R36S OPERATOR

ARKOS 2.0 // EMULATIONSTATION // RETROARCH

PG.01
INPUT MAP
ACTIVE: IN-GAME

HOTKEY COMMANDS

Commands bypass the game to control the emulator core. The SELECT button is the modifier.

COMBO SYSTEM ACTION
SELECT + START EXIT GAME
Press Twice
SELECT + X RetroArch Menu
SELECT + R1 Save State (Quick)
SELECT + L1 Load State (Quick)
SELECT + ←/→ Change Save Slot

HARDWARE OVERRIDES

  • Brightness Control FN + VOL +/-
  • Volume Control VOL + / VOL -
  • Force Reset Hold Power 10s
*FN button is exclusively for hardware toggles on most OS images.
ACTIVE: MENU

MENU NAVIGATION

Standard navigation within EmulationStation (Game Lists).

A Select / Launch / Confirm
B Back / Cancel
START MAIN MENU (Quit/Shutdown)
SELECT View Options / Screensaver
Y Add to Favorites
X
B
Y
A
Select
FN
Start

R36S BUTTON TOPOLOGY

SYSTEM CRITICAL

DIAGNOSTICS // STORAGE // POWER SAFETY

PG.02
HARDWARE LOGIC

SHUTDOWN PROTOCOL

CRITICAL WARNING: The R36S OS (Linux) constantly writes metadata to the SD card. Cutting power via the button acts as a "hard crash" and will corrupt the file system.

STEP 1

EXIT GAME

SEL + START (x2)

➜
STEP 2

MAIN MENU

Press START

➜
STEP 3

QUIT

Select "Shutdown"

➜
STEP 4

WAIT

LED Off / Screen Black

STORAGE ARCHITECTURE

TF1

OS SLOT (Right Side)

Strictly for the Operating System (ArkOS). Contains boot partitions (`BOOT`, `EASYROMS`).
DO NOT FORMAT WINDOWS POPUPS.

TF2

GAME SLOT (Left Side)

Optional. Dedicated for ROMs only. Formatted as exFAT usually. Allows for easy transfer of games without touching the OS files.

Stock Card Warning

The generic SD card provided in the box has an extremely high failure rate (approx 2 weeks).
ACTION: Clone to SanDisk/Samsung immediately.

POWER & LED DIAGNOSTICS

RED

Charging Active

OFF (Plugged)

Battery Full

BLUE

System On

PURPLE

On + Charging

CHARGING RULES

Cable Type USB-A to USB-C ONLY
Block Rating 5V / 1.5A or 2A
C-to-C Fast Charge NOT SUPPORTED

QUICK TROUBLESHOOTING

Black Screen / Blue LED

System is likely asleep or frozen. Tap Power once. If no response, hold Power 10s. If persistent, check `.dtb` files on SD card.

Controls Swapped?

Menu uses Nintendo layout (A=Right, B=Down). Emulators may use Xbox layout. Remap in RetroArch Menu (SEL + X).

No Sound?

Check volume wheel. If using headphones, unplug/replug. Ensure FN is not stuck.

R36S Companion

Quick Reference Guide

Ready
L1 / L2
R1 / R2
RUNNING
X
Y
A
B
Select
FN
Start

Safe Shutdown Protocol

Step 1 of 6

Pause & Exit

First, exit any running game by pressing SELECT + START twice.

Battery & Charging

DON'T USE

  • • Fast Chargers (PD/USB-C to C)
  • • High Wattage Phone Bricks
  • • Charging while playing (Overheat risk)

DO USE

  • • USB-A to USB-C Cable
  • • 5V 1.5A or 5V 2A Adapter
  • • Computer USB Port (Slow but safe)
Note: If the LED is Red, it's charging. If off, it's full (or disconnected).

Troubleshooting

Screen is black but light is on?
The system might be sleeping or froze. Try clicking Power once (Sleep wake). If frozen, hold Power for 10s to force shutdown (Emergency only). Check battery charge.
Lost my save game?
Did you exit properly? Using the Power button to quit often fails to write the save file from RAM to SD card. Always use Select + Start twice to exit.
Buttons are swapped (A/B)?
EmulationStation uses "Nintendo Layout" (A is Right, B is Down). Some emulators might default to "Xbox Layout". You can usually remap this in the RetroArch menu (Select + X).