Hacking The $16 dongle experience

[guitarheroknight]

So here's my take on the $16 dongle, well $12 to be exact. I ordered mine like many others from AliExpress, and as a new buyer I got a $4 coupon on my first purchase. Took a day or two for my payment to get processed and the item to get shipped, but everything went as planed with a tracking number bundled with my purchase. It took exactly 10 days for the dongle to arrive at my doorstep which is very fast considering it's China we're talking about.

But enough talk about the shipment and price, it's time to dongle. *cricket sounds*
The dongle came in a clear plastic bag with a pretty solid and well made jig. Tested the dongle immediately since it comes with the SX OS payload pre-injected and as it happens to be, I'm a proud owner of the SX OS (don't judge) - but you can also use other payloads as well. Tried the dongle 10 times in a row and it booted every single time without a hitch, so it's a 10/10. The dongle itself is powered by a 60 mAh battery which can power the the dongle for 1000 consecutive times in the span of 60 days. Naturally, it can be charged too via a USB port.

With the constantly growing market of cheap and not so cheap payload injectors (looking at you SX GEAR) it would seem to be a no brainer buying a "third party" dongle, and you would be right. All in all, if you're looking for a cheap and stable solution that works out of the box I would warmly recommend to give this a go.

The dongle can be purchased via AliExpress here.

 

[KTroopA]

A link would be good

 

[lieder1987]

Link to the one you bought?

Edit: damn beaten to the punch

 

[guitarheroknight]

Edited the OP with the link included

 

[Akira]

it comes with a preloaded sx os??? I ordered the same but i didn't know it has sx os in it.

Edit:
My bad, you where saying payload, not license lol

 

[guitarheroknight]

it comes with a preloaded sx os??? I ordered the same but i didn't know it has sx os in it.

Not the OS, just the payload for it.

 

[jakkal]

That shit is huge lol

 

[windhazard]

Iirc they changed the coupon so you have to order at least 20$. Is that still the case?

 

[salamandrusker]

in charge

 

[Bedel]

Nice to see it working and all good! Then I'll think about buing it mate. I trust you

 

[guitarheroknight]

Iirc they changed the coupon so you have to order at least 20$. Is that still the case?

Well technically the dongle is $23.23 but it's a "Mobile Only Deal" with a 32% discount which is basically $15.80, so I guess you might not be wrong.

 

[ichibaka]

Sweet I ordered the exact same dongle with the $4 off new user coupon. Also took nearly 2 days for status to change to shipped which is only 2 days ago. I guess I'll expect it to arrive next week.

 

[tpax]

What are the dimensions compared to an SX Pro? Is it round about the same size?

 

[kumikochan]

The 4 dollars off doesn't work anymore. Guess the seller complained about it because it said the coupon is not blablabla for this product. EDIT nvrm saw that you need to order for a minimum of 20 euro now. Guess they changed how the coupon works

 

[stewacide]

Will be ordering this, thanks.

 

[mrdude]

It's a pity they never made the case that was able to hold the jig. If you could slide it into the case for storage when not in use. I'm surprised TX didn't do that yet either - that would make more sense.

 

[Akira]

It's a pity they never made the case that was able to hold the jig. If you could slide it into the case for storage when not in use. I'm surprised TX didn't do that yet either - that would make more sense.

That can be easily done DIY

 

[mrdude]

That can be easily done DIY

Yes I'm aware of that, I'm also aware how to make a DIY board and program the micro controller boot - but the vast majority don't know how to do that - and just want to buy something pre-made. When you look at the price of all the parts involved and the expense of making a board + case, and you don't have a 3D printer, it's more cost effective to buy a single pre-made dongle than it is to make a single one. If you're making in bulk and selling them and have the skills to do that obviously it's better to make your own, but most people are not in the position to do that due to lack of skill/knowledge/equipment and just want a 'plug & play' solution.

 

[windhazard]

Yes I'm aware of that, I'm also aware how to make a DIY board and program the micro controller boot - but the vast majority don't know how to do that - and just want to buy something pre-made. When you look at the price of all the parts involved and the expense of making a board + case, and you don't have a 3D printer, it's more cost effective to buy a single pre-made dongle than it is to make a single one. If you're making in bulk and selling them and have the skills to do that obviously it's better to make your own, but most people are not in the position to do that due to lack of skill/knowledge/equipment and just want a 'plug & play' solution.

Couldn't have said better. You shouldn't say "just DIY" in a thread about reviewing a product. Most people who can won't come here.

 

[luk_pop]

I have it too. Here are files for it

https://github.com/euclala/RCM-X86