ANNOUNCING *BETA* RELEASE OF RECALBOX FOR THE ROCK64

[Luke]

I have only tested if the build boots from USB - but haven't tested stability. I personally find the build stable - also in KODI - when running of off SD and eMMC.

[Mrfixit2001]

Maybe I should try running recal off SD card but a big plus for me was that it runs off USB.

I doubt its my SATA adapter thats causing my kodi issue mainly because when I was testing LibreELEC I was running it off SD card or eMMC and it was very unstable then. Also, I've left the RA menu running for 30+ minutes or so with no crashes and kodi crashes when the drive isn't being used. I also bought the recommended LSxxx (I can't remember the chipset number) USB SATA chipset. It is very good - faster than the other 2 I have.

kodi under (stiock 8.1) Android didn't seem to be using hw accel decoding as the video playback was very sluggish. The only half-way decent video playback I've achieved under rock64 Android so far has been using the included Media Centre player. I have not had any success in getting ayufans Android build to run yet tho maybe thats better? Can I not dd it onto a disk as I have everything else? Maybe it just doesn't like the 4GB model?

If there is an older release of LibreELEC that is known to be more stable yet can still play 4K I'd like to know which version it is.

Thanks again for the feedback and testing!!

I can agree with Lukasz that I haven't personally encountered any issues in KODI, but they are still in alpha for a reason.
And as an FYI - betav2 has an updated KODI commit, so I suggest trying it, as it may be more stable for you. But since it's something you've encountered in LibreElec I'm confident in saying it's not issues with our build. 

Unfortunately there's limited support we can offer for KODI Leia Alpha besides continuing to include updates from the xbmc team. For this exact reason I have included GDB in our build so that users can capture crashes and report them. For KODI, any captured crashes should be provided to them on their forum.

I will also continue updating KODI to newer commits as I provide future releases.

[danboid]

I've tried recalbox off MicroSD now and kodi is still super crashy, which is a bit disappointing and concerning as it seems to be working fine for everyone else. I presume at least one of you is using a 4GB rock64? Its a samsung 64GB microSD card, should it matter. I know kodi is working to some degree as I've had it play a 4K h264 'perfectly' but it can barely last a minute before it crashes or reboots.

I wouldn't have thought having uboot flashed could cause such issues, which I do. I am able to boot recalbox off MicroSD with uboot without using a jumper.

One suggestion for improvement - it would be handy if those who have a keyboard attached could load kodi by simply hitting a key instead of having to attach and configure a joypad.

---

Maybe I should try running recal off SD card but a big plus for me was that it runs off USB.

I doubt its my SATA adapter thats causing my kodi issue mainly because when I was testing LibreELEC I was running it off SD card or eMMC and it was very unstable then. Also, I've left the RA menu running for 30+ minutes or so with no crashes and kodi crashes when the drive isn't being used. I also bought the recommended LSxxx (I can't remember the chipset number) USB SATA chipset. It is very good - faster than the other 2 I have.

kodi under (stiock 8.1) Android didn't seem to be using hw accel decoding as the video playback was very sluggish. The only half-way decent video playback I've achieved under rock64 Android so far has been using the included Media Centre player. I have not had any success in getting ayufans Android build to run yet tho maybe thats better? Can I not dd it onto a disk as I have everything else? Maybe it just doesn't like the 4GB model?

If there is an older release of LibreELEC that is known to be more stable yet can still play 4K I'd like to know which version it is.

Thanks again for the feedback and testing!!

I can agree with Lukasz that I haven't personally encountered any issues in KODI, but they are still in alpha for a reason.
And as an FYI - betav2 has an updated KODI commit, so I suggest trying it, as it may be more stable for you. But since it's something you've encountered in LibreElec I'm confident in saying it's not issues with our build. 

Unfortunately there's limited support we can offer for KODI Leia Alpha besides continuing to include updates from the xbmc team. For this exact reason I have included GDB in our build so that users can capture crashes and report them. For KODI, any captured crashes should be provided to them on their forum.

I will also continue updating KODI to newer commits as I provide future releases.

My previous posts are all relating to recalbox_rock64_betav2.img, I should've stated that.

I'm wondering if I have a dodgy unit then? Maybe it needs to be sent back to CA?

[Mrfixit2001]

I've tried recalbox off MicroSD now and kodi is still super crashy, which is a bit disappointing and concerning as it seems to be working fine for everyone else. I presume at least one of you is using a 4GB rock64? Its a samsung 64GB microSD card, should it matter. I know kodi is working to some degree as I've had it play a 4K h264 'perfectly' but it can barely last a minute before it crashes or reboots.

I wouldn't have thought having uboot flashed could cause such issues, which I do. I am able to boot recalbox off MicroSD with uboot without using a jumper.

One suggestion for improvement - it would be handy if those who have a keyboard attached could load kodi by simply hitting a key instead of having to attach and configure a joypad.

---

Maybe I should try running recal off SD card but a big plus for me was that it runs off USB.

I doubt its my SATA adapter thats causing my kodi issue mainly because when I was testing LibreELEC I was running it off SD card or eMMC and it was very unstable then. Also, I've left the RA menu running for 30+ minutes or so with no crashes and kodi crashes when the drive isn't being used. I also bought the recommended LSxxx (I can't remember the chipset number) USB SATA chipset. It is very good - faster than the other 2 I have.

kodi under (stiock 8.1) Android didn't seem to be using hw accel decoding as the video playback was very sluggish. The only half-way decent video playback I've achieved under rock64 Android so far has been using the included Media Centre player. I have not had any success in getting ayufans Android build to run yet tho maybe thats better? Can I not dd it onto a disk as I have everything else? Maybe it just doesn't like the 4GB model?

