What is the best SBC to run Arclinux ?

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What is the best SBC to run Arclinux ?

Postby TheSaint » Sat Sep 29, 2018 1:47 pm

Hello forum,

I started with the idea to use a SBC for my home automation project. I was prone to get a Raspberry, but I'm a bit ASUS fan, so I chosen Tinker Board S.
With several efforts to come a point to make it usable, I'm dropping the idea that TB will fit my intents.
Then I'm asking a sort of poll, and see what the community has found easy to use.
For what I found, I'm keen to go for a Raspberry Pi Zero. Isn't it good ?
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Re: What is the best SBC to run Arclinux ?

Postby summers » Sat Sep 29, 2018 2:14 pm

Depends what you want it to do?

E.g. I find the beagle family has excellent IO ports, not found another board that gets close. But its a single Arm A8 cpu, so doesn't have much grunt. Also TI were very good with documentation.

The new 64 bit arms have alot more grunt, odroid c2 has alot more grunt. But its a tad flakey, e.g. had to down clock the eMMC to get it to work, and runs far warmer.

For my NAS the armv6 is fine, does all it needs to do.

Some SBC can attach screens, and some can't, so depends if you need that.

So swings and roundabouts, who can say whats best. The TBS does seem a bit of a RPi clone, that said it has ASUS name on it, and is reasonably powerful, so you would hope its better, but far from clear.
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Re: What is the best SBC to run Arclinux ?

Postby TheSaint » Sat Sep 29, 2018 8:48 pm

Oh, I forgot to mention.
The SBC would be placed in a junction box headless.Controlling few relays, Managing 2 IPcam and some piconet with other bluetooth devices, to control remote switches. Possible to add one mass storage so it might act as NAS and/or as a router to manage traffic shaping for 8 client.
That said, the performance needed are mediocre, so not expecting to look for 64bit or powerful SBC, but rather one which should stay cold in a closed box.

If I can't find a buyer, I have to chew with TB S, but several NO_GO, such no modular kernel, no mainlined installation, sensible to overheat.
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Re: What is the best SBC to run Arclinux ?

Postby summers » Sat Sep 29, 2018 9:48 pm

Well I would have said a PocketBeagle - but you want wifi/bluetooth.

So yes that pushes in the direction of a RPi Zero W.

PocketBeagle has far better IO, and processor, and smaller, and more pins - but doesn't do wifi.

PocketBeagle isn't mainline Arch - but mine runs arch fine, as its close to a BBB. Am not sure if RPi Zero is mainline arch either - but its close enough to the Rpi to probably work.

I've never used a Pi Zero btw, I do have a 1st gen RPi - but never got round to putting Arch on it ...

On yes, controlling relays - you'll need an extra board to to any kind of power switching. Check whats avaiable for each. the BBB probably has some nice relay boards that add straight on ....I'll see what I can find. Don't know what cars are like for the PocketBeagle (its a different form factor ...)
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Re: What is the best SBC to run Arclinux ?

Postby TheSaint » Sun Sep 30, 2018 5:15 am

I expect to fit in a low budget like to swap with the TB S . RPi zero is 13 € and available locally. So I also considering the fact to stay with the initial expenditure. But, frankly, i'd like to find one which I can master well, as I do better with Arch, for more than a decade.
The Raspberry Pi 3+, I don't know about, but previous generation I heard someone told me that had installed Arch in it.

Bluetooth it might be optional, the remote control are what I'll plan to build, but I might opt to use wifi thingy for the very same function, like ESP-01, for instance.

Then this discussion would invite everybody to tell a bit of story about what it was chosen and help other to find here, a review which inform how Arch will run on these SBC.

