Jeff Geerling

If anyone asks why I prefer to work with Raspberry Pis when I want to tinker on a random project, consider:

I just spent the past hour with a brand new ArmSoM Sige7 board. This has been on the market for months, with some glowing reviews...

And it took about 30 minutes before I could get it to boot (20 to find an image that would flash properly and at least *start* booting). Then 20 to try getting logged in. And the last 10 trying to set up a forum account to ask for the default user/pass!

Nov 8, 2024 at 10:55pmWeb
Show threadJeff GeerlingNov 8, 2024

More: https://github.com/geerlingguy/sbc-reviews/issues/56

This is not an isolated incident. So many times I hop on board a new SBC board train, and end up spending more time just getting to the point I can start doing a project... than actually doing a project 🤦‍♂️

The hardware looks cool, though. Hopefully I can get logged in next week!

ArmSoM Sige7 / Banana Pi BPI-M7 · Issue #56 · geerlingguy/sbc-reviews

Basic information Board URL (official): https://www.armsom.org/sige7 (or https://banana-pi.org/en/banana-pi-sbcs/169.html) Board purchased from: Provided by ArmSoM/BPI Board purchase date: November...

GitHub
Show threadBaa 🐑Nov 8, 2024
@geerlingguy I've had similar experiences with Pi alternatives. So much great hardware out there, at great prices, but none has the software support of the Pi.
Show threadScottNov 8, 2024
@geerlingguy that’s a bit like having a second computer to play games on, that runs Windows. You spend more time doing updates than playing the games :)
Show threadVíðir Valberg GuðmundssonNov 8, 2024
@scottearle @geerlingguy Ouch! I literally just started my windows gaming machine, updated a few games and realised to that it was time to go to bed! Not the first time that has happened 😅
Show threadScottNov 9, 2024
@valberg @geerlingguy The struggle is real
Show threadgunstickNov 9, 2024
@scottearle @geerlingguy oh, same for the laystation if you only play every couple of weeks: update the OS, update the controller, update the game. Last time with all the updates, when all was done it was time to go to bed
Show threadJeff GeerlingNov 9, 2024
@gunstick heh even steam sometimes... "game needs update. 122 GB downloading..."
Show threadScottNov 10, 2024
@geerlingguy @gunstick oh no! I just bought a Steam Deck yesterday :)
Show threadUrzlNov 8, 2024

@geerlingguy So many cases of "Remember to document it for the next guy..."

This might be reasonable for the first person to get one but you weren't the first person to get one.

Show threadOndrej MoravekNov 9, 2024
@geerlingguy This is tangential but when I see these disk images being shared like that I always wonder what software could be hidden inside. Having these Google Drive links in official docs doesn't look very trustworthy to me.
Show threadincommunicadoNov 8, 2024
@geerlingguy that’s why we let you do all the painful testing 😅
Show threadJeff GeerlingNov 9, 2024
@nowherefast Heh... and unlike the company that makes the board, I document all my work in those issues!
Show threadPHolder  Nov 8, 2024

@geerlingguy Google found this:

The default account/password for the official image is armsom/armsom, linaro/linaro, root/1234.

here

https://docs.armsom.org/aim-family-started under "1. Obtaining the System Image"

Hope it helps.

AIM Family User Manual | ArmSoM docs

Here’s the translation:

Show threadJeff GeerlingNov 9, 2024

@PHolder According to the docs and forum posts, yes. However, trying all of those on the Ubuntu 22.04 server image I noted in the GitHub issue... none work.

I tried Debian 11 and Ubuntu 22.04 desktop, none of those images would work to boot the board though (the 22.04 desktop image was corrupt—wouldn't even write to a card with Etcher!).

Show threadPHolder  Nov 9, 2024
@geerlingguy Yikes. Okay, sorry to have wasted your time. I guess this product and provider have not got their ducks in a row. You'd think, by now, that they'd learn there is more to an ecosystem than just s**ting out hardware.
Show threadJeff GeerlingNov 9, 2024
@PHolder indeed :(
Show threadMackajNov 9, 2024

@geerlingguy

Is there no way to boot single-user mode on these things and set your own password?

@PHolder

Show threadBedastGPTNov 8, 2024
@geerlingguy I used a ton of different SBCs over the years, and loved my Libre boards when I ran them, but man do almost all of them leave a lot to be desired with documentation and support. All the non-Pis just sit in a box now. Including the Libre boards.
Show threadHenriNov 9, 2024

@geerlingguy I just use Armbian if there is an image available for some less well known vendor like this one: https://www.armbian.com/armsom-sige7/

Although, it’s a community maintained image so it may not be perfect, but the RK3588 is pretty well supported, generally.

Ubuntu Rockchip has another image available, if you like Ubuntu more: https://joshua-riek.github.io/ubuntu-rockchip-download/boards/armsom-sige7.html

Honestly, I really dislike these sketchy images the vendors provide.

Show threadigorwNov 9, 2024
@geerlingguy I had a similar experience with an Odroid board. Performance for money - much better than the RaspPi. But the OS is outdated, information incomplete, when you search for problems you only get 2 forum posts, both unanswered.
Show threadMarius QuabeckNov 9, 2024
@geerlingguy that’s a shame, I would’ve bought it for the cool looking purple case alone 😢
Show threadNik | Klampfradler 🎸🚲Nov 9, 2024
@geerlingguy Eh… it's the Raspberry Pi Foundation that keeps producing boards with no Linux support and requiring proprietary blobs to boot them. Sure, if you use their proprietary OS, everything works out of the box, but that can't be the standard to measure by.