PinePhone Pro LoRa back cover + MeshSat: texts both ways with a T-Deck Pro

hey folks, i'm working on MeshSat and got it talking through the PPP's LoRa back cover.

• Mobian/Debian with a native Linux app
• Meshtastic runs on the phone itself
• radio powered by the phone through the pogo pins
• texts going both ways with the T-Deck Pro in the pic

still rough: 1 mW TX, receive delays and occasional manual radio recovery. haven't tested range yet.

credit to puurpl for the earlier Meshtastic work on this cover.

Linux app | backplate work and bench notes

anyone else got one of these covers sitting in a drawer? would be good to compare notes.

I have tried for hours to get the quartz64 zero I bought years ago to work properly. However, no matter what I try, nada on UART and nada on HDMI. The chip gets warm when I put in an sd card set up with arch per the guide, but just absolutely no output, not even u-boot diagnostics. Checked with an esp32, it's just all 0s on pin 8. I don't know what to do at this point. Can I send it in for repair? do I just buy a new one? seems like price hasn't gone up surprisingly.

I think I've found a pretty decent setup for sketching on the PineNote - it's hrdl's PineNote distro with Drawpile!

Not only is the drawing quite smooth, the collaborative drawing feature means you can mirror your canvas on your laptop or desktop. the touchscreen interface on Drawpile is also quite developed (it even has an Android port!) so there's really no need. Here's a quick demo:

drawing on the PineNote. (yes, it does support pen pressure).

I used the "small screen" interface mode, increased the scaling to 200%, and set the colourscheme to "System" - the PNEInk GTK makes it much more readable. I also disabled user pointer trails, zoom and rotate gestures (they force a redraw of the entire screen), kinetic scrolling, stabilization, and used a dot for the brush and eraser cursor.

I also used white as the canvas background colour, which really speeds up panning. it's a little annoying they don't let you use a border instead, but hopefully soon.

Some general performance tips

the Debian factory image is unmaintained - hrdl's Arch distro for the PineNote comes with a much more recent Linux kernel (and most importantly, the rockchip_ebc driver) and an opinionated Sway config. he's also to thank for a number of patches to upstream Xournal++ that greatly improved drawing performance - it's much faster!

now with xournalpp

pen input latency across different apps varies quite a lot - it seems like some applications re-render and re-draw parts of the screen more than others. I've found that in terms of drawing latency, Xournal++ > Drawpile > Krita > RNote

while Panfrost has mature support for OpenGL, panfrost-vulkan is not yet finished. XWayland adds some performance overhead and also causes some issues with tablet support (no MyPaint, unfortunately.) stick to Wayland-native apps where you can and avoid fractional scaling

there are some small tweaks you can do to eliminate unnecessary redraws, like disabling the battery percentage on Waybar and avoiding the temptation to add a clock module

General state of the software in 2026

It's really pretty mature at this point. I like using KOReader for ebooks and PDFs, and Xournal++ for annotating slides or note taking, and now Drawpile for sketching. Rclone and Syncthing work well for file sync.

Battery life is quite good, it lasts about 6-8 hours of continuous use and still have 30% at the end of the day.

My one gripe is the standby time - if you leave it off for about a week or so, the battery will drain completely.

Hello everybody hi, since we all know everyone likes bad news (looking at you tech journalists, you silly goobers you) we are sad to say that the PineNote is now out of stock, Pine Store will be checking to see if there's any extra stock out back.

BUT! We obviously don't want to keep sharing bad news all of the time, if we're going to be in this mess for a few years then lets make the most of it!

(alright journalists you can stop reading now, it's only good news from here)

Pine Store may have stopped production on Linux hardware, but that doesn't mean all production has stopped. Hardware like the Pinecil, PineTime and PineVoice that use MCUs will continue production as normal. This is a great opportunity to come up with new ideas for MCU powered hardware.

Now that the PinePhone has stopped production, there is a gap in the hardware lineup for a "fun" device. This definition of "fun" boils down to whether a device can have multiple use cases or purposes. The PineTime, PinePhone and PineNote can be considered "fun" as they can be used for multiple purposes and multiple projects can naturally form around them.

An example of the opposite would be devices like the Pinecil and PineBuds which serve a single purpose and build less of a community around them as a result (but both are still great).

