AIGO EROS Q / EROS K
Also sold as:
- AGPTek H3 (EROS K)
- HIFI WALKER H2 (EROS Q)
- Surfans F20 (EROS K)
NOTE: The EROS Qii uses a very different internal platform internally, and is *not* supported.
These players sometimes come with an included SD card. These cards are often junk, and it is recommended to throw this card in the trash, and instead get one of a reputable brand, from a reputable source (such as direct from the manufacturer).
EROS Q/HIFI WALKER H2: 90x55x15mm, 152g
EROS K/AGPTek H3/Surfans F20: 94x57x15mm, 111g
Hardware summary
v1 Hardware Configuration
Hifiwalker units prior to version 1.4 and Surfans units prior to 2.7.
| Component |
Model |
Notes |
| SoC |
X1000 |
1.0GHz MIPS XBurst with 32MB of SIP LPDDR RAM |
| PMU |
AXP192 |
I2C PMU |
| DAC |
TI PCM 5102A |
I2S |
| NAND |
ATO25D1GA 1Gb |
Newer players may use alternate chips |
| Display |
320x240 2" |
|
| Battery |
Li-Ion 3.7v 1300mAh |
|
Other hardware notes:
- Headphone amp: MAX97220
- Stereo switch: ISL54405IRUZ-T
- Bluetooth module: unknown
- micro USB
- The PCM5102A DAC does not have hardware volume scaling.
The Line Out volume can be set by the Maximum Volume setting. Some notes:
- Line Out level at 0 dB in Rockbox seems to be about 6.2 dBV
- For "consumer level" line out, try setting to -16 dB. (-10dBV)
- For "pro level" line out, try setting to -4 dB. (+4dBu -> ~1.8dBV)
The signal flow appears to be something like:
DAC \--> HP Amp --> Stereo Switch --> HP OUT
\-> LO OUT
Hardware disassembly was not necessary to complete this hosted port. Other than Bluetooth, all hardware functionality appears to work.
v2 Hardware Configuration:
Surfans units 2.7 and up, and Hifiwalker 1.4 and up.
| Component |
Model |
Notes |
| DAC |
Sabre ES9018K2M |
I2S, I2C Addr. 0x48 on bus 1 |
| Display |
320x240 2" |
ILI9342 |
Other hardware notes:
- Headphone amp: HT97220
- Stereo switch: WSP6580Q
- Bluetooth module: Qualcomm CSR8811
- USBC (!!)
- The ES9018K2M DAC has hardware volume scaling, and can be manipulated at address 0x48 on I2C bus 1.
The Line Out volume can be set by the Maximum Volume setting. Some notes:
- Line Out level at 0 dB in Rockbox seems to be about 0.92 dBV, but we're limited to -2dB for compatibility reasons, so max volume is approximately -1dBV.
- For "consumer level" line out, try setting to -12 dB. (-11dBV)
- For "pro level" line out, try setting to -2 dB. (+1.1dBu -> ~(-1dBV))
The signal flow seems to be changed to something like:
DAC --> HP Amp --> Stereo Switch --> HP OUT
\---> LO OUT
v3 Hardware Configuration:
Hifiwalker 1.8+ / Surfans F20 v3.0+
| Component |
Model |
Notes |
| Display |
320x240 2" |
Unknown, partially GC9A01 compatible |
Appears to have a new LCD controller type. Requires different initialization.
Hosted Port
This hosted port runs on top of the original linux-based firmware, and was the original port to the device. Installation is handled via
RockboxUtility.
Rockbox functions very well on these targets, and nightly builds are considered stable for day-to-day use. The only features that are not available in Rockbox are Bluetooth and USB-DAC mode. The player can be booted into the original firmware to use these features.
If in doubt between this and the native port, choose this one. The correct patched original firmware update file must be installed and the rockbox firmware unzipped onto the SD card.
Installation
Install Rockbox via
RockboxUtility. It fully supports these players as of version 1.5.0.
If you wish to install Rockbox manually, follow these instructions:
- Download the appropriate patched original firmware image from the table below.
- Rename the patched firmware file to update.upt and place it into the root directory of the SD card
- Grab the latest hosted port daily build for the player and unzip it into the root directory of the SD card
- Go into the settings menu and select firmware update.
- Upon reboot, select rockbox from the initial menu
For convenience, here are pre-patched images:
Note: Due to undocumented hardware revisions, it is NEVER safe to downgrade to an older firmware revision than the one your player came with. It is often not safe to upgrade to a newer version!
New original firmware versions require patching with the following instructions:
- Build or download the bootloader
- Obtain a stock firmware image (usually the hard part)
- Patch the firmware image with the bootloader using tools/hibypatcher.pl
If you have a device with an unknown or unavailable firmware, please contact the device maker and ask for the firmware update file, and send it to us. We can patch it and add it to the table above.
Native Port
There is a native port in addition to the hosted port. This is installed and run without using the linux-based original firmware. It works well, boots quickly, and on hw2/hw3 players, allows for hardware volume scaling.
Dual-booting into the Original Firmware is supported - hold Play while booting or select the "Aigo Player" option from the bootloader menu.
The bootloader menu is accessed by holding Volume Up while booting.
Please also see the
Rockbox Manual for the erosqnative port. It may answer your questions.
