MSI Primo73

This is a brand name tablet from a reputable hardware vendor, so no problems with identification are expected. The tablet has a sturdy metal back cover and the overall build quality is good. However the TN display has relatively poor contrast and viewing angles (at least when compared with IPS displays).

= Identification = There is a clearly visible MSI PRIMO 73-031PL label on the back of the tablet. It simply can't be mistaken with anything else.

Information about the Android firmware: http://www.androiddevice.info/submission/18728/show

= Sunxi support =

Current status
Supported by the legacy u-boot-sunxi and sunxi-3.4 kernel. LCD display works. WLAN, touchscreen and accelerometer are untested yet.

The mainline kernel support is seriously hindered by the missing USB OTG driver. But WLAN can be used to connect with the outside world and at least do something semi-useful with the device. HDMI works. The LCD display is supported by recent patches, but they have not landed to the mainline releases yet.

Manual build

 * For building u-boot, use the "MSI_Primo73" target.
 * The .fex file can be found in sunxi-boards as msi_primo73.fex

Everything else is the same as the manual build howto.

Mainline U-Boot
Patch accepted in the u-boot-sunxi 'next' branch and scheduled for the v2015.04 release. This branch can be temporarily used until it eventually gets pulled into the mainline git repository.

For building mainline u-boot, use the MSI_Primo73_defconfig target.

Mainline kernel
A patch has been sent to the mailing list and if it gets accepted, then it will be possible to use sun7i-a20-primo73.dtb

Use the  device-tree file for the mainline kernel.

= Tips, Tricks, Caveats =

FEL mode
The VOL+ button triggers FEL mode. Actually both of the volume control buttons are directly connected to the UBOOT_SEL pin and drive it low when pressed, as can be easily verified by reading the BOOT_SEL_PAD_STA bits from SRAM_VER_REG. This is nice, but does not add any extra unbrickability value, because the SD card has the highest boot priority on any A10/A13/A20 device and already can be used for recovery.

MicroSD breakout for debugging


It is possible to temporarily abandon the SD card slot and instead gain  UART serial console by using a MicroSD Breakout accessory. This is useful for low level u-boot/kernel debugging without any need to dismantle the device. Even without the SD card, the system (u-boot + kernel + initramfs) still can be booted over a MicroUSB cable by using the FEL/USBBoot mode provided by BROM.

Use as a GNU/Linux desktop machine
A MiniHDMI cable can be used to connect a big desktop monitor. Something like a USB OTG Charging Hub accessory may allow using USB peripherals (keyboard, mouse, ethernet adapter, etc.) and supplying power to the tablet at the same time. This setup works fine with the legacy sunxi-3.4 kernel.

Note that the USB OTG support is still not ready in the mainline kernel at the moment.

= Adding a serial port (voids warranty) =



Locating the UART
= Pictures =

= Also known as =

= See also =

MSI Primo81

Manufacturer images
The manufacturer provides a PhoenixSuit recovery image at http://www.msi.com/support/windpad/Primo_73.html#down-firmware