Unbricking Allwinner Tablet and Phone: Android Brick Fix

It’s regrettable when your device is fried. Sometimes a device may break due to a bad software update or other hardware issues. Mostly it occurs due to our experiment on new software, firmware, and other tools. There is very little chance of devices bricking naturally. I have soft-bricked my mobile and tablet many times. But bricking my Allwinner Tablet LUV Pad AD701 was the worst. It took a lot of time to fix the device. I learned a lot because the process is pretty unique. Therefore, this guide is to help everyone who is in the path of unbricking Allwinner tablet or mobiles.

At first, it is a Japanese tablet that I bought from Japan. Second, there were no dealers in my country. After researching for a few weeks, I found the solution. The solution process is quite simple but tricky. It needs a special procedure to connect the device and install the firmware. After a bit of search, I found the manufacturer’s original website for the software and guide. This unbricking process can be used for many Chinese and Japanese tablets or mobiles. The flashing process is easy, but the problem is finding images, installing drivers, and connecting the device. I felt that many people might need this. So I made this tutorial to help all of you.

There are two types of Bricking, and they are Soft Brick and Hard Brick. Hard brick is complex and can require a resistor combination called “Zig” to fix. I am dealing with soft brick that can be solved by installing the correct firmware. I actually bricked my firmware while trying the CWM Recovery tool. After that, the device didn’t boot. My tablet was stuck on boot loop in CWM recovery. I took it to many repairing shops in my city, but none could solve it. My tablet was just stuck on the screen shown below.

Stock Firmware Flashing Process

Thanks to Google Translate, I was able to translate Japanese instructions to English and unbrick the tablet. Even the flashing process isn’t easy, and it requires a special trick. Follow the given steps to unbrick your tablet or phone. In this case, we have LUV PAD AD701. Just to note that the given firmware isn’t for other tablets. This is a general tutorial, so find a specific image for your tablet. So, here are the steps to follow.

1. Find out your model number and the serial number of your device.
2. Download and install Live Suite from the link below at the article end. The biggest problem was also finding the flashing application.
3. Download the LUV PAD AD701 firmware from the links below in the article. This firmware is for serial number 77770000-77775099 and 87770000-xxxxxxxx. It almost consists of all serial numbers.
4. Open LiveSuit and load the firmware by selecting it.
5. Make sure that your device is fully charged then keep pressing the back button on top continuously without leaving and then keep clicking the power button repeatedly while you insert the data cable then your light at top will be violet.
6. A message will appear and click OK and proceed to install and format your device.
7. Voila, your device is now rescued. If this firmware doesn’t work you must try other because some firmware might work for some device with similar architecture.

Step 4 is a very tricky one. It was the hardest step to find. After this rescue operation, I learned to never lose hope. I have also explained everything in the video. It makes it easy to learn the button cable trick and the driver installation process by watching.

Read More: Homemade Tablet, iPad Stand

Driver Problem Solution

We found one problem with the latest firmware and that is WiFi. The WiFi was not tuning working. It turns on for a second and turns off automatically. If you are also facing such hardware or software issues, you will have to use this method to use the internet. We found that many people face similar issues.

1. Root the device
2. Install Terminal Emulator
3. Use the following codes:

su(Enter)
insmod /vendor/modules/8188eu.ko(Enter)

Now go to settings and turn on WiFi. Sometimes it may get stuck but a restart will do the trick. There is a permanent way to fix this broken driver issue. We have solved it after a long search and here is the full article on Android driver fixing. By following this way, users can fix other driver issues as well. It is also a general tutorial.

Important Download Links

LiveSuit: http://goo.gl/BZpN7e

Image or Firmware: http://goo.gl/yrglBG

Use these links to get the flashing software and image. If you have any other suggestions, tips, and advice for us, then share it with us. It is good to experiment with the software but do with care. We hope this helps you and fix your device. The hardest thing can be finding exact firmware. So try your best to find the manufacturer and other repositories. Sometimes manufacturers may also provide firmware after contacting them.

Original Published: 2015/08/07