I'd like to verify the rating of some USB-C cables according to their E-Marker chips. Can the pencil power delivery debug menu be used to read this data from the chips?

Hi everybody,

I'm new to building Linux and related components for embedded systems. I found the work that @Fishwaldo has done with `meta-pine64`, however I'm having trouble visualising the entire process. I'd like an ELI5 for a few topics so I can try building my own images.

My questions are (as of now):

1. How did you figure out the U-boot partitions required? The U-boot documentation (https://docs.u-boot.org/en/latest/board/...l#flashing) uses 4KiB for the SPL and 8KiB for U-boot + OpenSBI. However, the JH7110 user-guide (https://doc-en.rvspace.org/VisionFive2/D...oot_UG.pdf) doesn't seem to mention this (or does it? Not sure if I missed something important). How did you know?

2. If I understand correctly, Fishwaldo patched the Linux Kernel tree in a new branch with the OEM drivers from StarFive? Then, he created the layer on top of Poky and the other base layers from Openembedded? Why is it that he is forced to use the Linux 5.1xx kernel instead of the new 6.1xx kernel? Did StarFive mention this limitation somewhere that I missed it?

Thanks for reading through! I really appreciate the help - I would like to be part of the effort to take RISC-V forward, and I want to be able to build my own images for the Star64 alongside the SOEdge module as a replacement for Coral.ai's TPUs.

Thanks!

Like many of you, I came across the work that @Fishwaldo did to get Linux working on the Star64.

I'm new to Yocto and the lower level of building Linux for embedded systems. I would love it if someone/Fishwaldo could do an ELI5 on what he did for the `meta-pine64` layer (btw, there seems to be a different `meta-pine64` layer mentioned on the openembedded page but that's specifically for ARM chips).

From what I understand:

1. He forked/branched off the Linux kernel.
2. Applied OEM drivers as patches from StarFive.
3. Used that in the new Yocto layer he built.

My questions (for now) are:

1. How did he/you guys find the U-boot partition map? I have seen the JH7110 Boot User Guide, but I haven't been able to figure out how U-boot mentions the partition sizes in their documentation.
2. I couldn't quite find where StarFive mentions that their drivers are not compatible with the newer 6.1xx Linux kernel, forcing @Fishwaldo to use the 5.1xx kernel. Ideally, one would be able to download the source tree and place the patches in the tree to compile it with bitbake in Yocto, yes?

Would greatly appreciate any replies to this thread! I'm very new to this, and I would like to be a part of the effort to take RISC-V forward, even if I'm only doing it for myself. I'm looking at the Star64 alongside the OSEdge as an alternative to Coral.ai's TPUs and would like to learn to build my images for both of them.

Thanks!

Hello!

I've been considering getting myself a Pinebook Pro, but I check again every year or so and the hardware hasn't been updated it seems. Are there any plans for 8GB RAM or a newer ARM CPU?

Cheers!

Yet A beginner's question to sort the versioning out:

Mobian is a versioned release, right?
So if I go to the image site, the image is currently named

"mobian-pinephone-phosh-12.0.img.gz"

This means I get mobian 12 (which is bookworm) with phosh as a GUI.
And this is also what the Installer-version provides.


But if I download a weekly build (installer or not), I currently get the trixie/sid version which is a rolling release.
But is this rolling release just within trixie? Or can I update this release forever? I mean was there a bookworm/sid before?
And if so, did bookworm/sid automatically become trixie/sid by updating or is that again kind of versioning.
Like there's a rolling release within one big versioned release...?


Thank you!

I keep an eye on #PineTab2 on Mastodon. This week there have been a couple of really interesting posts from people summarizing how they set up the PineTab2 to make a daily driver that works for them. Probably they should be linked to the wiki. Maybe they already are. But I want to make sure they're seen on the forum, too:

@KelsonV shared a blog post entitled PineTab2 Notes: Getting Things Working that I found helpful. I want to play with lxqt -- I've always liked simpler/faster window managers, especially on non-cutting-edge hardware. If anyone has more detailed information for this Arch-newbie on how to build nm-tray, I'd be all ears!

Today @Jordan posted hist setup process. Again, I'm tempted to try it sometime. He actually re-installs an OS; I've not really been inclined to do that yet on my PineTab2. In part I'm concerned about not knowing the process for getting kernel upgrades from from @danctnix outside of the default Arch distro. 

My hope is, someday, to find a good step-by-step tutorial for getting debian (with an effective touch interface) onto the PineTab2. With a procedure for porting over kernel updates!

Forums have been quiet. But I appreciate the occasional tidbits of information or discoveries or experimentation that get posted up here.

I'm reading the install instructions for rk2aw and it says to run rk2aw-spi-flasher. Where do I run this though? Do I boot something on the pinephone and run it inside the pinephone? Or do I plug it into usb and run it on a computer?

Does anyone have any mirrors for the images that were posted? All the links on the wiki for Android images are dead.

I've been running GloDroid, Android 14 2023w46, on the Pinetime beta for awhile now. Here are some of my discoveries in the hopes that they will help others. I hope we see more from the GloDroid team as this has been a fun build to play with. 

Touch response is great/better than most Pinetime distrobutions I've played with.
Battery performance is really good, standby power consumption can get you 3–4 days before charging, which is impressive!
Headphones work!
The phone speaker works too!
F-droid takes a while to update the repositories, so be patient the mirrors can be busy.
The messages app can view messages but not create them. I've been using SMSdroid since then, with good success.
I love the sound effect when you hook up a charging source. The good old days of having a old Nokia are back. ;-)
Tapping 7 times on the build number in the settings->about gives you the developer options. Good for debugging.
I downloaded GadgetBridge from F-droid and was able to pair both of my Pinetime watches. Awesome!

Phone service is a little sketchy, 50/50 chance the phone will boot and recognize the SIM. When I get no service, a workaround I found is to plug the phone into a charging source and open the Messenger app. The phone will reboot on its own, and then the phone SIM is recognized, this may take a couple of reboots to take effect.

WiFi will not connect to my new T-Mobile router. Though if I bring up a hot-spot on my other phone, it will connect with no issues. Funny, because my very old iPod has the same issue.

I do get some random reboots every once in awhile, that's where I'll try to debug the cause so I'll keep playing and making new discoveries and sharing.

Have fun out there!

Gary

Hi,
I am new to this site and would like to ask some questions.
I would appreciate if someone could point me in the right direction.
I have been using Debian on my laptops for over 5 years.
Anything i want to do in the command prompt, i use instructional videos.
It has worked out fairly well.
I installed Ubports on a nexus 5, and it works well...as a mp3player
I would use it as a device if it had encryption.
I see that Mobian is gaining traction in the Pine64 Community.
Is Mobian functional enough for a GUI junkie like me?
Can someone like me buy a pinephone pro and get decent funtionality out of the device?
Would I be better off with a regular pinephone, pinetab2, or pinebook pro?
I like to travel, and i like to segregate my tasks.
I would like multiple devices.
Eg:  one device for browsing the web and torrenting, one device for business, and one device for banking.
I dont need the device to be an actual voice phone, but I would like to have secure, steady browser functionality.
Are there any plans on shipping the devices with an preordered os iso image ready to install?
That might be a way to earn extra revenue for pine64
Thanks for any advice you can give,
Greg