[trogggy]

Personally a fire tv stick would never be an option because it's wifi only.
And I already have 4 Pi's - so an s905 box was just out of interest.
Running libreelec I've been pleasantly surprised by it.

[Ned Scott]

Can you post more about the power supply that caught fire? like which box or any news articles, what kind of power adapter etc. I held off on these Android boxes and stuck to official kodi hardware (RPi2) just because of the potential fire hazard, however i gave in with a s905 Android box since it was so cheap and C2 is really hard to source or it cost double + insane shipping. My box seems to have a ETL certified power supply and the company is registered with Intertek which was the reason I actually bought it.

I looked at a ton of clone boxes and they all seem to have generic power supplies but i didn't come across any that advertised as being UL, ETL or CSA certified, but yes I saw allot with FC or CE logos. The one that came with my box has the ETL logo and the manufacture checks out as being certified. I may still source a local certified power supply just to be extra safe as china is full of fakes but can you really be sure the new one is certified and not a fake since both are made in china.

PS I bought the box now only because you can run LE on it, if that was not possible I would never buy it.

I don't recall the exact box, but it wouldn't matter anyways. Many sellers will source power supplies, remotes, and the box itself, separately. They put it all together in one box, but a different patch of product from the same seller could have a different PSU. Plus, look-a-likes (even to the extent of using the same plastic moldings) is very popular. You can have two visually identical power supplies, but have one be dangerous.

It comes down to a chain of trust, IMO. Buy from somewhere you trust, because they will hopefully ensure that their products have real certifications and safety standards. You almost can't even do it by brand, because even the brand is faked in some cases.

I do have a video of a different power supply that caught on fire. This is a generic Macbook power supply I bought a few years ago: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ac7pIzHy8bY

That's not an LED blinking, BTW. That's a short.

After that, I only bought authentic power supplies from Apple or from a trustworthy refurbisher. It's hard to go totally third party because of the Macbook power connector. The point being, you don't always have to go name brand, but go from someone who has a good rep that you can trust.

[Ned Scott]

Personally a fire tv stick would never be an option because it's wifi only.
And I already have 4 Pi's - so an s905 box was just out of interest.
Running libreelec I've been pleasantly surprised by it.

Actually, they figured out how to root the dang thing and put a chromecast ethernet jack on it. AFTVnews has info about it. I would still avoid the Fire TV stick, but it does keep surprising me how capable it is for how cheap it is.

[trogggy]

Don't make me buy something else Ned.
I'm going to carry on believing the firestick has no ethernet - it's better for my pocket.

[JonSnow88]

Can you post more about the power supply that caught fire? like which box or any news articles, what kind of power adapter etc. I held off on these Android boxes and stuck to official kodi hardware (RPi2) just because of the potential fire hazard, however i gave in with a s905 Android box since it was so cheap and C2 is really hard to source or it cost double + insane shipping. My box seems to have a ETL certified power supply and the company is registered with Intertek which was the reason I actually bought it.

I looked at a ton of clone boxes and they all seem to have generic power supplies but i didn't come across any that advertised as being UL, ETL or CSA certified, but yes I saw allot with FC or CE logos. The one that came with my box has the ETL logo and the manufacture checks out as being certified. I may still source a local certified power supply just to be extra safe as china is full of fakes but can you really be sure the new one is certified and not a fake since both are made in china.

PS I bought the box now only because you can run LE on it, if that was not possible I would never buy it.

I don't recall the exact box, but it wouldn't matter anyways. Many sellers will source power supplies, remotes, and the box itself, separately. They put it all together in one box, but a different patch of product from the same seller could have a different PSU. Plus, look-a-likes (even to the extent of using the same plastic moldings) is very popular. You can have two visually identical power supplies, but have one be dangerous.

It comes down to a chain of trust, IMO. Buy from somewhere you trust, because they will hopefully ensure that their products have real certifications and safety standards. You almost can't even do it by brand, because even the brand is faked in some cases.

I do have a video of a different power supply that caught on fire. This is a generic Macbook power supply I bought a few years ago: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ac7pIzHy8bY

That's not an LED blinking, BTW. That's a short.

