ArchR v2.0-rc3 — first official release-candidate

Kernel 6.12 LTS · Mesa 26.0.5 Panfrost · CMA 96 MB · zlib-ng 2.2.4
CPU turbo 1.5 GHz (vdd_arm 1.45 V) · GPU 650 MHz @ 1.150 V · mali_kbase PM patch
43 motherboard revisions covered · two image variants with hardware auto-detect
PortMaster pre-installed · MESA_GLTHREAD whitelist · RetroAchievements
Tailscale / WireGuard / ZeroTier · Syncthing + rclone · Samba

Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.7 (1M context) <noreply@anthropic.com>

.gitignore

@@ -93,7 +93,6 @@ projects/ArchR/devices/SM8550/
 projects/ArchR/devices/SM8650/
 
 # Non-R36S device documentation
-bench-results/*
 documentation/PER_DEVICE_DOCUMENTATION/H700/
 documentation/PER_DEVICE_DOCUMENTATION/RK3399/
 documentation/PER_DEVICE_DOCUMENTATION/RK3566/
@@ -173,7 +172,4 @@ packages/sysutils/open-vm-tools/
 
 #other
 docs/*
-!docs/improvements.md
-!docs/release-policy.md
-!docs/fhs-mapping.md
-bench-results/config/mipi-generator/__pycache__/
+bench-results/

Makefile

@@ -1,12 +1,5 @@
 -include $(HOME)/.archr/options
 
-# Normalise OFFICIAL once, before any recipe runs. `override` makes
-# this assignment win against MAKEFLAGS cmdline propagation, so
-# recursive make invocations (build_distro -> make image) see the
-# canonical "yes" value instead of the raw "y" / "Y" / "1" the user
-# passed on the outer command line. `export` then forwards it to
-# every shell, including scripts/image which tests `= "yes"` exact.
-override OFFICIAL := $(if $(filter y yes Y YES 1,$(OFFICIAL)),yes,)
 export OFFICIAL
 
 all: world
@@ -113,17 +106,6 @@ docker-image-pull:
 	$(DOCKER_CMD) pull $(DOCKER_IMAGE)
 
 # Wire up docker to call equivalent make files using % to match and $* to pass the value matched by %
-# After a successful RK3326 build, refresh the overlay-generator website's
-# bundled base DTBs (/archr-bases) so they never drift from the shipped image.
-# Runs host-side on purpose: the website repo is not mounted into the build
-# container. The sync script is itself non-fatal, and the guard keeps it off
-# non-build docker targets (docker-shell, docker-update, ...).
-# Before any docker build, fail fast if the three shipped input-config
-# artifacts drifted from the per-pad definitions (see projects/ArchR/inputs).
-# Verification only: the build never rewrites the artifacts by itself.
 docker-%:
-	@./projects/ArchR/inputs/gen-input-configs verify >/dev/null || \
-	  { ./projects/ArchR/inputs/gen-input-configs verify; exit 1; }
 	./scripts/get_env > .env
 	BUILD_DIR="$(DOCKER_WORK_DIR)" $(DOCKER_CMD) run $(PODMAN_ARGS) $(INTERACTIVE) --init --env-file .env --rm --user $(UID):$(GID) $(GLOBAL_SETTINGS) $(LOCAL_SSH_KEYS_FILE) $(EMULATIONSTATION_SRC) -v "$(PWD)":"$(DOCKER_WORK_DIR)" -v /tmp:/tmp -w "$(DOCKER_WORK_DIR)" $(DOCKER_EXTRA_OPTS) $(DOCKER_IMAGE) $(COMMAND)
-	@if [ "$*" = "RK3326" ]; then ./scripts/repo/sync-site-bases; fi

README.md

@@ -3,7 +3,7 @@
 </p>
 
 <p align="center">
-  <strong>Arch Linux gaming distribution for handheld devices.</strong>
+  <strong>Arch Linux-based gaming distribution for handheld devices.</strong>
 </p>
 
 <p align="center">
@@ -14,27 +14,22 @@
 
 ---
 
-Arch R is an **Arch Linux** distribution for the **R36S** handheld gaming console and its many variants. In the same spirit as SteamOS, it pairs a genuine Arch userland (pacman, systemd, up-to-date packages) with a curated console experience: flash it, turn the device on, play. System updates are delivered through the built-in updater, kernel included; reflashing is only needed for a fresh install or recovery.
-
-The image build pipeline descends from the LibreELEC family of embedded build systems (through JELOS and ROCKNIX), but the operating system it assembles is Arch Linux ARM, not a JELOS derivative.
+Arch R is a custom Linux distribution for the **R36S** handheld gaming console and all its variants, built on top of [ROCKNIX](https://github.com/ROCKNIX/distribution) with an **Arch Linux-based** build environment. It supports **16 board profiles** and **20 display panels** across original and clone hardware.
 
