[Android Stick & Console AMLogic based Computers] shaglord:
After WEEKS of trying to flash my X98Q I was finally able to get slimbox on there and finally it's all good.

This is a cpu/system that requires Amlogic Burning Tool 3.x (not the better 2.x version).

I just wanted to tell you the tricks I used to get it to work.

It didn't matter which version of ABT I used. Available were 3.1.8, 3.2.0 and 3.2.8. I was able to successfully burn on the last two.

Now. The problem was "fail in flow" during the burn. I had a cable I used with my Xiaomi (ABT 2.x) box and it worked fine there. Mostly because if there's an error on 2.x you just pull the cable and reinsert it and it'll continue (not restart from the beginning like on 3.x).

After building a cable, buying a cable, I noticed that on ABT 3.x I'm seeing slightly different progress made before it fails. Looking back at all the burn attempts I don't think the cable did anything.

What I first suspected was the emmc chip was faulty. However it always failed at different points. I tried putting the board in the freezer for a few minutes and I got farther than I did previously. Like 24% instead of 10%. I tried the freezing trick a dozen times but never got much farther than 24%.

Days later I get a new cable and I try it, and get to 44%. Wow! Was it the cable? Here's the thing. No it wasn't. What helped in the end was to let the board REST for several hours. Yeah, you heard me.

If I disconnect all the cables and leave it overnight and then immediately start a burn (don't leave it powered on for a minute or two) then I was able to complete a burn 100% on the first or second try.

So it seems that the emmc chip doesn't like massive writing to it after about 5min of use. The only way to get it to write fine for the entire process is to just leave it for a while.

I tried so many other things. I measured the 1.8v and 3.3v rail while flashing. There were no dips. I tried holding reset. I tried attaching more power to the board. None of that was needed. What I did learn was that the emmc chip uses 3.3v when writing and 1.8v when in just normal operation.

It is supplied both voltages at all times.

I have the X98Q with a Kioxia / Toshiba 16GB emmc flash chip.

Using my trick I was able to conpletely flash the box 4-5 times in 2-3 days. If I ever couldn't flash I just stopped and came back 7-8h later. Sometimes I'm unable to do a successful burn before the 5-10min period has passed and I have to give up and come back again. I'm happy I won't need to flash again for a long time since I found the rom I like. Slimbox 11.26 Atv.

I'm just writing this to help the next guy that's in the same situation.

People seem to have different issues with the burning process and so they get annoyed with helping others that don't follow their tricks (because it's a different problem).

I followed DOZENS of "important steps" (claimed by others) and they did nothing. Playing with the reset button, power cable before/after usb cable. Renaming files. Administrator priviliges. It was all useless!!!!

Every box is a bit different. I suspect my story is relevant to all the X98 variants. X98mini X98plus X98 X98Q and maybe more. Specifically those with Toshiba / Kioxia emmc.

Here's abother interesting fact about ABT that I never see in the tutorials (Amlogic Burning Tool). On the 3.x versions, once the box is displayed as "connected" in ABT you never have to redo the procedure. You can come back weeks later to that installation of ABT and it'll see the box.

If you reinstall ABT you have to again "discover" the box. Meaning, do the little unique trick to make it connectable. On my X98Q it's kind of a nightmare shorting two unmasked tracks on the board underside.

I thought the errors were because I didn't do the discover trick. It never had anything to do with that Once discovered, you never have to do it again.

What the discover procedure does is, it tells ABT where the box is. Like an address or something. A newly installed ABT doesn't have the address. Once it does it connect every time.

So the box isn't going into "write mode". It's always in write mode. It just sends a "hello" with an address down the usb cable that ABT picks up.

Now if you don't know which version of ABT you need then you're in trouble with boxes like X98Q. Every time you change versions you have to redo the discover trick. Super annoying. So CHOOSE THE VERSION CAREFULLY from the start. Don't just go with the newest version. Ideally, to save time, just use the recommended version by the manufacturer. In my case it was the older 3.2.0. Keep on trying with that, and don't assume errors is because the version is wrong.