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NetAndif

Tinkering with Armbian development builds

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Hi, i am new to this forum.

I recently bought the Tinker Board 2S, mainly because of the USB-C port since i wanted to find out about the DisplayPort capabilities.
Currently i am using an Armbian image from the unsupported development branch.
https://github.com/armbian/build/releases

It turned out that the GPU driver included in he kernel doesn't perform very well.
So i compiled and installed the latest Mali 'panfrost' driver from source.
https://gitlab.freedesktop.org/mesa/mesa
There is an old how-to for debian buster. I had to install many other dependencies and also needed to change a few build options.
https://gist.github.com/tstellanova/6f7844379e358ee81b89cf6937ea8139
https://gitlab.freedesktop.org/mesa/mesa/-/blob/main/meson_options.txt

Finally, a configuration change to XFCE to make full use of the hardware-acceleration.
https://forum.armbian.com/topic/17192-first-panfrost-enabled-desktop-builds/?do=findComment&comment=121008
glmark2 Score: 661

I think the Armbian development image is a good base for many Tinker Board 2 projects.
All the hardware is working. It even runs passively and not getting too hot, in a nice affordable case from Amazon.
My next tests will be KODI and armbian-gaming.

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Hi NetAndif,

It's great to hear that someone else is interested in running Armbian on TinkerBoard 2. This convinced me to go ahead and try to get one myself.

I noticed the Armbian image says it's CLI only. What options did you have to change to compile the mesa driver, and how did you get XFCE installed from a CLI-only image?
Is it possible to get the TinkerBoard 2 to boot into a Display Manager from the Armbian CLI image alone? It's been years (last 2013) since I last hacked around with desktop Linux :(.

Edited by cr1901

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Hi there!

A few desktop builds are also available at https://github.com/armbian/community
(scroll down within the 'optimized' section)

But i rather wanted to use the CLI image as a base. So here is what i did.

- Install xserver and dm:

sudo apt install server-xorg-video-all mesa-utils lxdm

- Install Mesa build requirements:

sudo apt install meson ninja-build pkg-config zlib1g-dev libexpat-dev libdrm-dev libunwind-dev libwayland-dev wayland-protocols libwayland-egl-backend-dev libx11-dev libxext-dev libxdamage-dev libxcb-glx0-dev libx11-xcb-dev libxcb-dri2-0-dev

- Download, build and install Mesa:

wget https://gitlab.freedesktop.org/mesa/mesa/-/archive/main/mesa-main.zip
unzip mesa-main.zip
cd mesa-main/
mkdir build
meson build/ -Dgallium-drivers=lima,panfrost,kmsro,swrast -Dplatforms=x11 -Degl-native-platform=auto -Dgallium-drivers=kmsro,swrast,panfrost,lima -Dgles1=enabled -Dgles2=enabled -Dtools=drm-shim,lima,panfrost -Dllvm=false
ninja -C build/
sudo ninja -C build/ install

- Install XFCE:

sudo apt install xfce4-session --install-recommends
sudo apt install task-xfce-desktop xfce4-terminal network-manager-gnome chromium-browser glmark2

- Some useful extras:

sudo apt install xsensors lm-sensors xfce4-goodies xfwm4-themes xfwm4-theme-breeze tumbler tumbler-plugins-extra

 

 

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Hi NetAndif,

Thanks for the response. I will test these commands and your build process after Christmas and see whether I can follow directions whether I run into problems or not. But it's great that there's some interest in Armbian for Tinker Board 2. I put off getting one until there was some level of interest beyond the supplied ASUS images.

Edited by cr1901

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Hi NetAndif,

I wanted to update. I won't receive my Tinker Board 2 for at least a few weeks due to factors beyond my control. However, I am still interested in trying your instructions carefully to see if I can duplicate your results when I get it.

On 12/10/2022 at 4:24 PM, NetAndif said:

All the hardware is working.

Have you noticed any Wifi dodginess with Armbian? I have had some issues w/ Tinker Board 1 as of kernel version `5.x` and above (but not `4.x`). I am curious if the problems may possibly still exist when I get new hardware if the Wifi controller is similar. When you get the chance, would you be willing to paste your `dmesg` output after boot from your Tinker Board 2 running Armbian? I want to cross-reference in preparation for possible debugging.

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On 1/1/2023 at 1:56 AM, cr1901 said:

Have you noticed any Wifi dodginess with Armbian?

No. Although i prefer Ethernet, i haven't noticed any problems with the WiFi module so far. Just did an extra test playing some YT videos.
BTW: i have assembled the WiFi antennas included with the TinkerBoard2, and got a surprisingly good connection.
 

On 1/1/2023 at 1:56 AM, cr1901 said:

When you get the chance, would you be willing to paste your `dmesg` output after boot from your Tinker Board 2 running Armbian

Of course. File is attached.

armbian_tinkerboard2_6.0.10_dmesg.txt

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Good to see other folks are starting to check out the armbian image as well. Asus or whoever they sold the support of the Tinker 2 to has been obsessed with some outdated v 4.xx custom kernel and u-boot distro, when I really wished they'd spend time just fixing up the drivers on armbian or getting mainline u-boot support so I can install whatever distro I want.

