You can update an installed system using the update commands here: Update steps
This is a collection of scripts and tweaks to adapt Ubuntu and Linux Mint ISO images and let them run smoothly on GPD Pocket.
All informations, tips and tricks was gathered from:
- https://www.reddit.com/r/GPDPocket/comments/6idnia/linux_on_gpd_pocket/ - Chrisawcom base project files and amazing collection of tips and tricks to get all up and running
- http://linuxiumcomau.blogspot.com/ - Respin script and info
- http://hansdegoede.livejournal.com/ - Kernel patches and amazing work on Bay Trail and Cherry Trail devices
- https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/gpd-pocket-7-0-umpc-laptop-ubuntu-or-win-10-os-laptop--2/x/16403171#/ - GPD Pocket Indiegogo Campaign page
- https://github.com/nexus511/gpd-ubuntu-packages - Alternative project by nexus511
- https://github.com/cawilliamson/ansible-gpdpocket - Alternative awesome project by Cawilliamson that targets any linux distro - not maintained anymore
Kudos and all the credits for things not related to my work go to developers and users on those pages!
- ✔ Display already rotated in terminal buffer and desktop/login ( Hans de Goede kernel patch, monitors.xml file and rotation daemon based on initial work of Chrisawcom )
- ✔ Scaling already set to 175%
- ✔ Touchscreen aligned to rotation
- ✔ Multitouch ( Check multitouch section for more information )
- ✔ Wifi
- ✔ Speaker ( Must select "Speakers" in audio output devices if no sound output )
- ✔ Headphones ( Must select "Headphones" in audio output devices, works only on kernel 4.13+ )
- ✔ Battery manager
- ✔ Screen brightness ( Only after install at the moment )
- ✔ Cooling fan ( Amazing initial work of ErikaFluff, rewritten in Python by Chrisawcom! Check post installation section of this readme to optimize it )
- ✔ Bluetooth ( Credits to Reddit user dveeden )
- ✔ Intel video driver for streaming without tearing or crash
- ✔ Sleep/wake
- ✔ HDMI port
- ✔ Charging at full speed (Check charging info for more information)
- USB-C Data ( No usb live boot from it either )
- Bluetooth audio ( Need further testing and experience, audio on bluetooth seems to work for just 10 seconds then crash )
- Clone the repo and install necessary tools
- Download your ISO of choice
- Download or build the latest kernel
- Respin the ISO (it many take a about 30 minutes or even longer)
- Install OS and run post-install update
Click here for the downloads section
At the moment no BIOS update is required to run Ubuntu respin iso. You can run any BIOS you want and you probably won't notice big differences. Different BIOS have however different features enabled. Check BIOS section here
To respin an existing Ubuntu ISO, you will need to use a Linux machine with squashfs-tools and xorriso installed (e.g. sudo apt install -y squashfs-tools xorriso) and a working internet connection with at least 10GB of free space.
The first step is to clone this repo:
git clone https://github.com/stockmind/gpd-pocket-ubuntu-respin/
cd gpd-pocket-ubuntu-respin/
Install required packages:
sudo apt install -y git wget genisoimage bc squashfs-tools xorriso
Install required packages:
sudo pacman -S git wget cdrkit bc libisoburn squashfs-tools dosfstools
Download your favourite distribution's ISO and copy it into this repository's cloned folder.
- Run
./build.shin the terminal to get the most recent download link. - Download the zipped kernel file from the link generated in the terminal.
- Place the downloaded kernel in the cloned repo's root directory.
Kernel suggested is the one with patches from Hans De Goede. You can find his repository here: Hans De Goede Kernel Repository
sudo apt-get install build-essential git libncurses5-dev libssl-dev libelf-dev
git clone https://github.com/jwrdegoede/linux-sunxi.git
If you have already donwloaded the repository, you can update it with latest commits issuing:
git fetch origin
git reset --hard origin/master
Then proceed with building:
cd linux-sunxi/
make clean
make -j `getconf _NPROCESSORS_ONLN` deb-pkg LOCALVERSION=-custom
You can find the generated kernel .deb files in the parent folder where linux-sunxi repository have been cloned.
Compress all of the .deb files generated into a zip named "gpd-pocket-kernel-files.zip" and put it in the root folder of this repository.
Run the ./build.sh script as specified for your desired distro. If you built your own kernel, the build script will extract the kernels you zipped and install them during the respin.
