How to Install KNULLI on RG CubeXX: Correct Image, Safe Flash, and First Boot

Warning: Flashing Erases the Selected Target

Writing a KNULLI image overwrites the selected card. Use a separate spare or recoverable microSD card, and keep the original card unchanged. If the target contains anything important, stop and make a separately verified backup.

Before clicking Write, identify the target twice using more than one check: known capacity, removable-device identity, device-list change after insertion, and the imaging tool’s final summary. Disconnect unrelated removable drives where practical. Never select an internal or system drive. If anything is ambiguous, cancel.

Short Answer

For a clean RG CubeXX installation using Scarab 20260511:

Confirm the handheld is an RG CubeXX, not another RG XX model.
Download exactly knulli-h700-rg-cubexx-scarab-20260511.img.gz from the official Scarab release.
Optionally verify the SHA-256 of that compressed .img.gz file only:

a1f9a0bfff5639ab2415db7ca3d173a523a61fff368617d62111c599db517ef0
Decompress the download as directed by KNULLI’s current install guide.
Use a KNULLI-listed GUI imaging tool to write the image to a deliberately selected spare microSD card.
Let writing and any available verification finish.
Cancel every Windows prompt asking to format KNULLI partitions.
With the RG CubeXX powered off, put the flashed card in TF1/card 1 and leave TF2 empty.
Power on and wait without interruption until EmulationStation appears.
Confirm the built-in controls can navigate EmulationStation, then stop.

This guide covers installation only. It does not continue into Wi-Fi, game files, BIOS, media scraping, storage selection, controllers, hotkeys, save states, or emulator settings.

Scope and Success Endpoint

Version and evidence scope

Device: Anbernic RG CubeXX with Allwinner H700

Install release: Scarab 20260511

Historical comparison only: Firefly 20241204 and Gladiator II 20250813

Install media: a separate/spare microSD card that may be erased

Evidence: official KNULLI, GitHub, imaging-tool, and Anbernic documentation; no owner hands-on test

Endpoint: first-boot installation finishes, EmulationStation appears, and built-in navigation responds

At the evidence review date, Scarab 20260511 was the current official stable release and included a device-specific RG CubeXX image. KNULLI’s guide says first boot performs automatic installation work and that some steps may take a few minutes, but it gives no fixed duration.

A successful first boot does not prove long-term card health, networking, game discovery, BIOS readiness, second-card behavior, or emulator compatibility.

Confirm the Exact RG CubeXX Model

Do not choose an image merely because its name contains h700. KNULLI publishes separate images for multiple H700 devices.

Before downloading:

Read the physical model marking on the handheld.
Confirm it says RG CubeXX.
Compare it with KNULLI’s official RGCubeXX device page.
Confirm the download filename contains h700-rg-cubexx.

Do not substitute an RG35XX, RG40XX, or generic H700 image. Renaming another image does not make it compatible.

Version and Asset Matrix

Release	Official RG CubeXX asset	Use here
Firefly `20241204`	`knulli-h700-rg-cubexx-firefly-20241204.img.gz`	Historical context only
Gladiator II `20250813`	`knulli-h700-rg-cubexx-gladiator-ii-20250813.img.gz`	Historical context only
Scarab `20260511`	`knulli-h700-rg-cubexx-scarab-20260511.img.gz`	Clean-install procedure

Firefly introduced official RG CubeXX support, and Gladiator II also published a dedicated package. Scarab is the only install target in this guide and explicitly supports revised Anbernic H700 RG XX hardware.

Do not mix files, checksums, or instructions across releases.

Download the Official Scarab Asset

Use the official Scarab 20260511 release page. In its stable package table, select exactly:

knulli-h700-rg-cubexx-scarab-20260511.img.gz

Before continuing, compare the entire filename—not only h700. Do not use mirrors or community file shares when the official asset exists.

Optional: Verify the Exact Compressed SHA-256

GitHub’s official asset metadata reports this SHA-256 for the compressed Scarab RG CubeXX file:

a1f9a0bfff5639ab2415db7ca3d173a523a61fff368617d62111c599db517ef0

Check the compressed .img.gz before decompression. If it does not match, do not flash the file. Redownload the exact official asset and check again.

A match proves byte-for-byte integrity against that GitHub asset metadata. It does not prove card health, successful flashing, or boot compatibility.

Prepare the Spare Card and Identify the Target

Use a separate microSD card whose contents may be erased. Preserve the original system card as the easiest recovery path.

Target-selection checklist

Before opening the writer, record the spare card’s known capacity. Then:

Disconnect unrelated removable drives where practical.
Insert only the intended spare card.
Confirm that the newly listed removable device matches its capacity.
Confirm explicitly that it is not an internal or system drive.
If any detail is uncertain, cancel.

Do not claim a backup is complete unless it has been independently verified.

Flash with a Supported GUI Route

KNULLI’s current install guide tells readers to decompress the downloaded image and write it with an imaging tool. It lists Rufus, Balena Etcher, Raspberry Pi Imager, and Win32 Disk Imager as common choices.

This guide uses Raspberry Pi Imager only as a documented GUI example. It is not claimed to be universally best.

Raspberry Pi Imager example

Decompress the official .img.gz as directed by KNULLI.
Open Raspberry Pi Imager.
Choose its custom/local image route and select the decompressed RG CubeXX image.
Select the spare microSD card.
Compare its removable identity and capacity with the values recorded earlier.
Review the final source-and-target summary.

