8GB EMMC Flash in Orange Pi Plus, How can I use it?

BryanFRitt · Published in 2015-5-8 00:35:37

What can I do with the 8GB EMMC Flash in Orange Pi Plus? (and how?)

Can I put Raspbian(or other OS) on it, then be able to take out the flash card without shutting down the OS?
Can I use it to store stuff on?
`df -h` isn't show anything 8 GB in size.

phelum · Published in 2015-5-8 14:20:14

Edited by phelum at 2015-5-8 14:39

What can I do with the 8GB EMMC Flash in Orange Pi Plus? (and how?)

Can I put Raspbian(or other OS) on it, then be able to take out the flash card without shutting down the OS?
Can I use it to store stuff on?
`df -h` isn't show anything 8 GB in size.

I think so.  Try a sunxi program called nand-part to partition the NAND then use mkfs to format the partitions.  I suggest a small boot partiton (say 64MB) (FAT32) and the remainder of the NAND is an ext4 partition (root file system).

Booting directly from NAND might be harder because it requires a special u-boot and probably the boot0/1 code in NAND will need to be updated.  But it should be easy to get the system to boot from SD card and load the kernel (uImage) and then get everything else from NAND.  So as soon as the kernel starts you will be able to remove the SD card.

Update: The Debian server image I'm running doesn't have the NAND driver and so there is no /dev/nand.  I'll try to generate a suitable kernel.

Cheers,
Steven

pgauret · Published in 2015-5-9 02:04:59

In the emmc seen through the NAND driver? I thought it as just seen as a second mmc card. This however requires configuring u-boot and potentially the kernel to scan for a second mmc slot. Haven't tried it yet.

zhao_steven · Published in 2015-5-9 05:47:22

I will find a way burning Linux image to emmc flash. Please wait for a while.

piento · Published in 2015-5-10 20:00:45

thx. on archlinux I have found this https://aur.archlinux.org/packages/sunxi-livesuite/

but nothing...

phelum · Published in 2015-5-12 22:00:13

zhao_steven replied at 2015-5-9 05:47
I will find a way burning Linux image to emmc flash. Please wait for a while.

Hi,
I don't know if other people are already doing this but I've just managed to get my OPI (not OPI+) to boot from NAND. It's almost the same as a Cubietruck except for the script.bin and changes to uEnv.txt. I suspect it will be very similar with the OPI+ but I can't test this until I manage to generate a kernel with a NAND driver. My problem with the kernel is that it's very old (3.4.43) and doesn't have the NAND driver. Later kernels I've found don't have the sun8iw7p1 extras required for the H3. So hopefully Steven can get us a later kernel for this board.

Cheers,
Steven

zhao_steven · Published in 2015-5-12 23:30:43

New kernel is porting.

roblad · Published in 2015-5-21 01:37:01

Hi,

Where can I find the package ?

P.I.Joe · Published in 2015-5-21 17:58:01

I just tried to boot Android from the emmc storage. Only an Allwinner Logo Appears. Nothing else. Even after ten minutes, theres only the Allwinner Logo... Does anyone got the same error?

AlvaTron · Published in 2015-6-23 18:34:14

Edited by AlvaTron at 2015-6-25 15:29

P.I.Joe replied at 2015-5-21 17:58
I just tried to boot Android from the emmc storage. Only an Allwinner Logo Appears. Nothing else. Ev ...

Hello PIJoe,

My English is very bad, but I'll try to explain what I did, because he same thing happened to me,
at first I had not signal on HDMIr, a red LED is lit and soon turned green, but don't do anything more.

To install androdid the steps are different,
you have them here: http://www.orangepi.org/Docs/SDc ... ll_Android_OS_image

Follow it step by step, the burno proces failed me several times,
I recommend rename image file to have no spaces or strange characters, and leave it in unit C: to avoid complications with path when you burn the image.

The point 3 process must be full completed, in my SD 8Gb it took no more than two minutes, what the program do is to create a hidden partition for the OS that PI Orange know how to interpret.

The 'Format to normal' option, what it does is remove those partitions and leave the SD as it was originally, with all the space available.
With full SD burned, insert it into the Orange IP, plug it to a USB power source and connected the HDMI.

When I switch on sometimes go and sometimes not, I believe that it's because the charger is not powerful enough, I tried several chargers and there is one with which I have come to work,
that have 5v and 1.2A, but is a bit random, an muy Orange pi plus was going a bit slow, but I get to work.
In fact I used the miracast with my Nexus 5 and it has worked perfect, and the mouse bluetooth too.

When turned on the Orange PI, in few seconds it should show up Winner logo and the red light of the PI Orange must be on, maybe turns green fora few seconds and then return to red,
and disappear logo Winner from the TV, and it's turns black and few seconds later, no more than 1 minute the Androdid desktop should appear (all in Chinese can select the language setting, it's easy)
Once the first load with the SD, which has made the OPI+ is recorded in its internal memory the OS, you can actually remove the SD from de OPI+, and the next time you turn on the OPI+ strat with a logo animation and a few seconds and then load the OS.

The configuration is stored in the OS, and there is a button to switch on and off to near AC conector,
if you press it quickly gets on standby, if you keep perssed the device turns off, like a mobile.

I don't know if I've helped you, but I hope so.

regards!