A new cheap China tablet: "Voyo Q101 4G" a.k.a. "Teclast 98" 2GB/32GB octa w/ LTE
So far I have not found any related discussions or suggestions for this rather new and very cheap tablet.
Mine is still in the mail, but I am curious how to 'open' it up, i.e. getting root functionality and maybe some other needed modifications to make it really useful?
The spec sheets for both the Teclast 98 and the Voyo Q101 4G are identical, apparently they use identical hardware (MT6753, Mali-T720, 2/32GB) and also the same stock Android 6.0 image?
On paper the specifications and functions look very appealing, and its street price of less than $100 (88Euro) will probably stir up the low end market quite a bit.
There may be even more clones with different names, does anybody know about these? It may help to compile generic information, applicable to all of these identical devices.
Has anybody started tinkering with this new 'phablet'? There seem to be issues with its phone functionality, with the recognition of 64GB memory cards, no root success messages so far, etc.
Which rooting method will work and prevent 'bricking' such a device? What else could be flashed or installed on it?
Thanks for any ideas and thoughts!
A comparing data sheet of these tablets (either model, Voyo or Teclast) I found here:
https://www.kimovil.com/de/compare-tablets/teclast-98-2gb-32gb,voyo-q101
Hello
I bought a Voyo Q101 and should have been delivered by this week.
I bought it because they speak it well, it has a very low price and the 64 bit MTK6752 processor has good features and can play with it.
I will still try to study the competing model Teclast 98 because it probably has the same identical hardware and maybe even the scatter + ROMs are the same.
I hope it is not difficult but I would like to have the following things available:
- ROM original (backup)
- ROOT
- TWRP working for this device.
I wrote to Voyo asking if he could upload the tablet's firmware to http://en.myvoyo.com/ so you could have at least the scatter.txt to create a custom TWRP and at least be able to create a backup yourself SP FlashTools.
It is not easy to do these things but try it does not cost anything.
Then it will not be difficult to do the Root, always through TWRP.
I hope someone will join this thread so that they can work together.
So we are two already!
I also contacted Voyo in this matter, and am considering to approach Teclast as well. As far as I know these two devices ARE absolutely identical. Both could benefit from community driven tools, improvements and fixes.
The interesting is, why the divice is not in Voyo site?
Anyway, does anyone know if it can accept an SD card as internal memory? I read about a problem in which it does not use 32GB as storage storage apps, only a small part. Does anyone know anything about this?
Weverton Douglas said:
The interesting is, why the divice is not in Voyo site?
Anyway, does anyone know if it can accept an SD card as internal memory? I read about a problem in which it does not use 32GB as storage storage apps, only a small part. Does anyone know anything about this?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Here is the link to the Voyo website and spec sheet of the Q101; interestingly they mention a slightly larger 5Ah battery, while it usually is advertised with 4900mAh.
http://en.myvoyo.com/chanpin/pingban/811.shtml
Isnt't the SD card issue (moving apps and/or data to the external memory) an Android 6.0 issue in general?
I am using Link2SD on my four rooted devices with older Android revisions (2.3, 4, 5), also an extra SDEext partition.
I definitely want and need a similar method for this phablet.
For the sake of compiling all available international information about the "Q101 4G"/"TecLast Tpad 98 4G" I dug up two threads in other (Ru, I) forums:
http://www.androidiani.com/forum/tu...ad-ufficiale-voyo-q101-4g-phablet-10-1-a.html
http://4pda.ru/forum/index.php?showtopic=826767&st=0
My Russian (as Google's) is rusty, it is not easy to read these threads..
According to one source TWRP and Kingroot may work to open it up.
TecLast has apparently released its image, but I cannot locate it?
It would be nice if anyone could confirm that indeed these two phablets from Voyo and Teclast ARE absolutely identical.
It would certainly simplify their maintenance and control.
WOW BOYS !!!!
We are in many users !!!
