Releases: PNDeb/pinenote-debian-image
Debian Trixie - Test image v3
The Pine64 PineNote
This is the second release of this Debian trixie image, aimed at providing a stable and all-round experience for the Pine64 PineNote (https://pine64.org/documentation/PineNote/). The GNOME Desktop Environment is used to provide a touch friendly user interface, which allows hand writing and PDF annotation using Xournalpp, web browsing (Firefox), ebook and PDF reading (KOReader and Foliate).
Videos showcasing what can be achieved with the PineNote | _ |
---|---|
Annotating scientific papers 20240704_xpp_paper_a2_normal_noaudio.webm |
20240705_200611_terminal-vim_small.mp4 |
20240705_201021_doom_small.mp4 |
20230221_uboot_touch_wip_small.mp4 |
Changes since the last trixie image (v2 -> v3)
- Kernel 6.9
- The gui bug which prevented visual feedback for password input was fixed (css bug in the gnome eink theme)
- the logo partition required for the pre-compiled uboot is now included in this release (logo_new.img). This image requires a logo partition of 32 MB!
Changes since the last trixie image (v1 -> v2)
-
Kernel version: v6.6.30 with Pinenote-related patches
-
The apt repository containing pinenote-related packages is now pinned to a very high priority. This prevents pinenote-patched packages from being replaced by newer Debian package versions. see here
-
Limit the size of the systemd journal to 150 mb
-
Pre-configured locales (DE and EN), default: en_US.utf-8
-
Default keymap is set to en
-
We now have a simple script to change the default boot partition (requires copying of a valid uboot environment to this env partition once):
-
the dbus daemon was updated to v0.2.2-dev1:
- A simple travel mode was implemented that disables the wakeup irq for the cover:
dbus-send --print-reply --system --dest=org.pinenote.misc /misc org.pinenote.pen.EnableTravelMode
dbus-send --print-reply --system --dest=org.pinenote.misc /misc org.pinenote.pen.DisaableTravelMode
- Work in progress to provide an interface for connecting/disconnecting the BLE-Pen (i.e., using the three buttons on the pen requires a separate connection to the device).
- Running
dbus-send --print-reply --system --dest=org.pinenote.pen /pen org.pinenote.pen.AutoConnect
should connect the pen. Press one button a few times after starting the connection process. The process takes ca. 15 seconds. - Other commands related to the pen interface:
dbus-send --print-reply --system --dest=org.pinenote.pen /pen org.pinenote.pen.SetAddress string:"12:23:45:56:90:4b"
dbus-send --print-reply --system --dest=org.pinenote.pen /pen org.pinenote.pen.ForgetAddress
dbus-send --print-reply --system --dest=org.pinenote.pen /pen org.pinenote.pen.GetAddress
dbus-send --print-reply --system --dest=org.pinenote.pen /pen org.pinenote.pen.GetVersion
dbus-send --print-reply --system --dest=org.pinenote.pen /pen org.pinenote.pen.GetBattery
- A simple travel mode was implemented that disables the wakeup irq for the cover:
-
The recommended e-book reader is now KOReader (updated to version 2024.4), and can be found in the gnome favorite apps (KOReader is also associated with .epub files)
-
Energy usage during sleep is now logged to /root/energy_use.dat
- Testing indicates we loose roughly 10% / battery per day of suspend
-
Debian packages that were patched:
- mutter
- gnome-shell
- xournalpp
Notable changes for the first trixie image (with respect to older bookworm images):
- First of all, this is the first image release based upon Debian testing, codenamed trixie
- New backgrounds for GNOME and for suspend/off, by Funeral, License: CC0 (https://pine64.org/documentation/PineNote/Further_information/Press/)
- Added scripts to activate/deactivate usb-mtp mode for easy file transfer
- The rockchip rk3566 soc usually runs RAM at 1056 MHz. However, based on community feedback, the RAM can also be run at 1560 MHz. U-Boot binaries for both speeds are now distributed with the image. As root, run either command to flash the corresponding u-boot:
cd /root/uboot; ./install_fast_1560mhz_uboot.sh
cd /root/uboot; ./install_stable_1056mhz_uboot.sh
- An alpha-level script is provided to use the PineNote as an usb-based drawing tablet. Basically, the PineNote will act as an hid drawing device and forward all input generated by the pen to the computer. This should be plug-and-play on linux computers. Note that only pen input is forwarded, no display/remote display functionality is present at the moment. Activate as root by running the script:
bash /root/usb_gadget/usb-otg_tablet.sh
- Bluetooth, especially audio, seems to be very stable (in contrast to a lot of stuttering observed under Debian Bookworm)
- Packaged and enabled-by-default maximized-by-default GNOME extension (https://github.com/aXe1/gnome-shell-extension-maximized-by-default). All windows will be maximized by default now.
