View source for Projects:Orange Pi 4 Workstation

Project: Workstation computer fulfilling [[Goal:Technology]] - built using [[Orange Pi 4]] and running [[Linux]].

{{Info|1=Abandoned. [[Orange Pi 4]] has too little RAM (4 GB) to serve as the main workstation in 2021.}}

== Requirements ==
* [[open source]] software
** ability to build all of the components and utilities from source
* standalone and independent
** ability to build on the target hardware in order to be independent
* up-to-date software
** mainline kernel (with only a few necessary patches)
** actively maintained distribution
* '''No''' black-box binary blobs

== Hardware ==
Details: [[Orange Pi 4 Hardware]]

* {{IconDone}} multiple 64-bit ARM cores which provides enough horsepower for common tasks
* {{IconWarn}} 4 GB of LPDDR4 RAM is sufficient for common tasks, but only one at a time. In my experience (in 2020), 8 GB of RAM is borderline usable for running all the common apps simultaneously.
* {{IconDone}} 1 Gbps Ethernet & WiFi & Bluetooth for solid connectivity
* {{IconDone}} tiny form factor frees up lots of space (compared to a standard desktop tower PC)
* {{IconDone}} low power consumption makes this cheap to run
* {{IconDone}} low noise levels thanks to a single slow running fan

{{Warning|1=The [[Orange Pi 4]] board is only usable with a '''strong and reliable power source'''!

USB-C and the barrel DC connector behave differently. When powering the board through USB-C the system booted. Using the barrel connector did not boot the board.

Using a USB power meter (current and voltage monitor) in between the [[Orange Pi 4]] and the power source also resulted in booting to hang.
}}

== Software ==

=== Experimental Stage ===
* {{IconDone}} [[Armbian on Orange Pi 4]] works sufficiently nice with regards to mainline Linux support, hardware support and stability (as of 2021).

=== Target Stage ===
* [[Mainline Linux on Orange Pi 4]]
* [[Arch Linux ARM on Orange Pi 4]]