Unfortunately, for the moment, the ROMs are not available on Voyo's website and Teclast's website.
We hope they provide fast.
By comparing the firmware we may be able to know if they are exactly the same.
Let's try to take a step at a time.
A) find the devices ROM
B) Create a TWRP to install at least ROOT permissions .... even if I think I can install them through ADB commands.
C) Installing an AD Block (for me very important)
I would also like to know that OTA updates will be released because in this case we will not be able to change the recovery, at least until the ROM is stable.
PS: I think someone should open an official thread on XDA because it is right to do so.
However, we are trying to understand whether the two tablets are the same.
Yes, I do agree that a 'formal' topic should be created, for EACH of the two devices, because:
I did find out that they apparently are NOT identical as the link https://www.kimovil.com/de/compare-t...32gb,voyo-q101 indicated; their specs are simply wrong!
The russian site http://4pda.ru/forum/index.php?showtopic=832099 has a neat selection of infos about the Voyo Q101 4G, but is hard to read. We need a similar ENGLISH version to help each other out.
The "Voyo Q101 4G" is also sold as the "Voyo i8" (Asian market?); there was another "Q101" model sold by Voyo years ago, with entirely different hardware and a smaller 9.7in screen. Very confusing marketing...
As to the differences between Voyo Q101 4G and Teclast Tpad 98 I did find out:
dimensions really are:
Teclast TPad 98 - - - 238 x 170 x 9.89 mm
VOYO Q101 4G - - - 242 x 172 x 9,0 mm
Different GSM/LTE bands (unverified):
Voyo:
2G: GSM 850/900/1800/1900MHz,
3G: WCDMA 850/900/1900 / 2100MHz, Band 1 / 2/5/8
4G: LTE FDD-1800/2100 / 2600MHz, Band 1/2/3/4 / 5/7/8/17/20 , LTE-TDD - Band 38/39/40/41
TecLast:
2G: GSM 900/1800 MHz,
3G: WCDMA - 2100MHz, die TD-SCDMA - Band 34/39
4G: FDD-LTE 1800/2100 MHz, Band 1/3, TDD-LTE Band 38/39/40
Someone seems to have flashed the Voyo with the Teclast image and lost the camera flashlight function?
The Teclast Tpad 98 image looks like this:
https://www.androidfilehost.com/?fid=817550096634772747
So we really should be careful about mixing the similar but apparently not identical devices up.
If someone speaks RUSSIAN it would be helpful to translate the useful info and instructions found at
http://4pda.ru/forum/index.php?showtopic=832099, also their pool of firmware and tools around the rooting/flashing etc. They seem to be far ahead with this thinh, while I am still waiting to receive my own unit.
Where will the 'official' support topics for the Voyo Q101 4G and the Teclast Tpad 98 be put on this XDA site?
I am not really a wiz, not too active, more a curious user with some urge to tinker a bit and squeeze the most out of this interesting and feature loaded phablet, a real steal at $99!
Thanks!
Be carefull. Teclast 98 and Teclast T98 are different models. The VOYO Q101 is the same with Teclast 98.
stelakis1914 said:
Be carefull. Teclast 98 and Teclast T98 are different models. The VOYO Q101 is the same with Teclast 98.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
According to Teclast's website there is only a 'Teclast 98 (octacore)' on the market these days:
http://www.teclast.com/en/tablet.html
It uses the MT6753.
But is still NOT identical to the Voyo Q101 4G as outlined above (dimensions, mobile bands, firmware).
I do find a variety of older offers for a 'T98', with varying CPU and Android versions (MT8752T,MT8735P. Android 4.4, 5.1,.). They of course are entirely different beasts than the actual '98'-
Voyo shows their 10.1in MT6753 model now as 'Q101' (without mentioning "4G" in the model name):
http://en.myvoyo.com/chanpin/pingban/811.shtml
And the same model again as "i8" when using the Chinese site:
http://www.myvoyo.com/chanpin/pingbandiannao/872.html
An earlier version of "Voyo Q101" was offered years ago, using 1GB/16GB and a MT6582, with Android 5.1 It disappeared from Voyo's website. Again an entirely different beast.