I've found the wifi to be OK for the most part, but the problem really is that the tinker 2 devs are keeping the changes they made to the standard buck converters on the board a secret, which causes a bunch of downstream problems, since HDMI video output/wifi/disk performance all is impacted by needing to black-box reverse engineer how to make sure all the components power up correctly during startup and stay at the correct voltages.

So far the disk IO finally works, but the performance would be better if the correct power-up and voltage suppliers were known. There is a higher speed driver (hs400) that would be usable but it has problems after start-up because of the power and Asus' secret buck converter.

I had trouble with the armbian HDMI/GPU drivers on a 4k 60hz setup (half the screen was white) as well as not being able to have audio output at the same time as graphics from HDMI.

Were you able to get 4k video 60hz to work with the latest panfrost drivers?

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21 hours ago, DaveWK said:

Were you able to get 4k video 60hz to work with the latest panfrost drivers?

I haven't been able to try 4K yet.
My 3840x1600 monitor, connected over USB-C to DisplayPort. or even HDMI, doesn't work.
Different problems with the ASUS debian image (screwed up screen) and Armbian (no screen at all).
Finally i connected a dedicated HDMI 1080p display.

But for testing, i can take the TinkerBoard2 to a place where a 4K TV is available 🙂

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I'm in the market for a portable monitor, unrelated to Tinker Board. Looks like I'll have to learn how Device Tree works (again) to figure out how to additionally use said monitor with Tinker Board 2.

I wish I it were easier to get started w/ kernel dev, so maybe I could help make Tinker Board 2 GUI better. There are friends I could ask for help. We'll see...

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I have found out a few interesting things so far. Whether they will help us, is another question.

First, I updated the Armbian installation to the latest version.

Then, I connected the TinkerBoard2 to a 4K TV. The result was similar to what @DaveWK wrote.
The image is displayed only 2/3, the right area is dead, or there is only a white, grainy area.

Then I tested the TinkerBoard2 again on my UWQHD monitor.
For this, I got a premium HDMI cable specifically, which definitely supports 4K60Hz.
However, no image was displayed here at all.
Using USB-C to DisplayPort, I was finally able to get an image, but here the same phenomenon appears as with the 4K TV.

If it is useful, I can upload the output of dmesg and the Xorg log.

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I want to add an update to this thread regarding 4K usability of the official image vs Armbian.
Meanwhile i have done lots of tests to find out what is working and what not.

Debian Buster by ASUS

  • Works with 4K TV at 3840x2160@30Hz over HDMI
  • Works with UWQHD monitor at 3840x1600@30Hz over HDMI
  • USB-C to DisplayPort is limited to 1920x1080@60Hz

Armbian

  • Doesn't work correctly with a 4K TV at 3840x2160@30Hz (part of screen invisible)
  • Doesn't work with UWQHD monitor over HDMI at all
  • USB-C to DisplayPort works fine if forced to 1920x1080, higher resolutions do not display correctly

Final conclusion
TinkerBoard2 works at 4K using the official Debian image. But for me, the performance is barely acceptable.
As for Armbian, there is no official support for the TinkerBoard2, which is a great pity.
That's why the images from the automated build-system are not optimized.
I keep continue testing them, but my hopes are waning.

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On 1/6/2023 at 12:53 AM, cr1901 said:

I'm in the market for a portable monitor, unrelated to Tinker Board. Looks like I'll have to learn how Device Tree works (again) to figure out how to additionally use said monitor with Tinker Board 2.

I wish I it were easier to get started w/ kernel dev, so maybe I could help make Tinker Board 2 GUI better. There are friends I could ask for help. We'll see...

I recently bought a portable monitor, and i like it a lot. It has Mini-HDMI and USB-C.
https://www.amazon.de/dp/B09ZYKH1X5?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details

BTW: i can use 2 monitors with the TinkerOS, but only at 1920x1080

TinkerOS_2Monitors.jpg

If i try this with Armbian, only the HDMI display works, and then the system freezes.
I guess this is because Armbian wants to initialize the USB-C to DisplayPort at the full resolution of my monitor at 60 Hz, according to the EDID data.
Which to me seems to exceed the bandwidth of the hardware. Or maybe it is not supported by the underlying kernel driver. I don't know.

Edited by NetAndif

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On 1/7/2023 at 6:31 AM, NetAndif said:

I keep continue testing them, but my hopes are waning.

Yea, the Tinker Board 1 maintainer has said he has had some issues bringing the image for Tinker Board 2 up to the same quality. Something about the voltage regulators?

I say take a break if you're frustrated. I would be helping out with testing if I had my TB 2, but at present it's going to be a few more weeks (or months) before I get my hands on it :(...

 

On 1/5/2023 at 11:33 PM, NetAndif said:

If it is useful, I can upload the output of dmesg and the Xorg log.

I would be interested in this, FWIW...

Edited by cr1901

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