Final destructive check: Stop unless the source is the decompressed Scarab RG CubeXX image and the target is the intended spare removable card. Reconfirm capacity and that no internal/system drive is selected. If uncertain, cancel.

Accept the overwrite only after those checks pass.
Let the write finish.
If the tool offers verification, let that finish too.
Safely eject only after all activity has ended.

Do not use command-line flashing, dd, manual partition creation, resizing, repair, or developer bootloader work in this workflow.

Cancel Windows Format Prompts

After flashing, Windows may report partitions it cannot read and offer to format them. Cancel or decline every such prompt for the KNULLI card.

Do not format, initialize, repair, resize, or delete any partition. A Windows format prompt is not proof that first boot succeeded.

First Boot: TF1 Filled, TF2 Empty

Prepare the handheld while it is powered off:

Put the flashed KNULLI system card in TF1/card 1.
Leave TF2/card 2 empty for this documented first boot.
Do not hot-swap either card.

Leaving TF2 empty is a one-time installation precondition. It is not a storage-selection, UUID, /userdata, migration, or second-card troubleshooting procedure.

Let the First-Boot Installer Finish

Power on once and wait. KNULLI performs automatic installation work during first boot. The official guide says some steps can take a few minutes but gives no fixed deadline.

Do not remove power, remove the card, insert TF2, or reconnect the card to a computer while installation is still running. A splash screen is not the endpoint.

Deterministic Success Verification

Installation reaches this article’s endpoint only when all of the following are true:

The GUI imaging tool completed the write.
Any verification offered by the chosen tool completed successfully.
The flashed card is in TF1/card 1.
TF2 was empty during first boot.
EmulationStation appears on the RG CubeXX.
The built-in controls navigate between visible EmulationStation items and return normally.

This proves only that the image was written well enough to boot and reach KNULLI’s documented frontend endpoint in that session. It does not prove Wi-Fi, games, BIOS, scraping, later storage behavior, external controllers, Quick Menu access, save states, every emulator, or long-term card reliability.

Stop here.

Bounded Failure Branches

The download name does not exactly match

Do not flash it. Return to the official Scarab release and choose the exact RG CubeXX asset.

The optional compressed digest does not match

Do not flash it. Redownload the exact official .img.gz and verify that compressed file again.

The imaging tool shows several possible targets

Cancel. Disconnect unrelated removable drives where practical, reconnect only the spare card, and identify it again using multiple checks. Never choose an internal or system drive.

Windows asks to format partitions

Decline. Do not format any partition on the flashed KNULLI card.

First boot has not reached EmulationStation

Keep TF2 empty and allow the automatic process to continue. There is no supported fixed timeout in the evidence dossier.

If the process has clearly failed rather than merely taking time, stop. Do not loop through destructive reflashes or begin partition repair.

The RG CubeXX does not boot successfully

With the device powered off, recheck only these established points:

the handheld model is RG CubeXX;
the filename is the exact Scarab RG CubeXX asset;
the optional compressed digest matched, if checked;
the GUI tool completed its write and available verification;
the card is in TF1/card 1; and
TF2 is empty.

If these checks pass and EmulationStation still does not appear, stop and use official support or a separate boot-failure guide. Do not perform repeated destructive experiments, partition repair, or developer-only bootloader work here.

Historical Releases

Firefly `20241204`

Official filename: knulli-h700-rg-cubexx-firefly-20241204.img.gz

Firefly’s release notes introduced official RG CubeXX support. It appears here only to identify older screenshots and guides.

Gladiator II `20250813`

Official filename: knulli-h700-rg-cubexx-gladiator-ii-20250813.img.gz

Gladiator II also had a dedicated RG CubeXX package. It is historical context, not an alternate install procedure.

Scarab `20260511`

Install filename used here: knulli-h700-rg-cubexx-scarab-20260511.img.gz

Do not combine an older image, checksum, or procedural assumption with Scarab files.

What Next

After EmulationStation appears and built-in navigation works, continue with the RG CubeXX KNULLI setup and troubleshooting hub.

Wi-Fi is not an installation prerequisite. If networking becomes a later task after successful boot, use the separate KNULLI Wi-Fi troubleshooting guide.

Do not treat any later setup guide as part of the first-boot success test.

FAQ

Which KNULLI file should I use for RG CubeXX?

For this Scarab 20260511 clean-install scope, use exactly knulli-h700-rg-cubexx-scarab-20260511.img.gz.

Does the SHA-256 apply after decompression?

No. It applies only to the exact compressed Scarab .img.gz named here.

Which imaging tool should I use?

KNULLI lists several GUI tools. This guide uses Raspberry Pi Imager as one documented example; it does not claim that it is universally best.

Should I let Windows format the partitions?

No. Cancel every format prompt for the flashed KNULLI card.

Which slot gets the flashed card?

With the handheld powered off, use TF1/card 1 and leave TF2 empty for the documented first boot.

How long does first boot take?

The official guide says some steps can take a few minutes but gives no fixed duration. Wait for EmulationStation without interrupting the process merely because it is taking time.

Does seeing EmulationStation mean everything works?

No. It means this guide’s narrow installation endpoint was reached. It does not verify networking, games, BIOS, media, later card use, controllers, hotkeys, save states, or every emulator.

Warning: Flashing Erases the Selected Target