Projects:Orange Pi 4 Workstation

Project: Workstation computer built using Orange Pi 4 running Linux fulfilling Goal:Technology.

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 binary blobs

Hardware

Details: Orange Pi 4 Hardware

• multiple 64-bit ARM cores which provides enough horsepower for common tasks
• 4 GB of LPDDR4 RAM is sufficient for common tasks given it will run Linux
• 1 Gbps Ethernet & WiFi & Bluetooth for solid connectivity
• tiny form factor frees up lots of space (compared to a standard desktop tower PC)
• low power consumption makes this cheap to run
• low noise levels thanks to a single slow running fan

Software

Booting

(!) 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.

Experimental Stage

1. ☑ Try pre-built images
   • BSP Linux on Orange Pi 4: [+] everything mostly works, [–] old kernel with missing components
   • Armbian on Orange Pi 4: [+] new kernel, [–] high power usage, incomplete HW support (e.g. graphics)
2. ☆ Try custom-built images
   • ☓ BSP Linux on Orange Pi 4: [+] collection of shell scripts useful for studying, [–] couldn't get it to boot, not very robust.
   • ☆ Armbian on Orange Pi 4: [+] generic build system, patch files applied to mainline repositories, [–] x86_64 Ubuntu build system not usable on the target device
     • ☑ Legacy kernel (4.4.213), Ubuntu Bionic, standard console image: OK
     • ☑ Current kernel (5.4.32), Ubuntu Bionic, minimal console image: OK
     • ☑ Current kernel (5.4.32), Ubuntu Bionic, standard console image: OK
     • ☑ Dev kernel (5.6.4), Ubuntu Bionic, minimal console image: OK
     • ☑ Dev kernel (5.6.12), Ubuntu Focal, desktop image: OK
3. ☑ Test drive of Armbian: Dev kernel 5.6.12, Ubuntu Focal, desktop image
   • ☑ Observations
     • [+] Newest kernel. Built from mainline source with several patches.
     • [+] Stable; no restarts or failures.
     • [+] Supports CIFS (as opposed to BSP Linux on Orange Pi 4)
     • [–] Desktop resolution limited to 1080p.
     • [–] Sound is not working. No sound devices found.
   • ☆ Define Usage Processes
     • ☆ Initial setup - create a bootable SD Card: Armbian on Orange Pi 4#Building an Image
       • ☑ Try #1 ./compile.sh BOARD=orangepi4 BRANCH=dev RELEASE=focal BUILD_MINIMAL=no BUILD_DESKTOP=yes KERNEL_ONLY=no KERNEL_CONFIGURE=no COMPRESS_OUTPUTIMAGE=sha,gpg,img
         • Kernel 5.6.12
         • [+] Boots, works.
         • [–] Desktop resolution limited to 1080p.
         • [–] Sound is not working. No sound devices found.
       • ☆ Try #2 ./compile.sh BOARD=orangepi4 BRANCH=dev RELEASE=buster BUILD_MINIMAL=no BUILD_DESKTOP=yes KERNEL_ONLY=no KERNEL_CONFIGURE=no COMPRESS_OUTPUTIMAGE=sha,gpg,img
         • Kernel 5.6.13
         • [+] ?
         • [–] ?
     • ☐ System update Armbian on Orange Pi 4#Kernel + U-Boot Only
       • ./compile.sh BOARD=orangepi4 BRANCH=dev KERNEL_ONLY=yes KERNEL_CONFIGURE=no
4. ☐ Design a custom image-building process for continued usage
   • ☐ U-Boot: U-Boot on Orange Pi 4
   • ☐ Linux: Mainline Linux on Orange Pi 4
   • ☐ Image & flash an SD card
   • ☐ Flash updates
5. ☐ Build on the target device

Target Stage

• Mainline Linux on Orange Pi 4
• Arch Linux ARM on Orange Pi 4