EDIT: DECEMBER 2021 - UPDATE: My recalbox releases are now archived and outdated. I have a new retro-gaming platform, R-CADE available that replaces it.
Click here to read about RCADE
Click here to download the latest release

---------------------------
ANNOUNCING THE UPDATED BETA - RELEASE 3 OF RECALBOX FOR THE ROCK64

The details on the previous ROCK64 releases can be found here: https://forum.pine64.org/showthread.php?tid=6351

After many efforts with much teamwork, collaboration, and testing, we are very excited to provide an updated BETA release of RECALBOX for the ROCK64 board!

-- The download is located under this repository's releases -- 
https://github.com/mrfixit2001/recalbox_rock64/releases

Details on the ROCK64 SoC can be found here: 
https://www.pine64.org/?page_id=7147

For those of you unfamiliar with Recalbox: https://www.recalbox.com/ 
"Recalbox offers a wide selection of consoles and game systems. From the very first arcade systems to the NES, the MEGADRIVE, 32-bit platforms (such as the Playstation) and even Nintendo64. With Kodi already included, Recalbox also serves as a Media Center. By connecting it to your home network, you will be able to stream videos from any compatible devices (NAS, PC, External HDD, etc.)."

Please do keep in mind that this is still a BETA release, which means you should still EXPECT some things not to work quite right. We have done a LOT of testing on our own to try and resolve as many issues as we can before this release, but now you get to help! (Lucky you!) So if/when you do find things that don't work right, please use the link in GitHub to report the issue.

When reporting issues:
- Provide logs or screenshots of the issue so that we can see the error(s) you are seeing
- Provide detailed steps for us to follow in order to reproduce the issue

Improvements and Changes Since the Last Release:
Kernel Updates:
- Updated to version 4.4.171
- Various custom kernel fixes, mainline backports, stability and other enhancements
- 4K Playback @ 60fps is now smooth and Audio/Video are synced
- Default Over-Clock Removed (if you have a heatsink, you really should enable this in the recalbox menu!)
- RTL8812EU USB Wifi adapter working (Buy it in the PINE64 Store)

Emulator and Recalbox Updates:
- Updated version of Recalbox
- Updated versions of many emulators and cores
- Customized default emulator configs to optimize performance
- Buggy button re-mapping issue is resolved
- Reicast runs at 100% speeds in most games
- PPSSPP now capable of performing at 100% speed for most games
- Customizable "max fps" setting in PPSSPP to fine tune your experience - set to 30fps to support playing demanding games (GOW) nice and smooth!
- PSP video scenes now play perfectly
- Custom fix for widescreen stretching (READ BELOW)
- VirtualJaguar is now fixed and playable
- NEOGEO Core Fixed
- Reicast Configuration Can be Edited Now
- Bluetooth Controllers Reconnect After Reboot
- On-Screen-Keyboard issue Resolved
- Custom patches to ES and Emulators to improve overall stability

Important Note about Widescreens:
The majority of users will be using widescreen monitors and TVs with 16:9 aspect ratios these days, and most of these will automatically stretch a 4:3 video to 16:9 to make it full screen. This distorts the graphics and makes everything look stretched out and askew. So, I have added custom patches and new configuration settings to Mupen64, Reicast, and Retroarch to correct this so that the emulators will still render at the right scale after being stretched.  This is ON by default. 
If you do not have a widescreen monitor, or your monitor does not have this auto-stretch feature, then your games may not be centered or look too thin. In this case, simply make the following one-time changes to the configurations to turn off these customizations:
- Retroarch: use the retroarch menu to change the default - Settings->Video->Aspect Ratio
- Reicast: change the setting "rend.FixAspect" to 0 in /recalbox/share/system/configs/reicast/emu.cfg 
- Mupen64: each video plugin (core) has been given it's own setting, allowing you to customize each to your own needs, and GLES2N64 (n64 core) has it's own config file. The settings for these plugins are in /recalbox/share/system/configs/mupen64 in the files mupen64plus.cfg and gles2n64.conf. Just change the listed widths and left offsets to whatever your needs are.

Some things we have added to Recalbox that are Exclusive to Mr.Fix-It releases:
- Upgraded Kodi (and addons) from version 17 (Krypton) to a version 18 (Leia)
- InputStream.Adaptive Kodi Addon
- Multiple cores for different emulators so that you can select which core works best for you on each ROM!
- Custom resolutions and configs for most emulators to optimize performance for the specific platform
- Included Wolfenstein 3D (shareware version) in DosBox

A few things to know about this release:
When the image first boots, you can expect a delay as the partition is expanded to the full size of your disk. Please be patient and let this complete. It will not happen on every boot, but you should not interrupt this process or you may need to reimage.

