================
> Another rootfs -- minimal ubuntu 10.04
> =============================
> sudo rootstock --fqdn ubuntu --login ubuntu --password ubuntu --imagesize
> 2G --dist lucid --serial ttyS0 --seed  ubuntu-minimal,vim,openssh,apt
>
> boot log of console
> http://dl.dropbox.com/u/9959499/a10/bootlog_sata_ubuntu_mini_log.txt
>
>
> Regards,
> Matt.
>
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>



-- 
Keep simple, stay foolish.
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