R36S Clones: Difference between revisions

From Handhelds Wiki
Jump to navigationJump to search
← Older editNewer edit →
Line 141: Line 141:
!Filename/Info
!Filename/Info
|-
|-
|[https://github.com/AeolusUX/ArkOS-K36 Community Maintained Image of ArkOS for the K36 Console and Similar Clones (R36S Clone, K36, R36 Pro, R36 Max, U8 Handheld, RX6H) release by AeolusUX]
|Community Maintained Image of ArkOS for the K36 Console and Similar Clones (R36S Clone, K36, R36 Pro, R36 Max, U8 Handheld, RX6H) release by AeolusUX
|[https://github.com/AeolusUX/ArkOS-K36 GitHub]
|[https://github.com/AeolusUX/ArkOS-K36 GitHub]
|Check the [https://www.reddit.com/r/R36S/comments/1hhn15r/arkos_for_k36_and_r36s_clones/ reddit thread] and the release notes on [https://github.com/AeolusUX/ArkOS-K36/releases GitHub] for the latest info. - '''a 2 SD card setup is not recommended!'''
|Check the [https://www.reddit.com/r/R36S/comments/1hhn15r/arkos_for_k36_and_r36s_clones/ reddit thread] and the release notes on [https://github.com/AeolusUX/ArkOS-K36/releases GitHub] for the latest info. - '''a 2 SD card setup is not recommended!'''
|}
|}
<div style="overflow-x:auto; max-width:100%;">
{| class="wikitable" style="width:100%; max-width:800px; border-collapse: collapse; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"
|-
! colspan="2" style="background-color:#2c3e50; color:#ecf0f1; font-size: 1.5em; padding: 12px; text-align:center; border-radius: 8px 8px 0 0;" | ArkOS for EmuELEC Clone Devices
|-
| colspan="2" style="text-align:center; padding: 15px; background-color:#f9f9f9;" |
[[File:345420723-1ba003f0-4926-4add-885b-67c41cc1c1f6.png|400px]]
|-
! style="width: 50%; background-color:#ecf0f1; padding: 15px; font-weight: bold; text-align: center; white-space: normal;" | Description
| style="padding: 15px; white-space: normal;" | [https://github.com/AeolusUX/ArkOS-K36 Community Maintained Image of ArkOS for the K36 Console and Similar Clones (R36S Clone, K36, R36 Pro, R36 Max, U8 Handheld, RX6H) release by AeolusUX]
|-
! style="width: 30%; background-color:#ecf0f1; padding: 10px; font-weight: bold; white-space: normal;" | Latest version
| style="padding: 10px; white-space: normal;" | [https://github.com/AeolusUX/ArkOS-K36 https://raster.shields.io/github/v/release/AeolusUX/ArkOS-K36.png]
|-
! style="width: 50%; background-color:#ecf0f1; padding: 15px; font-weight: bold; text-align: center; white-space: normal;" | Download Link
| style="padding: 15px; white-space: normal;" | [https://github.com/AeolusUX/ArkOS-K36 GitHub]
|-
! style="width: 50%; background-color:#ecf0f1; padding: 15px; font-weight: bold; text-align: center; white-space: normal;" | Info
| style="padding: 15px; white-space: normal;" | Check the [https://www.reddit.com/r/R36S/comments/1hhn15r/arkos_for_k36_and_r36s_clones/ reddit thread] and the release notes on [https://github.com/AeolusUX/ArkOS-K36/releases GitHub] for the latest info. - '''a 2 SD card setup is not recommended!'''
|}
</div>


==== Black Screen / No Sound Fix / dtb Files ====
==== Black Screen / No Sound Fix / dtb Files ====

Revision as of 01:30, 29 May 2025

EmuELEC Clones ⚠️

beware of EmuELEC clones - please refer to the R36S Buying Guide

First spotted: 08 / 2024

Avoid buying a clone

Check the R36S Buying Guide for

  • links to the cheapest listings
  • trusted sellers
  • general AliExpress advice/tips
  • cheap accessories
  • similar and better handhelds

↪ R36S Buying Guide


⛔️ Clone-Reported Stores - Temu
⛔️ Baijiai on Temu
⛔️ Discount CC shop on Temu
⛔️ FengYuanPreferred on Temu
⛔️ Fly to the sky technology on Temu
⛔️ HHC on Temu
⛔️ LeYiXia on Temu
⛔️ Natural beauty corporate on Temu
⛔️ Staco Digital on Temu
⛔️ Suier on Temu
⛔️ YingShou on Temu
⛔️ YLW Global on Temu
⛔️ YUYIU on Temu
⛔️ Clone-Reported Stores - Others
⛔️ BSTXY on Amazon
⛔️ D-MuXue on Amazon
⛔️ focus_on_mall on eBay
⛔️ Game Global Store
⛔️ LEO BUY SHOP
⛔️ Shenzhen Lanxinda Digital on Alibaba
⛔️ Shenzhen Miratech on Alibaba
⛔️ Shenzhen Smart Concept Electronics on Alibaba
⛔️ shopgamelab.com
⛔️ shop.mashable.com - Retropian brand

1 If you want to support this wiki, you can buy a device through one of these "affiliate" links. The price won't increase for you. Part of the recieved money will be used for aquiring new devices, testing and documenting them for the handheld community.

