Problems and Troubleshooting - manster-zz/R36S-LINKS GitHub Wiki
Important
Wiki moved to Miraheze due to some problems with GitHub. New content and updates will only be on the new site. Will leave this here as a backup (last changes on August 24, 2024).
- Stock SD Cards
- Black Screen
- No rk3326-r35s-linux.dtb on SD card
- Stuck On The Bootlogo
- Stuck During Loading Emulationstation
- White Lines
- Small Blinking Line
- Themes Keep Disappearing
- Stuck on Boot
- Stuck in RetroArch
- No Gamepads Detected
- Joystick Problems - Stick Drift
- Games Not Saving
- Emulator Settings Keep Resetting
Caution
There have also been reports of these cheap cards overheating and destroying the screen.
Use quality/branded microSD cards. Please refer to the SD Card section and Compatibility List.
Note
Not every card will work in the TF2 slot.
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Wrong "device tree blob" files (.dtb) in the BOOT partition. There are at least 5 different screen versions for the R36S.
You need to use the correct .dtb file. After flashing ArkOS Community Maintained Image to the SD card and before booting up your device, replace the 📄rk3326-r35s-linux.dtb file in the 📁BOOT partition with the one from your original/stock SD card (see Backup).
In case you didn't backup you original 📄rk3326-r35s-linux.dtb file, here's a link to all the different versions : R36S-Device Tree Blob
Rename your original 📄rk3326-r35s-linux.dtb to 📄rk3326-rg351mp-linux.dtb and replace this file on the 📁AMBRELC partition. If you have no sound, use the .dtb files from this link:new DTB files for AmberELEC) or use this to fix the sound + the FN button: Panel 4 (V5) AmberELEC sound + FN button fix
- Try the Panel 4 (V5) version of ArkOS Community Maintained Image
- Make sure you are using the correct dtb file with the correct name
- Re-flash every time you try a different .dtb
- Replace the .dtb file before booting up the first time
- Delete the .dtb file first instead of replacing it
- Use a different tool for flashing (Rufus, Win32DiskImager, ApplePi-Baker). balenaEtcher is not recommended
- Flash the firmware image on a different PC
If your stock SD card dtb file is 📄rk3326-evb-lp3-v12-linux.dtb, you got the EmuELEC clone that is not compatible with ArkOS/AmberELEC.
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SD card problem. That's the bootlogo from the stock SD cards with an outdated firmware.
Change the SD Card.
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SD card problem (corrupted roms/bios or other files)
Change the SD Card or re-flash your good card.
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Battery is empty. It says something like "Voltage level" if you look closely.
Charge the device with a 5V 1.5A-2A adapter and a USB-A to USB-C cable. Charging via Computer/Laptop USB ports also works fine.
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Blinking Cursor = Looking for TF2 (roms) SD card
Can happen after upgrading
Wrong card setting in the menu
Re-flash the TF1 OS SD Card, or change the rom card slot via a script. Read the comments in this thread for a possible solution.
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SD card problem - SD card is slowly corrupting/dying
Change the SD Card
Another SD card problem
Change the SD Card
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Accidentally enabled the option to use RetroArch as the main frontend.
Reboot the device and hold B to enter "Boot and Recovery Tools" (BaRT) and choose "Emulationstation".
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Hold B button during boot to enter this menu (ArkOS) |
Wrong .dtb files
Or a SD card problem
Use the correct .dtb files or change the SD Card
Common problem in lots of controllers. Can have different causes.
loose connector cable
defective joystick
SD card / software related problem
Read this thread for possible solutions or look for threads with similar problems.
Bad rom dumps can cause this (stock sd cards).
Can also be a user error like not shutting down the device correctly which causes problems with the auto-save feature.
Don't forget to save the RetroArch configuration file after changing things or use overrides.
Caution
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