My Experience Upgrading the A-06 (So Far)

uConsole
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I downloaded the latest version.

http://dl.clockworkpi.com/uConsole_A06_v1.1e.img.7z

I prepared the micro SD and started the machine. I went through the entire boot process, configured the wifi, and accessed via SSH to facilitate the configuration process.

No surprises so far.

To work around the problem with GPG, I upgraded the system using the parameter apt-get --allow-unauthenticated upgrade.

apt-get --allow-unauthenticated upgrade

I did a dist-upgrade and went through the process; it was slow but without problems other than GPG.

I expected the wifi failure when restarting the machine, but thatā€™s not what happened. The wifi continued to work normally, and I could log into the machine via SSH. The problem with me was the keyboard with switched keys; for example, I opened the terminal and typed p; instead of the letter P, it opened the screen properties.

I want a lighter Linux distro; honestly, I donā€™t even need a GUI. And Ubuntu is just too heavy.

If anyone is working on a lighter image, please let me know.

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I was pretty surprised theyā€™re using the ubuntu repos. Not sure why they donā€™t just use the normal raspbian repos.

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So do I. Itā€™s bad to the point where I have to think about creating my image. I want to avoid that; I havenā€™t compiled the kernel in over a decade, although I havenā€™t used a machine that only boots from removable media in about three decades. :slight_smile:

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Same hereā€¦ tbh Iā€™m not sure what kind of programs Iā€™m able to install? Whenever I try to install a program I get this error.

IMG_0096
IMG_00962258Ɨ1579 701 KB

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uconsole is an ARM device

not x86 ,not amd64 PC

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I donā€™t think Bitwig Studio releases an ARM64 binary. LMMS and Ardour are both in the repos though if you are looking for a DAW.

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Iā€™ll try that out! I was having some trouble with Sunvox as well.

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The CM4 devterm uses raspbian repos. Does the CM4 uConsole not use raspbian?

A06 on devterm has always used ubuntu and has had issues with apt in the past. I got my A06 devterm initially, but Iā€™ve since switched it over to CM4, and when I ordered the uConsole I got a CM4 too, partly because the upgrade path seemed to be more ā€œstableā€, and I really didnā€™t notice much a difference in terms of performance.

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My wife said the budget for circuit boards, retro computing, Arduino, etc., is over. So, Iā€™m stuck on A06 for quite a while.

Whatā€™s left for me is to play around with the software.

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I have an A06 uConsole.

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Iā€™ve been playing with my A06 uConsole for a few days. I hit a number of roadbumps, but Iā€™ve made it over most of them.

Assembly was super easy. I really appreciate the time and care Clockwork put into the user manual. Itā€™s around Lego or Ikea quality, and I mean that has the highest of complements.

The OS was in a bit rougher shape. Out of the box, it needed some work. Here is a list of changes I made to customize it and add quality of life:

  • Changed cpi user password
  • Migrated cpi user to a custom user account
  • Disabled auto-login and re-enabled lightdm
  • Fixed apt repo key issues
  • Uninstalled a ton of software I didnā€™t want
  • Removed PPAs I donā€™t need
  • Configured and themed XFCE (I see hyperland in my future though)
  • Made the A06 gearbox app runnable with sudo without a password
  • Wrote a script to use Cmd+F1-F6 shortcuts that changes the gear and shows a notification of the gear shift
  • Tuned power usage a bit to get around 6-7 hours of battery life
  • Tons of little tweaks

The one big roadblock left is sleep. I can get it to enter ā€˜deepā€™ sleep and wake up just fine now, but the battery drain seems unchanged when in deep sleep mode. Iā€™ve just been shutting down and powering on when Iā€™m carrying it around.

Overall, Iā€™m really happy with it. Lots of tinkering which is what I got it for. Iā€™ll start working on a custom kernel soon.

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I love the machine, but I still need help with the software.
The main thing is that I still havenā€™t been able to update the system without it becoming unusable.

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added

extraargs=net.ifnames=0

to /boot/armbianEnv.txt to get ā€œnormalā€ network device names back. Predictable network names is a cool idea, but makes scripting stuff a pain in the ass.

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Update:

I updated the system, and this time, the keyboard kept working; I donā€™t know what I did differently this time.

I made many settings:

  • Now starts without the X Window System as I prefer (startx to go to the graphical environment)
  • I adjusted the console font.
  • I adjusted my user, changed passwords, and machine name.
  • I installed avahi-daemon to be able to access the machine by name instead of IP.
  • I installed my dotfiles (I had to make some adaptations)
    installed zsh, neovim, fzf, go, etc.

I still need to remove a ton of packages I donā€™t use.

Finally, the system is usable. I still have many little details to take care of, but itā€™s a lot of fun.

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