How to spot a clone

Known Software and Hardware differences and how to spot one of the EmuELEC clone variants:

  • Can boot without SD card(s) - Shows error message "Can't find any sytems"
  • Only one RAM chip instead of two (you can see differences without opening the device if you have a transparent R36S)
  • Different dtb files on the SD card
    • rk3326-evb-lp3-v12-linux.dtb
    • rf3536k4ka.dtb
    • rf3536k3ka.dtb
  • Standard ArkOS/AmberELEC not working (black screen and flashing red light)
  • Runs EmuELEC ES V4.7 (same firmware as the Gaminja/Kinhank K36)
  • EMUELEC or EEROMS partition instead of EASYROMS
  • "ArkOS 2.0 (release date)" loading message is missing during boot
  • Charging animation when the device is turned off
  • Different bootup sequence
  • No wifi option - does not support wifi dongles
  • FN button is mapped to the Y button (software problem?)
  • Original has larger/thicker volume grills. The fake one has thinner volume grills
  • Some clones have buttons with different fonts like a Crooked/italic X button or very thin letters
  • Retroarch System Information shows 497mb of system memory (retroarch > back to main menu > information > system)


EmuELEC clone variant with internal storage


Teardown Gallery


  • Image by L31x9H from Discord #gameconsole_r36s_etc - Note: some clones have the same board as the original R36S version
    Image by L31x9H from Discord #gameconsole_r36s_etc - Note: some clones have the same board as the original R36S version
  • highlighted RAM chips
    highlighted RAM chips
  • KMQNW000SM-B316 - Source: Reddit
    KMQNW000SM-B316 - Source: Reddit
  • KMQNW000SM-B316 - Source: Reddit
    KMQNW000SM-B316 - Source: Reddit
  • KMQ7X000SA-B315 - Source: Discord
    KMQ7X000SA-B315 - Source: Discord
  • KMQ7X000SA-B315 - Source: Discord
    KMQ7X000SA-B315 - Source: Discord
  • KMQ72000SM-B316 - Source: Reddit
    KMQ72000SM-B316 - Source: Reddit
  • KMQ72000SM-B316 - Source: Reddit
    KMQ72000SM-B316 - Source: Reddit
  • KMQD60013M-B318 - Source: Reddit
    KMQD60013M-B318 - Source: Reddit
  • Clone with 2 ram chips - Source: Discord - RF35XE-MB V1.1_20240508 - K36 has the internal name of "RF3500KG"
    Clone with 2 ram chips - Source: Discord - RF35XE-MB V1.1_20240508 - K36 has the internal name of "RF3500KG"
  • BOOT partition of one of the R36S EmuELEC clones
    BOOT partition of one of the R36S EmuELEC clones
  • Image by Striike from Discord #gameconsole_r36s_etc (Retro Handhelds) - zoomed in on the crooked X button
    Image by Striike from Discord #gameconsole_r36s_etc (Retro Handhelds) - zoomed in on the crooked X button
  • Original (Old SKU) vs Clone X button - source
    Original (Old SKU) vs Clone X button - source
  • BOOT partition of one of the R36S EmuELEC clones - Image by Send_it_96 from reddit
    BOOT partition of one of the R36S EmuELEC clones - Image by Send_it_96 from reddit
  • Looks like a normal R36S but it's a clone - Image by FiveMileDammit from reddit
    Looks like a normal R36S but it's a clone - Image by FiveMileDammit from reddit
  • Almost no options in the menu - Image by FiveMileDammit from reddit
    Almost no options in the menu - Image by FiveMileDammit from reddit
  • One of the clone variants - "ArkOS 2.0 (release date)" loading message is missing during boot, God of War logo during boot sequence, EPIC-CODY is standard theme - (video at discord)
    One of the clone variants - "ArkOS 2.0 (release date)" loading message is missing during boot, God of War logo during boot sequence, EPIC-CODY is standard theme - (video at discord)
  • EMUELEC ES V4.7 - source
    EMUELEC ES V4.7 - source
  • 2 clones sold by Inlighte - Source: reddit
    2 clones sold by Inlighte - Source: reddit
  • 2 clones sold by Inlighte - Source: reddit
    2 clones sold by Inlighte - Source: reddit
  • You can see through the plastic that it has only 1 RAM chip - source
    You can see through the plastic that it has only 1 RAM chip - source
  • Charging animation when the device is turned off - source
    Charging animation when the device is turned off - source
  • slightly different bootlogo (left=real r36s - right=emuelec clone) - source
    slightly different bootlogo (left=real r36s - right=emuelec clone) - source
  • EmuELEC clone boot logo differences: Font, additional "PLEASE WAIT LOADING..." text, brownish background, slightly squeezed image
    EmuELEC clone boot logo differences: Font, additional "PLEASE WAIT LOADING..." text, brownish background, slightly squeezed image
  • Button and dpad differences - More info at this reddit thread
    Button and dpad differences - More info at this reddit thread
  • R36S EmuELEC clone with RK3128 - source
    R36S EmuELEC clone with RK3128 - source


