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http://blog.armbian.com/content/images/2026/01/githubhighlights-2.webpThis week’s Armbian development saw significant kernel upgrades across multiple platforms, including meson64, rockchip64, and UEFI, with several branches bumped to versions 6.18 and 6.19. Notable hardware support enhancements were introduced, such as SPI controller support for Allwinner A523, new board additions like mixtile-core3588e, and improved compatibility for devices including Radxa and Youyeetoo. The build system received stability and performance improvements, featuring parallel repository generation, refined CI scripts, and fixes for repository management in concurrent environments. Kernel configuration updates enabled additional filesystems and tickless idle for mvebu devices. Several patches addressed hardware initialization, network, and desktop issues, while deprecated packages were removed for a leaner build. Overall, the changelog reflects a strong focus on expanding hardware support, refining build infrastructure, and maintaining kernel currency. add allwinner: a523: Support SPI controllers patch series. by @EvilOlaf in armbian/build#9124allow build on forky host. by @amazingfate in armbian/build#9153CI: add watchdog action script and adjust log cleaning parameter. by @igorpecovnik in armbian/build#9147Fix repository management script for parallel execution. by @igorpecovnik in armbian/build#9163fix: replace comm with grep to support uutils coreutils. by @cantalupo555 in armbian/build#9148kernel configs - enable EROFS as module, ditto overlayfs & F2FS. by @tabrisnet in armbian/build#9135kernel: mvebu: enable tickless idle. by @neheb in armbian/build#9139meson64-6.19: de-bork PCIe, again (missed a patch from 6.18). by @rpardini in armbian/build#9151meson64: bump edge to 6.19; current 6.12 -> 6.18. by @EvilOlaf in armbian/build#9069meson64: bump edge to 6.19; current 6.12 -> 6.18 (nonsquash). by @rpardini in armbian/build#9146Missing variable in board config - address JSON matrix warnings. by @igorpecovnik in armbian/build#9144mixtile-core3588e: add board with vendor and edge branches (Joshua Riek + fixes). by @rpardini in armbian/build#9119Modify radxa-e54c board config to fix leds, network and Gnome desktop init.. by @schwar3kat in armbian/build#9111radxa-cubie-a5e: maint and fixes. by @EvilOlaf in armbian/build#9152Remove libfuse2t64 from package list. by @igorpecovnik in armbian/build#9155Repo tools: add parallel repository generation support. by @igorpecovnik in armbian/build#9150Revert few Rabbit's suggestions that broke repository management. by @igorpecovnik in armbian/build#9156rockchip64-6.18: Enable HDMI1 and audio for HDMI0/1 on CM3588-NAS. by @rpardini in armbian/build#9138rockchip64: add edge kernel support for Youyeetoo YY3588. by @SuperKali in armbian/build#9137rockchip64: fix broken patch in 6.18.3, rewrite everything. by @EvilOlaf in armbian/build#9157uefi-all: bump edge to 6.19 (except loong64); legacy 6.6 -> 6.12; current/cloud 6.12 -> 6.18. by @EvilOlaf in armbian/build#9086uefi-loong64-edge: bump to 6.19. by @amazingfate in armbian/build#9149View the full article

Open hardware is growing faster than ever and breaking in new ways.http://blog.armbian.com/content/images/2025/12/New_review1.png2025 has been a productive year for the Armbian project. As the Single Board Computer ecosystem continues to fragment and expand, Armbian has consolidated its position as the universal glue holding the open-source hardware world together. Our mission remains clear: providing a consistent, reliable build framework that generates operating system for an increasingly diverse hardware landscape. Hardware diversity and development velocityThe most visible metric of our growth is hardware support. This year, the team successfully integrated 61 new boards into the ecosystem. This represents thausands of engineering hours dedicated to debugging, kernel patching, and testing to ensure a stable experience for the end user, regardless of the underlying silicon. The heartbeat of this activity remains our build Framework, which saw 1,946 commits this year. This framework is the engine that allows Armbian to scale across architectures. Our