Pi Zero format boards that are supported.

[ZioMario]

Based on this schema :

arm/Raspberry Pi - FreeBSD Wiki

On the RPi Zero W this is what does not work :

ETH : not available
WIFI : unsupported

So,it will not get Internet at all. Does it make some sense to use it ?

Armv6 : is going to dead,if it is not dead already.

 

[covacat]

i have pi zero which has no built in wifi but i use an usb to wifi dongle so it has internet.

 

[ZioMario]

i have pi zero which has no built in wifi but i use an usb to wifi dongle so it has internet.

What about the support of FreeBSD for armV6 ? It will be removed ? When it will be removed ?

 

[Phishfry]

It was removed when FreeBSD 12 went EOL.

FreeBSD/arm previously supported ARMv4 and ARMv5 processors which were deprecated in 13.0.

FreeBSD/ARM Project

FreeBSD is an operating system used to power modern servers, desktops, and embedded platforms.

www.freebsd.org

 

[ZioMario]

It was removed when FreeBSD 12 went EOL.

FreeBSD/ARM Project

FreeBSD is an operating system used to power modern servers, desktops, and embedded platforms.

www.freebsd.org

Do you think that's a good idea to use the raspberry pi zero with an unsupported arm architecture to make some kind of phone ?

 

[Phishfry]

Ahhh dirty little secret. They kept that one... The RPi 1 and hence the Pi Zero 1

Maybe I am wrong. Armv6 still around? At least in 13.4-RELEASE it says Armv6/Armv7 GENERICSD images.

14.x onward only shows Armv7 GENERICSD Images.

 

[ralphbsz]

Pi Zero 2w is advisable compared to the older ones, simply because ...

Your argument is correct. But the Zero 2W also uses significantly more power than the old Zero W. I haven't measured it (not having a Zero 2 myself), but the Zero W can survive happily on 100mA at 5V with the wifi running, if video output is disabled.

I am particularly interested in headless devices (GPUs seem pointless on SoCs). If you buy a bunch of these, and I buy another bunch.

Agree nearly completely. I have two Pi Zeros in production (as embedded data collection devices), and the first thing I do is disable video as much as possible. If I could wave a magic wand and get rid of the (mini-) HDMI connector and the GPU, I would do it. On the other hand, I also have a Pi 3 in production, and it has the small touch panel attached, for local display and user interaction. And on my lab bench, I always have a Pi 3 sitting with display and keyboard, useful for debug and installs.

What are the opinions about powering a board over the GPIO header Power Pins? There are two 5V pins on the header.

Perfectly normal and legal. Many installed Pis are powered that way. Just never ever backfeed the 3V3 line.

How long would a pair of 16550 batteries power this device during regular usage.

See my comment about lower power consumption above? Bingo!
It turns out that the Pi Zero has no under voltage detection circuit. It will actually function as long as the 5V input is high enough for the 3V3 LDO regulator on the board to function. Matter-of-fact, I've tested running it at about 2.8V sustained, with workload, and it didn't crash right away. Obviously, this is not recommended. And if you're using any 5V accessories, this will not work.

But the answer is obvious: A 16550 cell will deliver about 1.5 Ah at 3.7V. Given that the Pi Zero uses perhaps 0.5W (about 100mA at 5V), that should be good enough for about 10 hours with an efficient boost converter. I think TI makes some nice small boost converter chips that have an efficiency in the high 90s. Right now I'm using a TI chip as a buck converter to power a Pi Zero from 12V (automotive system), and it is about 93% efficient.

Anyway, to get back to the real question: As far as I can see, the only practical OS choice for a Pi Zero for me is unfortunately Linux. FreeBSD has no WiFi support (that stops any discussion right there), and has dropped 32-bit support going forward. OpenBSD seems to also have no 32 bit support any longer.