Common problems

The stock SD card is as bad as on a regular R36S and tends to corrupt very fast.

Error Message During Boot - Can't find any sytems

Solution: Install one of the available custom firmwares to a new SD card, or follow the video guide below.

Load video
YouTube

Stuck During Boot

Solution: Install one of the available custom firmwares to a new SD card.


Red blinking light during boot

This happens when you install the standard (or community maintained) ArkOS custom firmware.

Solution: Install/flash one of the clone specific custom firmware from below.

Load video
Local File


Custom Firmware for the EmuELEC Clone

  • Image by Slowpokefarm - R36S EmuELEC clone running the Kinhank K36 firmware
  • Image by mattRlive - K36 running ArkOS firmware

ArkOS

ArkOS Custom Firmware is available for these clones since December 19th, 2024. More info and release notes are availablle at this reddit discussion thread: https://www.reddit.com/r/R36S/comments/1hhn15r/arkos_for_k36_and_r36s_clones/

Load video
YouTube
  • ArkOS logo
Description Download Link Filename/Info
Community Maintained Image of ArkOS for the K36 Console and Similar Clones (R36S Clone, K36, R36 Pro, R36 Max, U8 Handheld, RX6H) release by AeolusUX GitHub Check the reddit thread and the release notes on GitHub for the latest info. - a 2 SD card setup is not recommended!


ArkOS for EmuELEC Clone Devices

Description Community Maintained Image of ArkOS for the K36 Console and Similar Clones (R36S Clone, K36, R36 Pro, R36 Max, U8 Handheld, RX6H) release by AeolusUX
Latest version ArkOS-K36.png
Download Link GitHub
Info Check the reddit thread and the release notes on GitHub for the latest info. - a 2 SD card setup is not recommended!


Black Screen / No Sound Fix / dtb Files

Replace your .dtb file on the boot partition. Here are a few different ones. They are also included (on the BOOT partition) with the ArkOS version for K36 and R36S Clones by AeolusUX.

ArkOS

Description Download Link Filename/Info
ArkOS version for the R36MAX / R36PRO Google Drive S0945_RF3536K4KA_YP2024110012_R36MAX_202411131854_ArkOS.img.gz - Source - outdated

No Sound Fix

Go to Ports and click on "audio fix permanent".

Can't save games / Stuck at 0%

Use only 1 microSD card for the OS + roms. A 2 card setup does not work correctly on ArkOS for clones.

ROCKNIX

Official ROCKNIX is now working on these clones. Use the "b" version from the download page.

ROCKNIX

ROCKNIX logo

Description Official ROCKNIX is now working on these clones. Use the "b" version from the download page.
Download Link Tool to patch the stock dtb file


Download

Filename / Info Use the "B" version from the nightly release page (ROCKNIX-RK3326.aarch64-20250430-b.img.gz) and edit your dtb file with the tool - ROCKNIX Wiki

ROCKNIX mod

ROCKNIX mod
Description Modded version of ROCKNIX that works on the R36S clone, R36PRO, R36MAX and MyMini.
Download Links Origin of article


Google Drive

Filename / Info readme and how to install - ROCKNIX Wiki

RetrOS

RetrOS

RetrOS logo

Description New hybrid custom firmware for R36S clones.
Download Links RetrOS @ GitHub


MEGA

Filename / Info RetrOS-preview1.img – early development build

EmuELEC

Original and modified K36 EmuELEC firmware images. Most of these custom firmwares run a little slower and have limited options compared to ArkOS or AmberELEC.