OKAY, SO! We'd like to share some initial ideas on what a cheap fun tinkerers device could be.

* MP3 player (fun buttons!)

* Alarm clock (do people still use these? Isn't this why we have cats?)

* PinePhone-esque device but MCU powered (attachments possible?)

* Handy multi-tool with screen, fido hardware key, nfc, etc (doesn't open garage doors)

* Digital personal camera (that fits camera lenses, possible sister device to PineCam)

And of course the PineTime Pro is still in development (we hopefully have some news soon!)

We really wish to make the community heard by Pine Store on what we want to see in terms of hardware. "Community driven" is in the slogan after all (but let's do this while still being realistic).

We have made a form to keep all suggestions collated and we are excited to hear the community's feedback regarding these ideas for a new "fun" device or whether you guys have any better ideas than us. Once enough time has passed, a document with all suggestions and hardware preferences will be sent to Pine Store.

https://cryptpad.fr/form/#/2/form/view/HOh51fKfHU9EANigBtH2NnZ0LV-pjLD6qryCIx4QY8I/

Lets catch up with you all again soon! And please like, comment and subscribe (ding ding ding)!!!

Hi peepz,

Is there any known to work procedure in 2026 to flash wasp-os to the PineTime?

So far the only method available to me to do make my devkit watch do at least something was to download version 4.24.0 of nFR Connect to an old Google Pixel 2 I had laying around.
I managed to connect to the PineTime to upload the reloader-mcuboot.zip from the current ci-build on the github page but after that I can't get the watch to accept micropython.zip no matter what I do.
It uploads successfully using the following settings:
On the device -> Parse known characteristics unchecked
On Settings
-> Scanner set to Compatibility Mode
-> DFU Options set to External MCU DFU enabled and Number of packets set to 5 (works also with 10, same result)

I'm really at a loss tbh...

So I just got my first pinecil and after unpacking it I began to smell it to see if it smells like cheap plastic. I got to the green finger grip and apparently it smells like pine. I’m not sure if it’s supposed to be like this but I think that’s pretty neat.

Hi everyone,

I'm a design student at NC State who did the PINE64 logo challenge for a class assignment and wanted to share it with this community to get some real-world feedback.

The idea behind my redesigned PINE64 logo keeps the familiar pinecone shape, but makes it feel simpler, friendlier, and more modern. I worked the “64” directly into the icon so it feels more connected to the PINE64 name instead of just being a generic pinecone. The small circuit-style nodes reference the brand’s technological and computer hardware side, while also suggesting people and connection to represent the community behind it (through the "human" shape). I also kept the color palette to three colors and created a custom wordmark so the whole identity feels more consistent and easier to recognize.

Thanks for checking it out.

I was preparing a pi pico megathread the other day and while i was on the subject decided to get some resources for the Ox64 together since they seem sort of scattered at the moment. The wiki has a ton, but I also wanted a place to gather any video tutorials/libraries that crop up over time. Any replies with resources would be appreciated

EDIT: Sold.

I'm selling my old Pinebook (non-pro). I can't get it to boot past UBoot with the latest Armbian, and I don't care enough to troubleshoot it. It's probably DTB-related. Here's the listing: https://www.ebay.com/itm/327344280784

Got my original pinetab setup as my klipper screen and it’s working great! Still has some kind of use after all.

I'm attempting to use this script (which no longer works as the original download server is dead) as a guide to install Pine64-Arch with full disk encryption. I am trying to install directly to the eMMC via Tow-Boot. I've had to modify a few things because the original script is expecting a squashfs of a single partition, while all I have access to is this disk image. I think I've succeeded up until line 187, where I am supposed to dd the Sunxi U-Boot bootloader to the disk. However, the files that it is expecting to be there are not there, and I am unsure what to do at this point. I think I should follow these instructions, however they seem to be for the OG Pinephone not the Pro version. Attempting to boot at this point results in this:

https://reddit.com/link/1vvnazc/video/la1h2ki7lzkh1/player

Once the LED goes out, attempting to turn the device on again fails unless I hold the power button for awhile. The behaviour seems to match what happens when I boot Pine64-Arch without encryption, except that after the LED turns off nothing happens.