Some controllers will work with KODI right out of the box without the buttons needing to be mapping (like the x360). For others, once you hit a button on the controller it will ask you to map them - you will need a keyboard to interact with KODI until your controller buttons are mapped.

N64 has multiple core options, different ROMS work better with different cores! So if your game isn't running well, try another core! In our testing we have found that MOST games will run very well with at least one available core.

Some emulators / cores are highly dependent on a valid BIOS files being installed (Dreamcast, for example). Be sure to read the documents in the system’s ROM folder for details on what BIOS files are needed. Further documentation is available on the Recalbox wiki.

A single ROM not working is not considered a "bug", it's often an incompatibility with the ROM and the emulator / core. We have provided multiple cores for some emulators to try and help maximize the number of ROMS that work.

If you are suddenly and unexpectedly thrown into KODI, then that means EmulationStation may have crashed. Please provide your /recalbox/es.log file so we can review.

"Where's the source code?" The source is being cleaned up and organized in preparation to be made available for the recalbox team to maintain, instead of having it hosted in this repository. Merging it with the recalbox repo allows them to maintain and update it, which ensures that you will receive their updates as they are made available.

Lastly, please remember this is a community build, and just something I've worked on in my free time. There's no pressure at all, but if you appreciate the work then feel free to send me a buck on Paypal: mrfixit2001 at gmail.

Special thanks go out to the LibreELEC and Recalbox teams, as well as LukasZ at Pine64 for his huge efforts in research, testing, and feedback!

Mr Fix-IT

Hey all,

With the help of MrFixit2001, I was able to come up with a recipe for playing hardware accelerated media files with MPV. I'm using MrFixit2001's image as a starter.

Flash this image to an SD card (Etcher) https://github.com/mrfixit2001/debian_bu...xit.img.xz
ssh or access the terminal with a keyboard (root/root or rock/rock)

I learned about the upcoming Pinebook Pro from an article in Forbes today: https://goo.gl/ZQUbyb

The part that really caught my attention was "an unpopulated NVMe slot."

IF someone populated the NVMe slot with a drive, would the Pinebook Pro use the built-in eMMC flash storage for startup and core OS tasks, using the NVMe drive for primary storage?

Hello,

I am working on a Pine 64 LTS board. I am using the Ubuntu image bionic-minimal-sopine-bspkernel-0.7.30-140.img.

I recently stumbled on the problem described in this patch:
https://patchwork.kernel.org/patch/10392891/

My question is, that does the image i am referring to have the timer instability issue taken into account in some way?

I ran the test provided in 
https://github.com/apritzel/pine64/blob/...st_timer.c 
and i had no errors.

This would imply that the fix is implemented either in the kernel or in the SoC.

Can anyone verify this for me?

Sorry if this subject has been discussed before, but i had trouble searching with the keywords "rtc bug".

Greetings,

Well received my board yesterday. Tried to use GPIO in a small python code used library from https://github.com/Leapo/Rock64-R64.GPIO. But even the test file in it shows error.  Looking for help need to finish my college project asap.

I found this article about the new Pinebook Pro (link), and I was interested in it. Does anybody know more about this new device?
Like the estimated launch date, etc.? The article said that the Pinebook Pro would have 64Gb storage, 802.11ac Wifi, 4Gb ram and a Hexa-core CPU?
But what interested me the most was a Nvme slot. What are your thoughts about the Pinebook Pro?

PINE64 Community Stall at FOSDEM 2019

This is the second year in a row that we've got a stall at FOSDEM and are we super excited to showcase some of the things we've got planned for 2019. We'll be in building AW (you'll find a map here on FOSDEM main page), so if you are attending the conference then make sure to drop by and have a chat with us. The main purpose of our attendance at FOSDEM is to meet-up with members of our community as well as developers and friends from various projects.

For those of you who will not be attending the conference, I'll be putting together a blog of the event similar to what I did last year. Obviously I'll be focusing on the things that we will be showing, and of other stalls featuring PINE64 products, but I also hope to cover a number of the other projects that catch my attention. 

This is going to be an exciting year for us as a community and I hope that our presence at FOSDEM, and this three-part blog, will showcase some of the more exciting projects we’re working on. This year PINE64 will branch-out into new territories by introducing a open source IP camera, a smartphone, a tablet and a high-end ARM 64-bit laptop. The idea, in principle, is to build convergent device-ecosystems (SBC, Module, Laptop/Tablet/ Phone / Other Devices) based on SOCs that we’ve already have developers engaged with and invested in. This, however, doesn't mean that we're stepping back from focusing on SBCs. Single board computers have been and are the bread-and-butter of PINE64 and this isn't going to change anytime in the foreseeable future.