It is the actual MT6753/10.1in/Android 6.0 version that is the core of this discussion.
So I am still suggesting to create TWO official threads, like at 4pda.ru.
For each the "Voyo Q101 4G" AND possibly also the "Teclast Tpad 98" if there is an interested group of owners.
I am still expecting my Voyo; currently I am simply trying to prep myself, collecting tools and infos, so I can at least root it, my main desire.
Thanks!
I've had one of these for a few weeks now. Purchased from GB. Works and just fine although I haven't tried a sim card in it but has one major issue. If I let the battery run down the tablet will suddenly switch off and after that it won't accept any charge or turn back on. I think it's either the battery voltage sensing hardware or the firmware. For such a cheap device I couldn't be bothered with the hassle of sending it back so I voided the warranty by opening it up and used my lab power supply to recharge the battery which was initially reading 2.95 volts. When it had charged to 3.7V I put the tablet back together and it worked fine again. This has happened twice now (both times when another family member was using it).
Thanks for the heads up on the bad voltage sensor issue!
On all my mobile devices I am using a floating battery voltage widget (Resource Monitor Mini Pro), that tells the current voltage. It is way more precise than the estimated percentage display by Android. I found that these % readings vary with each restart/recharge, will hang at some values and then suddendly dive to zero.
I am now reacting to voltage readings only, and recharge my devices as soon as they drop below 3,55V, a full charge usually tops off around 4.15V.
Makes me wonder how long the Q101 will run on a full 'usable' charge in the modes:
- Display on
- +WLAN on
- +GPS on
?
Looks like there is very little interest at XDA regarding this Voyo tablet, a real pity.
I will now try to join the 4PDA forum at Russia, as they have a very active and knowledgable group of i8/Q101 4G owners.
Reading technical instructions in "Russian-English" was not my goal, but apparently I am forced to go down that route.
Should XDA ever decide to formally support the Voyo Q101 4G/i8 (aka Teclast Tpad 98), please let me know - thanks!
Anyything new? i also own a q101 and would look Forward exploring that a custom Rom works...
Mine arrived two days ago.
First impressions:
- heavy, probably due to the battery; it drains at 0.3%/hr idle over night, 12%/hr in full use; not too bad if one keeps the display dimmed.
- all advertised functions work, incl. phone, GPS, WLAN, BT, FM radio, cameras
- a magnetic sensor is reported, but not really 'there', shows fixed values
- the display is OK, speed as well, the two speakers are tinny
- there seems to be a screen protector installed already. I will leave it on for now, until I find a source for good MATTE protectors that fit this 10" display.
- my Sandisk 32GB UHC memory card was accepted, a new 64GB card is on its way
- it may report a new MAC address with each WLAN connect, not confirmed yet
The lack of sensors is the biggest disappointment so far, it will limit its functionality (astronomy, navigation etc) a lot.
I tried to sign up at the Russian pda site, but am failing the numeric captcha test so far, bummer. I started learning Russian numbering now, so I can pass the test!
They DO have neat tools, I even found a first image "2017-06-28--00-39-41_Q101_V01" there, but am not sure what to do with it? Reading the auto-translated instructions destroys a lot of the valuable information.
Are TWRP files always 'customized'? Can I use the one for the Teclast Tpad 98? Apparently the Teclast has NO camera flashlight, so its FW may not be suitable for the Voyo Q101 4G (aka i8)?
Maybe it is too early and new interested Q101 4G/i8 owners will pop up here soon?
So far I am collecting all infos, files, tools etc to prep myself.
My sole intention is to have a rooted tablet; I am not so much into customization as long as it is not necessary due to bugs in the original FW.
Anyone?!
mw210461 said:
Mine arrived two days ago.
