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ophub/amlogic-s9xxx-armbian

★ 9,197ShellAudience · ops devopsComplexity · 4/5Setup · hard

TLDR

A project that brings Armbian Linux to cheap Android TV boxes and ARM single-board computers from Amlogic, Rockchip, and Allwinner chipsets that official Armbian does not support, turning them into lightweight Linux servers.

Mindmap

mindmap
  root((amlogic-s9xxx-armbian))
    What it does
      Run Linux on TV boxes
      Extend Armbian support
      Replace Android OS
    Chip families
      Amlogic
      Rockchip
      Allwinner
    Install options
      TF card boot
      USB drive boot
      eMMC permanent install
    Features
      Kernel updates
      SSH access
      Docker support
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Code map

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Things people build with this

USE CASE 1

Turn a cheap Android TV box into a lightweight Linux home server by flashing Armbian onto a TF card or USB drive.

USE CASE 2

Install Armbian permanently onto a TV box's internal eMMC storage so it boots Linux without removable media.

USE CASE 3

Run Docker containers on a budget ARM device after installing the Armbian system this project provides.

Tech stack

ShellLinuxArmbianDocker

Getting it running

Difficulty · hard Time to first run · 1h+

Requires identifying your device's exact chip model from the table, flashing the correct image to removable storage, and manually triggering boot from that media.

In plain English

This repository provides a way to run Armbian, a lightweight Linux system based on Debian/Ubuntu, on a wide range of inexpensive ARM-based devices including Android TV boxes, set-top boxes, and single-board computers. The project extends Armbian's official support to many devices that the main Armbian project does not cover, particularly cheap TV boxes from brands like X96, Beelink, H96, and others. The practical use case is straightforward: you have an old or inexpensive Android TV box, and instead of using it as a TV box, you install Armbian and turn it into a small Linux server. The installation can go onto a TF card, SD card, USB drive, or the device's built-in eMMC storage. The project covers three processor (chip) families: Amlogic, Rockchip, and Allwinner, each of which is used in many different budget ARM devices. The README contains a large table mapping specific chip models (such as s905x3, rk3588, and h6) to the devices that use them and the kernel versions supported. Dozens of specific device models are listed. Beyond installing the system, the project provides management commands for tasks like writing the image to internal eMMC storage and updating the kernel. The default login is root with the password 1234 over SSH on port 22, with the IP address obtained from your router. A Docker image is also available with a static network configuration. The full README is longer than what was shown.

Copy-paste prompts

Prompt 1
I have an X96 Max Android TV box with an s905x3 chip. Using ophub/amlogic-s9xxx-armbian, how do I download the right image, write it to a TF card, and boot it?
Prompt 2
After booting Armbian on my TV box from a TF card, how do I use the management commands in this repo to write the system to internal eMMC storage?
Prompt 3
How do I update the Linux kernel on my Armbian TV box using the ophub/amlogic-s9xxx-armbian update commands?
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