ℹ️
Info
If your R36S/K36 Clone keeps booting with a black screen / blue LED, take your card out of the right side OS slot and put it into the left TF2 Slot
Description Download Link Filename/Info
Modified EmuELEC 4.8 Beta Firmware posted by trananhquan (November 3, 2024) Google Drive EmuELEC-R36SClone.aarch64-4.8-TEST-04212024-chi.img.gz - updated RetroArch cores - working internet connection via ethernet adapter - Portmaster working
K36S Stock Firmware (EmuELEC 4.7) posted by AeolusUX (October 15, 2024) Google Drive EmuELEC-RF3500KG.aarch64-4.7-K36.20240823143713_EXPAND_EEROMS.img.xz - Unlocked emulationstation options - FN button now working correctly - You have to expand the EEROMS partition manually after flashing
K36S Stock Firmware (EmuELEC 4.7) with unlocked options Google Drive - MediaFire - MEGA HuaKeWei_RF3500KG_K36_ZED2024050006_EE4.7_Rlease_20240823.img.gz
K36S Stock Firmware (EmuELEC 4.7) Google Drive K36-Stock-EmuELEC.img.xz
R36S Modified Firmware (Temu Clone EmuELEC 4.7) MEGA RetrOS-preview1.img.xz, stock kernel may have better milage with analog sticks that K36, defaults to two cards, 32gb setup expand 1st card if you want one card https://github.com/dmikey/retros
R36S EmuELEC clone dtb file Google Drive - MediaFire rk3326-evb-lp3-v12-linux.dtb
R36S EmuELEC clone dtb file (alternative) MediaFire rk3326-evb-lp3-v12-linux.dtb

Mount TF2 roms SD card on the EmuELEC Clone

If you have problems with getting roms to show from the 2nd SD card follow the steps in this video (thanks to dandaman73).

There’s a 2 step process mount and hard reboot 

File:IMG 3675.mp4

Other

There are also modified UnofficialOS and AmberELEC Firmware versions available that can boot up the device, but have a few issues like no sound, general unstability and are not recommended to use. Source: KinHank K36 discord channel

Description Download Link Filename/Info
UnofficialOS Firmware with EmuELEC kernel Google Drive not recommended! UnofficialOS-RGB20S.aarch64-20230208.img.gz
AmberELEC Firmware with EmuELEC kernel Google Drive not recommended! AmberELEC-RG351V.aarch64-20230203.img.gz
AmberELEC pre-release Firmware with EmuELEC kernel Google Drive not recommended! linux only - copy game and bios to roms not roms2 - speaker is not working - mupen64plus cannot map buttons - not recommended to use AmberELEC-RG351MP.aarch64-prerelease-20240912_1759.img.gz

Manufacturers

Shenzhen Xumeng Technology Co., Ltd

R36S Clone #1 (R35S+ or R36S+) ✅

This is a "good" clone version. It can run the standard ArkOS version. Compared to the EmuELEC clone, this type is very rare.

First spotted: 06 / 2024

Update 09 / 2024: Not available anymore

Backlabel is R35S+ or R36S+

Known differences:

  • The holes around the joysticks are smaller
  • Labels on the buttons are thinner
  • Different joysticks
  • Original screen version
  • The buttons feel different
  • Some have a green LED light instead of blue

Sources:

It's unclear where/how those clones are sold. If you look at "R36S" listings on aliexpress, and check the review pics, you can spot a few of these clones there. These clones are also found in the reviews from 3C MOKER Store (July 2024).

  • holes around the joysticks
  • Labels on the buttons
  • green LED

No TF2 roms card slot Clone ✅

This is a "good" clone version. It can run the standard ArkOS version. Compared to the EmuELEC clone, this type is very rare.

First spotted: 10 / 2024

Known differences:

  • no TF2 roms card slot
  • no removeable battery cover
  • no label on the back buttons
  • color on the front buttons missing
  • latest ArkOS is working fine

Internal Storage Clone ⚠️

Temu clones often come with internal storage and one ram chip. These devices typically have 512Mb of ram and a 512Mb swap partition on the MMC. The MMC is 4Gb in size.

  • partition layout showing 512Mb swap

Round D-pad Clone ✅

This is a "good" clone version. It can run the standard ArkOS version. Compared to the EmuELEC clone, this type is very rare.

First spotted: 12 / 2024

Known differences:

  • Rounded D-pad
  • New box with an Assassins Creed image
  • No indentation for the letters in the face buttons

Sources:

R36S V2.5 ⚠️

First spotted: 04 / 2025

It's a gb350 clone. It uses the same OS as the g350 and sf3000. So my guess is it uses the same soc as the sf3000.

https://www.reddit.com/r/R36S/comments/1kbpz9y/comment/mtqo15i/?context=3

Known differences:

  • No visible RAM chips
  • Different SoC chip
  • NANYA NT5CB128M16HP-DI 2GB RAM chip
  • maybe unsoldered mini-hdmi port?

G80C-MB V1.1-20250319

Retrieved from "https://handhelds.wiki/index.php?title=R36S_Clones&oldid=42597"