First impressions:
- heavy, probably due to the battery; it drains at 0.3%/hr idle over night, 12%/hr in full use; not too bad if one keeps the display dimmed.
- all advertised functions work, incl. phone, GPS, WLAN, BT, FM radio, cameras
- a magnetic sensor is reported, but not really 'there', shows fixed values
- the display is OK, speed as well, the two speakers are tinny
- there seems to be a screen protector installed already. I will leave it on for now, until I find a source for good MATTE protectors that fit this 10" display.
- my Sandisk 32GB UHC memory card was accepted, a new 64GB card is on its way
- it may report a new MAC address with each WLAN connect, not confirmed yet
The lack of sensors is the biggest disappointment so far, it will limit its functionality (astronomy, navigation etc) a lot.
I tried to sign up at the Russian pda site, but am failing the numeric captcha test so far, bummer. I started learning Russian numbering now, so I can pass the test!
They DO have neat tools, I even found a first image "2017-06-28--00-39-41_Q101_V01" there, but am not sure what to do with it? Reading the auto-translated instructions destroys a lot of the valuable information.
Are TWRP files always 'customized'? Can I use the one for the Teclast Tpad 98? Apparently the Teclast has NO camera flashlight, so its FW may not be suitable for the Voyo Q101 4G (aka i8)?
Maybe it is too early and new interested Q101 4G/i8 owners will pop up here soon?
So far I am collecting all infos, files, tools etc to prep myself.
My sole intention is to have a rooted tablet; I am not so much into customization as long as it is not necessary due to bugs in the original FW.
Anyone?!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have mine for 1 or 2 weeks now, it came with scratches on screen. So a little bit disapointing but all in all it is OK.
First of all I rooted it with KingRoot, worked fine but with little bit of ads. So I used Lucky Patcher and Ads are gone.
On the Voyo Q101 it shows Android 6.0 but that is not true. It is Android SDK version 22 and that is Android 5.
So I really hope for a new custom rom with Android 6.
Scratches: have you tried removing the (soft) screen cover? IMHO there IS a protection film over the entire front surface.
Root: you only used the KingRoot tool, no other preparations like TWRP (is this needed?)?
I read elsewhere about the Android 5/6 issue, cannot really tell so far. Most 6.0 features would not apply, but the tool for app permissions and battery dozing.
Just found out that the original 2A charger died after using it once: it now delivers 4.7V and 200-400mA only, nice..
My luck, as usual.
mw210461 said:
Scratches: have you tried removing the (soft) screen cover? IMHO there IS a protection film over the entire front surface.
Root: you only used the KingRoot tool, no other preparations like TWRP (is this needed?)?
I read elsewhere about the Android 5/6 issue, cannot really tell so far. Most 6.0 features would not apply, but the tool for app permissions and battery dozing.
Just found out that the original 2A charger died after using it once: it now delivers 4.7V and 200-400mA only, nice..
My luck, as usual.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The scratches were under the screen protection, so I thought there would be a second one.
Now I know that this was the screen itself, it is also just plastic. So I ordered a case, that no one can see the edges where I tried with a swiss knife the get down the "second" protective film.
Yes, Kingroot worked for me. No TWRP, I dont have it.
When I got the tablet I tried out the stock recovery but there are only chinese signs. I had luck not to damage anything there.
Screen on time could be a bit better, I get about 5 hours on 2 days. Only surfing and small apps, no gaming.
The display is known to be easily scratched, I am currently looking for 10.1" protection films that will fit and have a MATTE surface. For now I will stick (pun!) to the one they installed at the factory.
KINGROOT does indeed work and roots the device, good idea! But in an odd way, at least for me:
- all attempts to install the APK version failed, despite accepting warnings and allowing for 3rd party apps it would simply end the installation process with 'not installed'
- using the Windows method the tool ran for over 10min, with slowly crawling percentage points, ending with a 'failed' message
- when looking into the device I DID find both Kingroot and Purify installed! Root checking still reported a failure, but a run of the Kingroot app eventually reported success!
