# Installing Armbian on Amlogic S905x3 Android TV Box (Tanix TX3)

I love the idea of the Raspberry Pi, but there are some cheaper alternative single board computers that offer a similar experience for a fraction of the cost. While the community support isn't quite what it is for the Pi, there are a ton of projects you can accomplish on the cheap with these little hidden gems. Keep an eye on AliExpress and Amazon and you can find SBC's sporting quad core ARM process with 2-4 GB of RAM for under $30, including a power supply and IR remote control.

The box used in this video is a Tanix TX3 I picked up on AliExpress for about $35 shipped. It sports a Quad Core Amlogic S905x3 @ 1.9GHz and 4 GB of DDR3 RAM.

## Things You Will Need

- A microSD card at least 8 GB https://amzn.to/36CpShC | https://amzn.to/3CXJngt | https://amzn.to/3JqyxSP

## Downloads and Flashing to MicroSD

1. Download Armbian Download
2. Download Balena Etcher Download
3. Run Balena Etcher
4. Burn Armbian image to microSD card
5. Safely remove microSD and re-insert
6. Ignore/close the Windows dialogs to format the inserted microSD card

## Configure MicroSD Card for Armbian

1. Open the readable partition of the microSD card in Explorer
2. Rename the appropriate file from below to u-boot.ext on the root of the SD card, u-boot-s905x3 in this example
3. Edit /extlinux/extlinux.conf in a text editor
   1. Update the FDT line to point to a working .dtb file for your device
      fdt /dtb/amlogic/meson-sm1-x96-air.dtb
   2. Save
   3. Close
4. Safely remove microSD
5. Insert microSD card to Android TV box

## Booting to Armbian for the First Time

1. With an unfolded paperclip, press the reset button
2. While holding the reset button, plug the power adapter into the Android TV box
3. You should see the Armbian terminal running startup scripts
4. When prompted, enter and confirm a root password
5. Select a default system shell
6. Input a username
7. Enter and confirm a password for the new user
8. Follow any additional the prompts
9. Armbian will boot into the desktop environment

Special thanks to the developers and forum members over at Armbian.com for making this possible