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Ubuntu Linux 16.04 LTS Preview Image 4 with GUI and Linux 4.14.3

Overview

After weeks of hard work, we are finally able to release preview image 4 based on Ubuntu 16.04 LTS with the latest mainline Linux 4.14.3 and u-boot with some out-of-tree patches. The u-boot is based on the latest 2017-11 release due to upstreaming work by Neil Armstrong from our partner BayLibre. The image is designed for >4GB SD cards at the moment. eMMC has not been tested (and definitely will not work). Support for eMMC will come on the next version.

Changes from Preview Release 3

  • Upgraded Linux kernel from 4.13.3 to 4.14.3
  • Switched from Amlogic’s u-boot to mainline u-boot 2017-11
  • Added automatic filesystem resize on boot to expand to full MicroSD card size
  • Added ssh host key regeneration on boot
  • Disabled CVBS in the device tree to reduce the occurance of HDMI resolution-unsupported/no-video
  • Utilize the latest zstd compression feature of BTRFS for faster read/write
  • Increase MicroSD card bus speed
  • Faster 2D performance
  • Added a bunch of WiFi and Bluetooth drivers so USB based dongles should all be supported

Outstanding/Known Bugs

  • SSH is enabled and there’s a default password for the libre user
  • OpenGL ES 2.0 is not enabled since performance of xf86-arm-soc hinders the GPU performance
  • There may be an issue with ethernet PHY
  • Kernel and other packages need to be deb’ed
  • Missing 4K support in the mainline kernel

Image Download Link

AML-S905X-CC Ubuntu Images

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Libre Computer Board Tritium SBC for $9+

It is our pleasure to announce the Kickstarter for our second Linux/Android single board computer Tritium. This cost-effective solution is form factor compatible with the Raspberry Pi 3 Model B and our previous AML-S905X-CC (Le Potato) SBC. It enables new embedded solutions across a whole range of applications. Based on Allwinner’s popular H2+, H3, and H5 SoCs, three distinct boards leverages the extensive software contributions of the open-source community around Allwinner designs.

General availability for the ALL-H3-CC is scheduled for February 2018.

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AML-S905X-CC (Le Potato) Ubuntu Linux 16.04 LTS Preview Image 3

Our third Ubuntu 16.04 LTS preview image based on mainline Linux 4.13 can be found on the AML-S905X-CC product page. This release incorporates the following features:

You can download it and flash it to a 4GB+ MicroSD card via Win32DiskImager. If you run into any issues, please do not hessitate to let us know via our partner’s forum. There are some known issues that will be addressed before final images:

  • I2S is not functional
  • OpenGL ES 2.0 is bottlenecked by an unoptimized xf86-video-armsoc xorg driver
  • Monitor must support 576p since CVBS is enabled or you will get no video
  • Missing 4K support in the mainline kernel
  • Missing automatic filesystem resize
  • SSH host keys are not automatically regenerated
  • SSH is enabled and there’s a default password for the libre user
  • Kernel and other packages need to be deb’ed

We will re-spin the image to fix many issues once Linux 4.14 LTS is released. Android 7.1 running on MicroSD card will be released next week.

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Armbian Love

Due to the great work of the Armbian community, we have work-in-progress images for the Libre Computer Board AML-S905X-CC. They released two images, one for server and one for desktop. The server image is based on mainline Linux while the desktop image is based on Amlogic’s Linux.

Please note that not every feature is ironed out and we will be steadily improving the mainline kernel and images to be more user friendly. If you run into issues please use the LoveRPi Forum for kernel and image issues or the Armbian Forum for Armbian issues.

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Wrapping Up Linux Plumbers Conference and Preview Image

Linux Plumbers Conference was a great resource for us to meet the people who play critical roles in getting Linux to where it is today. We received a lot of input on the future direction of numerous technologies we use. We also sponsored the LPC T-Shirts for this year and we hope to do more in the coming years.

Our partners have helped us complete a preview image based on Linux 4.13 mainline and Ubuntu 16.04 LTS. You can find the details and instructions here: http://forum.loverpi.com/discussion/6/linux-libretech-4-13-0-preview-image#latest

Please try it out and give us some feedback. There’s a lot of changes coming to the ARM world like EBBR, ASBA, and SBBR. We will continue to refine the software releases to be standards compliant as they are released.

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AML-S905X-CC Geekbench 4 Performance Numbers vs Raspberry Pi 3 and Asus Tinker Board

Screenshot from 2017-06-25 23-13-19
Libre Computer Board AML-S905X-CC
Screenshot from 2017-06-25 23-30-22
Asus Tinker Board
Screenshot from 2017-06-25 23-24-18
Raspberry Pi 3 Model B

Since we got our boards back from manufacturing, we have been hammering at it in our labs with tests and benchmarks. The benchmark numbers above can provide a rough estimate of the performance numbers we expect to see.

All of the benchmark numbers were done in a controlled environment in a case with a 20mm 5V fan. While the Raspberry Pi 3 Model B and our board ran consistently without a fan, the ASUS Tinker Board created a lot of heat and required a fan to get consistent numbers.

The ASUS Tinkerboard maxed out at 2.1A. The high current draw created a 0.7V voltage drop between the MicroUSB pin and the 5V rail. This is the largest delta that we have ever seen and we had to increase the DC supply voltage to 5.25 in order to keep the 5V rail above 4.5V.

Renderscript Performance

ASUS Tinkerboard: 1450
Libre Computer Board AML-S905X-CC: 1150
Raspberry Pi 3 Model B: N/A

 

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First Libre Computer Board AML-S905X-CC

We are aiming for an end of June or early July release for the Libre Computer Board AML-S905X-CC nicknamed Le Potato. This is our first board based on the popular Amlogic S905X chip. We have spent extensive amounts of time optimizing the layout of this board to expose the capabilities of the chip. It is roughly 50% faster than the Raspberry Pi 3 Model B, 10% faster than the Asus Tinkerboard, and supports true 4K 60 FPS with HDR over a HDMI 2.0 interface.