$80 laptop anyone? Evolve III Maestro E-Book 11.6" Laptop Computer - Dark Grey

Windows 11 made no difference whatsoever in regards to the issue I was having. It also did not have many of the drivers and needed a lot of them installed. I saw no speed differences.

I contacted the chat support for Microcenter. At first they played dumb and tried asking me if I had tried various things and then tried to tell me that I should contact Maestro for tech support on them. I re-explained that many people have reported that Maestro wouldn't support it for them because they only supported education entities and that I didn't want to go through that circle jerk. He then tried to play it off that this CPU is a bit old for modern Windows. I reminded him that my issue was from the moment it came out of the box before doing anything but the initial first time setup. He then acknowledged that they have had issues there at the store as well.... I told him my wife wanted to keep hers but would like to return the other 4. He went ahead and told me that he would schedule an RMA and also that shipping allegedly would be reimbursed as well. Now I wait for their RMA email with the info and shipping labels. I'm surprised since My order was July 10th. I will update as things transpire.
 
Gilthanis said:
Windows 11 made no difference whatsoever in regards to the issue I was having. It also did not have many of the drivers and needed a lot of them installed. I saw no speed differences.
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After my installation I also used https://wpd.app/ to clean up the machine. I'm not sure if it helped at all to be honest. I feel like these things are very hit and miss from the reports I've been hearing. I guess my father in law and I have had better luck. I was going to consider going back and seeing if I could get a few for project boards since Raspberry Pis are so freaking expensive but I'm not sure I should. And I'm having fun with my Lattepanda 3 Delta for that purpose.
 
lobstar said:
After my installation I also used https://wpd.app/ to clean up the machine. I'm not sure if it helped at all to be honest. I feel like these things are very hit and miss from the reports I've been hearing. I guess my father in law and I have had better luck. I was going to consider going back and seeing if I could get a few for project boards since Raspberry Pis are so freaking expensive but I'm not sure I should. And I'm having fun with my Lattepanda 3 Delta for that purpose.
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I would just look around for a better brand. I'm still waiting on the RMA email but it hasn't been quite the 2 hours he told me to wait yet.
 
I'm waiting for more distro's to start adopting Kernel 5.19 that is supposed to have better compatibility with the WIFI and Sound chips on this piece of shit.

I just ended up reflashing it with the Windows 10 image it came with and tried stripping it down as lean as possible.

I haven't been able to find any updated bios images for this thing either.
 
As a follow up, I got the RMA email which was just a FedEx email with my labels to print. The RMA number is located on those. I had accidentally deleted it thinking it was one of the many phishing emails I get posing as FedEx. I never got the transcripts of the chat I requested from their chat software though. I also just remembered that I no longer have the card they charged for these so not sure what options they will give for refunding....


Edit: According to support, they will reach out to me for correct card info if it ends up needing it. (which it will)
 
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Found this, might help people getting these things to work after blowing away the factory image:

https://www.evolveiii.com/e3-downloads/E3 Driver.zip

2022-09-26 09_17_30-_E3 Driver.zip_E3 Driver_.png


Still hoping to find a source for updated BIOS images, but this is useful too.
 
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Just got the Asus laptop in hand. It is vastly superior than the Evolve.

BlueTooth, Wireless, Sound, Webcam; all working out of the box with Ubuntu. Has the same shitty eMMC storage as the Evolve. The whole laptop is overall a little bigger than the Evolve. It’s MUCH sturdier and the keyboard is way better. Much more enjoyable to type on.

It even appears to be compatible with Windows 11.
 
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I'm officially tossing this Evolve on the shelf in the archives. I'm enjoying this shitty Asus laptop much more than the Evolve. It's been a fun couple of months with the Evolve. I hope I was able to contribute to the discussion enough with the link to the drivers.
 
Stugots said:
I'm officially tossing this Evolve on the shelf in the archives. I'm enjoying this shitty Asus laptop much more than the Evolve. It's been a fun couple of months with the Evolve. I hope I was able to contribute to the discussion enough with the link to the drivers.
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That's great. My two Evolves loaded with Linux are still running strong and I still think they're excellent for the price. I'd buy another one if I had a use for it, they're a great alternative to a Raspberry Pi for many of its applications.
 
Stugots said:
Maybe if I had a V1 model Id be happier with it.
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Probably, depends what you're doing with it and if you need audio.
If I were actually using this as a laptop and not an RPi replacement, I'd definitely opt for the Asus because apparently it has a better keyboard and WiFi. Probably a better screen too, and better driver support.
But those things don't matter if you're using it for something like pihole or a 3D printer server where you would just occasionally SSH into it.
 