- Build Xorg ISO (Ubuntu Unity, Linux Mint, XFCE, KDE) by running this:
./build.sh <iso filenamme>
- Build Wayland ISO (Ubuntu Gnome, Kali Linux, Gnome based distro) by running this:
./build.sh <iso filenamme> gnome
- Build Xorg ISO (Ubuntu Unity, Linux Mint, XFCE, KDE) by running this:
PATH=/usr/sbin:/sbin:/bin:$PATH ./build.sh <iso filenamme>
- Build Wayland ISO (Ubuntu Gnome, Kali Linux, Elementary OS, Gnome based distro) by running this:
PATH=/usr/sbin:/sbin:/bin:$PATH ./build.sh <iso filenamme> gnome
Gnome desktop environment and derivate (Pantheon of Elementary OS) use a different name convention for monitors. The default Xorg configuration won't work and a custom configuration must be used to get everything to work. That's the reason of the "gnome" argument for update and build script.
I sugget Etcher to write ISO's onto a USB flash drive. It's fast, reliable, and multi-platform.
Boot the system using one-time boot menu: During boot, when you see the GPD logo, press the Fn + F7 keys.
Don't boot your USB from a USB Type C adapter or USB Type C drive as it wouldn't work until USB Type C data is supported by kernel.
These commands should be run after the first boot. There is an update script that will do it automatically, or you can run the necessary commands manually.
You can run my update script to update your installation and grub options. Additionally, you can use this script to setup everything either after an install or after a Desktop Environment change.
sudo apt-get install -y git
git clone https://github.com/stockmind/gpd-pocket-ubuntu-respin.git
cd gpd-pocket-ubuntu-respin/
chmod +x update.sh
- Unity, KDE, XFCE as Desktop Environment:
sudo ./update.sh
- GNOME, Pantheon (Elementary OS) as Desktop Environment:
sudo ./update.sh gnome
Gnome desktop environment and derivate (Pantheon of Elementary OS) use a different name convention for monitors. The default Xorg configuration won't work and a custom configuration must be used to get everything to work. That's the reason of the "gnome" argument for update and build script.
Those commands will update your grub boot options to optimize the boot process for your Intel Atom processor
sudo sed -i "s/GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX_DEFAULT=\"quiet splash\"/GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX_DEFAULT=\"\"/" /etc/default/grub
sudo sed -i "s/GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX=\"\"/GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX=\"i915.fastboot=1 i915.semaphores=1 fbcon=rotate:1\"/" /etc/default/grub
sudo update-grub
The latest GPD Fan control script is integrated into the ISO. You should update your installation using these commands:
git clone https://github.com/stockmind/gpd-pocket-ubuntu-respin.git
cd gpd-pocket-ubuntu-respin/fan/
sudo cp gpdfand.service /etc/systemd/system/gpdfand.service
sudo cp gpdfand /lib/systemd/system-sleep/gpdfand
sudo cp gpdfand.conf /etc/gpdfand.conf
sudo cp gpdfand.py /usr/local/sbin/gpdfand
sudo chmod +x /lib/systemd/system-sleep/gpdfand /usr/local/sbin/gpdfand
sudo chmod 0644 /etc/gpdfand.conf
sudo chmod 0644 /etc/systemd/system/gpdfand.service
sudo systemctl enable gpdfand.service
sudo systemctl restart gpdfand.service
Check status using:
systemctl status gpdfand.service
To let SDDM (The preferred display manager for KDE Plasma desktop) to scale correctly and be rotated you should put two xrandr arguments into his starting configuration file like this:
echo "xrandr --output DSI1 --rotate right" >> /usr/share/sddm/scripts/Xsetup # Rotate Monitor0
echo "xrandr --dpi 168" >> /usr/share/sddm/scripts/Xsetup # Scaling 175%
Here is an already respinned Ubuntu ISO for GPD Pocket
https://mega.nz/#F!8WpQRZrD!0XHgajeG-QVZTp1Jbjndgw
At the moment no BIOS update is required to run Ubuntu respin iso. You can run any BIOS you want and you probably won't notice big differences. Different BIOS have however different features enabled. Check it out on changelogs below.
You can find BIOS updates for GPD Pocket and original firmware files on this page:
http://www.gpd.hk/news.asp?id=1519&selectclassid=002002
Useful informations:
http://tieba.baidu.com/p/5293185138
Second version - Chinese Mirror - My mirror
First version (Working iso, GPD one uploaded on indiegogo was corrupt)
-
Customary BIOS: Original BIOS shipped with first batch of production.
-
2017/06/28 BIOS for Ubuntu: BIOS released for Ubuntu beta firmware.
Changelog: 1 - All settings are enabled so you can customize all the option of the BIOS. 2 - Should have the fan working on boot -
2017/07/05 BIOS: Second BIOS officially released, on this BIOS fan will turn on while charging when device is powered off.
Changelog (Google translate): 1 - boot on the fan ( Probably to support GPD official Ubuntu firmware that doesn't seems to handle fan directly ) 2 - improve the DPTF temperature, before the limit for the CPU temperature higher than 85 degrees or the battery temperature is higher than 58 degrees will CPU down. -
Changelog (Google translate) 1 - This BIOS has changed the boot logic. In the previous BIOS device will boot only with a charge of 10 to 17%, now you only need at least some charge to boot.
