⚠️ Critical Warning Flashing the wrong firmware will result in a BLACK SCREEN. Identify your device first!

Original R36S Firmware

Download the latest community operating systems and learn how to install them correctly.

ArkOS

Community Edition

The most popular OS. Best performance, frequent updates, excellent compatibility.

RECOMMENDED GitHub

AmberELEC

Stable Build

User friendly interface, great UI design, rock-solid stability.

STABLE GitHub

ROCKNIX

JELOS Successor

Modern, feature-rich firmware with active development and latest features.

MODERN GitHub

LineageOS

Android OS

Android-based OS for advanced users. Play Android games and use apps.

ANDROID GitHub

dArkOS

Debian Linux

Debian-based ArkOS operating system. Supports both original and clone devices.

DEBIAN Guide GitHub

Clone Device Firmware

Only use these if you have a confirmed clone device (K36, G80D, etc.)

ArkOS4Clone

Multi-Panel Support

Modified ArkOS for G80D, G80C, and various panel configurations (4/5/8/10).

FOR CLONES GitHub

ArkOS K36

RF35XE-MB

Specifically optimized for K36/RF35XE-MB clone devices with pre-configured DTB.

K36 CLONE GitHub

ROCKNIX-B

Clone Variant

ROCKNIX variant for clone devices with modified panel support.

ROCKNIX-B GitHub

Installation Guide

Follow these steps to flash firmware to your SD card using Rufus:

1

Download & Open Rufus

Download Rufus from the official website, insert your SD card into your computer, and open Rufus. The SD card will be automatically detected in the "Device" dropdown.

Rufus
Rufus Step 1
2

Select Firmware Image

Click "SELECT" button and choose your downloaded firmware file (.img.xz or .img). Rufus can open compressed files directly, no need to extract first.

Rufus Step 2
3

Start Flashing

Leave all settings at default and click "START". A warning will appear - click OK to confirm. The process will take 5-15 minutes depending on your SD card speed.

Rufus Step 3
4

Complete & Eject

When the progress bar shows "READY" in green, the flashing is complete. Click "CLOSE", safely eject your SD card, and insert it into your R36S device.

⚠️ If your screen doesn't work correctly after booting, you may need to replace the DTB file!
DTB Analyzer
Rufus Step 4
💡 Pro Tip Always use high-quality SD cards (Samsung EVO or SanDisk Ultra). The stock SD card that comes with the device is low quality and will fail!

dArkOS Installation Guide (Advanced)

⚠️ Important - DTB Configuration Required dArkOS requires manual DTB file configuration. Download the RG351MP ISO version and follow the steps below carefully.
1

Download RG351MP ISO

Download the RG351MP ISO version from the dArkOS GitHub releases page. This ISO works for both original R36S and clone devices after DTB configuration.

dArkOS Releases
2

Backup Original DTB File

Before flashing, backup your device's original DTB file from the current firmware's boot folder. You will need this file later. Save it to your computer in a safe location.

💾 This DTB file is essential! Without it, dArkOS won't display properly on your device.
3

Flash ISO to SD Card

Use Rufus to flash the RG351MP ISO to your SD card. Follow the standard flashing procedure as described in the installation guide above.

4

Copy DTB File to Boot Folder

After flashing, copy the DTB file you backed up in step 2 to the boot folder on the newly flashed SD card.

📂 The DTB file should be copied to the boot folder on the newly flashed SD card.
5

Access Boot Folder

If the boot folder is not visible in Windows, you need to assign a drive letter to the boot partition:

  • Option 1: Use MiniTool Partition Wizard to assign a drive letter
  • Option 2: Use Windows Disk Management to "Change Drive Letter and Paths"
MiniTool Partition Wizard
6

Insert SD Card & Boot

After copying your device's original DTB file to the boot folder, safely eject the SD card from your computer, insert it into your R36S device, and power it on. dArkOS should now boot correctly!

✅ If configured correctly, dArkOS will boot with EmulationStation!