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Phazer Tech said:
Probably, depends what you're doing with it and if you need audio.
If I were actually using this as a laptop and not an RPi replacement, I'd definitely opt for the Asus because apparently it has a better keyboard and WiFi. Probably a better screen too, and better driver support.
But those things don't matter if you're using it for something like pihole or a 3D printer server where you would just occasionally SSH into it.
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I wouldn't have had so much concern with the v1's I had if it wasn't the wifi/usb that caused 99% of the issues I had. Had it had an ethernet port...I could have still utilized them quite well but no luck there.

I didn't utilize linux on them as I needed Windows...
 
I've been using this now for a while. I keep it at my Fiance's and use it for wedding planning. It's horrible, but using it as it was designed. It does work okay. For sure it's Meh. but it does work


EDIT: I'll add that it scores a 688 in Cinebench R23
 
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Stugots said:
You’d be surprised how much resources modern mainstream Linux distros use. Better than Windows 10, but not by as much as you’d think.
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Yeah, this is a real problem in the linux world so I keep a lot of older live cd isos around. One of the best was the old lightweight portable security, but these won't be great with modern systems since all the hardware changes so much.
 
So i'm actually going to attempt something crazy. This lappy was cheap enough that Idc if I mess it up, but i'm going to attempt to replace the 4gb ram chip with an 8gb ram chip. I found one on Aliexpress and ordered it. 36$
I've got the hot air station, some low temp solder paste, and a willingness to break shit, so why not.

The chip will probably arrive mid january, i'll try to remember to update my results.
 
I thought these things uses SoC’s. I don’t remember seeing a separate RAM module when I had mine apart last.
 
Stugots said:
I thought these things uses SoC’s. I don’t remember seeing a separate RAM module when I had mine apart last.
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Had mine apart a couple times, there is a LPDDR4 BGA366 Ram Chip that isn't part of the Processor. Just remove the copper "heatsink" and it's right there, ready for some shenanigans!
 
Jelly said:
So i'm actually going to attempt something crazy. This lappy was cheap enough that Idc if I mess it up, but i'm going to attempt to replace the 4gb ram chip with an 8gb ram chip. I found one on Aliexpress and ordered it. 36$
I've got the hot air station, some low temp solder paste, and a willingness to break shit, so why not.

The chip will probably arrive mid january, i'll try to remember to update my results.
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If you can get a more reliable chip from digikey, mouser, etc, I'd do that since there's a 20%+ chance that ali one will be doa since that's the way they do it...
 
SamirD said:
If you can get a more reliable chip from digikey, mouser, etc, I'd do that since there's a 20%+ chance that ali one will be doa since that's the way they do it...
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I checked mouser, digikey, and av-net and couldn’t find any compatible chips with the right number of pins and size. I know it’s a gamble ordering from Ali, but it’s at least a cheap gamble lol
 
Jelly said:
I checked mouser, digikey, and av-net and couldn’t find any compatible chips with the right number of pins and size. I know it’s a gamble ordering from Ali, but it’s at least a cheap gamble lol
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Interesting that they didn't have it. Maybe some of the other component suppliers have it? I know I've run into situations where digi or mouser didn't carry but someone else legit did.
 
Whelp:
I learned what NOT to do. My setup was less than optimal to attempt replacing a BGA366, but using what I learned i'm tempted to purchase a used unit to try again.
The solder used seems to be high melting point, first attempt I couldn't get the chip to budge at all.
Second attempt at removing it I placed the board on a metal surface with the logic being the metal would retain the heat better, got the chip to come off, but lessons were learned. I pulled a couple traces off. Again I'm not all that miffed about it, Learning costs money sometimes.
If I were to attempt again, I'd get a hot plate to preheat the board with (which you should do anyway... but i'm a rebel)
Cleaning up the old grid wasn't bad at all, and I didn't move/lose any other tiny components around the chip in question. I really think this one was a loss due to learning curve.

Anyone need parts :ROFLMAO: Got everything but a motherboard and keyboard haha.
 
Jelly said:
Whelp:
I learned what NOT to do. My setup was less than optimal to attempt replacing a BGA366, but using what I learned i'm tempted to purchase a used unit to try again.
The solder used seems to be high melting point, first attempt I couldn't get the chip to budge at all.
Second attempt at removing it I placed the board on a metal surface with the logic being the metal would retain the heat better, got the chip to come off, but lessons were learned. I pulled a couple traces off. Again I'm not all that miffed about it, Learning costs money sometimes.
If I were to attempt again, I'd get a hot plate to preheat the board with (which you should do anyway... but i'm a rebel)
Cleaning up the old grid wasn't bad at all, and I didn't move/lose any other tiny components around the chip in question. I really think this one was a loss due to learning curve.