specialized repositories also saw significant contributions: 795 commits to Rockchip Linux, 304 commits to Armbian Config, and 88 commits to the Armbian Imager. Repository2025 CommitsPrimary RoleBuild Framework1,946Core image generation engineRockchip Linux795Kernel support for Rockchip SoCsArmbian Config304System management and TUIArmbian Imager88Cross-platform flashing utility The CI/CD powerhouse: 9.2 years of compute!To maintain quality across hundreds of supported boards, our automated workflows are essential. In 2025, Armbian’s infrastructure ran for a total of 4,885,668 minutes. To put that in perspective, our servers performed the equivalent of 9.2 years of continuous compute time in a single calendar year. This massive undertaking involved 1,510,771 individual job runs, ensuring that every code contribution was properly assembled and tested and every image was built to specification before reaching your SD card. Community: more than just codeArmbian is a community-first project that thrives on shared expertise. While code is our foundation, documentation and education are what empower our users. Newsletter team is seeking contributors to create technical documentation, share practical experience, and write clear instructions and tutorials. If you have a unique project, a "how-to" guide, or an interesting Armbian use case, we encourage you to share your knowledge with the community via the Armbian Forum. Support the MissionMaintaining the infrastructure required for millions of job runs is a significant financial undertaking. If Armbian provides value to your business, research, or hobby, please consider supporting us. Contribute Expertise: Visit our Get Involved Guide to help with development or testing.Financial Support: You can donate via PayPal, Liberapay, or BTC or become a GitHub Sponsor.Every contribution directly funds build infrastructure, CI runners, mirrors, development tools, and hardware enablement, ensuring Armbian remains reliable and up to date. View the full article

http://blog.armbian.com/content/images/2025/12/githubhighlights-2.pngThis week in Armbian development saw a series of refinements and maintenance updates across the build and configuration repositories. Contributors focused on workflow standardization, cosmetic improvements such as board name adjustments, and documentation enhancements. Several technical fixes addressed typos, property mispellings, and package issues, while platform support was expanded with kernel and boot improvements for devices like the Mekotronics R58-4x4 and MusePi Pro. Notable changes also included vendor reorganization and the addition of fallback logic for Ubuntu LTS releases. Overall, the activity reflects ongoing efforts to streamline processes and bolster hardware compatibility. Adjusting board names - cosmetic issue. by @igorpecovnik in armbian/build#9116chore: cleanup mirror_to_codeberg.yml workflow. by @igorpecovnik in armbian/build#9133chore: standardize workflow names. by @igorpecovnik in armbian/build#9130chore: update copyright years to 2026. by @igorpecovnik in armbian/build#9129Create mirror_to_codeberg.yml. by @EvilOlaf in armbian/build#9131docs: improve README and add Armbian Imager promotion. by @igorpecovnik in armbian/build#9128dts: orangepi-4-lts: fix mispelled disable properites. by @EvilOlaf in armbian/build#9123Fix dialog typo. by @SergeantSerk in armbian/configng#716fix(apt-utils): add fallback for Ubuntu LTS releases without -updates suffix in JSON. by @adeepn in armbian/build#9117fix(rootfs): unset GIT_FIXED_WORKDIR after debootstrap/mmdebstrap clone. by @QwaSeeK in armbian/build#9132Genio: Change INSTALL_ARMBIAN_FIRMWARE to 'yes'. by @HeyMeco in armbian/build#9134gha: check-pr-pictures: allow declare -g BOARD_VENDOR=. by @rpardini in armbian/build#9142mekotronics-r58-4x4: enable edge branch with mainline kernel & u-boot. by @rpardini in armbian/build#9127Missing upstream package mousetweaks. by @igorpecovnik in armbian/build#9143Move boards with vendor intel_amd under generic vendor. by @igorpecovnik in armbian/build#9122SpacemiT: Fixup eMMC boot on the MusePi Pro "SPINOR". by @pyavitz in armbian/build#9141sunxi: backport A523/T527 related patches from 6.19-rc1 and #8831. by @EvilOlaf in armbian/build#9106View the full article

