Audio hardware not recognized with Odroid N2 kernel 5.4

[SnijtraM 0]

Armbianmonitor:

http://ix.io/2bQG

Hi,

 

I am using the Odroid N2, and I have recently switched from the Hardkernel-supplied Ubuntu Mate, to an Armbian version with kernel 5. I was hoping to combine a homemade NAS using CPU accelerated LUKS-encrypted disks with a Kodi mediacenter, and the N2 seems to have excellent properties to do both. 

Installing these Armbian functions immediately fixed a few problems that Hardkernel's Ubuntu had (unstable BTRFS driver, and I also see no sign of the USB3 disconnect problems that Odroid used to have).

 

However, this version has a problem to recognize audio hardware - in the GUI, I am unable to select HDMI audio or analog audio.

 

- For the choice of "Default Server", I see the following options:

• {3ed2e13b98b344e2be6883689b69143e}unix:/run/user/1000/pulse/native
• <my own hostname>
• <an account on a LibreElec box running elsewhere on my LAN>

- For the choice of "Default Sink", I only get "Dummy Output", regardless of the above choice I make

 

For reference:

- Audio on the Hardkernel edition works normally. I can choose analog or HDMI audio, and when I choose HDMI audio, the sound comes out of my monitor speakers.

- The Hardkernel used kernel version 4.9, where I am now using kernel 5.4. I tried both Bionic Desktop with kernel 5.4, and Buster Server with kernel 5.4 where I installed the GUI from armbian-config.

 

Is this a known problem (e.g. with kernel 5.4), and/or is there a way I can troubleshoot this?

Edited February 16 by SnijtraM
mention the N2

[Igor 1808]

39 minutes ago, SnijtraM said:

Is this a known problem

Basic hardware support for Odroid N2 was developed in private kernel 4.9.y and functions are slowly getting to the mainline kernel. Some functions has to be written from scratch, some come in with minor changes, some will never get there ... This situation is normal and expected. Having functionality of development and stability / modernity of modern kernels is rare and expensive luxury.

 

49 minutes ago, SnijtraM said:

I tried both Bionic Desktop with kernel 5.4, and Buster Server with kernel 5.4 where I installed the GUI from armbian-config.

Hardware support is identical in all cases. If it doesn't work under one, it doesn't work elsewhere. Different versions are for applications like OMV which works only with Debian. Some people needs this and that Ubuntu for whatever reasons regardless of hardware support.
 

[SnijtraM Topic author 0]

I now see that N2 support is "WIP" I missed that earlier .. I guess the audio drivers have yet to make it into the kernel. Well so far so good .. Armbian also has a correct working text mode cursor, it would definitely be my choice for a NAS, and for adding Kodi I will just have to wait.

[balbes150 641]

Try another 5 kernel (with audio support).

 

[SnijtraM Topic author 0]

4 minutes ago, balbes150 said:

Try another 5 kernel (with audio support).

 

Find me one and I am all ears

[balbes150 641]

 

 

[balbes150 641]

If you are running from an SD card, take this image, there is already a u-boot for N2.

 

https://yadi.sk/d/zh-Uqw_pAeTgew

[SnijtraM Topic author 0]

I will try as soon as i get a chance - I've got some social obligations today but i will get back on this

[SnijtraM Topic author 0]

It didn't boot - I flashed the first desktop on an SD card and I didn't het the N2 started. No heartbeat LED. Is it missing something?

[balbes150 641]

Do you have an eMMC plug-in ?

If there is no module, replace the start script (rename boot.scr.aw -> boot.scr)

[SnijtraM Topic author 0]

I have an SD card only, and no eMMC. I see no boot.scr.aw.

Instead I renamed boot.scr to boot.scr.old, and copied boot.scr.mmc to boot.scr.

This time it boots up and all looks fine, except a set of error messages when I switch from GUI to console:

fe.dai-link-0: ASoC: no backend DAIs enabled for fe.dai-link-0

repeated a few dozen times.

Sadly, the audio devices are still not available

[balbes150 641]

Try the latest universal version 20200218 (with u-boot added to the SD card). You have followed the instructions from the first message of the topic about universal images to enable audio on G12 (remove pulsaudio and run the script g12_sound.sh) ? By the way, I recommend switching to using the new u-boot for SPIN and running all systems at once with USB 3.0 (this is significantly faster than an SD card and much easier, you don't need card readers on your PC to write and edit settings on your PC).

[SnijtraM Topic author 0]

I made some attempts to boot this image from an SD card (other options are not useful to me), but failed to get it going. I did find the script g12_sound.sh on the slightly older image, after uninstalling pulseaudio and related drivers, the audio controls on the GUI were simply gone, and from a run of Kodi it seems that the system recognizes the analog output only, but even then, when I plug my headphone, it stays completely silent.

I do not have that much time to spend and this new image clearly has quite a bit of technical debt still - it is not solving any problems for me, so I won't be building the all-in-1 setup that I had in mind.

If I were Odroid, I would base myself on N2-specific image, and try to get the remaining drivers integrated in the mainline kernel.