[ROM][4.4.4] Cyanogenmod-11 for Lenovo A2109 (20160510)

[PJBrs]

Many many thanks for this. Turned my sluggish tab into a lean and mean machine and saved me from having to buy a new one, so I would be happy to donate a few bucks for development purposes if the rom cook can let me know how.

Thank you very much for the compliment! I would be happy to receive a small donation, but please don't feel obliged I'll look into how to make a PayPal donate button.

 

[PJBrs]

@PJBrs have u find any thing to unbrick our devices on lollipop

Nothing yet, and not much hope. Please find my response in the thread you started in the Technical Forum. Incidentally, please keep rom-specific issues to one thread only. I haven't had any reports of bricking / apx mode on KitKat, so to ask this lollipop-related question in a kitkat-thread is very confusing. Please, let's keep questions related to apx and unbricking to the Technical Forum. Thanks!

 

[jankoh]

Perhaps you need to upgrade your bootloader first. This link is from @FloRider 's Useful files post in the technical section of this forum

Updated the bootloader and was still not working. Did another factory reset in CWM and then I was able to update to 4.4.4 And working fine now.

Thank you!!

 

[PJBrs]

Updated the bootloader and was still not working. Did another factory reset in CWM and then I was able to update to 4.4.4 And working fine now.

Thank you!!

Congrats, enjoy!

 

[PJBrs]

Many many thanks for this. Turned my sluggish tab into a lean and mean machine and saved me from having to buy a new one, so I would be happy to donate a few bucks for development purposes if the rom cook can let me know how.

I've put up a website at which I can receive donations. As I said before, I appreciate it very much if you donate, and please don't feel obliged.

 

[brom25]

Hey guys.
I have used this tablet back when it was released and I remember installing ParanoidAndroid (with CWM 6.0.2.8 and unlocked boot loader). My dad has been using it since and he told me it was getting slow I tried to upgrade to this new ROM from PJBrs. (Btw thanks for supporting such an "antique" device!!).
I followed the steps on this thread : install JB_Bootloader.zip from recovery, then reboot to bootloader, then install the new CWM but that is about it. Now booting in recovery is impossible, it keeps saying "Booting Android Recovery" and booting into fast boot neither, it hangs at "Starting Fastboot USB download protocol".
If ANYONE have a trick or a hint to help me would be awesome.
Thanks it advance!!

 

[PJBrs]

Hi @brom25, I recently ran into the same problem. It appears that the
JB_Bootloader.zip by @mcl630 actually contains the ICS bootloader. I recovered as follows:

1. Use fastboot to boot to cwm 6.0.2.8
2. Use adb to flash the MCL ROM 201 or stock Jelly Bean rom (this _will_ update the bootloader; unfortunately, the stock ROM will probably delete your files, I haven't tried MCL 201 myself, but I'd start with that)
3. Reboot a couple of times, just to be sure that the new bootloader is working
4. Use fastboot to flash my cwm-6.0.5.1
5. Flash cm-11

If you can't connect to fastboot, then turn the device off, unplug the cable, boot straight into fastboot (vol-down + power), and then reconnect. That should help you access fastboot (these tablets are fickle things).

Good luck!

 

[brom25]

Hi @brom25, I recently ran into the same problem. It appears that the
JB_Bootloader.zip by @mcl630 actually contains the ICS bootloader. I recovered as follows:

1. Use fastboot to boot to cwm 6.0.2.8
2. Use adb to flash the MCL ROM 201 or stock Jelly Bean rom (this _will_ update the bootloader; unfortunately, the stock ROM will probably delete your files, I haven't tried MCL 201 myself, but I'd start with that)
3. Reboot a couple of times, just to be sure that the new bootloader is working
4. Use fastboot to flash my cwm-6.0.5.1
5. Flash cm-11

If you can't connect to fastboot, then turn the device off, unplug the cable, boot straight into fastboot (vol-down + power), and then reconnect. That should help you access fastboot (these tablets are fickle things).

Good luck!

Thanks for the reply. I manage to force to turn the device off, pressing vol-down, reconnecting but the only message on screen that appears is "Starting Fastboot USB Protocol" and when I try fastboot boot recovery.img it just tells me < Waiting for device >...

Dropbox - 2016-01-21 20.49.37.jpg

 

[jeremy6652]

You need to use the fastboot.exe from LeTools. At least thats what made mine work. Tried with "Minimal ADB and Fastboot" before and it won't recognize my device.

 

[brom25]

You need to use the fastboot.exe from LeTools. At least thats what made mine work. Tried with "Minimal ADB and Fastboot" before and it won't recognize my device.

Okay. After a long evening everything seems to be fixed.
Thanks to jeremy6652 and PBJrs!
The steps I followed are quite close to the one from PBJrs but with the contribution of jeremy :

1. Use the commands from Unlocking the A2109 Bootloader - Lenovo Community (Lenovo LeTools to boot to recovery)
2. DO A FULL WIPE (Important. had bootloops without doing it) and then flash Stock ROM and then reboot from CWM
3. make sure ROM works good, activate usb debugging in dev options
4. adb reboot bootloader then wait until it reboots into bootloader then fastboot flash recovery recovery.img
5. fastboot reboot and press down volume down immediately
6. flash the latest Cyanogen from either external_sd or adb sideload!

what a pain in the a** but good to see this legacy tablet stills boots!!

EDIT : @PBJrs check your paypal you should have received a small contribution (y)

 

[PJBrs]

EDIT : @PBJrs check your paypal you should have received a small contribution (y)

Thanks very much!

 

[brom25]

Thanks very much!

After setting the gov to Performance and installing L Speed Mod ([APP][4.0+]L SPEED v1.0 TYRANT(23.Jan.2016)), the tablet is amazingly fast!!
Thank to you

 

[PJBrs]

I've put up a new KitKat build because I suspect that our device includes a firmware bug that may result in hard bricking, which needed a kernel fix.

ALWAYS FIRST UPGRADE RECOVERY, EVEN IF YOU'RE ALREADY RUNNING KITKAT!!!

Recovery:
cwm-6.0.5.1-20160129-UNOFFICIAL-kai.img (md5: d0a094dac037d772a9fa0003b0567e55)

KitKat (Cyanogenmod-11):
cm-11-20160129-UNOFFICIAL-kai.zip (md5: 73e6757933a16b998023126bb3db0256)

 

[lesterF]

Thanks for the update! I just picked up an A2109 and immediately installed this ROM. So far it's running great, with only one minor issue. I am getting random screen flashes. As I move from screen to screen, sometimes parts of the screen will flash white and/or black. It's not the whole screen, just 1/2 or 1/4. I can't pin point an exact reason or event that triggers it. Other than that this ROM is awesome!

 

[jeremy6652]

sometimes parts of the screen will flash white and/or black

This happened on the stock ROM too for me but from ROM to ROM it varies, this was one of the ROMs that had very little to almost no flashing for me.