Open issues
Please refer to trixie-labeled issues here: https://github.com/PNDeb/pinenote-debian-image/issues?q=is%3Aissue+is%3Aopen+label%3Atrixie
Full Power to the GNOME Desktop
A custom GNOME extension (https://github.com/PNDeb/pinenote-gnome-extension) provides easy access to amy eink-related functions. This includes switching between quality and performance modes, as well as switching between different wave forms.
A typical writing setup using a bluetooth keyboard:
Applications
- file synchronisation Use SyncThing to easily, and transparently, synchronise files between the PineNote, computers and cell phones. Syncthing is pre-installed
Flashing/Installation
Most people may want to flash using rkdeveloptool and an usb cable attached to the PineNote. Follow instructions here:
https://github.com/PNDeb/pinenote-debian-image/blob/main/partition_tables/Readme.md
If you already run any kind of Linux on your PineNote, just download the image and dd it to the corresponding partition.
Default user/password
The image is configured to auto-login the user user with password 1234. sudo is activated to get root:
sudo su -
.
The user user can accept ssh connections.
Testing
This is a test release for a new image. The image needs a lot of testing. Please report any issues you find either in a new issue, or, even better, in the discussion associated with this release.
An incomplete guide to what needs testing can be found here: https://gist.github.com/m-weigand/70eba4218f1940a83631f5891b1e9d4b
Debian Trixie - Test image v2
The Pine64 PineNote
This is the second release of this Debian trixie image, aimed at providing a stable and all-round experience for the Pine64 PineNote (https://pine64.org/documentation/PineNote/). The GNOME Desktop Environment is used to provide a touch friendly user interface, which allows hand writing and PDF annotation using Xournalpp, web browsing (Firefox), ebook and PDF reading (KOReader and Foliate).
Changes since the last trixie image (v1 -> v2)
-
Kernel version: v6.6.30 with Pinenote-related patches
-
The apt repository containing pinenote-related packages is now pinned to a very high priority. This prevents pinenote-patched packages from being replaced by newer Debian package versions. see here
-
Limit the size of the systemd journal to 150 mb
-
Pre-configured locales (DE and EN), default: en_US.utf-8
-
Default keymap is set to en
-
We now have a simple script to change the default boot partition (requires copying of a valid uboot environment to this env partition once):
-
the dbus daemon was updated to v0.2.2-dev1:
- A simple travel mode was implemented that disables the wakeup irq for the cover:
dbus-send --print-reply --system --dest=org.pinenote.misc /misc org.pinenote.pen.EnableTravelMode
dbus-send --print-reply --system --dest=org.pinenote.misc /misc org.pinenote.pen.DisaableTravelMode
- Work in progress to provide an interface for connecting/disconnecting the BLE-Pen (i.e., using the three buttons on the pen requires a separate connection to the device).
