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In the UK, we were getting ATV1200s in the form of the Sumvision Cyclone Android X2, and it's these that are no longer available to buy as they've been replaced by the Cyclone X4. You may well still get ATV1200s from Geniatech but they're very old hardware now, and AMLogic has dropped the G02REF board from their latest kernels. (That's one of the reasons why we can get Codesnake's OpenELEC port for the G18REF/MX2, but not for the G02REF).
Just looking at a photo of the Armada Mach 8, it seems to be a version or clone of the ENY/Acemax EM8 (K200 board?) which has an S802 SOC and I don't think Geniatech make this box. The M8 is probably the most cloned box around and it seems quality varies dramatically. To be honest, I am not an expert on all these Android boxes and I'm confused about who makes what and what exactly is the current best although I am hearing good things about the MXIII.
I am not a box shifter or seller: I've purchased a few for my own use and set them up for some friends and colleagues. The boxes I've bought come from a local bricks and mortar PC store that I have used for years and years. Any problems I can just take them back to the shop. No doubt there are better boxes available online, but I have just made do with what they stock, and so far it's been decent stuff.
OpenELEC is basically a minimalist version of Linux designed purely to run XBMC as an appliance. If you can handle MX Linux, you can handle OpenELEC. You switch the box on and within a matter of seconds XMBC/Kodi is on your screen. OpenELEC has some nice features over MX Linux, but to be honest I haven't really explored it in depth: I just did enough to get a wireless connection and that was that. Linux is Linux for the most part so they feel very similar from the command line if you ever log on with PuTTY. OpenELEC appears to be the future of Linux on these AMLogic boxes so picking one that OE works on is the important thing IMO.
The Cyclone X4 box I have is not a TV110 and the circuit board isn't even the same shape, but as far as ROMs go, they seem to be the same which is why the TV110 OE port worked. I have just learned that the same box is available under the name Smartron S805 - god knows who the manufacturer is or what the long term reliability will be like, but I trust Sumvision to have done a bit of homework before picking this one. The MXQ is another S805 box, which seems to be better equipped, having a power button, SPDIF etc. The box I have is pretty basic with just HDMI, 2 USBs, micro SD, no power button and a barely adequate remote so don't take this specific model as a recommendation from me over other boxes that are available.
If you want to try OE then get a box that Codesnake is porting to: even an old dual core MX2 will do the trick, but he's got a beta for the M8 (S05 K200 board) out and says he's working on the MXQ (S805). There are forks of Codesnake's work around by JustMe and Kerber (TV110) for other boxes, but Codesnake is the main man for OE on AML as far as I can tell. You can also try out Stane's AMLinux which is more of a direct descendent of MX Linux for the S802.
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Hey many thanks for all that useful info Bobones. Well I am certainly not a box shifter but get many boxes for friends, friends of friends and other contacts and even several to Europe through a friend and contact of mine over there. I just do the techie bit of flashing them, and setting them up so they are fully configured for each end user as I find nearly all folks get really lost at first with XBMC and end up taking weeks trying to get an Android box flashed and configured and often end up bricking them too. So as I love these boxes and have a few myself I do all this for them for little more than a drink and help them out after that if they are stuck. I am basically a retired senior electronics and comms engineer and as you know from chats before I am now 69 years old but going on 18 really :-)
I am not that conversant with Linux OS itself though I did used to work with Unix back in the late 80s and 90s and did do a 5 day engineering level course on Unix and its administration particularly the security aspects, so just need to jog my memory cells and update them for today's incarnations and the Linux GUI we now have. Maybe I will convert my 5 year old Compaq dual core laptop to either latest Linux or even dual boot Win 8 / Linux. So if okay with you I may be asking you for some advice on that if and when I do. Sounds like I need to do this if going to OpenElec XBMC.and also then can get into compiling if my old brain can take it LOL
Just a note that I too have a Sumvision X2 box which was the first of these biger dual core MX boxes I got for testing back late last year and now with Gotham 13.2 and working brilliantly. But I can tell you they are identical to the MyGica 1200 boxes which I now use, just the branding name and some differences with the remotes, though the remotes are interchangeable and have now become very similar. Hardly call them old though as it was only late last year when they first became available for flashing to Linux XBMC Frodo 12.2, 12.3 and finally 12.4 and of course now Linux Gotham 13.1 and 13.2, but I suppose one year is a long time in this market.
So looks like it may be worth me getting a MyGica ATV1800 for testing so will order one next time I order some 1200/520 boxes from my Chinese supplier, but maybe will just order a one off for my experimenting with OpenElec and/or ready for when/if Geniatech or Cronie himself do make Linux builds for these Amlogic quad core boxes. For now though the 1200 and 520 boxes are magic and highly recommended with Linux Gotham 13.2 so for now I remain to be convinced as to the advantages of the new quad core boxes.
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A long shot perhaps, but what /dev files are used when it's mounted correctly under Geniatech Linux? It may be that you just need to create the same device files using the mknod command then trying mount /dev/sda1 /mnt or whatever.
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Kenco
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Good thought bobones. I'll revert back to Geniatech Linux and report back to you
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Kenco
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I was on Geniatech Frodo when the internal drive was recognised as normal and then went on to XDA Gotham where I found that the internal drive is no longer visible, although USB drives still work. I am now reverting back to Geniatech temporarily to see what /dev files are used when the internal hdd is correctly mounted so that I can try to answer bobones' question
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Any news Kenco? What's the output of the "mount" command from Geniatech Frodo?
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Kenco
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Sorry for the delay bobones. SHMBO has had me doing other things such as Christmas shopping! I'll be back to you later on today.