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v1.8.0-rc4 - Instant boot logo, 4K screen support, fixed console

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@github-actions github-actions released this 27 Jul 04:25
v1.8.0-rc4
2a3dc85

Release candidate. Validated on real SmartPi One hardware (boot, display, SSH over USB), not yet production-proven.

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

New

Yumi boot logo built into U-Boot

The Yumi logo is now embedded in the U-Boot binary itself and drawn centered on screen the instant the video output is initialised, before anything is read from the SD card. The boot console then runs normally alongside it.

The previous approach (displaying boot.bmp from the boot partition through the boot script) is gone: it delayed the logo and broke the boot console. boot.bmp is no longer read at all.

Fixed

HDMI console visible again after boot

simpledrm is now blacklisted (module_blacklist=simpledrm on the kernel command line, plus a modprobe blacklist). It used to grab the U-Boot framebuffer and conflict with the native sun4i-drm driver, leaving a black screen or a console drawn to the wrong framebuffer after startup.

Works on 4K UHD screens

The display output is fixed to 1280x720 at 60 Hz on the kernel command line (video=HDMI-A-1:1280x720@60). The H3 is an HDMI 1.4 SoC and cannot drive a 4K screen at its preferred 4K@60 mode; with the forced mode, every screen from the SmartPad panel to a 4K UHD monitor accepts and upscales the picture, and the console is readable everywhere. Remove the parameter from /boot/armbianEnv.txt to let the kernel negotiate the native resolution instead.

SSH over USB now works on macOS

The USB gadget on the OTG port switched from RNDIS to NCM. A single cable still powers the board and provides SSH access at 172.22.1.1 (set 172.22.1.2/24 on the computer side). Linux, Windows 11 and macOS are all supported out of the box.

Unchanged since v1.8.0-rc2

  • Kernel packages (linux-image, linux-headers, linux-dtb, linux-u-boot) matching the images ship with the release, for both kernel branches (current 6.18 and legacy 6.12). Install headers from this release, not from apt.armbian.com, to build DKMS modules.
  • Boot partition is FAT, readable from any computer.
  • CPU overclock 1368 MHz at 1.40 V, DRAM at 576 MHz.
  • The SmartPi One device tree (sun8i-h3-smartpi-one.dtb) is used by both U-Boot and the kernel.
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