One last thing before I proceed with the announcements; this is a blog, and should read as such, so the thread is and will remain locked - but you're welcome to discuss the contents of the posts here.


Part 1: Pre-FOSDEM Announcements


N.B. Only prototypes and concept devices will be shown at FOSDEM - production units will be available for purchase from the PINE64 store later this year. Pictures in this thread depict prototypes of upcoming devices; final products may vary in appearance of functionality from what is pictured. Availability dates and pricing are a subject to change.


The Pinebook Pro


We've heard you. Many of you want a high-performance 64-bit ARM laptop that is strictly designed with FOSS in mind and can be used as a day-to-day Linux laptop. Premium materials, great manufacture quality and performance. We're making it happen this year.

Before I let you in on all the details of the Pinebook Pro, let me assure you of two things. Firstly, the current Allwinner A64-based 11.6" Pinebook isn't going anywhere and secondly, there will be an upgrade path for owners of the 14" regular Pinebook to a 'Pro-like' Pinebook (we're exploring an upgrade path for existing 11.6" users too - stay tuned).

The current Pinebook was never meant to be a daily driver - that is to say, it was never meant to replace the laptop you use for work or school. It was meant for tinkering, for learning Linux or *BSD, for development on A64 or ARM in general, as a terminal, a hackable device on-the-go, etc., In my first post on the Pinebook forum titled about the Pinebook - what to expect, I wrote ' (...)if you are looking for a device to replace your current work or school laptop then perhaps it’s wise to look elsewhere'. This is not the case with the Pinebook Pro.


The Pinebook Pro is meant to deliver solid day-to-day Linux or *BSD experience and to be a compelling alternative to mid-ranged Chromebooks that people convert into Linux laptops. In contrast to most mid-ranged Chromebooks however, the Pinebook Pro comes with an IPS 1080p 14" LCD panel, a premium magnesium alloy shell, 64/128GB of eMMC storage* (more on this later - see asterisk below), a 10,000 mAh capacity battery and the modularity / hackability that only an open source project can deliver - such as the unpopulated PCIe m.2 NVMe slot (an optional feature which requires an optional  adapter). The USB-C port on the Pinebook Pro, apart from being able to transmit data and charge the unit,  is also capable of digital video output up-to 4K@60hz.

As you can tell from the photograph above, the Pinebook Pro will be available in black - contrasting with its smaller brethren and clearly diverging the Pinebook line.

Thanks to the Pinebook and our SBCs we already have a great working relationship with Manjaro, KDE Neon, Netrunner, FreeBSD, NetBSD Q4OS, Armbian , DietPi and many other amazing projects, and we truly hope developers will find the Pinebook Pro as exciting as we do. With this in mind, it probably won't come as a surprise that we are already in talks with a number of key projects that are keen to support the Pinebook Pro.

Here are some of the key features of the Pinebook Pro:

• 14" 1080p IPS LCD panel
  
• 64/128GB of eMMC storage*
  
• Black magnesium alloy body
  
• SD card slot
  
• Digital video output via USB-C up to 4K60hz
  
• Audio aux out / UART
  
• USB 3.0 and USB 2.0 ports
  
• 802.11ac WiFi
  
• Bluetooth 4.2
  
• 4GB of LPDDR4 RAM
  
• Charging via barrel port or USB-C
  
• Rockchip RK3399 ; big.LITTLE Hexacore A72/A53 SOC
  
• 2mpx front-facing camera
  
• Microphone
  
• Speakers
  
• Slim and slick design with minimal branding
  
• PCIe x4 that can take a m.2 NVMe SSD using an optional adapter
  
• Target Price:  $199
  

• USB C for data and charging
  
• HDMI
  
• 4.0 BT
  
• WiFi 802.11n
  
• 4G LTE
  
• GPS
  
• Privacy (hardware) switches for BT/WiFi, LTE, cameras, speaker
  
• eMMC socket / 32GB eMMC module included in kit
  
• mSD Slot
  
• Gyro magnetic sensor
  
• Light sensor
  
• Volume, power, reset, home buttons
  
• Audio aux
  
• MiPi and TP interfaces
  
• 2mpx and 5mpx front / back cameras
  
• Small and compact size of (approx. 165x77mm)
  
• 1440x720 IPS panel
  
• SOPine module: Allwinner A64 with 2GB of LPDDR3 RAM
  
• Dev Kit Price: TBA/TBD (contact us on: info@pine64.org)
  

