Benedito Portela

@Benedito Portela note that what you read here is *highly experimental*, we are 'playing' with the codes and hope that somehow we'd make it work, and we are testing initial experimental images / builds, but there are no assurances whatsoever. But that if you do run the images e.g. from @pixdrift, do feedback on your findings.
And that Orange Pi do distribute official images if you look in the download section for the board, but that those could be distributions other than Armbian.
 
 

Unfortunately these images aren't from Armbian, or related to this thread so I think your best option for support is to raise this request on the site that you downloaded these images from.

Yes this board is new, and as a result it's not fully supported so not all components are currently working.

I have updated zero3 branch in my fork so it's up to date and you should be able to build Zero 3 images from it for testing: https://github.com/pixdrift/armbian_build/tree/0f9820ff2238ab15fdbfef9adfefca47b031a757

Hi
I had heard that you can install LINUX on a TV BOX, so I got an X96 which has the RK322X CHIPSET.
Since I am a Hamradio and I did some tinkering I told myself that I would create an interconnected repeater with the X96 as a server.
After installation and configuration I was able to create my repeater which worked very well for more than three months.
Here is the photo of the interconnected repeater in working order:
 

 
I made a tutorial on my site where I described my configuration and installation of the system: https://www.dmr-maroc.com/Repeteur_sans_Raspberry.php

@Bert Kortenbach, In many attempts that I had on my box, I even thought that the memory chip had burned out! It's memory lock , I had to clean it using rkdeveloptool, the only way that worked was to first make the system run properly on the SDCARD and then use the armbian-install command, after that, the system is running on the box without problems, I make the backup with multitools, and the restoration works fine too, this image generated by this process also works normally on my older box! After a lot of work, trial and error, a lot of help from people here, everything is working fine in my boxes!

@Benedito Portela
Thank you for your reply!
I was thinking along those lines to, bit what interests me is -How did the box get into that state?- 
I shut down the box a few times by unplugging it. That may have had something to do with it, but normally a thing like that shouldn't happen
How can I prevent it from locking again in the future?
 
This is the second time he eMMC locks (stuck in programming state). The first time I thought it was the Multitool SD-card that failed somehow,
but apparently that was not the cause because now it happened while the box was running Armbian from eMMC.
The first time the chip *magically* got unlocked somehow but now it had been locked for almost a week...
The weird thing is that the yellow light blinks after starting!?
 
Best regards,
ert

Hi guys, I just want to thank you for all the help. I've got almost everything working; unfortunately, the HDMI port didn't cooperate. However, it's not a big concern for me as I'm using SSH to control it remotely, and I've also installed Pi-hole to manage my internet. Thank you all! Extremely happy and sending greetings from Brazil. 🇧🇷 @jock @Bert Kortenbach @Benedito Portela
 
 

 

What about the "walnut pi 1b" (allwinner h616 SOC) ? Does Armbian run on that? (Didn't see any post on that SBC)

This is a bit off topic, sorry for that, but I want to buy another tv box. I tried to find something like a best buy guide with links to AliExpress or something similar, but I can't find any. Tips?

Hi @Benedito Portela
 
Thanks for pointing out this alternative route using multiboot / armbian-install!
For now I won't try that route though because I'm currently using my box without HDMI running node-red and it's finally working.
To get HDMI I'll try to get my hands on the correct  rk322x-led-conf7.dtbo first.
 
Best regards,
 
Bert

Hi @Bert Kortenbach and @Arthur Ferraz, I did have the same problem with mine MXQ_R2B_LP3 board, (this box is like R29 with other wiifi chip), I want to share my experiences with you, it worked after the great help I received here, it could help you too! I followed @jock 's instructions but for the hdmi to work, it had to be the Armbian_23.08.0-trunk_Rk322x-box_bookworm_edge_6.5.5_minimal.img.xz image, I installed it on an SD card, as soon as I boot, the hdmi image doesn't appear, I went used SSH and configured rk322x-config led-conf-7, then reboot, and it worked! But even so, I had problems recording on the emmc, in my case it was an emcp, when I recorded the image using multiboot, the box got a black screen! The only way I managed to install it on emmc was by booting from the SD and then using the armbian-install command, then the box worked normally, then I made the modifications, installed the graphical environment, booted with multiboot and made a backup, Then this image restores normally in the box! So in short, you have to have Armbian updated, kernel 6.5, and install using the armbian-install command! I hope this information is useful! About Leds, the blinking yellow led means that the system has booted and is working! 
Good luck, I hope everything goes well! 

If i have understanding it right if erasing the eMMC and installing the loader in  it the its possible jump stating eternal media also USB as secondary uboot is on the media. Then the system is using the first boot bin from the eMMC and the uboot from the media.
Your try is working OK until the trust OS is starting and its getting some problems (legacy kernel need one old type and current need one newer one for working OK).
I think fabiobassa is the one that having more deep knowledge of this functions but its very deep in the RK boot code.

hi, thakk You for the answer, but my old monitor have a DVI connection and not VGA connection... so the adapter that I have is from HDMI side box and dvi side monitor. 
 

 
 
adapter is DVI-D type, so side hardware doesn't to be compatibility issue. As written by @MattWestB  seems that it's due to video mode, but I don't know if there is and how add this patch
 
 
Hi, I was thinking that @jock and @fabiobassa doesn't know for the existing of your nand driver. If You don't want that is made an armbian image with your driver no problem.

Hi @n3o
 
please don't say things I've never said. I won't do what you wrote. You are still free to use my (hard) work because I believe in healthy sharing, which is already the basis of my work on libreelec. Without @jock and @fabiobassa these boxes would not have this level of support.
 