- Running
dbus-send --print-reply --system --dest=org.pinenote.pen /pen org.pinenote.pen.AutoConnect
should connect the pen. Press one button a few times after starting the connection process. The process takes ca. 15 seconds. - Other commands related to the pen interface:
dbus-send --print-reply --system --dest=org.pinenote.pen /pen org.pinenote.pen.SetAddress string:"12:23:45:56:90:4b"
dbus-send --print-reply --system --dest=org.pinenote.pen /pen org.pinenote.pen.ForgetAddress
dbus-send --print-reply --system --dest=org.pinenote.pen /pen org.pinenote.pen.GetAddress
dbus-send --print-reply --system --dest=org.pinenote.pen /pen org.pinenote.pen.GetVersion
dbus-send --print-reply --system --dest=org.pinenote.pen /pen org.pinenote.pen.GetBattery
- A simple travel mode was implemented that disables the wakeup irq for the cover:
-
The recommended e-book reader is now KOReader (updated to version 2024.4), and can be found in the gnome favorite apps (KOReader is also associated with .epub files)
-
Energy usage during sleep is now logged to /root/energy_use.dat
- Testing indicates we loose roughly 10% / battery per day of suspend
-
Debian packages that were patched:
- mutter
- gnome-shell
- xournalpp
Notable changes for the first trixie image (with respect to older bookworm images):
- First of all, this is the first image release based upon Debian testing, codenamed trixie
- New backgrounds for GNOME and for suspend/off, by Funeral, License: CC0 (https://pine64.org/documentation/PineNote/Further_information/Press/)
- Added scripts to activate/deactivate usb-mtp mode for easy file transfer
- The rockchip rk3566 soc usually runs RAM at 1056 MHz. However, based on community feedback, the RAM can also be run at 1560 MHz. U-Boot binaries for both speeds are now distributed with the image. As root, run either command to flash the corresponding u-boot:
cd /root/uboot; ./install_fast_1560mhz_uboot.sh
cd /root/uboot; ./install_stable_1056mhz_uboot.sh
- An alpha-level script is provided to use the PineNote as an usb-based drawing tablet. Basically, the PineNote will act as an hid drawing device and forward all input generated by the pen to the computer. This should be plug-and-play on linux computers. Note that only pen input is forwarded, no display/remote display functionality is present at the moment. Activate as root by running the script:
bash /root/usb_gadget/usb-otg_tablet.sh
- Bluetooth, especially audio, seems to be very stable (in contrast to a lot of stuttering observed under Debian Bookworm)
- Packaged and enabled-by-default maximized-by-default GNOME extension (https://github.com/aXe1/gnome-shell-extension-maximized-by-default). All windows will be maximized by default now.
Open issues
Please refer to trixie-labeled issues here: https://github.com/PNDeb/pinenote-debian-image/issues?q=is%3Aissue+is%3Aopen+label%3Atrixie
Full Power to the GNOME Desktop
A custom GNOME extension (https://github.com/PNDeb/pinenote-gnome-extension) provides easy access to amy eink-related functions. This includes switching between quality and performance modes, as well as switching between different wave forms.
A typical writing setup using a bluetooth keyboard:
Flashing/Installation
Most people may want to flash using rkdeveloptool and an usb cable attached to the PineNote. Follow instructions here:
https://github.com/PNDeb/pinenote-debian-image/blob/main/partition_tables/Readme.md
If you already run any kind of Linux on your PineNote, just download the image and dd it to the corresponding partition.
Default user/password
The image is configured to auto-login the user user with password 1234. sudo is activated to get root:
sudo su -
.
The user user can accept ssh connections.
Testing
This is a test release for a new image. The image needs a lot of testing. Please report any issues you find either in a new issue, or, even better, in the discussion associated with this release.
An incomplete guide to what needs testing can be found here: https://gist.github.com/m-weigand/70eba4218f1940a83631f5891b1e9d4b
Debian Trixie - Test image v1
The Pine64 PineNote
This is the first release of this Debian image, aimed at providing a stable and all-round experience for the Pine64 PineNote (https://pine64.org/documentation/PineNote/). The GNOME Desktop Environment is used to provide a touch friendly user interface, which allows hand writing and PDF annotation using Xournalpp, web browsing (Firefox), ebook and PDF reading (KOReader and Foliate).
Notable Changes:
- First of all, this is the first image release based upon Debian testing, codenamed trixie
- New backgrounds for GNOME and for suspend/off, by Funeral, License: CC0 (https://pine64.org/documentation/PineNote/Further_information/Press/)
- Added scripts to activate/deactivate usb-mtp mode for easy file transfer
- The rockchip rk3566 soc usually runs RAM at 1056 MHz. However, based on community feedback, the RAM can also be run at 1560 MHz. U-Boot binaries for both speeds are now distributed with the image. As root, run either command to flash the corresponding u-boot:
cd /root/uboot; ./install_fast_1560mhz_uboot.sh
cd /root/uboot; ./install_stable_1056mhz_uboot.sh
- An alpha-level script is provided to use the PineNote as an usb-based drawing tablet. Basically, the PineNote will act as an hid drawing device and forward all input generated by the pen to the computer. This should be plug-and-play on linux computers. Note that only pen input is forwarded, no display/remote display functionality is present at the moment. Activate as root by running the script:
bash /root/usb_gadget/usb-otg_tablet.sh
- Bluetooth, especially audio, seems to be very stable (in contrast to a lot of stuttering observed under Debian Bookworm)
- Packaged and enabled-by-default maximized-by-default GNOME extension (https://github.com/aXe1/gnome-shell-extension-maximized-by-default). All windows will be maximized by default now.