Native Port Installation (the new way, with update files)
We can now install the Native port's bootloader with the stock firmware's recovery mode. This is remarkably simpler than installing via jztool, and is basically identical to installing the Hosted port manually. The process is as follows:
- Determine what hardware version your player is and download the correct bootloader update file
- Download a Native Port Rockbox build
- Format the SD card with the stock firmware (System Settings --> Reset --> Format TF Card)
- Place the bootloader
update.upt file and the extracted .rockbox folder on the SD card
- In the stock firmware, run the Firmware Update (System Settings --> Firmware Update)
Uninstallation can be done as follows:
- Determine what hardware version and brand your player is
- Acquire the correct brand and hardware version stock firmware update file
- If the update file is unmodified, use tools/hibyos_nativepatcher/hibyos_nativepatcher.sh to mark the bootloader for updating
- Place the file on the SD card and ensure it is named exactly
update.upt
- Boot into the Rockbox bootloader menu (with the player off, hold Volume Up + Power) and select "Aigo Recovery"
- The recovery tool will overwrite the firmware and bootloader, returning the player to stock form
Determine what hardware version your player is and download the correct bootloader update file
Determine what hardware version your player is. On your player, go to (System Settings --> About The Player --> Version) and reference the lists below. hw1/hw1.5/hw2 players all use the same update file (with one exception), while hw3 players use a different one.
Important: If your player's version is not contained in this list, for example if the firmware version is newer than what is listed here, we cannot be sure that the hardware is the same. The best thing to do is contact the manufacturer and ask them two things: (1) for an update file of your version, and (2) if a player with the most recent version listed here can be upgraded to the firmware version on your player. If they say yes, we can be more certain that the hardware has not changed.
These lists are just a summary of the table above.
hw1/hw1.5/hw2 players
- Aigo Eros Q V1.8 - V2.0
- Hifiwalker H2 V1.1 - V1.6
- Surfans F20 V2.2 - V2.7
These players use
the hw1hw2 update file with name "erosq".
The lone exception is Hifiwalker H2 V1.3, it uses
the hw1hw2 update file with name "eros_h2".
hw3 players
- Aigo Eros Q V2.1
- Hifiwalker H2 V1.7 - V1.8
- Surfans F20 V3.0 - V3.3
These players use
the hw3 update file.
Download a Native Port Rockbox build
Head over to the
Daily Builds page and download the latest
*AIGO EROS Q / K (Native)* Rockbox build. All hardware versions use the same rockbox build.
Format the SD card
We do need to ensure the SD card is formatted as FAT - most cards come from the factory with exFAT on them. The stock firmware can be used to do this. Back up any files you do not want to lose from the card and go to (System Settings --> Reset --> Format TF Card) in the stock firmware. Once done, you can put your files back on the SD card.
Place files on SD card
We need to place both the update file and the rockbox build on the root of the SD card. The update file needs to be named
exactly update.upt. The rockbox build must be extracted onto the card. It will live in the
.rockbox folder. Note that this folder may be hidden by default on some computers. In order to see it, you may need to enable "Show Hidden Files".
In summary, you need these two things on your SD card:
Run Firmware Update
In the stock firmware, run the firmware update by going to (System Settings --> Firmware Update). When done, the device should reboot into Rockbox.
At this point, you can delete the update.upt file from the SD card if you wish.
Do not delete .rockbox, this is your Rockbox installation and needs to stay there!
Tada! Go get some good
themes and put on some music, you're done!
Native Port Installation (the jztool way)
This is the original way to install the bootloader onto the device. It is more complicated than using update files (see above), but can be useful if a device needs rescuing for some reason, as the bootloader can be temporarily sent over regardless of what is on the internal flash memory. In fact, this makes it
almost impossible to completely brick a player. You wil need to use the command line in order to use this method of installation. Unless you have a specific reason to do it this way, we recommend the Update Files method above.
For all devices regardless of brand or version, use the "erosq" option for jztool.
The process is detailed on the
JztoolInstall page. Please follow the instructions there. However, it can be summed up as such:
Know what version your player is
Determine what hardware version your player is. On your player, go to System Settings --> Version and reference the table above. hw1/hw1.5/hw2 players all use the same bootloader, while hw3 players use a different one. All players use the same Rockbox builds, though.
Ensure your SD card is formatted as FAT
If the SD card is formatted exFAT, reformat it to FAT - The original firmware's format tool (in System Settings --> Reset --> Format TF card) appears to be sufficient for this.
Download your files
Download jztool, the correct bootloader, and an
*AIGO EROS Q / K (Native)* Rockbox build (".rockbox" folder) from the
daily builds page.
Load up the SD card
Put the bootloader file and rockbox installation (the ".rockbox" folder) on the SD card and insert it into the player.
Put the player into "usbboot" mode and (temporarily) load the bootloader
Put the device into "usbboot" mode by, with the player off, holding "Menu" and pressing the power button. The blue light will come on but the screen will stay off. Then plug in usb and use jztool to temporarily load the bootloader.
Make a backup of the Original Firmware's bootloader
We're going to overwrite part of the Original Firmware's bootloader shortly, so make a backup in case you want to undo this. Use the "backup" feature in the bootloader to make an
erosqnative-boot.bin backup file and save it somewhere safe.
Write the bootloader file from the SD card to the device's memory
Use "Install or Update" in the bootloader menu to write the bootloader file from the SD card to the device. After this point, it's safe to delete the
bootloader.erosq file from your SD card.
Reboot and enjoy Rockbox!
Tada! Go get some good themes and put on some music, you're done!
Again, please see the
JztoolInstall page for more detailed instructions!
Native Port Issues
This native port functions well, but currently has the following issues:
- No Rockbox Utility support - manual installation is required
The following are more minor things that could be tidied up or are "someday" projects:
- USB HID keys are not yet defined
- Bluetooth support - use the OF for this
- USB DAC functionality - use the OF for this
Copyright © by the contributing authors.