Anyone need parts :ROFLMAO: Got everything but a motherboard and keyboard haha.
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too bad!

A hot air reflow with the hot plate is the way to go for sure!
 
Necro'ing this post since this seems to be one of the more 'in depth' threads on the Google's for this laptop with some more knowledgeable folks.

I recently picked this up for some tinkering and all has been going well so far. I set it aside for a bit but when getting back to things it ended up consistently boot looping and not even letting me get to the BIOS or any further than the boot logo. After doing some troubleshooting, it looks like the daughterboard on the right side holding the second USB port, SD card slot, and headphone jack is causing issues. Tested with and without it as well as with and without the ribbon cable attached on its own. Even with the ribbon cable attached to the motherboard but the daughterboard disconnected it boots fine. It's just with that board attached that it bootloops.

Curious if anyone else has run into issues like this yet? Or maybe some ideas what I can check? Just doing a simple visual inspection the board seems fine. And it was never abused in any way before this cropped up. Would be nice if I could figure out the lines for the USB port and just solder one in directly to the motherboard. That's all I really care about for my use (I know USB hubs are a thing but I'd rather have the second dedicated port available).
 
I haven’t touched mine since my last update in this thread. Sitting on the shelf in a basement waiting for find a use or a new home.

I’m still using the Asus BR1100 that I bought at the same time. It’s slightly slower than the Evolve laptop, but the build quality is WAY better.
 
cr08 said:
Necro'ing this post since this seems to be one of the more 'in depth' threads on the Google's for this laptop with some more knowledgeable folks.

I recently picked this up for some tinkering and all has been going well so far. I set it aside for a bit but when getting back to things it ended up consistently boot looping and not even letting me get to the BIOS or any further than the boot logo. After doing some troubleshooting, it looks like the daughterboard on the right side holding the second USB port, SD card slot, and headphone jack is causing issues. Tested with and without it as well as with and without the ribbon cable attached on its own. Even with the ribbon cable attached to the motherboard but the daughterboard disconnected it boots fine. It's just with that board attached that it bootloops.

Curious if anyone else has run into issues like this yet? Or maybe some ideas what I can check? Just doing a simple visual inspection the board seems fine. And it was never abused in any way before this cropped up. Would be nice if I could figure out the lines for the USB port and just solder one in directly to the motherboard. That's all I really care about for my use (I know USB hubs are a thing but I'd rather have the second dedicated port available).
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I'd check for corrosion or debris in the ribbon connector, and ensure it is straight when connected. A bit of misalignment can cause problems, as can shorts.

Edit: oh wait, is it an IDC style ribbon cable? if so, I guess it's probably not the problem.
 
I'm of no help. I sent all of mine back except one for a refund. Microcenter gave me a refund for all of them and told me to keep the one for the hassles. My wife used it off and on randomly as it was the one with the least amount of issues. She always left a wireless mouse attached which oddly minimized the usb issues. However, over Christmas she went with a tablet and now the laptop sits in a corner collecting dust. I would rather use a first gen netbook with all of its glorious slowness than these junkers. I recommend just scrapping it and buying something else. You will save yourself a ton of headache.
 
Thanks for all the help and replies! Made -some- progress? Somehow I got it to boot successfully with that board attached at one point but it went back to boot looping again. I may have to go over it with a (literal) magnifying glass and see if I can find anything. May even break out a meter and do a continuity check on the ribbon. It's one of those flat flex ribbons that goes into the tiny connectors on the board with a flip latch.

I wasn't lying when I said this was for tinkering. If all goes well, my intent is to run OpenWRT on it and rip out all the internals and build a custom 3D printed case for it all. Need to figure out a replacement Wifi board that OpenWRT supports that I can solder in. Doesn't look like it'd be too difficult to replace. For the ~$60 open box price I paid for it, I think it's worth it for an off label use like this. The LTE card was definitely a killer feature for this project as well.
 
Stugots said:
I haven’t touched mine since my last update in this thread. Sitting on the shelf in a basement waiting for find a use or a new home.
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Hey, I'll also necro this thread and say if you aren't using this thing, please disconnect the battery! Mine ballooned very badly while not being used. I tossed the entire battery but cut off the connectors just in case. It still runs fine on USB power.
 
I’ve haven’t been able to give mine away since shelving it…
 
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