Open issues
Please refer to trixie-labeled issues here: https://github.com/PNDeb/pinenote-debian-image/issues?q=is%3Aissue+is%3Aopen+label%3Atrixie
Full Power to the GNOME Desktop
A custom GNOME extension (https://github.com/PNDeb/pinenote-gnome-extension) provides easy access to amy eink-related functions. This includes switching between quality and performance modes, as well as switching between different wave forms.
A typical writing setup using a bluetooth keyboard:
Flashing/Installation
Most people may want to flash using rkdeveloptool and an usb cable attached to the PineNote. Follow instructions here:
https://github.com/PNDeb/pinenote-debian-image/blob/main/partition_tables/Readme.md
If you already run any kind of Linux on your PineNote, just download the image and dd it to the corresponding partition.
Default user/password
The image is configured to auto-login the user user with password 1234. sudo is activated to get root:
sudo su -
.
The user user can accept ssh connections.
Testing
This is a test release for a new image. The image needs a lot of testing. Please report any issues you find either in a new issue, or, even better, in the discussion associated with this release.
An incomplete guide to what needs testing can be found here: https://gist.github.com/m-weigand/70eba4218f1940a83631f5891b1e9d4b
Snapshot release
This release should provide a good-enough out-of-the-box user experience.
Test release
Maybe it works, maybe not...
Debian bookworm arm64 pinenote [dev branch]
Test image from the dev branch. Testing would be very much appreciated, especially installation using rkdeveloptool:
https://github.com/m-weigand/pinenote-debian-recipes/blob/dev/partition_tables/Readme.md
Notable changes to last pre-release:
- fixed initialising the data partition using the data_part_dummy.bin ext4 stub - the ext4 file system is now recreated on first boot and the /home/user directory is transferred to the new data partition before mounting it as /home
- Gnome now uses the PNEink theme byMichiMolle (https://github.com/MichiMolle/PNEink/)
- A few gnome settings were not applied due to wrong dconf keys (e.g.: suspend after 1800 seconds instead of 600)
- A few minor improvements to the documentation
Debian bookworm arm64 pinenote [dev branch]
Test image from the dev branch. Testing would be very much appreciated, especially installation using rkdeveloptool:
https://github.com/m-weigand/pinenote-debian-recipes/blob/dev/partition_tables/Readme.md
Notable changes to last pre-release:
fixed some permission problems in /home/user
modified the first_startup script to automatically mount partition 10 on /home. See https://github.com/m-weigand/pinenote-debian-recipes/tree/dev#using-another-partition-for-home for more information on that
Known bugs:
the ext4 partition dummy is too small to hold an ext4 journal, which currently is not fixed by the first_boot script upon resizing the filesystem
Debian bookworm arm64 pinenote v0.3-beta1
Snapshot of the upcoming Debian rootfs. Many things are still missing, mostly documentation. However, in general I think even this snapshot behaves nicer than the previous version.
WARNING: This is a totally unsupported, user-generated, rootfs archive for the Pine64 Pinenote. Use at your own risk. Make backups (and check/verify them!) BEFORE doing anything on the device. If in doubt, stop here.
** Note: This release should have an associated github discussions enabled. Please use it to leave feedback and suggestions**
Testing
Only minor testing was done on this rootfs. It worked for me and automatically booted using mainline u-boot with partition 17 set to bootable (see below).
Origin
This attached rootfs archive was created by running debos using the build.sh shell script included in this repository, building upon work by Eugen Răhăian, see: https://salsa.debian.org/eugenrh/pinenote-debian-recipes . External packages for the kernel, mesa and mutter were downloaded and unpacked using the scripts:
prep_00_get_kernel_files.sh
prep_02_get_parse-android-dynparts.sh
prep_03_custom_debs.sh
Those scripts were run before calling build.sh.
