v1.8.0-rc3 - Boot logo and macOS-compatible SSH over USB
Pre-release
Do not use this build. The boot script it ships breaks the HDMI console after startup (the logo displayed from the boot script leaves the kernel with two framebuffers), and 4K screens are not handled. Superseded by v1.8.0-rc4.
Release candidate. Validated on real SmartPi One hardware.
This release completes the two features introduced in rc2, both of which were only partly working there.
Fixed since rc2
Boot logo now displays. U-Boot only decodes 8-bit BMP images unless CONFIG_BMP_*BPP is set, so the 24-bit logo shipped in rc2 was silently rejected. 16/24/32-bit decoding is now enabled. The logo is also drawn immediately after the boot configuration is read, and U-Boot output is routed to the serial console so no text is painted over it. U-Boot's own top-right logo is disabled.
SSH over USB now works on macOS. The OTG port previously used the RNDIS protocol, which macOS enumerates but cannot use. It now uses CDC NCM, supported natively by macOS, Linux and Windows.
Features
SSH over USB (OTG port)
A single cable between the SmartPi and a computer both powers the board and carries the network — no Ethernet or WiFi needed.
# Set 172.22.1.2/24 on the computer side, then:
ssh root@172.22.1.1Unplugging the cable also cuts power. For sustained workloads at the 1368 MHz overclock, use a dedicated 5V/2A supply: a computer's USB port may not supply enough current.
Customizable boot logo
U-Boot displays /boot/boot.bmp at power-on. The boot partition is FAT32 and mounts on macOS and Windows, so the logo can be replaced or deleted from any computer. Use an uncompressed BMP no larger than the display resolution.
Kernel packages for DKMS
The exact .deb packages matching these images are attached below — linux-image, linux-headers, linux-dtb, linux-u-boot — for both kernel branches (current 6.18 and legacy 6.12). To build DKMS modules on the device, install the headers from this release rather than from apt.armbian.com, whose generic builds do not match this custom kernel.
Automatic SmartPad screen rotation
The SmartPad is a SmartPi One fitted with a 4.3" 800x480 touchscreen mounted upside-down. Rather than shipping separate pre-rotated images, the panel is detected at runtime (800x480 resolution plus a touchscreen) and the display is rotated 180 degrees only when found. On a regular HDMI monitor the orientation is untouched.
Images
| Distribution | Server | Desktop |
|---|---|---|
| Debian 11 (bullseye) | yes | — |
| Debian 12 (bookworm) | yes | yes |
| Debian 13 (trixie) | yes | yes |
| Ubuntu 22.04 (jammy) | yes | — |
| Ubuntu 24.04 (noble) | yes | yes |
All images include a 1368 MHz CPU overclock, a custom U-Boot (DRAM 576 MHz, ZQ calibration, ODT) and the YUMi SmartPi One device tree.
DietPi variant
A DietPi image built from the Debian 13 server build is published in DietPi-SmartPi: about 293 MB compressed, roughly 87 MB RAM at idle, with an unattended first boot.
First boot
Log in as root with password 1234; a password change is required on first login. To verify the board:
cat /proc/device-tree/model # YUMi SmartPi One
cat /sys/devices/system/cpu/cpu0/cpufreq/cpuinfo_max_freq # 1368000