DietPi v1.8.0-rc4 - Fixed console, instant boot logo, 4K screens, WiFi

DietPi image built from SmartPi-armbian v1.8.0-rc4, Debian 13 (trixie) server base.

This release replaces v1.8.0-rc3, which should not be used: its boot script broke the HDMI console after startup.

Fixed

Boot console works again

The base image no longer tampers with the boot script. The Yumi logo is built into U-Boot itself and appears centered on screen the instant the board powers on; the DietPi first-boot console then displays normally on HDMI.

Works on 4K UHD screens

The display output is fixed to 1280x720 at 60 Hz (inherited from the base image): every screen from the SmartPad panel to a 4K UHD monitor accepts and upscales it, so the console is visible everywhere. Remove video=HDMI-A-1:1280x720@60 from /boot/armbianEnv.txt to negotiate the native resolution instead.

WiFi tools preinstalled

wpasupplicant, iw and wireless-regdb are kept in the image, so a USB WiFi adapter can be configured directly from dietpi-config without an Internet connection.

Notes

• First boot: log in as root (password yumi) on HDMI or SSH; the DietPi setup runs automatically. A pi user account (password yumi) is created as well.
• SSH over USB: plug a single cable into the OTG port; the board is reachable at 172.22.1.1 (set 172.22.1.2/24 on the computer side). Works on Linux, Windows 11 and macOS (NCM gadget).
• Keyboard layout and timezone are no longer forced by the image preseed; DietPi asks or autodetects as usual.

DietPi v1.8.0-rc2

DietPi image converted from SmartPi-armbian v1.8.0-rc2 (Debian 13 trixie server base).

Roughly 293 MB compressed, about 87 MB RAM at idle.

Zero-touch first boot. Flash, insert, power on, wait a few minutes: the DietPi first-run setup completes unattended, then the board is reachable over SSH. No screen or keyboard required.

• Login: root / yumi (change it with passwd or dietpi-config)
• French keyboard layout and Europe/Paris timezone are preseeded
• SSH over Ethernet (DHCP) and over the USB OTG cable at 172.22.1.1 — the NCM gadget used here works on macOS, Linux and Windows

Inherited from the base image: 1368 MHz CPU overclock, custom U-Boot (DRAM 576 MHz), YUMi SmartPi One device tree, automatic SmartPad screen rotation, and kernel packages held so updates cannot replace the custom kernel.

DietPi v1.8.0-rc3

Known issue — do not use this build. The boot script inherited from the base image redirects U-Boot output to the serial console, which leaves the kernel with two framebuffers: the boot console is no longer visible on HDMI after startup. Fixed in the next release, where the logo is baked into U-Boot instead and the stock boot script is restored.

DietPi image built from SmartPi-armbian v1.8.0-rc3, Debian 13 (trixie) server base.