Included binary Debian packages built and modified for the pinenote. For more information and source codes, please refer to the prep_*.sh scripts mentioned before.
Installation
Create an empty ext4-partition on the Pinenote and extract the debian_bookworm_arm64_pinenote_v20221031.tar.gz file into it.
$ sha256sum debian_bookworm_arm64_pinenote.tar.gz
abfdf12cc131d1e153f8f373e9c26bdd248fbf1fe06ba79e9868300e7d1e58b7 debian_bookworm_arm64_pinenote.tar.gz
This release assumes that the partition number is number 17 (/dev/mmcblk0p17), but /etc/fstab and /extlinux/extlinux.conf should be easily modified for other partitions (untested).
Booting
From the u-boot UART prompt, copy&paste:
load mmc 0:11 ${kernel_addr_r} /extlinux/Image
load mmc 0:11 ${fdt_addr_r} /extlinux/rk3566-pinenote-v1.2.dtb
load mmc 0:11 ${ramdisk_addr_r} /extlinux/uInitrd.img
setenv bootargs ignore_loglevel root=/dev/mmcblk0p17 rw rootwait earlycon console=tty0 console=ttyS2,1500000n8 fw_devlink=off init=/sbin/init
booti ${kernel_addr_r} ${ramdisk_addr_r} ${fdt_addr_r}
Take note of the hex-encoding of partition 17 and the root kernel paramter in case you use another partition number!
Using a suitable u-boot
If you have a modified u-boot (or mainline uboot from pgwipeout) installed that supports reading extlinux.conf file, make sure that partition 17 is the first bootable partition:
GNU Parted 3.5
Using /dev/mmcblk0
Welcome to GNU Parted! Type 'help' to view a list of commands.
(parted) set 17 boot on
(parted) quit
WARNING: On first boot the system will try to extract the epd waveforms from the system and also mount the android partition and extract wifi/bt firmware files and will then regenerate the initrd file. After that an automatic reboot will commence. Be ready to stop u-boot from booting Android and to direct u-boot to boot from partition 17*
License
This is a Debian-based rootfs with additional binaries used. Please refer to the individual components linked above for individual licenses and to www.debian.org for licenses of the Debian components.
Debian bookworm arm64 pinenote v20221031
WARNING: This is a totally unsupported, user-generated, rootfs archive for the Pine64 Pinenote. Use at your own risk. Make backups (and check/verify them!) BEFORE doing anything on the device. If in doubt, stop here.
Testing
Only minor testing was done on this rootfs. It worked for me and automatically booted using mainline u-boot with partition 17 set to bootable (see below).
Origin
This attached rootfs archive was created by running debos using the build.sh shell script included in this repository, building upon work by Eugen Răhăian, see: https://salsa.debian.org/eugenrh/pinenote-debian-recipes . External packages for the kernel, mesa and mutter were downloaded and unpacked using the scripts:
- prep_00_get_kernel_files.sh
- prep_02_get_parse-android-dynparts.sh
- prep_03_custom_debs.sh
Those scripts were run before calling build.sh.
Included binary Debian packages built and modified for the pinenote. For more information and source codes, see:
- https://github.com/m-weigand/pinenote_debian_mesa/releases/tag/v20221031
- https://github.com/m-weigand/pinenote_debian_mutter/releases/tag/v20221031
- https://github.com/m-weigand/linux/releases/tag/20221013
- https://github.com/m-weigand/pinenote_debian_parse-android-dynparts/releases/tag/v1
Installation
Create an empty ext4-partition on the Pinenote and extract the debian_bookworm_arm64_pinenote_v20221031.tar.gz file into it.
$ sha256sum debian_bookworm_arm64_pinenote.tar.gz
abfdf12cc131d1e153f8f373e9c26bdd248fbf1fe06ba79e9868300e7d1e58b7 debian_bookworm_arm64_pinenote.tar.gz
This release assumes that the partition number is number 17 (/dev/mmcblk0p17), but /etc/fstab and /extlinux/extlinux.conf should be easily modified for other partitions (untested).