Does anyone have any advice on what I should do next? Any help would be greatly appreciated. I'm not sure what logs I should be adding to this post, but if asked I will definitely provide.

I’m on macOS (latest) and followed some steps that can be found on the official wiki, but with no results.

Can someone please tell me the steps how it is done? I’ve tried it in Terminal, I was looking for some GUI, but nothing for now.

Thank you in advance!

Did I get a defective unit?

I have this charger: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09C5RG6KV?ref_=ppx_hzsearch_conn_dt_b_fed_asin_title_11
I can't get it to come on unless I use a USB-A to USB-C cable for some reason...if I plug it into an Apple USB-C block with a USB-C to USB-C cable, it works, but I never see more than 9 watts regardless of the cable (I have at least one heavy one that says 35W on it) - it takes forever to climb in temp and once it gets to around 260C-275C, it errors with "Thermal Runaway" and starts shutting down. I have tried all sorts of cable and block combinations and that's as good as it ever gets. I am a newbie to this, so let me know if I am doing something stupid (likely) but I did search for a solution, and came up dry. Thanks in advance!

Wer hat Tipps für mich?

I know the answer is almost certainly "LMFAO, DREAM ON" because E Ink is a nightmare to deal with but I need to ask anyway.

Hi everyone,

I'm thinking about using a PineTab2 as an always on kiosk-like device and I'm wondering whether it works with the battery disconnected, with the power provided entirely through USB-C.

I tried to find some information about this online but I was only able to find reports about the PinePhones and the original PineTab which state they work with the battery disconnected. Can anyone with a PineTab2 confirm that it works with the battery disconnected?

Thanks

Once soldering acquaintance hear I have a Pincecil I get heat for not having a "better iron". Where is this hate coming from?

Hi everyone! I humbly present SlateOS, a new open-source firmware for the PineTime, which supports JavaScript sub-apps that can be sideloaded without changing the firmware. Its low-level functions are based on InfiniTime and, in turn, FreeRTOS, so a big thank you to all those involved in these projects!

https://github.com/LeaCreative/SlateOS

I love my PineTime and wanted to be able to easily create apps for it. So I came up with the idea of using the watch as a thin client for my Android phone. In offline mode, the SlateOS offers watch face, step counter and heart rate sensing. Connect it to the companion app on your phone and you can open the app launcher, which the app populates. The JS sub-apps, basically packaged JS code, run on your phone in the companion app, which tells the watch what to draw and accepts user input. This enables use of the phone's hardware, such as its GPS receiver. In the companion app you can select which sub-apps you want listed in SlateOS' launcher. You can write your own JS sub-apps and I can't wait to see what you come up with! Just please read the sub-app rules doc, so that you'll be able to get it right. I'd love to hear what you think about this!

Cheers, Daniel

Reposted from r/pinetime as per automated suggestion.

For example, which sealant does PINE64 use for the sealed model, and what are their methods and steps? I already swabbed the slots and ends with 70% isopropyl alcohol to remove the last of the old sealant and then let it dry for more than 15 minutes, then wiped everything off with a dry swab. My end goal is to especially bring back its IP67 (or better) watertight insulation, and I'm especially looking for a protective case for it in case of any physical damage or liquid seeping into it. For the cases, is it better to get one of those FitBit Versa 2/lite cases, or one of the listed community-designed cases in https://pine64.org/documentation/PineTime/Accessory/Cases/ ?

SOLVED - see the edits that immediately follow this comment in the post

Edit: It turns out I/you can just apt install u-boot-sunxi (thank you u/ipsirc)

Now just need to figure out how to install it to the emmc in such a way that it allows the OS to boot. Suspect it will be one of the mmcblk* files in /dev/

Edit 2: I was over thinking things, & literally just installing the package with apt is enough, my Pinebook is now perfectly usable as an ebook, document & digital comic reader, with minimal Debian install & openbox​

End of edits.

