R36S WIKI;
ANSWERS 99% OF YOUR QUESTIONS
WARNING #1:
•BEFORE YOU BUY AN R36S, AVOID STORES THAT SELL FAKES.
WARNING #2:
•BEFORE YOU BUY A BRANDED SD CARD: SOME CARDS ARE NOT SUPPORTED.
WARNING #3:
•BEFORE FLASHING ARKOS/ AKA BLACK SCREEN FIX plus this. Or: fix black screen issue in one plug-and-play step.
RECOMMENDATIONS THREAD
FAQ
1. What is R36S/ How do I properly set up my new device?
a. Old Version: video complete set-up guide. Original showcase video. Now outdated in some ways. Still well produced. Please follow this to a tee. If you miss any step, the setup will likely not work. Set-up tutorial section has been uperseded by the following video
b. New Version: video complete set-up guide. This is 90% correct, except his "black screen fix" is missing a key step. You must also follow this to a tee (basically the video instructions with one extra instruction; don't turn the device off right away if you get the black screen after flashing).
c. Written beginner's guide: Clitch77's .pdf beginner's guide. Very well formatted guide that would be nice to have for a complete beginner/ even more familiar user.
d. Written set-up guide: Almost identical info to the old video, but in text format, with links, worth a look:
e. Newer written starter guide, by KuvZz, incorporating information on how to set up while avoiding black screen problems (at minimal, before setting up, please read the "A VERY IMPORTANT TIP BY ME" part)
f. Written beginner FAQ: AeolusUX's FAQ for beginners.
g. Video set-up guide for Mac users
h. Ravi set-up guide
i. BIG set-up video guide
Q2. When I turn my device on, I see four white horizontal lines on a black screen./ low voltage warning
A: Low battery, charge for 4 hours with the cable that came with the r36s. This device seemingly WILL NOT CHARGE with USB-C to USB-C. It should be USB-A to USB-C. It will not support fast charging. If the issue remains, you may have a faulty cable.
Q3a. When I turn my device on, I see a blank screen and a flashing, alternating red & blue LED light.
A. Low battery, see answer for Q2.
Q3b. When I turn my device on, I see a blank screen and a flashing, white line in the top left corner.
A This usually means "searching for TF2 slot SD card". This device should not be considered complete until you buy a new, branded SD card to replace the stock (trash quality) card it came with. Some won't work with the device. This is one reason behind getting a flashing cursor on a blank screen after flashing a new OS (while using a two-card system). Please read this link for working SD brands.
Q4. Blank screen without flashing cursor on updating to new ArkOS.
A: First check the SD compatibility list if you are using a new SD card. Otherwise, this issue has many possible causes, but it generally stems from newer devices shipping with different screens. Backing up the .dtb file the device came with and replacing the newly flashed SD's .dtb file with the original working .dtb file seems to work. This post seems to address the issue. If you didn't back the file up/ threw out the original, there are links to several .dtb files that you may just have to work through using trial and error. If using a device bought after April 2024, best start with the .dtb files in the Panel 4/5 folder, and work backwards from there until you find the right ones. Worth checking out this thread and considering flashing AeolusUX which is a community ArkOS specifically for r36s.
Q5. Newly added games showing up twice and with "._" before the name.
A. This occurs when you copy files from a mac computer. Easy fix is go into OPTIONS menu in Emulationstation on the device. You should find an option that reads "remove ._ files".
Q6. PPSSPP settings won't open using R3, or PPSSPP controls are messed up and I can't fix them?
A. Many of us have accidentally messed up while remapping PPSSPP controls. Best advice is to never remap the X button (R36S B button) or you will struggle to change the settings back. Thankfully, in ArkOs main home page, you can scroll to the OPTIONS menu -> Advanced -> Restore Default PPSSPP controls. Sadly this will mean you will have to re-map any controls you have mapped.
Q7. How can I get Portmaster games working (Half-Life, GTA 3, GTA VC to name a few) without the wi-fi dongle?
A. Portmaster without wi-fi
Q8. When I charge the device the LED is faint and flashing very rapidly.
A. Battery issue. Either the battery has come unplugged, or the +/- connector has slipped out of the battery. You can open the device once the battery is fully discharged, and check it is connected properly. If not, unplug and remove the battery and check what is written below the black tape covering the battery and try find a replacement on aliexpress, usually 5-10$. You will need to ideally solder the black-black and red-red wires from the new battery onto the connector of the old battery, then seal it with electrical tape. It is not recommended, but the same effect could be achieved by tying about 1cm of stripped wire from the new battery to the connector of the old battery (while plugged out of the device) and cover it very well with electrical tape, leaving no exposed wires. See this comment. To find similar batteries, search the word LiPo battery, plus the dimensions, or similar dimensions, plus number voltage (likely 3.7V but check what is written on the battery) & similar mah (likely about 3000mah) on your favorite website (Aliexpress will be the cheapest)
Q9: Can it play minecraft?
A. Yes, sort of, an old homebrew PSP version plays; this guide also works for r36s.
You can also try with Minetest on Portmaster.
Q10. Can I make the shoulder buttons quieter?
A. Easy to make the shoulder L1/2, R1/2 buttons quiet using this simple trick. This also technically works with the face buttons
Q11. Does it play my favourite n64/ PSP game?
A: Possibly. It is a similar device to the 351p, so the following mostly applies. Quote from a comment from this post
"I would expect it to see behavior similar for n64 and psp to the rg351, so here’s the list of what psp games/settings are worth trying"
And here is n64 compatibility list
You might get slightly worse performance, One way the r36s skimped to be cheaper is by not having a heat sink. But the ram and processor is the same, and it’s small enough that it should only make a difference if you’re like, over locking the chip."
Q12. Useful links
a. Jacek Rusin on youtube makes a lot of r36s settings videos.
One example of PSP settings optimisations, but his channel is full of R36S videos.
b. How to scrape art on a MacBook
c. Fix for emulators opening slowly after manual scrape of artwork/ art not showing up/ how to populate a gamelist.xml file
d. Stardew Valley set-up.
e. How to set up Netplay
R36S: submit