For now I will stick to the Kingroot approach, but would prefer the SuperSU method. I did find a SuperSU-Me tool that apparently will replace KR by SU. Not sure if I should take the risk?
The device DOES alter its MAC address at each WLAN connection. I HATE this, as it clutters my router's network item list and prevents me from using dedicated network device names.
This is not the first Android device that messes my router up.
I could fix the same issue on a smartphone (NEO N003) years ago. But never succeeded in fixing it on a smartphone watch (AN1).
Does anyone know how to force this MAC address to stay constant under Android '6' (aka API 22 which indeed is '5')?
I am adding a series of screen shots demonstrating the device's design (HW and SW), for those interested in working on it. Hopefully more owners and users will share their experience and findings, to keep this thread alive.
Thanks!
No network and battery issue
I bought this and facing following two problem.
1. The battery is 1% after continuous recharge a
2. also the mobile network is not working at all with SIM card. Tried multiple things to make SIM card work but no avail
I recently purchased an Azpen A1050 tablet. It's a 10.1" screen model in 1280x800 resolution, with a quad-core Allwinner33 CPU (an ARM Cortex 7 design,) 1GB RAM, 16GB flash, and external storage via a MicroSD card. It runs Android 6.01 Marshmallow.
I've had several other Azpen models, including the A727, A741, A746 and A746g. I was able to root all of them, and Kingo Root worked on the the A741, 746, and 746g models.
Kingo bounces off, both when using the Windows host based version and the apk to root on device. (And when the Windows host program gives up, it leaves half a dozen shell instances active on the tablet and killing performance till the tablet is rebooted.)
King Root bounces off saying "tablet is not adaptive".
Framaroot's apk installer also fails.
The Towelroot apk I found fails to run. The device claims it's potentially harmful and refuses to execute it. (And there are a maze of sites claiming to offer Towelroot, but it's not clear which are legitimate. Attempts to download the apk fron developer Geohot's site fail, with a 0 byte file getting downloaded.)
Has anyone successfully rooted this device, and if so, how did you do it?
There's an option in Settings to unlock the boot loader, which means it might be possible to flash a custom ROM, but I'd prefer to avoid that unless there is no other option.
Thanks in advance.
i have 1058b 10inch azpen tablet and in developer options theres a allow the bootloader to be unlocked switch from there ive read that using adb and fastboot you can oem unlock the bootloader from a online pc with a couple of commands but i also have found no open source code for azpen so theres a few possibilities of the outcome first it should unlock then one of two things are said to happen either the system would reset to factory or it would delete the entire os so without anymore documentation i couldnt go any further as my tablet was gifted to me and still too new to take that risk but after the bootloader is unlocked kingo or king root should root the tablet if not sideloading super user apk could be possible after bootloader unlock but i havent tried any of this still debating
---------- Post added at 10:31 PM ---------- Previous post was at 10:23 PM ----------
and i tried framaroot, towel root, kingo root, king root as well as others like you did with no results one other thing stopping me is i havent found any official azpen drivers so using above method may not work for my tablet as it may not connect to adb fastboot to run unlock commands
[TECHFOUR9] said:
[/COLOR]and i tried framaroot, towel root, kingo root, king root as well as others like you did with no results one other thing stopping me is i havent found any official azpen drivers so using above method may not work for my tablet as it may not connect to adb fastboot to run unlock commands
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the reply. As you mention, it might be possible to unlock the bootloader and proceed from there.
I'm not sure an Azpen driver would be needed for adb to work, but there's a limit to how much I want to experiment.
I bought the A1050 as a device that might replace a laptop with something smaller and lighter when traveling, My 7" models almost could, but the 7" screen size was a painful limitation.
The nice thing about the A1050 is a full sized USB port. It means I can plug in my Logitech portable keyboard without having to use an OTG adapter, or plug in a USB hub and use keyboard and mouse. (The full sized port can't be used for connecting external storage, but that's not a deal breaker. What it can do is a boon.)
