stut

Version 20200127.
EMMC installation fixes for NanoPC T4.
 
Added deb files with the new kernel to the site for manual kernel updates.

I do have one of those gun like ones, thanks for reminding me. I checked some temps and the reported temps are pretty much spot on. It might run cooler without the 1.3ghz overlay cuz I think that increases the voltage, not sure though. Of course I can't measure the chip itself due to the heatsink but I did my best to get a close as possible and find the hottest parts. I do have a temp sensor for a multimeter somewhere that is probably small enough to sit between the heatsink and the dye of the chip but it will reduce the surface so might influence results a bit.
 
Edit: ran sbc-bench without errors: http://ix.io/28pz

RC1 working very nicely on NanoPi NEO2 boards here. Also running cooler than I remember, hovering between 22-27c idle/light load. Everything I need works including 8811au ac sticks and overlays to enable 1.3ghz and extra usb port on the oled add-on, the oled also works. Wifi seems faster/more responsive. No issues to report so far. Great work!

If you need to free up space try installing localepurge to remove unwanted languages from docs and man pages and such. When every megabyte counts this will help a lot without having to remove any programs. Select no when asked about the exclude path option to process already installed stuff. If you select yes it will only strip the languages from newly installed stuff.

I do have one of those gun like ones, thanks for reminding me. I checked some temps and the reported temps are pretty much spot on. It might run cooler without the 1.3ghz overlay cuz I think that increases the voltage, not sure though. Of course I can't measure the chip itself due to the heatsink but I did my best to get a close as possible and find the hottest parts. I do have a temp sensor for a multimeter somewhere that is probably small enough to sit between the heatsink and the dye of the chip but it will reduce the surface so might influence results a bit.
 
Edit: ran sbc-bench without errors: http://ix.io/28pz

How to get a working LED/VFD front display on Tanix TX3 mini-A:
 
First, many thanks to Balbes, Igor and the other heroes of the Armbian community.
 
Instructions (noob-like, i.e. like me):
 
Install (see instructions at the top of this thread) the dtb file meson-gxl-s905w-tx3-mini-vfd.dtb.gz and boot your tx3 box with this file. (This assumes that you boot from SD/USB so that you don't risk bricking your box. See also notes below, incl md5sum) Download the vfd code (module and daemon) tarball vfdd-20181209.tar.xz from a link at the bottom of the page http://www.rvq.fr/linux/tanix-vfd.php and unpack it someplace on your tx3 box. Build the vfd module (natively): Install the *.deb package from Balbes/Armbian with linux kernel headers for the kernel you are running. Then, copy the contents of vfdd-20181209/vfdmod/vfdmod/ to some place in the kernel headers tree, say drivers/vfd Go to drivers/vfd and write up a Makefile somewhat like this;  KERNEL_SOURCE := /usr/src/linux-headers-4.19.7-aml-s9xxx PWD := $(shell pwd) default: ${MAKE} -C ${KERNEL_SOURCE} M=${PWD} modules clean: ${MAKE} -C ${KERNEL_SOURCE} M=${PWD} clean Run 'make' and build the module vfdmod.ko
Check that the module loads: insmod vfdmod.ko Build the daemon vfdd: Go to the directory vfdd-20181209/ and run make. (I got some seemingly harmless warnings, which I ignored.) The daemon executable vfdd should emerge. After inspection/editing of the Makefile in vfdd-20181209/ (e.g. BINDIR, ETCDIR) you can run 'make install' to copy the the daemon executable and configuration file to their proper locations (or do this manually). Test the daemon: Check the vfd conf file (default /etc/vfd.conf) and edit according to taste, or leave as-is. Start the daemon with recipe as in vfdd-20181209/vfdd.runit.in If everything is OK some nice little numbers and symbols should now emerge on the front LED display of your tx3 box. (Note that the daemon cycles through time/date/temp on the display and that e.g. the play button means bluetooth, I think.) Notes:
The dtb file meson-gxl-s905w-tx3-mini-vfd.dtb (md5sum is fe846c5c3c7903b15c0725c2bd289fe5) is an augmentation of the Balbes/Armbian file meson-gxl-s905w-tx3-mini.dtb where the following definition has been added/compiled in (method; hack to Balbes' Armbian cross compile build environment) to support vfd (as per recipe in vfdd-20181209):  meson-vfd { compatible = "amlogic,aml_vfd"; dev_name = "meson-vfd"; status = "okay"; gpios = <&gpio_ao GPIOAO_4 GPIO_ACTIVE_HIGH>, /* STB */ <&gpio GPIODV_27 GPIO_ACTIVE_HIGH>, /* CLK */ <&gpio GPIODV_26 GPIO_ACTIVE_HIGH>; /* DI/DO */ }; (A dtb file can easily be decompiled and inspected by decompiling it with dtc, the device tree compiler.)
The vfd module can also be complied using the Balbes/Armbian cross compile environment, using (at least for me) some ugly hacks, but the native route seems much simpler. (The module built with the cross compile environment becomes smaller; I don't know why (perhaps due to some shared code).)
I have used information and links mainly from the excellent tx3 info source http://www.rvq.fr/linux/tanix-tx3.php