Mine review about Asus Tinker Board is like:
$this->bbcode_list('1')
  • The board can install Arch with Asus proposed kernel, just swap the rootfs with Arch installation. So the upgrades might go on, but anything depending on the kernel will lock the updates to it. Modules are not provided, only the WiFi card, which should work with AP and STA, but after trying a patch. I've tried to have the module recompiled, but at certain point is looking for a simlink that is not there. Furthermore to compile it takes to download the entire github repository (2.1 Gb) in order to compile 45 Kb of module, if successful.
  • We try (Thank Mr. Summers) to have a different route. Recompiling the u-boot with Armbian patches (there might be a solution to skip these patches, if up stream will stumble on that), so the the kernel is running even the latest version. But there lacks of USB hub functionalities, bluetooth unsure if works, wifi works just as plainly started, doesn't work for AP nor for STA.
  • The hardware, might face a little difficulty to install the Asus package to work with the GPIO. Function are supposed to comply to what Raspberry Pi does. I roughly tried something and it is all to be discovered, I haven't find sites with experiences direct from the board. As I've tried to accomplish is that it takes to look for raspberry blogs.
  • There are talking about the need to supply the board by the connector pin, the micro USB might cause some failure. The chip requires an adequate heatsink, even additional fan, when the computing gets elevate. Someone reporting that for intensive usage of graphic acceleration the fan is necessary to prevent crashes and CPU frequency throttling down.
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    Re: What is the best SBC to run Arclinux ?

    Postby summers » Sun Sep 30, 2018 10:02 am

    OK gave it some more thought. Reason I originally thought of the beagle direction, is that almost the whole concept of the beagles is their IO, and that is what seems to be your user case, you want to control IO. Now the beagle concept is old, it started up before the RPi came along ...

    What the beagles do well, is their focus on capes, that is hardware that adds onto the original SBC. There are alot ...

    So first direction look at the pocket beagle(https://beagleboard.org/pocket) its add on boards are click boards (https://github.com/beagleboard/pocketbeagle/wiki/Click-boards%E2%84%A2), alas a quick browse of there click boards and it is mainly sensors, and you want relays and things. So the pocket doesn't seem to work.

    Then the beagle bone direction, and turns out their is a wireless version - didn't realise one had come out (https://beagleboard.org/black-wireless) I have the original Beagle Bone Black. Whats good about the design is the two rows of 46 headers, it means that boards that connect plug in on both sides - and that makes it stable. Also many boards that plug in you can add yet more boards to the top to stack. This works with many of the interfaces (e.g. you can have several I2C devices on the same bus, as long as they have different addresses ...)

    Anyway check the beagle capes (https://beagleboard.org/capes) and (https://elinux.org/Beagleboard:BeagleBone_Capes) and you can get relay boards and the like - there will be some hardware there that fits your needs.

    Then there is the question of the IP cam, are these connected wirelessly or via ethernet? Also how do you communicate with the device, wireless or ethernet. Anyway if therenet direction, it sounds like you need a hub/switch - e.g. you have enough ethernet connections, you can't find a board with enough ethernet sockets - so hub/switch needed. Alas that can't be a beagle cape I think (should probably check), the beagle interfaces are the slow kind, I2C, SPI, UART, CAN etc but ethernet needs fast - and I don't recall any fast beagle interfaces (other than the ethernet ...)

    Now going wireless direction, you need to set up the SBC as a hub, that gives out addresses, and does blue tooth etc. I've never done that, so can't say how hard it is. But probably a good idea to check the WiFi/blue tooth is in the main kernel (e.g. the TBS problem its a legacy driver in staging ...)

    Price wise, well this is looking more at the holistic direction, so there is more hardware than just the TBS. but the SBC part is at least comparable (BBB Wireless is about £60, and BBB (without wifi, with ethernet) ~£40).

    Have to say, I am biased though. I have two beagles myself (Black and Pocket), and a panderboard. I like the design - think its well put together. So do see what others here have to say.

    And the old cortex A8 is far slower than your A17 design ....
    And a tad worrying, many of the old capes seem no longer available, which is a pity ...

    Oh and just read you may want to add a HDD - thats harder, most SBC only do sd cards. If going HDD direct almost easier to start with a NAS ....
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    Re: What is the best SBC to run Arclinux ?

    Postby TheSaint » Sun Sep 30, 2018 1:53 pm

    In my use case I need to arrange with the initial investment. So if I can't trade the TB, :cry: :cry: I have to go back with what I got.
    I saw the BBBW, great tool, Ideal with stack-able daugther-board and the price is in the range of TB, which costed me 75 €. Slightly less power than TB, but looks that has a good background.

    So, my dear, if I won't get a horse racer, I'll have to ride with a donkey :D. Maybe it's just an initial dislike.
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