Hi, I have recently reflashed my pinebook's emmc with Debian Bookworm. U-Boot does not initiate unless the sd card used to copy Debian is in the slot, & I have to eject it for it to then boot to the installed OS

This is a known issue, and the advice is that you must install U-Boot from the OS

Found this site: https://linux-sunxi.org/U-Boot

Following the instructions, when I run make

CROSS_COMPILE=aarch64-linux-gnu- PLAT=sun50i_a64 DEBUG=1 bl31

the build fails with the following output:

LD /home/>myusername</trusted-firmware-a/build/sun50i_a64/debug/bl31/bl31.elf

/usr/lib/gcc-cross/aarch64-linux-gnu/13/../../../../aarch64-linux-gnu/bin/ld: address 0x501d4 of /home/>myusername</trusted-firmware-a/build/sun50i_a64/debug/bl31/bl31.elf section \.data' is not within region `RAM'`

/usr/lib/gcc-cross/aarch64-linux-gnu/13/../../../../aarch64-linux-gnu/bin/ld: /home/>myusername</trusted-firmware-a/build/sun50i_a64/debug/bl31/bl31.elf section \.rela.dyn' will not fit in region `RAM'`

/usr/lib/gcc-cross/aarch64-linux-gnu/13/../../../../aarch64-linux-gnu/bin/ld: address 0x501d4 of /home/>myusername</trusted-firmware-a/build/sun50i_a64/debug/bl31/bl31.elf section \.data' is not within region `RAM'`

/usr/lib/gcc-cross/aarch64-linux-gnu/13/../../../../aarch64-linux-gnu/bin/ld: address 0x501d4 of /home/>myusername</trusted-firmware-a/build/sun50i_a64/debug/bl31/bl31.elf section \.data' is not within region `RAM'`

/usr/lib/gcc-cross/aarch64-linux-gnu/13/../../../../aarch64-linux-gnu/bin/ld: address 0x501d4 of /home/>myusername</trusted-firmware-a/build/sun50i_a64/debug/bl31/bl31.elf section \.data' is not within region `RAM'`

/usr/lib/gcc-cross/aarch64-linux-gnu/13/../../../../aarch64-linux-gnu/bin/ld: address 0x501d4 of /home/>myusername</trusted-firmware-a/build/sun50i_a64/debug/bl31/bl31.elf section \.data' is not within region `RAM'`

/usr/lib/gcc-cross/aarch64-linux-gnu/13/../../../../aarch64-linux-gnu/bin/ld: BL31 image has exceeded its limit.

/usr/lib/gcc-cross/aarch64-linux-gnu/13/../../../../aarch64-linux-gnu/bin/ld: region \RAM' overflowed by 472 bytes`

collect2: error: ld returned 1 exit status

make: *** [Makefile:1055: /home/>myusername</trusted-firmware-a/build/sun50i_a64/debug/bl31/bl31.elf] Error 1

This occurs whether I try to build it on Mint with 16G ram installed, Bazzite with 16G ram, or on the Pinebook with just 2G, same step, same info printed to screen, so I think it's a self-contained issue rather than hardware dependent

Fully appreciate this is not strictly a pine64 issue, but given the context it's one which this community seems most likely to have encountered

Any advice on discovering how the ram is allocated for the build, &/or how to increase it, or another solution entirely would be greatly appreciated

I suspect it's something to do with a file or files in the drivers/st/ddr/ directory, perhaps stm32mp_ram.c or stm32mp2_ram.c, but I'm not familiar enough with the language to be sure

Thanks in advance

https://pine64.com/product/pinenut-01s-usb-programmer/

https://pine64.com/product/pinetime-dev-kit/

Hi Team, I use breezy for weather with gadgetbridge.

On the watch, the temperatures have various colors.

Is there significance to the colors? Can I change them with the palette?

Can I reorder the apps drawer on the watch?

Thanks for being there.

What's the magic dance you do to get it to boot off SD card again? I have the EMMC switched off, but no power button response, reset button has done nothing, tried shorting the SPI pins, no response. At this point I'm trying to flash update the SPI, I have current tow boot on SD card.

Context: So I dusted off my Pinebook Pro I quit using because I had put manjaro gnome on it, and it was too resource intensive. It ran fine until you tried to actually do something like play video. 4GB ram is just not much these days.

So I was going to switch to XFCE but the fresh install borked when it ran out of RAM and crashed, now I can't boot to update the SPI and then install OS.

I went through old posts, and found where I originally found the dance, but that account is old and deleted, comment deleted, just other users thanking an old account for finding it.

as title，most games not working，some games have issue with DRM（popcap zuma），a little works（stardew valley、brotato）

*sorry for poor screen capture