I'm still working on it, but the device as stands can largely do what I want. Rooting is simply a convenience - it would let me remove some bloatware Azpen installed as system aps that can't be removed by the standard Add/Remove measures, and might let me correct a few annoyances in what Azpen did. It isn't necessary to be able to use the tablet for the intended purpose, and since it does basically work, I'm not going to try something that might break it.
I can wait to see if a rooting solution that can root without needing to unlock the bootloader appears. If I run across one, I'll post about it here. In the meantime, what I have works well enough.
lucky with the full size usb, mine just has micro, 2 sim card slots, sdcard slot of course, fm radio feature and 64gbs i like it, it could use some debloating as you say, ive been just disabling certain apps that have the option definatly needs more ram, hopefully i can use a swap file but its too new so im taking it slow and thanks for your reply im looking and will share any findings as well
much appreciation
[TECHFOUR9] said:
lucky with the full size usb, mine just has micro, 2 sim card slots, sdcard slot of course, fm radio feature and 64gbs i like it, it could use some debloating as you say, ive been just disabling certain apps that have the option definatly needs more ram, hopefully i can use a swap file but its too new so im taking it slow and thanks for your reply im looking and will share any findings as well much appreciation
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't think you need a swap file, and I believe Android handles that internally. There's a Linux kernel the hood, and Android is essentially a Linux system. It just differs in the way things are set up from a desktop Linux distro.
The A1050 has 16GB of storage, of which 12 are available to the user. That gives me headroom, so I don't have to resort to something like Link2SD, which lets you carve out an ext4 slice on an external card and mount that as additional app storage. (And Link2SD requires a rooted device to work in any case.) It has a GB of RAM, and that's been adequate. While Android may have a number of processes running in the background, most of them don't take a lot of RAM. I've never seen an out-of-memory condition on my devices. The issue I ran into was not enough space in the part of the internal filesystem allocated to app storage to hold everything I wanted to install.
The full size USB port was a pleasant surprise. Dual SIM card slots sounds like yours has phone capability. That's not something I would want. It probably intended to allow connectivity when you don't have a Wifi hotspot nearby. My tablet is specifically set up to be used in local mode, working on locally stored data. It's online only to check for new versions of installed apps , and to check email on occasion when traveling. I wouldn't care about FM radio, either.
Another pleasant surprise was the microSD slot. Previous Azpen models maxed out at 32GB cards. This was a hardware thing - they used SDHC slot hardware, and that has a 32GB volume size limitation. To get higher capacity, the slot has to be SDXC.
The published specs indicated the same 32GB volume limit as other Azpen tablets. But I had a 64GB microSD card bought for another device that turned out not to support it. I popped it into the A1050, it saw if, and offered me the choice of importing it as internal storage or using it as external. Importing it would mean formatting it as ext4, the default Android filesystem, and it would be mounted by the tablet as additional internal storage. I wanted to be able to pop the card and read it in something else, and transfer files to/from it without using MTP. I chose External, it worked for a bit, and then told me a had a 64GB external card. I've seen Azpen's published specs being incorrect before, so I wasn't all that surprised they were wrong, but this was a pleasant surprise.
Front and rear facing cameras were also nice. The rear facing camera is "in a pinch", and not something I'd try to do serious photography with, but is works well enough if I just want a quick shot of something.
Azpen has a bewildering variety of models, and I do wonder who they think the audience is. Had I known going in I couldn't root the A150, I would have opted for the A1048. That has similar specs, but runs Lollipop instead of Marshmallow, and should be rootable.
The nice thing is that the tech gets steadily cheaper. The A1050 cost me $80, which is a decent price for a 10" tablet with the specs it has. A non-Azpen model would likely cost twice that. (And Azpen's list price for the A1050 is $299.95. I got mine from Micro Center who is an Azpen retail partner and apparently gets very good wholesale pricing from Azpen.)