http://blog.armbian.com/content/images/2025/12/holiday1-1.pngFrom major kernel milestones to expanding our support for the latest ARM and RISC-V hardware, 2025 has been a year of growth and grit for Armbian. As we wrap up the final commits of the year, we’re looking back with gratitude at how far this project has come. The holiday season is our favorite time to reflect on the power of open source - where a global community comes together to make hardware work better for everyone. Thank you for being part of our story this year. Happy Holiday Hacking! Public beta: new Armbian OS image flasher. Clean, simple, open-source tool for flashing Armbian or any other disk image to your single board computer. Download for Linux / Window / MacOS Nanopi R76SThe ultimate travel router and secure hotspot Forget insecure hotel Wi-Fi. The NanoPi R76S, powered by the performance-optimized Armbian OS, is your ticket to a truly secure, high-speed mobile network. This pocket-sized device is built around the powerful Octa-core Rockchip RK3576 SoC and supports up to 16GB of LPDDR5 RAM,http://blog.armbian.com/content/images/icon/favicon-35.icoArmbian blogIgor Pecovnikhttp://blog.armbian.com/content/images/thumbnail/r67-1.jpgSponsored Post Armbian flashing toolWe’ve added a powerful new Image Flashing Tool to Armbian! You can now browse, download, and flash Armbian images directly to your device’s internal storage or boot media - no external tools required. Everything happens seamlessly inside armbian-config, making installation and re-installation faster, safer, and easier than ever.http://blog.armbian.com/content/images/icon/favicon-32.icoArmbian blogIgor Pecovnikhttp://blog.armbian.com/content/images/thumbnail/ChatGPT-Image-Dec-8--2025--11_11_38-PM.pngGithub HighlightsThis week in Armbian development saw significant progress across board support, kernel updates, and codebase improvements. Notable additions include support for the SpacemiT MusePi Pro and Friendlyelec NanoPi Zero2, alongside expanded compatibility for TI AM62x SoC boards. Multiple platforms, such as Rockchip, Meson64, and Sunxi, received kernel bumpst to newhttp://blog.armbian.com/content/images/icon/favicon-34.icoArmbian blogMichael Robinsonhttp://blog.armbian.com/content/images/thumbnail/highligts-2.pngView the full article

The ultimate travel router and secure hotspothttp://blog.armbian.com/content/images/2025/12/r67.jpgForget insecure hotel Wi-Fi. The NanoPi R76S, powered by the performance-optimized Armbian OS, is your ticket to a truly secure, high-speed mobile network. This pocket-sized device is built around the powerful Octa-core Rockchip RK3576 SoC and supports up to 16GB of LPDDR5 RAM, giving it the muscle to handle demanding, encrypted traffic effortlessly. 💡This device is officially supported by Armbian at the Platinum level, providing long-term maintenance, high reliability, and priority software support.Its core hardware is ideal for the road. The dual 2.5GbE Ethernet ports ensure you can maximize the speed of any high-bandwidth wired connection, while the M.2 E-Key slot allows for adding an optional Wi-Fi card to create a high-speed, personalized hotspot. More importantly, the powerful CPU is a VPN champion. With Armbian, setting up an encrypted connection is simple and utilizes the device's full potential. To create a persistent, secure tunnel for all your devices, just launch the terminal and run: sudo armbian-config. Navigate to Software and select the pre-packaged WireGuard install. This single step leverages the RK3576’s processing power for blazing-fast encryption and decryption, eliminating the speed slowdowns common with weaker travel routers. Finally, the USB 3.2 is perfect for attaching a portable SSD, instantly turning R76S into a secure, mobile NAS for backing up your files. This is just one example of usage. It can be served as a compact home or office server, Home Assistant hub, a high-performance network gateway with advanced firewalling and VPN termination, or a lightweight virtualization host for containers. Thanks to its dual 2.5 GbE interfaces, the R76S excels in scenarios where fast, reliable networking is essential. From