• BT 4.0
  
• WiFi 802.11n
  
• 16GB of eMMC
  
• Allwinner A64
  
• 2GB of LPDDR3 RAM
  
• 720p IPS 10” LCD (MiPi)
  
• USB 2.0 A host
  
• Micro USB 2.0 OTG
  
• mSD slot
  
• 2mpx front-facing camera
  
• 5mpx rear camera
  
• Speakers and microphone
  
• Volume rocker and ‘home’ button
  
• Magnetically attached keyboard + trackpad
  
• Target price for PineTab + keyboard: $99 ($79 for standalone PineTab)
  

• Super Famicom inspired case
  
• All buttons and switches functional
  
• SATA port in cartridge slot
  
• Cartridge-shaped SSDs (128GB / 256GB)
  
• Matching SNES-inspired controllers with analogue triggers and buttons
  
• Safe shutdown functionality via GPIO
  
• Rock64, RockPro64 and Raspberry Pi compatibility
  
• Target price for case: $29.99
  
• Target price for controller: $12.99
  
• Target price for cartridge SSDs: 128GB $24.99 / 256GB $39.99
  

• Allwinner S3L Cortex-A7
  
• 128MB DDR2
  
• 128Mb SPI Flash
  
• mSD slot
  
• Sony CMOS camera is iMX179 (MiPi interface)
  
• 10/100M Ethernet, 802.11 b/g/n WiFi
  
• Bluetooth 4.1
  
• USB 2.0
  
• 32pin GPIO header
  
• Passive Power over Ethernet (PoE)
  
• Interchangeable M12 lens type (wide, fisheye, zoom, etc.,)
  
• Target price: ~$20
  

• mSD slot
  
• 128Mb of SPI Flash
  
• USB3. Host port
  
• 2xUSB2 Host ports
  
• RTC - Real Time Clock Battery Connector
  
• Onboard Wifi/BT  
  
• 2x20 pins "Pi2" GPIO Header
  
• Digital Video out
  
• 3.5mm stereo earphone/microphone plug
  
• Gigabit Ethernet
  
• 2x20 pins Pi2 GPIO
  
• eMMC socket
  
• IR RX
  
• Target Price of board variants:  1GB - $24.95 / 2GB - $34.95 / 3GB - $44.95
  

• Power over Ethernet (PoE)
  
• Real Time Clock (RTC)
  
• Improved PI2 GPIO compatibility
  
• Support for high speed uSD cards
  
• Various minor improvements
  
• Pricing remains the same across the board variants
  

Hello,
I received my Rock64 at the beginning of january, since I was on holiday I started to use it a week ago.
Soon I found that one of the USB 2 port (the one near the pcb) is not powered, any device I connect doesn't work and if I connect an USB tester it shows 0 volts. This happens since the system power on before any operating system starts.
I opened a ticket and after some emails they suggest to send the board back to the US, this means I would have to pay another 10 EURO and wait I don't know how many weeks.
I am really not happy with the answer and probably I will not send it back.
First of all I think death-on-arrival situation should be handled without any cost for the customer, I think it is unacceptable to pay 1/3 of the cost of a new board just to send back a defective product. What about to test the boards before shipping them ?
Second problem is the software, Rock64 seems to be very immature, I have a 2Gb Rock64 without eMMC, I tried stock Android image and Android TV, both very slow and unstable, I barely was able to reach the launcher after several crashes and restarts. I am wondering how somebody could use Android with this board. 
I then tried OpenMediaVault (ayufan stretch armhf 0.7.11) , it works better but while configuring omv three times the system broke badly hanging during boot and I had to re-flash the SD. Now it seems to work but from time to time I still get errors while using omv administration and I am wondering for how much time it will continue to work.
BTW, I used ovm before with OrangePI without any issues. Same microSD (Sandisk Ultra).


I am not a newbie with this kind of systems, I already have 4 RaspberryPI and 1 OrangePI, none of them had such issues also the really cheap OrangePI is much more stable than Rock64

Hello everyone! 

How can i completely disable (periodically, by cron) HDMI port on Pine A64?
Whats command?
It's needed for completely disabled monitor (picture and backlight).

kernel - 3.10.105-bsp-1.2-ayufan-77

- "DISPLAY=:0 xset dpms force off" blanking picture only, but not turning off backlight
- sunxi tools changes screen resolution only, but not power manage.
- "echo 0 > /sys/class/backlight/lcd0/bl_power" doesn't work

Pls help, Thnx)

I tried to install openhabian on my pine64. With the original image (PineInstaller and website), it boot up but the papaerUI and all other stuff dont work. With the github repo and an own created images it doesn´t boot up. Can sameone help me?