Samsung Galaxy Tab A 9.7 2015 (samsung-gt510)

From postmarketOS
Samsung Galaxy Tab A 9.7 (2015)
Samsung Galaxy Tab A 9.7 WiFi (2015)
Samsung Galaxy Tab A 9.7 WiFi (2015)
Manufacturer Samsung
Name Galaxy Tab A 9.7 (2015)
Codename samsung-gt510
Released 2015
Category community
Pre-built images yes
Original software Android
Original version 7.1.1 (Linux 3.10.49)
postmarketOS kernel Mainline
Hardware
Chipset Qualcomm Snapdragon 410 (MSM8916)
CPU Quad-core 1.2 GHz Cortex-A53
GPU Qualcomm Adreno 306
Display 768x1024 (XGA) PLS
Storage 16GB
Memory 2GB
Architecture AArch64
Type Tablet
Unixbench Whet/Dhry score 904.0
Features
USB Networking
Works
Flashing
Works
Touchscreen
Works
Display
Works
WiFi
Works
FDE
Works
Mainline
Works
Battery
Partial
3D Acceleration
Works
Audio
Works
Bluetooth
Works
Camera
GPS
Works
Mobile data
Works
Internal storage
SMS
Works
Calls
Partial
USB OTG
Sensors
Accelerometer
Works
Magnetometer
Ambient Light
Works
Proximity
Hall Effect
Works
Barometer
Power Sensor
Misc
Built-in DVB
Camera Flash
Keyboard
Touchpad
USB-A
HDMI/DP
Ir RX
Stylus
Memory Card
Haptics
Ethernet
FOSS bootloader
This device is based on the Snapdragon 410.
See the SoC page for common tips, guides and troubleshooting steps

Samsung Galaxy Tab A (2015) is a series of devices based on Qualcomm Snapdragon 410 SoC which has great mainline Linux support.

This page should generally apply to any 9.7 inch variant of the device (WiFi, LTE, with and without the pen support). Note that those variants may have different amount of RAM. For 8.0 inch variants see Samsung Galaxy Tab A 8.0.

Variant differences

The device has multiple variants, the main differences in the features are shown in the table below:

Feature WIFI LTE Notes
GPS Works WiFi variant needs investigation. Modem support is not enabled for the WiFi variant at this time.
Mobile data Unavailable Works
SMS Unavailable Works
Calls Unavailable Partial See "Known Issues" below for call audio.

Contributors

  • jja2000
  • TravMurav
  • Minecrell (and others from the msm8916-mainline team)

Maintainer(s)

  • TravMurav
  • jja2000

Users owning this device


How to enter flash mode

Download mode: When turned off hold Power + Volume Up + Home

lk2nd Fastboot: When turned off hold Power + Volume Down

Installation

lk2nd is a secondary bootloader that provides a standard fastboot interface, which can be used to boot postmarketOS without Android boot flashed or pmbootstrap flasher flash_kernel.

  1. Download lk2nd-msm8916.img from Releases page on Github.
  2. Boot your phone to bootloader (Odin/Download) mode by holding Volume Down and Home while powering up.
  3. Follow lk2nd instructions to install lk2nd. Basically flash it to the boot partition (heimdall flash --BOOT lk2nd-msm8916.img
  4. Follow Qualcomm_Snapdragon_410/412_(MSM8916)#Installation to install postmarketOS.
Note Note: Enter lk2nd fastboot mode by pressing only Volume Down + Power (without Home). Pressing Home additionally will bring you to the Samsung Download mode.


Known Issues

  • Charger driver is not present at this time, but bootloader seem to enable it if the device was turned on by plugging the cable in. You can check if the device charges by reading the value from /sys/class/power_supply/max170xx_battery/current_now
  • Phone calls audio on LTE variants may be only available via headphones output at this time.
  • Due to a bug (?) in DSI driver, Brightness change DSI commands sent to the panel result in de-sync of the video data and produce some visual artifacts. To remove the artifacts simply turn the display off and on. You may want to make sure that automatic brightness control is disabled.

Mainline Kernel Status

Table of components in the device

Component Model Mainline kernel driver Status
RGB LED ? ? Doesn't exist in hardware?
MicroUSB - Yes Working in kernel fork (Only Peripheral mode)
eMMC (Android lists) Toshiba 400073 Yes Working in kernel fork
Battery/Charging/Fuelgauge MAX77849 ? Fuel-Gauge works with mainline driver, charger may work unconfigured.
Volume/Power/Home keys GPIO Yes Working in kernel fork
Capacitive keys Part of Atmel Touchscreen No Needs driver changes
Accelerometer STMicroelectronics K2HH Yes, supported in kernel fork Same as matisseve, should work without trouble
Light Sensor Capella Micro CM3323 Yes
Display Samsung S6D7AA0 LTL101AT01 No Working in kernel fork
Backlight IC Texas Instruments lp8558 Not strictly needed Brightness is set through DSI, PWM signal goes to lp8558 (results in artifacts as DSI commands desync the video data)
Audio PM8916/MAX98357A Yes Audio over headset and mic work. Speakers are powered by external amp (MAX98357A or similar).
Touch Screen Atmel MXT 1664T Yes Working in kernel fork
USB Switch / MUIC Part of MAX77849 ? ?
Proximity sensor Semtech SX9500 Yes Working in kernel fork, proximity sensor on the front
GPU Adreno 306 Yes Working in kernel fork
Wi-Fi WNC3660B Yes Working in kernel fork, Using the WCN3660B compatible
Bluetooth WCN3660B Yes Working in kernel fork, Using the WCN3660B compatible
GPS qcom hexagon modem In userspace Part of modem DSP: Can be handled by ModemManager or gpsd. LTE variant should work, WiFi variant need investigation.
Front camera Siliconfile Technologies Inc. SR200PC20 No Not sure, but there's a datasheet
Main camera Siliconfile Technologies Inc. SR544 No Old v4l2 patch for unrelated hardware, may be adaptable to current Mainline

Running some diagnostics programs on Android will likely point out some more info about sensors and any other specifications. At some point I (jja2000) will switch around to Android for a bit to fill in the table. If anyone reading this finds some driver for any of the missing parts let me know on Matrix and if possible edit the table itself.

Pictures

See also