segmented home labs and development environments to branch-office routing and monitoring. Combined with low power consumption and solid software support, it offers an impressive balance between performance, flexibility, and efficiency in a remarkably small form factor. Hardware specifications SoCRockchip RK3576 CPUOcta-core ARM (4× Cortex-A72 + 4× Cortex-A53) GPUARM Mali-G52 MC3 OpenGL ES 1.1 / 2.0 / 3.2, Vulkan 1.2, OpenCL 2.0 VPU8K@30fps H.265 / VP9 decoder 4K@60fps encoder NPU6 TOPS (INT8) Supports INT4, INT8, INT16, FP16, BF16, TF32 Memory2 GB / 4 GB LPDDR5 Storage32 GB eMMC microSD (UHS-I) Ethernet2 × PCIe-based 2.5 GbE WirelessOptional M.2 SDIO Wi-Fi USB1 × USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A HDMI HDMI 1.4 / 2.0 Up to 10-bit Deep Color Up to 1080p@120Hz or 4096×2304@60Hz 3D video support DebugUART (3-pin 2.54 mm, 3.3 V, up to 1.5 Mbps) GPIO1 × 8-pin GPIO connector Indicators3 × GPIO-controlled LEDs (SYS, LED1, LED2) ButtonsPower, User, MASK (eMMC update) RTC2-pin RTC battery connector (HYM8563TS) Power InputUSB-C, 5 V PCB8-layer PCB, 58 × 58 × 1.6 mm Operating Temperature0 °C to 70 °C View the full article

http://blog.armbian.com/content/images/2025/12/highligts-2.pngThis week in Armbian development saw significant progress across board support, kernel updates, and codebase improvements. Notable additions include support for the SpacemiT MusePi Pro and Friendlyelec NanoPi Zero2, alongside expanded compatibility for TI AM62x SoC boards. Multiple platforms, such as Rockchip, Meson64, and Sunxi, received kernel bumpst to new LTS 6.18.y and patch refinements, enhancing stability and hardware support. The team also improved consistency in function naming, streamlined vendor relations, and addressed driver issues for Rockchip64. Workflow enhancements were made to enforce image availability for new boards and reduce review noise. Additionally, legacy UEFI images for WSL2 were removed, and documentation output processes were refined. These updates reflect Armbian’s ongoing commitment to robust hardware support and development efficiency. Add board SpacemiT MusePi Pro and update linux patching. by @pyavitz in armbian/build#9058Add support for Friendlyelec NanoPi Zero2. by @sapphic-kitten in armbian/build#8886adjust function names for the sake of consistency. by @EvilOlaf in armbian/build#9108Board vendors adjustements for generic targets. by @igorpecovnik in armbian/build#9109Bump Rockchip edge to 6.18.y. by @igorpecovnik in armbian/build#9104CodeRabbit review noise reduction. by @igorpecovnik in armbian/build#9074compress-checksum: introduce COMPRESS_OUTPUTIMAGE=zst. by @rpardini in armbian/build#9101DevTree overlays to enable RK3308 UARTS. by @brentr in armbian/build#9072extensions/gen-sample-extension-docs: output Markdown to userpatches/extensions. by @rpardini in armbian/build#9075Fix missing board vendor relations. by @igorpecovnik in armbian/build#9110Fix PR comments for forked submissions. by @igorpecovnik in armbian/build#9089GHA: Enforce board and vendor image availability for newly added boards. by @igorpecovnik in armbian/build#9087meson64: 6.18: drop cacheref S922X fix patch as it landed on 6.18.2. by @rpardini in armbian/build#9100Meson64: linux-6.18.y: Improve 6.18.y support for G12/SM1. by @pyavitz in armbian/build#9070radxa-e24c: enable edge branch by picking from Kwiboo's WiP tree. by @rpardini in armbian/build#9102rockchip64: Fix IEP driver. by @fwolter in armbian/build#9107rpi4b: bump legacy, current and edge to new major version. by @EvilOlaf in armbian/build#9097rpi4b: enable EXTRAWIFI again for edge. by @EvilOlaf in armbian/build#9073sunxi: adjust patch for H616 overlays. by @EvilOlaf in armbian/build#9096sunxi: bump current and edge to latest minor, rewrite patches. by @EvilOlaf in armbian/build#9103sunxi: bump edge to 6.18. by @EvilOlaf in armbian/build#9049sunxi: fix missing dt overlays. by @EvilOlaf in armbian/build#9094TI SK-AM62-SIP Remove Edge Target. by @Grippy98 in armbian/build#9105ti: configs: boards: Add additional AM62x SoC board support. by @jonaswood01 in armbian/build#9081ti: configs: family: k3: Update baseline to 11.02.08. by @jonaswood01 in armbian/build#9091Update odroidxu4-current to 6.6.119. by @belegdol in armbian/build#9037WSL2: Drop UEFI images designed specially for WSL2. by @igorpecovnik in armbian/build#9098View the full article