What apps are you running?
I have bought a dongle and discovered it does not have the usual RK SoC , instead it has an Allwinner A10. The pcb is red, it has the SoC, flash, sram, some voltage regulators and a push button and a led. Does anyone have any idea where to get firmware roms for this dongle? The stock firmware is very bad. Dlna barely works. Miracast disconnects immediately after connection.
@an31415 people would need the name and model number to stand a chance of helping you.
I think the best you could hope for is firmware from another identical device sold under a different brand name.
if you were able to try this you'd still need to have the original firmware on hand in case it didn't work.
3mel said:
@an31415 people would need the name and model number to stand a chance of helping you.
I think the best you could hope for is firmware from another identical device sold under a different brand name.
if you were able to try this you'd still need to have the original firmware on hand in case it didn't work.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks @3mel for your reply. The product box says "HDMI Dongle Wifi Display Receiver" and on the dongle it is written "Anycast". This is one of the many clones you can by on Aliepxress. I was hoping it's one with an RK cpu, but after cracking it open I found out it has an Allwinner A10 cpu. I searched high and low on internet to find and alternative firmware for it because the current one is crap. I'll try to attach some pictures here of the PCB, maybe somebody can identify it and point me in the right direction.
But how do I attach picture? Can junior members do it ?
More info: the dongle PCB is red and has a label, SP-X11-V2.0, and the name of the Wifi access point it creates is SP-xxxxxx, where the Xs are random hex digits.
The Wifi addon pcb is green and has no markings. The wifi chip is a well known Realtek that is found in all other similar products.
if you inbox me the AliExpress link I will post it here for you, that's probably the best way for anyone to identify it.
https://m.aliexpress.com/item/4001025810891.html
I received the variant in the colorful box(not the blue ones) and it does not say M2 nor M4 on the box. The product description says it has an AM8252 cpu, but it's not true. I guess the only way to id it is to post pictures of the pcb.
https://youtu.be/uXgBrT6J_Ew
the chips aren't the same as yours but does the board look similar ?
being honest I wouldn't get your hopes up, it's a cheap clone / copy of a chromecast. it's not going to be supported that well, they've already sold you something that doesn't match their product description. take it for what it is and learn that you get what you pay for... sorry.
The board is not similar, it has different ICs, different layout, different color. But the plastic enclosure is identical, except for the venting holes on the back, which are bigger on mine. This case copies the Chromecast (first generation), so people expect it to be a Chromecast clone. It isn't, but it does serve a similar purpose
The date on the PCB is 2019.10.10, fairly recent. I expect a new wave of clones have hit the market, disguised as already established products, but based on a different SoC. The only problem is their firmware is even less stable than the old ones, so I guess other people, not just me, are looking for solutions.
some of those people looking need to be devs.
Yup. Or anybody with a similar but not identical A10 based board. Maybe we can spot different fw versions in the wild
A small update if anybody is interested. I've connected the board via usb to my laptop (running linux mint). Doing this while keeping the button pressed will put the board's bootloader in some sort of firmware update mode. Running lsusb will show it as an usb device : "Bus 001 Device 066: ID 1f3a:efe8 Onda (unverified) V972 tablet in flashing mode". Of course this is not an Onda tablet, but it certainly has an identical SoC, thus the misidentification of the usb device.
Googling for this string I randomly found out there are some people called the sunxi community that strive to create a linux kernel and toolchain for these Allwinner devices, and they have done it quite successfully.
There are many custom firmwares for tablets, tv boxes and mini PCs that are based on the allwinner SoC. It seems this miracast hdmi device is just a trimmed down mini PC. It certainly runs pure linux, no Android, because its ram and flash are much smaller than what I found in the specs of any android devices.
So the question is: does any body have any knowledge of the existence of such a linux based firmware for this miracast board ? I'll go ask the sunxi people also.