Portfolio — Android TV Box Rooting + Emulation (SK4 Pro)

Problem

Turn a UGOOS SK4 Pro Android TV box (Amlogic, Android 14) into a retro-emulation console — including PS2 emulation via NetherSX2 — which required root, BIOS/ROM staging, and core configuration.

Approach

Device: SK4 Pro, Amlogic SoC, Android 14 with A/B partitions.
Root: Pushed Magisk 30.7, generated a magisk_patched boot image, and staged the patched init_boot partition for the A/B slot.
Emulation: Configured RetroArch PlayStation cores (needs BIOS + ROMs), staged scph5501.bin-class PS1 BIOS and .bin/.cue/.chd ROMs, and prepped NetherSX2 (PS2) with its required PS2 BIOS set (SCPH-39001/70012/77001/90001).
Access: ADB over network (port 5555) + SMB Samba share into /sdcard for ROM management when the ADB device was still in "unauthorized" state.

Result

A rooted, emulation-ready TV box with N64/PS1/PS2 paths staged, Jellyfin side-loaded for media, and a clean ROM/BIOS layout — all managed remotely over the LAN.

Tools used

Amlogic A/B flashing, Magisk, ADB, RetroArch, NetherSX2, SMB/Samba, Jellyfin.

Why it's sellable

This is the "hacker" proof — real firmware/boot-image work on Android hardware, not just app installs. Same skillset applies to ESP32-S3 embedded firmware (I also built a voice assistant on ESP32-S3). Demonstrates I can go below the OS layer when the job needs it.

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