Arch Linux-based gaming distribution for R36S and all clones.
Leve como uma pluma.
Arch R is a custom Linux distribution built from scratch for the R36S handheld gaming console (RK3326 SoC, Mali-G31 GPU, 640x480 MIPI DSI display). It supports all R36S variants and clones with 18 different display panels.
- Kernel 6.6.89 (Rockchip BSP) — custom DTS with joypad, panel init sequences, audio, USB OTG
- Mesa 26 Panfrost — open-source GPU driver, GLES 1.0/2.0/3.1, no proprietary blobs
- EmulationStation (fcamod fork) — 78fps stable, GLES 1.0 native rendering
- RetroArch 1.22.2 — KMS/DRM + EGL, 18+ cores pre-installed
- 19-second boot — U-Boot logo → kernel → systemd → EmulationStation
- Full audio — ALSA, speaker + headphone auto-switch, volume hotkeys
- Battery monitoring — LED warning, capacity/voltage/temp reporting
- Multi-panel support — 18 panel DTBOs (6 original R36S + 12 clones)
Download the latest image from Releases, then:
xz -d ArchR-R36S-*.img.xz
sudo dd if=ArchR-R36S-*.img of=/dev/sdX bs=4M status=progress
syncInsert the SD card into your R36S and power on. First boot creates a ROMS partition automatically.
- OS: Ubuntu 22.04+ (or any Linux with QEMU user-static support)
- Disk: 30GB+ free space
- RAM: 4GB+ recommended
- Time: ~3-4 hours (first build), ~1 hour (incremental)
sudo apt install -y \
gcc-aarch64-linux-gnu \
qemu-user-static \
binfmt-support \
parted \
dosfstools \
e2fsprogs \
rsync \
xz-utils \
imagemagick \
device-tree-compiler \
git \
bc \
flex \
bison \
libssl-devgit clone --recurse-submodules https://github.com/user/Arch-R.git
cd Arch-R
# Full build (kernel + rootfs + mesa + ES + retroarch + panels + image)
sudo ./build-all.shThe flashable image will be at output/images/ArchR-R36S-YYYYMMDD.img.xz (~860MB compressed).
sudo ./build-all.sh --kernel # Kernel only (~10 min)
sudo ./build-all.sh --rootfs # Rootfs + Mesa + ES + RetroArch (~3 hours)
sudo ./build-all.sh --image # Image assembly only (~2 min)
sudo ./build-all.sh --clean # Remove all build artifactsbuild-all.sh
├── build-kernel.sh # Cross-compile kernel 6.6.89 (~10 min)
├── build-rootfs.sh # Arch Linux ARM rootfs in QEMU chroot (~45 min)
├── build-mesa.sh # Mesa 26 with Panfrost + GLES 1.0 (~30 min)
├── build-emulationstation.sh # ES-fcamod with 21 patches (~20 min)
├── build-retroarch.sh # RetroArch + cores (~40 min)
├── generate-panel-dtbos.sh # 18 panel DTBO overlays (~10 sec)
└── build-image.sh # Assemble SD card image (~2 min)
All builds happen inside a QEMU aarch64 chroot — no cross-compilation issues.
Arch-R/
├── build-all.sh # Master build orchestrator
├── build-kernel.sh # Kernel compilation
├── build-rootfs.sh # Root filesystem (Arch Linux ARM + services)
├── build-mesa.sh # Mesa 26 GPU driver
├── build-emulationstation.sh # EmulationStation frontend
├── build-retroarch.sh # RetroArch + cores
├── build-image.sh # SD card image assembly
├── config/
│ ├── archr-6.6-r36s.config # Kernel config fragment (393 options)
│ ├── boot.ini # U-Boot fallback boot script
│ ├── es_systems.cfg # EmulationStation system definitions
│ ├── retroarch.cfg # RetroArch base configuration
│ ├── asound.conf # ALSA audio configuration
│ └── autoconfig/ # RetroArch controller autoconfig
├── kernel/
│ └── dts/
│ ├── rk3326-gameconsole-r36s.dts # Custom R36S device tree
│ └── R36S-DTB/ # Reference panel DTBs
├── scripts/
│ ├── emulationstation.sh # ES launch wrapper
│ ├── retroarch-launch.sh # RetroArch launch wrapper
│ ├── archr-hotkeys.py # Volume/brightness hotkey daemon
│ ├── first-boot.sh # First boot setup (ROMS partition)
│ ├── generate-panel-dtbos.sh # Panel overlay generator
│ ├── pmic-poweroff # PMIC shutdown handler
│ └── vlc-stub.c # VLC stub library for ES build
├── bootloader/
│ └── u-boot-r36s-working/ # Pre-built U-Boot binaries
├── prebuilt/
│ └── cores/ # Pre-built RetroArch cores (FBNeo, MAME, N64, PSP)
├── ArchR.png # Boot logo source
└── ROADMAP.md # Development diary
| Component | Details |
|---|---|
| SoC | Rockchip RK3326 (4x Cortex-A35 @ 1.5GHz) |
| GPU | Mali-G31 Bifrost (Mesa Panfrost, 600MHz) |
| RAM | 1GB DDR3L (786MHz) |
| Display | 640x480 MIPI DSI (18 panel variants) |
| Audio | RK817 codec, speaker + headphone jack |
| Storage | MicroSD (boot + rootfs + ROMS) |
| Controls | D-pad, ABXY, L1/L2/R1/R2, dual analog sticks |
| Battery | 3200mAh Li-Po (RK817 charger) |
| USB | OTG with host mode (VBUS power on GPIO0_B7) |
Arch R supports 18 display panels via pre-merged DTBs. Each panel variant has its own DTB file with the correct init sequence and timings applied at build-time.