After that, I only bought authentic power supplies from Apple or from a trustworthy refurbisher. It's hard to go totally third party because of the Macbook power connector. The point being, you don't always have to go name brand, but go from someone who has a good rep that you can trust.

Thanks for the info, it's a Beelink Mini MXIII and they seem to be a better brand then the clones like the MXQ. Checking the outer casing and then matching the model number with Intertek the manufacture checked out so I can only assume it's a genuine power supply from the proper manufacture, of course no way to know for sure without opening the power supply and looking at the components.

I will most likely source my own power supply just need to find a reputable dealer that I can trust, that's the hard part. I know most small shops just ship from china so it's no better than ordering from Amazon because you can't really be sure if its genuine or a fake and ebay is out of the question.

I have a old MXQ (just bought to see what Android boxes can do but never used it) and I cracked open it's power supply which I know is just a generic no-name fake and you can tell right away it's not safe just with how it's put together. I will for sure throw that one out, I don't really want to rip apart the other power supply until I get a replacement, but it seems much more trust worthy than the generic POS.

[trogggy]

Just buy a decent usb charger and a usb to 5.5/2.1mm cable then.
Or - if you're anything like me - find the cable in your junk drawer and use one of the far too many usb chargers kicking about the house.
Edit: IIRC the cable I used came with a long-dead wiimote charger.

[wrxtasy]

Lets see if I can compile a BEWARE generic dodgy Android / AMLogic clones list and upset a few more people today
This is going to be linked in to the "Pick the Right Kodi Box thread"

So far I have:

• Nexboxes - Faking physical RAM, by modding the Kernel to generate false reports courtesy of the Chinese company CYX technology
  
• Very poor Firmware support from generic sellers
  
• Poor thermal design for heat dissipation, leading to overheating and CPU throttling, A/V playback problems and eventual Hardware failure
  
• Poor quality parts used, buttons that snap off, switches that stop working
  
• Unlicensed hardware - things like forged or a lack of CE marks, FCC certification, etc - getting a lot of boxes held up in customs
  
• The Majority of cheap, generic Vendors selling Pirate Android Kodi boxes to attract Newbie customers, leading to..
  
• No support from Android Kodi devs as Pirate boxes actually harm the Kodi project, and...
  
• Genuine, reputable Kodi vendors and developers, who go out their way to do the right thing - getting very pissed off these dodgy budget boxes get free advertising on a Kodi forum.
  
• So many different Hardware configurations out there making it a PITA getting WiFi and BT working on various devices, even for LibreELEC.
  
  And the most troubling of all:
  
• Dodgy, fake power supplies, that may or may not short out and catch on fire if accidentally left on 24/7

If users are happy to run the risk and sort through the rubbish, you may find a bargain.
BUT its a bloody minefield and personally I would not put my house and family at risk, no matter what the bargain price.

[tredman]

Would be nice to have a *good* list too. I wouldn't mind buying a cheap box to stick LE on and mess around with, but have no idea what to go for or from where.

[bobrooney]

If someone is so poor that they can't afford something like that then I think they have bigger things to worry about than getting 4K video with HD audio on an S905 box.

Of course! And that is my point. Lot of people (like me) don't have 4k TV, sound systems, H265 files,... so they don't need 4k playback, passtrough, HEVC support,... and for those people (with "basic needs") those devices are good enough. I really don't have any problems with my 26$ device. Honestly! I don't care if maybe 4k playback is not smooth or passtrough don't work on my device because I don't need that! This device simply fulfills all my current needs and that is what I am looking for.

So why care about AML S905 boxes? That's the whole point of getting one of the cheap S905 boxes over a Raspberry Pi or Fire TV stick. There's no reason to encourage the "pirate boxes" when there are clean alternatives that are even better and are just as cheap.

RPi and Fire TV stick are just cheap as my 26$ device?! Are you kidding me??

[JonSnow88]

Just buy a decent usb charger and a usb to 5.5/2.1mm cable then.
Or - if you're anything like me - find the cable in your junk drawer and use one of the far too many usb chargers kicking about the house.
Edit: IIRC the cable I used came with a long-dead wiimote charger.

Yes that was the original plan, all my outlets have a 5v 2a usb port which is what i wanted to use but i have yet to find a usb A to Type M barrel plug that uses 22AWG wires the one i found was 28AWG and that can't handle the 2 Amps from what i have read.