This week’s Armbian development saw a series of notable updates focused on expanding hardware support and improving system stability. Key highlights include the addition of new board configurations, such as the Radxa E24C and rk3566-box-demo, as well as enhancements to device tree files for improved hardware control. Kernel updates were prominent, with fixes for AV1 and VP9 decoding, expanded support for kernel 6.18, and a rewrite of Rockchip kernel patches. Installation processes were streamlined with the introduction of a direct flashing method, while sound card and display support received targeted improvements. The team also deprecated EFI/Grub in favor of a more robust u-boot flow for Genio devices. Overall, these changes reflect Armbian’s ongoing commitment to broadening compatibility and refining user experience. Add BOARD_VENDOR to board configs. by @igorpecovnik in armbian/build#9063Add Radxa E24C; vendor kernel and vendor u-boot only for now. by @rpardini in armbian/build#9038Add support for rk3566-box-demo. by @andyshrk in armbian/build#9008dts: rockchip: rk3399-fine3399: adjust pwm-fan control strategy. by @Lemon1151 in armbian/build#9036Enable direct flashing method in armbian-install menu. by @igorpecovnik in armbian/build#9022Fixed SOC_RT5651 build. by @iamdrq in armbian/build#9052Genio: Deprecate EFI/Grub in favor of proper uboot flow. by @HeyMeco in armbian/build#9040jethubj200: update JetHub D2 DT file for I2C display and GPIO expande…. by @QwaSeeK in armbian/build#9048lib / rootfs-create: make rm command more robust. by @leggewie in armbian/build#9060nanopct6: Add ALSA sound card configuration. by @SuperKali in armbian/build#9045nanopi-r76s: move patch to board specific folder. by @EvilOlaf in armbian/build#9062qcs6490: VP9 fix backported from mailing list. by @HeyMeco in armbian/build#9055Rock-5B-Plus: Fix Mainline u-boot. by @HeyMeco in armbian/build#9039rockchip-current: rewrite kernel patches. by @EvilOlaf in armbian/build#9054rockchip64-6.18: add patch to fix av1 decoding on rk3588. by @amazingfate in armbian/build#9042rockchip64-edge: enable CONFIG_ROCKCHIP_DW_DP. by @amazingfate in armbian/build#9047rtw88: Add kernel 6.18 support and clean up patch logic. by @SuperKali in armbian/build#9041sunxi-current: bump to latest 6.12.y version. by @EvilOlaf in armbian/build#9053sunxi: bump current to latest minor. by @EvilOlaf in armbian/build#9066Watchdog extension. by @iav in armbian/build#9044View the full article

http://blog.armbian.com/content/images/2025/12/ChatGPT-Image-Dec-8--2025--11_11_38-PM.pngWe’ve added a powerful new Image Flashing Tool to Armbian! You can now browse, download, and flash Armbian images directly to your device’s internal storage or boot media - no external tools required. Everything happens seamlessly inside armbian-config, making installation and re-installation faster, safer, and easier than ever. Key featuresModule pulls data from the official download infrastructure JSON stream and uses simple and robust components to provide a seamless "search & flash" experience. 1. Interactive image browserFinding the right image is now significantly easier. Forget about slow web browsing. The tool includes a robust filtering system that allows users to select images based on: Kernel branch: choose between different kernel branches (legacy, current, edge).Image variant: select specific desktop environments, server or minimal builds.Stability: a specific "stability" filter allows users to toggle production-ready or daily builds.Preinstalled applications: filter for specific software stacks.UX enhancements: Promoted builds: recommended images are highlighted with a star (★).File size: image sizes are clearly displayed in MB.2. Enhanced Safety MeasuresFlashing operating systems always carries a risk of data loss if the wrong drive is selected. This update introduces critical safety checks: System drive protection: The tool automatically hides any disk that contains active system partitions (e.g., /, /boot, or /boot/efi).3. Improved Download ExperienceThe download and flash process has been polished