There are two separate images: Original (for genuine R36S) and Clone (for R36S clones like G80CA, K36, etc.). Each image has its own panel list.
Note: The numerical panel ordering below is available starting from beta1.2. Earlier versions may have a different order.
On first boot, Arch R runs a panel detection wizard that guides you through selecting your display panel:
- If your screen works (you see text on screen): press A to confirm the current panel
- If your screen is black (wrong panel): listen for audio beeps and use buttons to navigate:
- Each panel plays a different number of beeps (Panel 0 = 1 beep, Panel 1 = 2 beeps, etc.)
- Press B to skip to the next panel
- Press A to confirm (you'll hear 3 rapid beeps)
- The system reboots with the correct panel applied
Your selection is saved permanently. To reset it later, hold X during boot.
Default: Panel 4-V22 (~60% of units)
| Beeps | Panel | DTB | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Panel 0 | kernel-panel0.dtb | Early R36S units |
| 2 | Panel 1-V10 | kernel-panel1.dtb | V10 board marking |
| 3 | Panel 2-V12 | kernel-panel2.dtb | V12 board marking |
| 4 | Panel 3-V20 | kernel-panel3.dtb | V20 board marking |
| 5 | Panel 4-V22 (default) | kernel.dtb | Most common |
| 6 | Panel 5-V22 Q8 | kernel-panel5.dtb | V22 Q8 variant |
Default: Clone 8 ST7703 G80CA
| Beeps | Panel | DTB | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Clone 1 | kernel-clone1.dtb | ST7703 |
| 2 | Clone 2 | kernel-clone2.dtb | ST7703 |
| 3 | Clone 3 | kernel-clone3.dtb | NV3051D |
| 4 | Clone 4 | kernel-clone4.dtb | NV3051D |
| 5 | Clone 5 | kernel-clone5.dtb | ST7703 |
| 6 | Clone 6 | kernel-clone6.dtb | NV3051D |
| 7 | Clone 7 | kernel-clone7.dtb | JD9365DA |
| 8 | Clone 8 (default) | kernel.dtb | ST7703 (G80CA-MB) |
| 9 | Clone 9 | kernel-clone9.dtb | NV3051D |
| 10 | Clone 10 | kernel-clone10.dtb | ST7703 variant |
| 11 | R36 Max | kernel-r36max.dtb | 720x720 ST7703 |
| 12 | RX6S | kernel-rx6s.dtb | NV3051D variant |
If you prefer to set the panel manually (e.g., you know which panel you have from ArkOS/dArkOS):
Step 1 -- Mount the BOOT partition on your PC
lsblk
sudo mount /dev/sdX1 /mntStep 2 -- Create panel.txt
# Example: Panel 3-V20 (original R36S)
echo 'PanelNum=3
PanelDTB=kernel-panel3.dtb' | sudo tee /mnt/panel.txt
# Mark as confirmed (skip wizard on next boot)
echo 'confirmed' | sudo tee /mnt/panel-confirmedFor default panels (no custom DTB needed):
# Original R36S: Panel 4-V22 (default)
echo 'PanelNum=4
PanelDTB=' | sudo tee /mnt/panel.txt
# Clone R36S: Clone 8 G80CA (default)
echo 'PanelNum=C8
PanelDTB=' | sudo tee /mnt/panel.txt
echo 'confirmed' | sudo tee /mnt/panel-confirmedStep 3 -- Unmount and boot
sudo umount /mnt
syncTo reset panel selection: hold X during boot, or delete panel-confirmed from the BOOT partition.
Power On
→ U-Boot (idbloader → trust → uboot.img)
→ logo.bmp displayed on screen
→ boot.ini: load panel.txt → load pre-merged DTB (kernel-panelN.dtb)
→ Kernel 6.6.89 + initramfs splash (0.7s)
→ systemd → panel-detect.service (first boot only)
→ archr-boot-setup (GPU + governors)
→ emulationstation.service → EmulationStation UI
≈ 19 seconds total (+ wizard on first boot)
See ROADMAP.md for current development status and planned features.
GPL v3