But if the wiimote cable works for you then i might be okay as well with the 28 AWG cable. What i may do is get a usb shell and solider the wires that came with the box to the usb connectors.

EDIT: Here are some images from a generic fake power supply from my MXQ, its like it was hand made by a factory worker.
http://imgur.com/a/rUuCf

Since i was going to throw out this power supply I ended up cutting it and attached VCC and GND to a male USB A cable just to see how the box holds up over usb with a crappy thin usb cable. Playing a 10 bit h264 anime file under software to put heavy load on the CPU, so far its okay need to put heavy load for at least a few hours.

EDIT2: My DIY usb to barrel connector worked just fine however I still wanted a good power supply. The Cisco/Linksys ATA power supplies are exactly what I was looking for and will be ordering a Linksys PA100-NA. At least now I will have genuine good power supply for future upgrades and not having to worry.

[Ned Scott]

Of course! And that is my point. Lot of people (like me) don't have 4k TV, sound systems, H265 files,... so they don't need 4k playback, passtrough, HEVC support,... and for those people (with "basic needs") those devices are good enough. I really don't have any problems with my 26$ device. Honestly! I don't care if maybe 4k playback is not smooth or passtrough don't work on my device because I don't need that! This device simply fulfills all my current needs and that is what I am looking for.

So why care about AML S905 boxes? That's the whole point of getting one of the cheap S905 boxes over a Raspberry Pi or Fire TV stick. There's no reason to encourage the "pirate boxes" when there are clean alternatives that are even better and are just as cheap.

RPi and Fire TV stick are just cheap as my 26$ device?! Are you kidding me??

If you are going to compare sales to sales, then yes. I've bought 2 Fire TV sticks at $20 USD and 7 more for $25 USD. Raspberry Pi 3 is only $35 when you bring your own power supply (use CEC for remote, don't bother with a case, and it can even boot from network or USB). A Raspberry Pi Zero is $5, and only $20 with everything needed to connect it to a TV. Throw in another $5 if you want a dedicated remote. (Yes, it is possible to get a Zero even with the high demand. I have two of them at this point and didn't pay more than $5 USD.)

[bobrooney]

So why care about AML S905 boxes? That's the whole point of getting one of the cheap S905 boxes over a Raspberry Pi or Fire TV stick. There's no reason to encourage the "pirate boxes" when there are clean alternatives that are even better and are just as cheap.

RPi and Fire TV stick are just cheap as my 26$ device?! Are you kidding me??

If you are going to compare sales to sales, then yes. I've bought 2 Fire TV sticks at $20 USD and 7 more for $25 USD. Raspberry Pi 3 is only $35 when you bring your own power supply (use CEC for remote, don't bother with a case, and it can even boot from network or USB). A Raspberry Pi Zero is $5, and only $20 with everything needed to connect it to a TV. Throw in another $5 if you want a dedicated remote. (Yes, it is possible to get a Zero even with the high demand. I have two of them at this point and didn't pay more than $5 USD.)

Give us links for 20$ Fire TV sticks and 35$ RPi's or stop misleading people!
When I talk about prices I always give links.

[KoopaTroopa]

Raspberry Pi 3 RRP is US$35 or UK GBP30. It's the standard price.

[Ned Scott]

Give us links for 20$ Fire TV sticks and 35$ RPi's or stop misleading people!
When I talk about prices I always give links.

The sales for the cheap Fire TV sticks are over, but those kinds of sales come and go all the time. You'll normally find them on Amazon.com when they happen, though. http://camelcamelcamel.com/Amazon-Fire-T...ext=browse

Raspberry Pi's are normally $35, and that's for the latest and greatest version 3B. The Pi Zero is even cheaper (but harder to get) and sometimes stores have sales on their stock of Pi 1B+'s and 2B's. The Model A is also around $20 USD, but it's out of stock, which probably means it's getting an upgrade (or just being discontinued for the Zero, who knows). The last few I got from http://thepihut.com

[bobrooney]

Amazon prices are not relevant for me because they do not include shipping to my country. That is additional 20-40$!
Same goes for official RPi distributors.

When I am saying 23$ or 26$ device I mean shipping included.