to deliver clearer progress information and a smoother workflow. Automatic fast mirror selection: The tool intelligently selects the fastest available Armbian download mirror to ensure optimal throughput and minimal latency.Accurate progress bars: Leveraging pv (Pipe Viewer), the flashing workflow provides precise, real-time progress indicators for both download and write operations.Graceful fallback: If pv is not available on the system, the tool automatically falls back to curl’s native progress meter, preserving usability without compromising reliability.How to use?New functionality has been added to armbian-config and armbian-install CLI tools. armbian-config --cmd FLASH1View the full article

This week, we spotlight the latest progress surrounding the Armbian 25.11 release. Development continues at a steady pace, with new board enablement work, kernel refinements, and package updates rolling in from contributors across the community. From single-board computers powering homelabs to lightweight systems deployed at the edge, Armbian 25.11 aims to deliver a cleaner, faster, and more reliable experience. If you're upgrading existing installations or preparing images for new hardware, this release ensures that your boards stay efficient, secure, and ready for whatever you build next. v25.11 Improving the base, unlocking new optionsThanks to our amazing community and partners, this release brings mainline U-Boot support to more boards, adds dozens of new devices, and introduces powerful build framework improvements.http://blog.armbian.com/content/images/icon/favicon-29.icoArmbian blogIgor Pecovnikhttp://blog.armbian.com/content/images/thumbnail/release.png SPONSORED http://blog.armbian.com/content/images/2025/10/ChatGPT-Image-Oct-17--2025--07_29_49-AM.png Join us in making open source better! Every donation helps Armbian improve security, performance, and reliability — so everyone can enjoy a solid foundation for their devices. Thermal paste vs. Thermal padsThermal pads are convenient, but thermal paste can drop your SBC’s temperature by 5-8°C under load. Learn why switching to paste creates better heat transfer and prevents throttling, especially during intensive tasks.http://blog.armbian.com/content/images/icon/favicon-30.icoArmbian blogMichael Robinsonhttp://blog.armbian.com/content/images/thumbnail/photo-1569615313731-7407da4f4594How to test a USB-C power supply when your SBC has power issuesPower problems are one of the most common causes of instability, boot failures, or random restarts in single board computers (SBCs). Because many modern boards use USB-C connectors for power, it’s important to verify that your power supply is delivering the correct voltage and current before assuming there’shttp://blog.armbian.com/content/images/icon/favicon-31.icoArmbian blogMichael Robinsonhttp://blog.armbian.com/content/images/thumbnail/photo-1758578070291-0c22ff555df9View the full article

Power problems are one of the most common causes of instability, boot failures, or random restarts in single board computers (SBCs). Because many modern boards use USB-C connectors for power, it’s important to verify that your power supply is delivering the correct voltage and current before assuming there’s a hardware fault. Check the basicsStart by confirming that your USB-C cable and adapter are rated for your board’s requirements. Most SBCs need 5 V at 3 A (15 W). Some boards, like the Orange Pi 5 or Raspberry Pi 5, may negotiate 9 V or 12 V via USB Power Delivery (PD), depending on their design. If you’re using a phone charger or low-power adapter, it may not provide enough current, even if it fits physically. Use a USB power meterA simple USB-C inline power meter is the easiest way to test. Plug the meter between your power supply and SBC, then read the live voltage and current: Voltage should stay close to 5.0 V (or the PD voltage) even under load.Current draw will vary, but if it exceeds your adapter’s rating, the voltage may drop and cause instability. If you see voltage dropping below 4.8 V, your cable or power brick is likely under performing.Test with a known good supplyIf possible, test the board with a different high-quality USB-C PD charger or a dedicated SBC power