- Download the latest BIOS
- Install the flashing utility
sudo apt install flashrom
- Use
cdto enter the directory where you downloaded the BIOS - Backup the current BIOS
sudo flashrom -p internal -r backup.bin
- Flash the new BIOS
sudo flashrom -p internal -w Rom_8MB_Tablet.bin
- Reboot Your Computer
Notes: You may need to restore BIOS setting to their default in order to get everything running smoothly.
To get charging working correctly a different Power Delivery 2.0 charger may be required, based on kernel used, otherwise charging will be slow and will just keep device charge stable when in use. i.e. it will not drain battery as it may happen on old or generic kernels, but won't charge device more than when connected to power.
Follow some data recorded with several chargers and systems regarding the charge delivered and perceived by the system:
| Charger | System | Volts (Avg.) | Ampere (Avg.) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stock GPD charger | 4.12-rc2+ kernel (GPD official firmware) | 4.70v | 2.5a |
| Aukey charger | 4.12-rc2+ kernel (GPD official firmware) | 4.70v | 2.5a |
| Stock GPD charger | 4.12-rc7 kernel (HansDeGoede kernel) | 4.89v | 0.5a * |
| Aukey charger | 4.12-rc7 kernel (HansDeGoede kernel) | 4.89v | 2a |
| Stock GPD charger | 4.13-rc3 kernel (HansDeGoede kernel) | 11.8v | 1.5a |
| Aukey charger | 4.13-rc3 kernel (HansDeGoede kernel) | 9.20v | 0.5a ** |
| Stock GPD charger | 4.13-rc5 kernel (HansDeGoede kernel) | 11.8v | 1.3a |
| Aukey charger | 4.13-rc5 kernel (HansDeGoede kernel) | 9.0v | 1.4a |
| Stock GPD charger | Windows 10 | 11.70v | 1.7a |
| Aukey charger | Windows 10 | 8.90v | 2a |
* Charging will not drain battery but won't charge device more than when connected to power
** Charging will be slow
Ampere delivered may vary depending on the remaining battery charge.
The tests have been performed using this Jokitech USB-C Power Meter Tester Multimeter
Follow link of Anker charger used.
Amazon UK - AUKEY USB C 29W PD 2.0
Amazon IT - AUKEY USB C 29W PD 2.0
- Google Chrome: Works out of the box with multitouch gestures. No configuration needed.
- Touchegg: This enable some multitouch gesture on touchscreen and you can use it like a touchpad. It works only with non-libinput backend. Works good on XFCE. Won't work with GNOME, Elementary OS. Issue Possible fix for GNOME, Elementary OS You can install it by issuing "sudo apt-get install touchegg" and use, or try the gpdpocket-touchegg-config package by nexus511
- Libinput-gestures: This enable multitouch gestures. Works on GNOME, Unity, Elementary OS and Desktop Environment that use libinput as default. It supports Xorg and partially Wayland.
You can monitor frequencies of cpu issuing:
cat /sys/bus/cpu/devices/cpu*/cpufreq/scaling_cur_freq
Press the power button to let the desktop load and look at issues below.
Some sort of Unity daemon or watcher seems to read bad values from battery or charge and put system on sleep when charger is plugged in. This seems to happen also on boot of Live USB. Press any key or power button to wake. It only happens on Unity as far as i know.
Try to burn the image on a smaller usb device or try another image.
I sugget Etcher to write the ISO on a USB flash drive. It's fast, reliabl,e and multi-platform.
Check that the correct sound output device is selected in System Settings. It should be "Speakers: chtrt5645" for device speakers and "Headphones: chtrt5645" for the audio jack output.
Check your system displays settings and move your displays until they are not overlapping each others.
The scaling ratio is set to 2 to be able to read on the screen but it sure takes of a lot of space out of the FullHD screen.
Things will be more aliased and have better edge but take more space on screen.
To restore to native pixel resolution you have to edit the scale configuration:
sudo nano /etc/X11/Xsession.d/90-scale
You have to edit all the values to their default:
gsettings set com.ubuntu.user-interface scale-factor "{'DSI-1': 8, 'DSI1': 8}" // Unity
gsettings set org.gnome.desktop.interface scaling-factor 1 // Gnome 3
gsettings set org.gnome.desktop.interface text-scaling-factor 1 // Gnome 3
gsettings set org.cinnamon.desktop.interface scaling-factor 1 // Cinnamon
gsettings set org.cinnamon.desktop.interface text-scaling-factor 1 // Cinnamon
This will affect all the different desktop environments. This might require a log-out, log-in, or reboot to take effect. Restarting the display manager service will also work. This way you can still read fine (if you have good 👀 ) and have all your pixels back.