Non-working Orange Pi 3 images (Ubuntu and Debian)

vedranius

Hi all!

I've got Orange Pi 3 2GB and I've downloaded Orange Pi's official images from their site.
While I can get them up and running, I have these problems that are really major:
1. Orange Pi 3 works on some monitors, and on one that works I get an weird image, wrong colors etc.
2. There's no way to update OS or install new applications/packages via "apt-get", I get 404 error, that it can't access some weird CN (Chinese?) repository...
3. On boot it says that I can't use Bluetooth hardware... huh?
4. Apps that are installed sometime I can run, sometime it won't start at all!

Right now I'm not sure what to do with it, spent money on useless board as none of the images work.
I've tried Ubuntu and Debian and I have same problems!

And yes, I've installed several similar boards which works great for me for months... Raspberry Pi 1, 3, 3B+, 0 and Pine 64 too. So I have some knowledge in that...

Suggestions?

Thanks!

Werner

The software support provided from Xulong unfortunately is not very good.
You can give Armbian a shot which is built around mainline kernel. Though the support for any H6 board is still being written.

These are development builds, bugs are to be expected.
https://dl.armbian.com/orangepi3/

greg798

Werner replied at 2019-3-31 15:16
The software support provided from Xulong unfortunately is not very good.
You can give Armbian a sho ...

Yes Armbian rule!
Tell them fixed reboot - poweroff.

Somebody support help how to decrypt your script pack to compile dtb?
And where is the normal tutoral build fresh kernel, lib, modules, dtb, linux for orangepi 3? (not your compile very old kernel and system encrypted script user manual ver 1.0 pdf)
Support do you understand?

glaubert

i have same problem... i have OPI3 without eMMC, the oficial images has many problems

nairn62

I'm successfully using Ambian Linux 5.1 image on my Orange Pi 3. It's running a 4Tb music server, a tor server with a VPN. I even compiled the new GCC 9.1.0 compiler source on it and it works well and it's very fast. I even use Xwindows to access the desktop. What a great board.

golfsmith

nairn62 replied at 2019-6-27 20:51
I'm successfully using Ambian Linux 5.1 image on my Orange Pi 3. It's running a 4Tb music server, a  ...

Could you share in detail how did you manage to do that? Seems people easily get lost, especially for non-geeks.

thanks!

arxaios

Hello ,
      I would like to share my thoughts and my concerns on this new model SBC.  First of all the images in your official sites are awful , very bad compiling and very poor supported. That is very frustrating for a new model board like this. I spend hours ans hours to install a decent OS on this board without any success. I do not know why they have launched the hardware and DO NOT HAVE the appropriate software to support it.!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The Debian and ubuntu image are a lot of buggy and very hopeless. No drivers , no support for the gnome desktop which I tried to install..!!! ( Do not even attempt this at home...) The repositories are from China and they are doing ages to update...!!! Ohhh my God please , give me a break here.!
I haven't tried the android images because first of all they need the Phoenix Card Burner to properly install them on a SD card ...!!! ( Haven't understoond why????????? Please somebody of your fine programmers explain this .!!!) and secondly according to the Debian and Ubuntu images , the android images would be the same..: awful and buggy as well.
Basically  they have the hardware but no software to support , bottom line it is useless .!!! We cannot angry on that. So what's the point dear subscribers of buying from them???  I am not bad but when I am buying a SBC I expect it to run perfectly with support from the official site-company which made it....right??? I do not have the time neither the know-how  to recompile the kernel or make new drivers for it , of course.

Then I tried armbian which is much promising but when I show the specs on this SBC , I realize that I could load the gnome desktop and the board stuck on boot .....!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Hours of hours went down the drain because armbian only support xfce or a light weight armbian desktop which I did not install yet.  The board is capable of al lot more but .............. NO SUPPORT at all.!

Now I am asking myself to use this only as a server SBC only ... that sucks . I am sorry that is the truth.
I f someone found out something new , please do post.
Thank you all and when I am hearing about ORANGE PI again I will keep my fingers crossed. AWAY .. AWAY ... AWAY ... from buying is the best solution to my pocket.

arxaios

Hello again ,

     I have made my final tests this night ... all night long. I have tested the android images from the official site and are only for them...I mean for Chinese.
DO NOT BOTHER to use these images if you are not a resident of China. (This is not a joke) . If someone have found something else please do post.
I have tested the armbian bionic version I mentioned on my previous post and I found out that the sound through HDMI is not working at all. It is deaf as a bat. Actually I have no sound at all , no analog either. !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! There is a problem with the pulsesound deamon.!!!!!!!!!!!! I have done my best to get sound but noting.!!! So it is useless ...but I have sound from android...!!!! Very bad coding indeed.
So before I trow it out of the window and waste my money for the last time on orangepi company , I will use it as a NAS server only , with no desktop of course.
LONG LIVE THE RASPBERRY .!   

igorpec

> Very bad coding
> waste my money

How much money have you wasted/invested into the software? For which you are complaining about. This feature is under the development and is not directly tied to Orangepi but Allwinner H6 chip.

Armbian with mainline Linux was done from scratch by community in their free time since Allwinner stock support is terrible. Orangepi Ltd. helps, you can also help or just stay where you are. Perhaps Linux is not for you, so stick to Microsoft stuff like Windows or RaspberryPi (yes its co-owned my Microsoft)

> no support for the gnome desktop which I tried to install.

Now find Gnome desktop for other single board computers and report back. I know that some folks succeeds to put it on Odroid XU4 but its very experimental ... and certainly not on the dumb apt-get install level. Odroid XU4 is a board from 2014/15.
>  with no desktop of course

Armbian provides lightweight XFCE desktop, suitable for low power hardware. Sound will work once driver will be developed, ported and tested. This require time.

arxaios

Dear Sir,
        I am not talking about armbian but I am talking about their official images which none of them is working.! So Dear Sir when you buy a board from them ( orange pi company) you expect more or less the official images TO WORK. Please do not talk about me about programming or linux because I was one of the latest founder in the Ubuntu Developing Community Kernel Distribution and I know how these things very well from inside out. As about Debian I do not know how the community is working but I am sure that the real developers of this board are very awful code programmers or simple they do not care to properly support this board. As for Armbian in the official page do not say anything about sound support making the impression that in sound everything is working in both flavours, or am I wrong???? May I haven't read it well then.
I left the community a few years a go because a lot of things where wrong and still are.!!!!!!!!!!!!! You do not except from simple users to help in low level programming ARM or Arch64 systems or Allwinner chips which they have different philosophy if I am not mistaken...! Now I am on the side of the single / simple user which they are buying these boards to perform some simple operations and not for the side of the developers which they have the know - how ability  ...!!  
And finally , to make it clear , I am talking about the lazy hardware developers of this board and the software support team they have on their side. It is not all about selling the hardware alone ....you understand of course.   
Have a nice day.