adapter. Avoid cheap generic units some fail to maintain stable output when current spikes during CPU or GPU activity. Check for cable quality issuesUSB-C cables vary widely in thickness and resistance. A thin or data-only cable can limit current flow. Look for cables rated for 3 A or 5 A charging. Measure with a multimeter (optional)For a deeper check, you can measure voltage directly at the SBC’s power input pads or test points using a multimeter. This reveals if voltage drops occur between the connector and the board. Monitor behavior under loadBoot your SBC and run a stress test (for example, stress-ng or sbc-bench). Watch for throttling, reboots, or USB devices disconnecting signs that the power source can’t keep up. Bottom line: A stable USB-C power supply should maintain consistent voltage under load, use a properly rated cable, and meet your SBC’s full current requirements. Testing with a meter or swapping components systematically can quickly reveal whether power, not the board, is the real culprit. View the full article

Keep your SBC running cool and fastHeat is the enemy of performance. When your SBC gets too hot, it automatically slows down to prevent damage through thermal throttling. While most heatsinks come with pre-applied thermal pads for convenience, switching to quality thermal paste can significantly improve cooling and keep your board running at full speed. Why what's between your chip and heatsink mattersBoth thermal paste and thermal pads serve the same purpose: filling microscopic air gaps between your chip and heatsink. Air is one of the worst heat conductors, so eliminating these gaps is crucial for efficient cooling. Thermal paste wins because it's thinner and conforms better: Perfect conformity: Paste spreads thin under pressure, filling every microscopic imperfection and scratch on both surfacesMinimal thickness: Thermal pads are solid sheets (0.5mm-3mm thick), while paste creates an ultra-thin layer with much lower thermal resistanceReal-world results: Switching from pad to paste can drop temperatures by 5-8°C under load often the difference between throttling and full performanceWhen pads make senseThermal pads aren't bad they're just optimized for different priorities: Easy installation: Peel-and-stick application with no mess or skill requiredManufacturing friendly: Fast assembly for mass productionElectrical safety: Most pads are non-conductive, protecting against accidental shorts if the heatsink shiftsReliable out of the box: No risk of improper application or pump-outPads work well for low-power components like VRMs or memory chips, but your main SoC generates the most heat and benefits most from paste's superior heat transfer. The bottom lineIf you're running intensive tasks, media servers, or pushing your SBC hard, quality thermal paste is worth the upgrade. It creates a near-perfect thermal connection that keeps your chip cooler, reduces throttling, and maintains peak performance. Just make sure to use non-conductive paste to avoid any risk of shorts on your board. View the full article

A more reliable release process - made togetherhttp://blog.armbian.com/content/images/2025/11/release.png Each release cycle brings us closer to a smoother, more predictable, and more professional workflow—and this cycle was no exception. Our release process continues to evolve with better tooling, clearer procedures, and an increasing ability to deliver consistent results across a rapidly expanding and diverse hardware ecosystem. Despite having a significant amount of automated testing in place, the most reliable testing remains manual testing. Every image in this release was manually validated for basic functionality. This is a massive undertaking that requires time, discipline, access to hardware, and many helping hands. Our long-term hope is to one day achieve full test automation, with a dedicated test farm performing these checks end-to-end. But building and maintaining such a system is still beyond our current resources. For now, Armbian relies on the goodwill of volunteers, contributors, and donors who believe in what we are doing. One of the most inspiring aspects of Armbian is the community itself—a remarkable mix of long-term team