Projects:Orange Pi 4 Workstation

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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
  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
        • ./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
  3. ☆ Test drive of Armbian: Dev kernel, Ubuntu Focal, desktop image
    • ☆ Observations
      • [+] Newest kernel. Built from mainline source with several patches.
      • [+] Stable; no restarts or failures (so far).
      • [+] 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
  4. ☐ Design a custom image-building process for continued usage
  5. ☐ Build on the target device

Target Stage

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