 

[ZioMario]

I've bought this enclosure :

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Yushu-Universal-Battery-Mobile-Charger/dp/B09ZQFQLSW?dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.qb7NQ34Uh1Ex1KDRX6zfPviXGV1xDEnWmYrOp2x-ISou3dtIj6trLykZRj7DEiB_qEf53fx1fZvhK4pKNiLHaTUEiwMTws9-lYZc474Hlct1SsCmpGUcLeXk9OMLl_42KVqGkcTbWne_xJ_HU0p4SZZpeCKzIKaFigUuXRCK-6ZPYpa3NfiiXbmyzVwGPTAUbV8myclL0xeDXYIXSJ91-7L2bYs5nGpuUDqlu8ch7J4.bUQWP7T818fnaGZA0Ujxw3w0DMyXbXJ3gKo5WKuKoRw&dib_tag=se&keywords=18650+12V&nsdOptOutParam=true&qid=1734971694&sr=8-9

It includes battery management circuit (BMS) with protection, so I don't need protected batteries, which are easier to get.
If my board only needs 3A I don't need high-amp batteries, making this even simpler.

 

[Phishfry]

I got one of these Pi Zero Hats that I need to solder up.

PiZ-UpTime 2.0 - New & Improved - Alchemy Power Inc.®

PiZ-UpTime 2.0 is updated to provide UPS function for Pi Zero or other SBC models using Li-Ion or Li-Polymer batteries via USB or terminal block outputs

alchemy-power.com

 

[ZioMario]

I got one of these Pi Zero Hats that I need to solder up.

PiZ-UpTime 2.0 - New & Improved - Alchemy Power Inc.®

PiZ-UpTime 2.0 is updated to provide UPS function for Pi Zero or other SBC models using Li-Ion or Li-Polymer batteries via USB or terminal block outputs

alchemy-power.com

Nice. I'm forced to choose pieces of hardware that I shouldn't solder. Because I can't do by myself it and If I go to some computer shop to ask to solder this and that,I will spend a lot of money and I can't.

 

[Phishfry]

You can buy it complete.
I am cheapskate and can make things stick together now. So I bought kit for cheap off ebay.


This one requires no soldering. Mounts under the board and uses pogo posts to power....
I would like one.

Pisugar 3: Battery for Raspberry Pi zero by PiSugar Kitchen on Tindie

PiSugar 3 is the third generation of PiSugar Raspberry Pi battery power supply series, making Raspberry Pi a portable device.

www.tindie.com

 

[ZioMario]

I've also bought this display :

HyperPixel 4.0 Square - Hi-Res Display for Raspberry Pi

A uniquely square, high-resolution, high-speed, 4.0" display with optional touchscreen for Raspberry Pi – it's hip to be square!

shop.pimoroni.com

I love it so much for the squared form factor and because it exposes DSI interface. What I still want to know is if FreeBSD supports DSI directly.

 

[ZioMario]

You can buy it complete.
I am cheapskate and can make things stick together now. So I bought kit for cheap off ebay.


This one requires no soldering. Mounts under the board and uses pogo posts to power....
I would like one.

Pisugar 3: Battery for Raspberry Pi zero by PiSugar Kitchen on Tindie

PiSugar 3 is the third generation of PiSugar Raspberry Pi battery power supply series, making Raspberry Pi a portable device.

www.tindie.com

It says that it is for Raspberry Pi Zero. But I'm not using the Pi Zero for my tablet and probably I will not use it even for the smartphone that I'm trying to assemble,for the reasons explained on post #57 by ralphbsz.

 

[Phishfry]

Well did you read my inquires to the PinePhone Pro developer?
He said that he got DSI display working using u-boot and EFI Framebuffer I believe.
You can buy the screen only from Pinestore.
Porter has public repository of the work.

I noticed that some displays use a DTS to do driver like functions:

linux/arch/arm64/boot/dts/rockchip/overlays/odroidm1/display_vu8m.dts at odroidm1-4.19.y · hardkernel/linux

Linux kernel source tree. Contribute to hardkernel/linux development by creating an account on GitHub.

github.com

 

[ZioMario]

Are you talking about this ?

PINEPHONE PRO 6" LCD PANEL with TOUCH SCREEN - PINE STORE

Package includes LCD Panel with Touch Screen fuse in plastic casing, keypad flex cable and black battery cover sticker. For service purpose and only sell to Pinephone Pro owner, limit quantity to 1. Note: Small numbers (1-3) of stuck or dead pixels are a characteristic of LCD screens. These...

pine64.com

I don't like the form factor. I will not use it. I want to use my squared display. I will hire a developer who will write the proper driver to connect it to the rockpro RK399.

 

[Phishfry]

I also wanted to mention that we have EDK2 UEFI Firmware for Rock Zero 3W.