Cheers
Michele

@Benedito Portela thank you for information
but n3o talk about DVI to HDMI that is a passiv , pinout adapter
DVI-I is compatible to HDMI direct  -> with and without 5V as i know
 
 

Just wanted to thank the maintainers. I'm heading out to stay at a friend's. I wanted to bring a little computer with me. My 3229 box fits the bill. Tried my Raspberry Pi 4 first, but it did not suit: I couldn't charge my phone off of it. Not only will my box charge my phone, it will also connect via USB tether to the internet through my phone. That's 2 points up on the competition!

That's the main problem for the general solution you propose. Looking into the base device tree of the kernel (rk322x.dtsi), that gpio pin (gpio 2, pin RK_PB3) is declared in use only by gigabit ethernet devices. Also looking in the original device trees of the boards there is no other trace than gigabit ethernet pin. Surely no tv box with rk322x has been produced with gigabit ethernet, so from that point of view it could be safe to enable it.
 
But looking at the base dtsi is not enough to declare that any board does not use that pin: as it happens on r29/r2b/h20, any other manufacturer may have decided that the pin may control something more or less important, or perhaps it is internally wired to something, tinkering with that may affect other boards. It is a remote possibility, though it can happen.
 
Multitool (and libreelec too) has the pin enabled by default, so we will see if it can have side effects on other boards.

In https://github.com/armbian/build/pull/5762/files its LED 7 and 8 heaving the GPIO2 for enabling HDMI. 
Now one question is the GPIO2 used for both normally not used by other board ?
If yes i think its good putting it in rk322x-led-conf-default.dts then the user is getting HDMI working from beginning and dont need struggling setting it up with SSH or terminal. This is only if its OK for all other board but i think its great if its possible.
 
And one more thanks for great work done !!!

I already opened a pull request on armbian, when it will be accepted, new kernel will be built with fixes, but I have no control on when the new kernels will be built by the armbian servers.

Yes, it is expected that is so: you must run rk322x-config, set led-conf7 and reboot (or setup led-conf7 manually in /boot/armbianEnv.txt)
 
Legacy kernel is discontinued, has some reason only for those who have old boards with NAND. You have no reason to stay with legacy kernel, it's old, insecure and unmaintained!

As normal not by the book:
Renamed the DTB directory and putting the from the 7zip:ed deb file in one new with the same name as the original and then checking privs and sync reboot and the LEDs is being blue/read and HDMI is working OK with bootlogging and TTY CLI  !!!

 
  ┌──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐     │               • MobaXterm Professional Edition v22.0 •               │     │               (SSH client, X server and network tools)               │     │                                                                      │     │ ➤ SSH session to root@192.168.2.65                                   │     │   • Direct SSH      :  ✔                                             │     │   • SSH compression :  ✔                                             │     │   • SSH-browser     :  ✔                                             │     │   • X11-forwarding  :  ✘  (disabled or not supported by server)      │     │                                                                      │     │ ➤ For more info, ctrl+click on help or visit our website.            │     └──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘       _    _________  ____            _  _ __| | _|___ /___ \|___ \__  __    | |__   _____  __ | '__| |/ / |_ \ __) | __) \ \/ /____| '_ \ / _ \ \/ / | |  |   < ___) / __/ / __/ >  <_____| |_) | (_) >  < |_|  |_|\_\____/_____|_____/_/\_\    |_.__/ \___/_/\_\ Welcome to Armbian 23.8.1 Jammy with Linux 6.1.50-current-rk322x No end-user support: community creations System load:   77%              Up time:       0 min Memory usage:  15% of 975M      IP:            172.17.0.1 192.168.2.65 172.30.32.1 CPU temp:      78°C             Usage of /:    41% of 7.1G RX today:      209.0 MiB [ General system configuration (beta): armbian-config ]  
I have no desktop installed then its no need for supervised HA with RCP.
 
Shall testing little more but all looks OK and my EVE Thread plugs is reporting all parameters over Thread and RCP integration so looks very good.
DMESG is attached but no journal then its have all HA logs also the Zigbee and Thread credentials and i think you dont need them and if i PM you with them. RK3228B.zip
 
Great work done !!!

@jock, @fabiobassa and @MattWestB, Update!  I did update armbian in sdcard, install lxde, did @jock institutions, and did image file and install with multitool in internal memory and work, boot and hdmi ! Now, it have debian 12 in internal and debian 10 legacy in mine personalized card, all work! 
@jock and @fabiobassa, because it to be a emcp, i can't user the Buster older, in internal memory, kernel limitation? I use a program that only  install in debian 10 or ubuntu 16, Can I install new kernel in debian buster?
Thank you!
 
log-dmesg-lxde-MXQ-R2B.txt

Ok, I need to better check what is going on with kernel 6.1 then; perhaps it is a misalignment with the base dtb, but I will try to be more specific tomorrow. Thanks in the meantime!

The Debian version has nothing to do with the underneath hardware. It's just that if you use an older image simply you miss some corrections and compatibility fixes here and there that allowed the eMCP boards work in a stable way.

@joke, Ok, I followed your instructions, and hdmi worked after setting the led to 7, there is dmesg! The @MattWestB box, erased internal memory,  it do boot from card or usb, but mine, only multiboot sdcard work! To boot Armbian SDcard, I write multiboot image in the internal memory, without card, multiboot initialise, with sdcard, it boot normalite! If i to write other image, new or older or legacy, in internal memory, it breaks box, only maskmod and rkdeveloptool to recovery! 
log-dmesg-MXQ-R2B.txt