If there is an older release of LibreELEC that is known to be more stable yet can still play 4K I'd like to know which version it is.

Thanks again for the feedback and testing!!

I can agree with Lukasz that I haven't personally encountered any issues in KODI, but they are still in alpha for a reason.
And as an FYI - betav2 has an updated KODI commit, so I suggest trying it, as it may be more stable for you. But since it's something you've encountered in LibreElec I'm confident in saying it's not issues with our build. 

Unfortunately there's limited support we can offer for KODI Leia Alpha besides continuing to include updates from the xbmc team. For this exact reason I have included GDB in our build so that users can capture crashes and report them. For KODI, any captured crashes should be provided to them on their forum.

I will also continue updating KODI to newer commits as I provide future releases.

My previous posts are all relating to recalbox_rock64_betav2.img, I should've stated that.

I'm wondering if I have a dodgy unit then? Maybe it needs to be sent back to CA?

A couple things to try first to see if it improves your situation. Change your KODI UI to 1080p (defaults to 4k), ensure you have proper heatsink on the board, and are using an approved power supply that provides enough power. 
If you're still seeing crashes, can you capture it in gdb? Over ssh You'll need to stop etc/init.d/S31emulationstation before you're able to run KODI inside gdb.

[Mrfixit2001]

danboid
I've tried recalbox off MicroSD now and kodi is still super crashy, which is a bit disappointing and concerning as it seems to be working fine for everyone else. I presume at least one of you is using a 4GB rock64? Its a samsung 64GB microSD card, should it matter. I know kodi is working to some degree as I've had it play a 4K h264 'perfectly' but it can barely last a minute before it crashes or reboots.

I wouldn't have thought having uboot flashed could cause such issues, which I do. I am able to boot recalbox off MicroSD with uboot without using a jumper.

One suggestion for improvement - it would be handy if those who have a keyboard attached could load kodi by simply hitting a key instead of having to attach and configure a joypad.

---

I missed this before. Wanted to let you know there is a feature in recalbox to open KODI with one button on the gamepad. You don't require a keyboard.

[danboid]

Hi MrFixit

Whilst I can try kodi in 1080, the whole point of it is so I can watch 4K clips but if it works at 1080 then I suppose it could be a power or heating issue so its worth checking.

I haven't attached a heatsink to my rock64 yet. Is this known to be a requirement for stable 4K playback under kodi? Have others reported crashes playing 4K vids without a heatsink?

I am using a atolla 5v / 3A PSU, not one bought from the pine store. I haven't checked its output is what it claims.

I am aware that there is a joypad button in the UI to load kodi but I more often only have a keyboard attached to my rock64 so I woud prefer if the recalbox menu was usable with a keyboard ONLY as well as with a joypad. Another reason for this request is that I have only got my keyboard and mouse to work under kodi whilst my joypad does not so I have to plug my keyboard in anyway if I want to use kodi.

I have tried running recalbox off 4 different microSD cards now so I doubt a dodgy SD card is my issue here.

[danboid]

I've now attached a heatsink to the CPU of my rock64 and whilst it hasn't totally fixed my problems with resets and freezes under kodi it is working better. I just managed to play a 6m 4K video in full followed by a few minutes of another 4K video before it rebooted - I never managed that much playback before I attached the heatsink so overheating seems to have been part of my problem. Looks like I should try and get another PSU now then hopefully I'll have a stable device.

I've started this thread on the rock64 hardware forum to ask about getting a known good UK PSU. I'd rather not order the official one from the states that requires an adapter, if I have a choice.

https://forum.pine64.org/showthread.php?tid=6430

[Mrfixit2001]

I've now attached a heatsink to the CPU of my rock64 and whilst it hasn't totally fixed my problems with resets and freezes under kodi it is working better. I just managed to play a 6m 4K video in full followed by a few minutes of another 4K video before it rebooted - I never managed that much playback before I attached the heatsink so overheating seems to have been part of my problem. Looks like I should try and get another PSU now then hopefully I'll have a stable device.

I've started this thread on the rock64 hardware forum to ask about getting a known good UK PSU. I'd rather not order the official one from the states that requires an adapter, if I have a choice.

https://forum.pine64.org/showthread.php?tid=6430

That's great that you've improved the issue! As an FYI - this heatsink fits the rock64 and works really well IMO:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B075R4S9GH/ref...EBbT7N3PWJ

I can't comment on the power adapter as I'm a stater, so maybe someone over the pond there can make a recommendation.

[Luke]

You can get the same dual fan as Mrfixit2001 recommended in Europe - just check local amazon or ebay.
I will just point out that you can monitor your board's thermals by entering the IP of the board into the browser. If it reaches 82*C you can expect instability; however, I have not experienced that myself on default frequencies (with a heatsink mounted).

[Gaëtan]

Hi guys !
I'm new here and I would like to help you with the beta version of Recalbox. 
I already own a Rpi3 B, a Rpi3 B+ and an Odroid xu4, all running Recalbox. 
Currently I'm testing the beta version of Recalbox for the B+ and lightgun with dolphin bar for Recabox too.

That said, I'm now interrested in testing the Rock64 and give you my feedback about it.

My first question is : where could I find a Rock64 4gb for a good price. I already invested in 3 boards so if anyone has a good market place to recommend I'll be glad to save few bucks. 
Also, I'm from France, so it should delivery to my country. 

Hope to hear about you soon and thank you for the tip