That might bring with it HDMI output.

quartz64_uefi/edk2-rockchip/Platform/Radxa/Zero-3W at main · jaredmcneill/quartz64_uefi

EDK2 UEFI for Rockchip RK3566 and RK3568 based SBCs. - jaredmcneill/quartz64_uefi

github.com

It might also boot up Raxda Zero 3E which is why I am trying to build it.
I could cheat and hit up developer for binary but learning is frustrating but worthwhile.
I need to learn how to build for new boards.

 

[ZioMario]

I also wanted to mention that we have EDK2 UEFI Firmware for Rock Zero 3W.

That might bring with it HDMI output.

quartz64_uefi/edk2-rockchip/Platform/Radxa/Zero-3W at main · jaredmcneill/quartz64_uefi

EDK2 UEFI for Rockchip RK3566 and RK3568 based SBCs. - jaredmcneill/quartz64_uefi

github.com

It might also boot up Raxda Zero 3E which is why I am trying to build it.
I could cheat and hit up developer for binary but learning is frustrating but worthwhile.
I need to learn how to build for new boards.

Help me to understand : can I connect the Raxda Zero 3E to my Pimoroni squared display without problems ?

 

[Phishfry]

Can I connect the Raxda Zero 3E to my Pimoroni squared display without problems ?

No.
Everthing is geared to linux so you must translate. See if we have all the pieces needed.
Starting here:

hyperpixel4/src/hyperpixel4-overlay.dts at pi4 · pimoroni/hyperpixel4

Driver for the Pimoroni HyperPixel 4.0" Touchscreen Display - pimoroni/hyperpixel4

github.com

See if this has been worked:
compatible = "goodix,gt911";

Meaning look first at PinePhone Pro DTS provided by the developer. Does it use this display driver too? That would be helpful.

 

[ZioMario]

I'm not so experienced at this level. I will ask for more informations. Eventually I will hire a developer to port the code to FreeBSD.

 

[Phishfry]

Looks like it uses a different display controller:

freebsd-pinephonepro/src/sys/contrib/device-tree/src/arm64/rockchip/rk3399-pinephone-pro.dts at main

freebsd-pinephonepro - Porting FreeBSD to run on the Pinephone Pro

codeberg.org

    sgm3140: led-controller {
        compatible = "sgmicro,sgm3140";

 

[ZioMario]

So,what's the consequence ? what a developer should do ? And more or less,how much money could cost to write the driver ?

 

[Phishfry]

I wonder if using a device tree entry allows you to use "Linux Includes" from Device Tree project and suck in drivers there....

That might eliminate the need for a driver on FreeBSD for the display driver. I don't know much about it....

You know as much as me...

I got this for my Zero
2.2" SPI TFT Module, IL9341

 

[kpedersen]

Your argument is correct. But the Zero 2W also uses significantly more power than the old Zero W. I haven't measured it (not having a Zero 2 myself), but the Zero W can survive happily on 100mA at 5V with the wifi running, if video output is disabled.

True. This is becoming a problem with the direction of Raspberry Pi. They are starting to power themselves out of the "power market".

100mA is pretty good. Is that with Linux or FreeBSD out of interest?

 

[ralphbsz]

100mA is pretty good. Is that with Linux or FreeBSD out of interest?

The picture below is a little bit cheating: The ammeter on the power supplies toggles between about 76 and 105mA. This is Linux (up-to-date Debian, obviously in 32 bit mode), with video driver disabled. Not completely idle, one user logged in, running top (also visible in the picture). I haven't run FreeBSD on the RPi in several years; when I last tried, too many things were either unsupported (in many cases, lack of WiFi is a deal breaker), or frustratingly difficult (recompile device tree, when I can instead just edit a config file and reboot; or 1-wire support requires kernel recompile every time you move a GPIO pin). Some of that might have improved.

But I agree that the Raspberry Pi foundation (and much of the market place) is going after higher-powered machines, with more features (you can now get PiZero form factor machines with gigabit Ethernet). Fortunately, the traditional Pi Zero W still exists, and if you can afford 1/2W, it makes for a convenient "hobbyist embedded" tool.

 

[Phishfry]

Dang you act like you don't need a NPU built into your embedded tool.... Sarcasm.

The manufacturers do see to be piling on stuff that is not needed from the original cause.

Oh but wait lets muddy up the waters more with RISC-V. Like we need to divert developer resources even more...