Booting
From the u-boot UART prompt, copy&paste:
load mmc 0:11 ${kernel_addr_r} /extlinux/Image
load mmc 0:11 ${fdt_addr_r} /extlinux/rk3566-pinenote-v1.2.dtb
load mmc 0:11 ${ramdisk_addr_r} /extlinux/uInitrd.img
setenv bootargs ignore_loglevel root=/dev/mmcblk0p17 rw rootwait earlycon console=tty0 console=ttyS2,1500000n8 fw_devlink=off init=/sbin/init
booti ${kernel_addr_r} ${ramdisk_addr_r} ${fdt_addr_r}
Take note of the hex-encoding of partition 17 and the root kernel paramter in case you use another partition number!
Using a suitable u-boot
If you have a modified u-boot (or mainline uboot from pgwipeout) installed that supports reading extlinux.conf file, make sure that partition 17 is the first bootable partition:
GNU Parted 3.5
Using /dev/mmcblk0
Welcome to GNU Parted! Type 'help' to view a list of commands.
(parted) set 17 boot on
(parted) quit
WARNING: On first boot the system will try to extract the epd waveforms from the system and also mount the android partition and extract wifi/bt firmware files and will then regenerate the initrd file. After that an automatic reboot will commence. Be ready to stop u-boot from booting Android and to direct u-boot to boot from partition 17*
License
This is a Debian-based rootfs with additional binaries used. Please refer to the individual components linked above for individual licenses and to www.debian.org for licenses of the Debian components.
Early testrootfs
WARNING: This is a totally unsupported, user-generated, rootfs archive for the Pine64 Pinenote. Use at your own risk. Make backups (and check/verify them!) BEFORE doing anything on the device. If in doubt, stop here.
Testing
Just to give you an idea on how untested this, I tested it once on my pinenote. For me it worked...
Origin
This attached rootfs archive was created by running debos using the build.sh shell script included in this repository, building upon work by Eugen Răhăian, see: https://salsa.debian.org/eugenrh/pinenote-debian-recipes . External packages for the kernel, mesa and mutter were downloaded and unpacked using the scripts:
- prep_00_get_kernel_files.sh
- prep_02_get_parse-android-dynparts.sh
- prep_03_custom_debs.sh
Those scripts were run before calling build.sh.
Included binary Debian packages built and modified for the pinenote. For more information and source codes, see:
- https://github.com/m-weigand/pinenote_debian_mesa/releases/tag/20221019
- https://github.com/m-weigand/pinenote_debian_mutter/releases/tag/v20221017
- https://github.com/m-weigand/linux/releases/tag/20221013
- https://github.com/m-weigand/pinenote_debian_parse-android-dynparts/releases/tag/v1
Installation
Create an empty ext4-partition on the Pinenote and extract the 07_gnome_customize.tar.gz file (sha256sum ea3d171b91fb89c469a9af04933c2c4d2dc8f48fcd5e105bb11037375582d9a5) into it. This release assumes that the partition number is number 17 (/dev/mmcblk0p17), but /etc/fstab and /boot/extlinux.conf should be easily modified for other partitions (untested).
Booting
From the u-boot UART prompt, copy&paste:
load mmc 0:11 ${kernel_addr_r} /boot/Image
load mmc 0:11 ${fdt_addr_r} /boot/rk3566-pinenote-v1.2.dtb
load mmc 0:11 ${ramdisk_addr_r} /boot/uInitrd.img
setenv bootargs ignore_loglevel root=/dev/mmcblk0p17 rw rootwait earlycon console=tty0 console=ttyS2,1500000n8 fw_devlink=off init=/sbin/init
booti ${kernel_addr_r} ${ramdisk_addr_r} ${fdt_addr_r}
Take note of the hex-encoding of partition 17 and the root kernel paramter in case you use another partition number!
WARNING: On first boot the system will try to extract the epd waveforms from the system and also mount the android partition and extract wifi/bt firmware files and will then regenerate the initrd file. After that an automatic reboot will commence. Be ready to stop u-boot from booting Android and to direct u-boot to boot from partition 17*
License
This is a Debian-based rootfs with additional binaries used. Please refer to the individual components linked above for individual licenses and to www.debian.org for licenses of the Debian components.