members, returning contributors, and unexpected heroes who appear out of nowhere to fix something crucial, test an obscure board, or improve parts of the codebase or documentation. This blend of sustained commitment and spontaneous support is one of our greatest strengths. And finally, I cannot express enough gratitude to our partners, whose support keeps the project moving forward. Khadas, Mekotronics, Texas Instruments, SinoVoip (Banana Pi), Inovato, Radxa, FriendlyElec, FUTO, netcup, JetHome, Libre Computer, Toolcraft, Maximum Settings, AtomoNetworks—along with several smaller partners and many individual donors—all play an essential role. Their contributions, whether hardware, infrastructure, engineering, or financial, enable us to continue improving the ecosystem, expanding hardware support, and keeping Armbian accessible to everyone. Igor Project Manager Changes overview This release advances Armbian on three fronts: more boards now run on mainline-based firmware with BTRFS boot support; hardware coverage has grown significantly across multiple vendors; and the build framework has been upgraded with mmdebstrap, the lowmem extension, first-boot configuration injection, improved release logging, and more robust keyring and mirror handling. Destination mainline In our continued push toward mainline kernel support across our board portfolio, this release marks a significant milestone: the progressive retirement of vendor-specific boot loaders on several boards. This strategic shift moves away from proprietary, heavily patched boot loaders toward cleaner and modern solutions. By embracing and contributing to mainline U-Boot and kernel efforts, Armbian ensures greater long-term stability, security, and easier maintenance for our users, paving the way for a more unified and future-proof embedded ecosystem. Incoming Hardware Texas Instruments: AM62P Starter Kit, AM62L EVM (TMDS62LEVM) FriendlyElec: NanoPi R76S, NanoPi M5 Radxa: Radxa ROCK 4D, Radxa CM4 IO Board, Radxa E54C, Radxa Dragon Q6A ArmSoM: ArmSoM Forge1 SinoVoip (Banana Pi): Banana Pi M5 Pro Mekotronics: Mekotronics R58 HD, Mekotronics R58-4X4 XpressReal: XpressReal T3 9Tripod: 9Tripod X3568 v4 LuckFox: Pico Mini (RV1103), Lyra Plus, Lyra Ultra W, Lyra Zero W, Pico Pro (RV1106), Pico Max (RV1106) Hardkernel: ODROID M1S Note: This list includes boards across all support tiers; officially supported, standard, and Community Supported (CSC). Support level varies by vendor and device maturity. Software, framework, and user space On the user-facing side, we’ve added support for Debian Forky, Ubuntu 25.10, and Ubuntu 26.04 as Community Supported targets. The build framework has also received several important enhancements. We introduced mmdebstrap across the build pipeline, enabling faster and more reliable rootfs generation. A major kernel config rewrite automation now keeps the configs in good shape with fewer conflicts, while splitting the kernel build and install steps improves caching and reduces overall build time. Our GitHub infrastructure gained a new release-log generator covering the entire Armbian organization. We also added the lowmem extension to better support systems with under 256MB RAM and introduced user-provided first-boot configuration injection directly at build time. To improve traceability, a new inventory-artifacts CLI was added, and overall build reliability was increased through more resilient keyring and mirror fetching routines. For a complete list of changes and technical details, visit our Github. A heartfelt thanks! This release wouldn’t be possible without the tireless efforts of our dedicated contributors - the developers, testers, and community members who share their expertise and passion. Every line of code, every bug report, and every helpful comment moves Armbian forward - and strengthens the entire single-board computer ecosystem. We also extend our deepest gratitude to our sponsors and donors. Your financial support is crucial, it directly enables us to cover infrastructure costs, acquire new hardware for testing, and sustain the project’s continued growth. Your contributions make all of this possible. View the full article

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