Computer Doesn’t Detect the MK809 III (RK3188) — How to Connect and Unbrick It
I’ve already written about an interesting device — the MK809 III TV Box. Now for an important topic: how to recover an MK809 III after a failed flash, when the computer no longer sees it.
Many people replace the built-in Android with Linux. It doesn’t take long and is relatively easy — the key is to find a working guide and follow it step by step. For example, here’s Xubuntu based on Ubuntu 13.04 on the MK809 III:
In short: for the computer to see the MK809 III, connect it to USB while holding down the button in the hole on the side of the case. If that doesn’t help and the box has become a “brick”, you can revive it by shorting two pins of the flash memory chip while connecting — details below.
How to connect the MK809 III to a computer for flashing
For the computer to see the TV Box, press the micro switch on the board with a paper clip while connecting it to USB — through the hole in the case, usually on the side, roughly in the middle. Don’t press hard: you’ll hear a faint click.
Hold the micro switch and plug the MK809 III into the computer’s USB port — a new device appears and asks for a driver.
Download the MK809 III driver — for Windows XP, 2000, Vista, 7, 8 (x86).
If the MK809 III is no longer detected
After several reflashes you may hit a problem: the MK809 III stops responding when connected to the computer — the LED is on, but flashing tools don’t see the device. It seems the micro switch is broken: you can take the box apart and press it with your finger — it won’t help.
What helped us was a method found on the 4PDA forum. It took some effort to find and to do, but it worked: the MK809 III came back to life, could be flashed again and started booting.
How to revive the MK809 III (RK3188)
Warning! You do this at your own risk. If you have no experience with electronics, better not to open the device at all.
- Remove the MK809 III cover.
- Carefully take out the board — don’t tear off the Wi-Fi antenna wire!
- Turn the board over and find the flash memory (NAND) chip — there’s only one on the board.
(not the best picture — taken from the forum, but you get the idea)
- The chip has a key mark (a circle) on one side — pin counting starts from it.
- Short the right pair of adjacent pins with a needle, hold the micro switch and connect the box to USB.
- The device should appear on the computer and in the flashing tool. Run Erase NAND (IDB) in RKAndroidTool, disconnect the MK809 III and repeat step 5 — now it can be flashed normally.
Which pins to short. For us, shorting pins 6 and 7 counted from the end of the side worked (or 29 and 30 counted from the start). But a reader corrected us: on his board there are 24 pins per side, and you need to short pins 5 and 6. The pins are tiny and hard to count, so it usually doesn’t work on the first try — check against the photo and try adjacent pairs very carefully.
P.S. Reviving a “brick” alone is nearly impossible — we did it as a pair: one held the micro switch and plugged in the USB, the other aimed at the right pins and shorted them with a needle, giving the signal to connect :-)