Issues on C2 after switching from Hardkernel's 20.04-3.16 Mate image to Armbian 24.2.1 bookworm

[ngdias]

I needed a kernel upgrade to be able to run some applications. I value stability over cutting edge features so I decided to try the Debian image. However I detected a few things that are not working properly.

 

1. USB almost never works. Most of the time my very plain USB keyboard won't be detected. There is an error message right at the start of the boot sequence "Failed to get keyboard state from device[...]". I have to shutdown and start multiple times by plugging off the power cable and I also keep trying different USB ports. Some rare times the keyboard will work though, even with the above error message. Even rarely I don’t see the error message at the boot start ( I get a confirmation that the keyboard was detected). This of course while the keyboard is plugged in before connecting the power plug. I found this comment but clearly the problem now is not plugging in the USB cable after booting. Also there is a mention about a note on this requirement in the downloads page, but I wasn’t able to find it?

 

Then after I managed to setup the basics, I found this recent thread and I would like to know if the suggested fix is the recommended solution. Also I removed the J1 jumper from the board after reading in the official product page that I should remove it to save power in case I don’t use the USB OTG port for power supply (I use a dedicated power cable via the small round connector between the HDMI and the Ethernet ports). Also, would removing or placing the jumper matter for this case?

 

2. The first time I installed the Armbian image I must have made a mistake and the language got set to my local language, but I prefer English. I tried to change this using 'armbian-config' but it wouldn’t stick. I could see the changes on screen after I made my selection, but if I exited and started the config tool again, it would show the default value again, instead of my previous choice. The only way I could see the changes taking effect was after I followed the instructions here, specifically the BASH script in xinitrc .  

At this point the language issue was fixed but the home folders were not in English, so I figured it wouldn’t take long to try a fresh setup again and so I etched the image again and this time the correct settings were applied. But the issue of not being able to change locale via the tools provided should remain valid.

 

3. I installed X11vnc to access remotely the same desktop I would have with a monitor connected to the C2. This was the setup I had before with the official Hardkernel images and this was working properly. The issue now is that with a monitor connected I do get via X11vnc the same screen (showing the Armbian Linux penguin), but if I reboot with the monitor disconnected I get a very small window insted, and this time with the xfce wallpaper. I can resize this window with the ratio settings in the control panel, but what I would really like is to have the same desktop, whether a monitor is connected or not, as I had before. I noticed the installation doesn’t create a Xorg.conf file, and I don't want to start tinkering by myself because I need the machine in working condition atm. I found these instructions that involve using a dummy monitor setting, but I am unsure if this would yield the result I’m looking for. If someone is able to provide good directed advice I would prefer that than start changing settings without really knowing if they are going to fix the issue or not.

 

4. The network connector shows a notification on the top right corner about the wired connection and a button offering the option to not show the notification again, but the button doesn’t do anything and I get the notification again after every boot.

 

Does the Ubuntu image handle these issues better?

 

I could maybe post this in 4 separate threads if it would be better to follow up on the discussions? Thanks.

Edited April 8 by ngdias