 ## Features
 
-- Genuine Arch Linux ARM base with pacman and signed package repositories (stable, next and dev channels).
-- Built-in system updater in EmulationStation; kernel and device trees update through it too, with checksum-verified writes to the boot partition.
-- Mainline kernel 6.12 LTS with board auto-detection via SARADC.
-- Memory clock trained at 666MHz from boot (twice the BSP-era default) and tuned Mali-G31 graphics.
-- EmulationStation frontend with RetroArch and 18+ cores pre-installed, plus PortMaster.
-- Full audio support with speaker/headphone auto-switch across board revisions.
-- Power button light sleep: screen and backlight fully off, instant wake.
-- Power LED control (on, off, heartbeat) on every supported family.
-- USB WiFi dongle support, including the common RTL8188EUS family (TP-Link, Edimax).
-- MIPI panel overlays for every known motherboard revision, generated on demand by the online overlay generator at https://arch-r.io/overlay-generator/ (or during flashing by the Arch R Flasher). The generator also extracts board-specific wiring (audio amplifier, jack detect, LEDs, PMIC interrupt) from your stock DTB.
+- Arch Linux-based build system with Docker support.
+- Kernel 6.12 LTS with board auto-detection via SARADC.
+- Mesa Panfrost open-source GPU driver (GLES 3.1, no proprietary blobs).
+- EmulationStation frontend with RetroArch and 18+ cores pre-installed.
+- Full audio support with speaker/headphone auto-switch.
+- Battery monitoring with capacity reporting and LED warning.
+- 43 pre-generated MIPI panel overlays (15 original + 18 clone + 10 soysauce variants), one per motherboard revision.
 - Separate images for original and clone boards, both with hardware auto-detection.
 - Integrated cross-device local and remote network play.
 - Fine-grained control for battery life and performance.
-- Bluetooth audio and controller support (via USB Bluetooth adapter; the boards have no internal radio).
-- USB audio devices (DACs, headsets, controllers with audio).
+- Bluetooth audio and controller support.
+- HDMI audio/video output, USB audio.
 - Device sync with Syncthing and rclone.
 - VPN support with WireGuard, Tailscale, and ZeroTier.
 - Built-in scraping and RetroAchievements.
@@ -45,16 +40,17 @@ The image build pipeline descends from the LibreELEC family of embedded build sy
 
 | Board | Image |
 |-------|-------|
-| R36S (original), R33S, R36S Soysauce | Original |
+| R36S (original), R33S | Original |
 | Odroid Go Advance / v1.1 / Super | Original |
 | Anbernic RG351V / RG351M | Original |
-| GameForce Chi, MagicX XU10, Powkiddy RGB10 | Original |
-| K36 / R36S V20 clones / EE Clone | Clone |
-| Powkiddy RGB10X, MagicX XU-Mini-M | Clone |
+| GameForce Chi, MagicX XU10 | Original |
+| K36 / R36S clones / EE Clone | Clone |
+| Powkiddy RGB10 / RGB10X / RGB20S | Clone |
+| MagicX XU-Mini-M, BatLexp G350 | Clone |
 
 ### Display Panels
 
-Panel overlays are not baked into the images. Generate the overlay for your exact motherboard revision at the online generator, https://arch-r.io/overlay-generator/ (pick your board, or upload the stock `dtb` from the SD card that shipped with the device), then copy the resulting file to `overlays/mipi-panel.dtbo` on the boot partition. The Arch R Flasher can also generate and install the overlay during flashing. The `/flash/overlays/` folder on a fresh install contains a `README.txt` with the same instructions.
+Arch R ships 43 pre-generated MIPI panel overlays covering all known R36S display variants, named after the exact motherboard revision (e.g. `R36S-V21_2024-12-18_2551.dtbo`, `G80CA-MB_V1.3-20251212_Panel_8.dtbo`). Panel selection is done by copying the correct `.dtbo` file to `overlays/mipi-panel.dtbo` on the boot partition. Sources live under `config/archr-dts/{original,clone,soysauce}/<MB-revision>/`; the build extracts the panel description from each revision's `rk3326-r36s-linux.dtb` via `config/mipi-generator/generator.sh`.
 
 ## Quick Start
 
@@ -63,22 +59,15 @@ Download the latest images from [Releases](https://github.com/archr-linux/Arch-R
 - **Original image** -- for genuine R36S and compatible boards.
 - **Clone image** -- for K36 clones and compatible boards.
 
-The easiest path is the [Arch R Flasher](https://github.com/archr-linux/archr-flasher), which downloads, verifies, flashes and installs your panel overlay in one go. Manual flashing works too:
+Flash to a MicroSD card:
 
 ```bash
-gzip -d ArchR-R36S-*.img.gz
+xz -d ArchR-R36S-*.img.xz
 sudo dd if=ArchR-R36S-*.img of=/dev/sdX bs=4M status=progress
 sync
 ```
 
-Always verify the download against the published `SHA256SUMS` before flashing. Insert the SD card and power on; the correct board DTB is selected automatically.
-
-## Updates
-
-- **In place (default after install)**: EmulationStation > Updates, or `archr-update` over SSH. Updates come from the signed pacman repository; after each transaction the boot partition is synchronized automatically, so kernel and device-tree fixes arrive without reflashing. User overlays and configuration are never touched.
-- **Reflash**: for fresh installs, recovery, or the rare low-level bootloader change (TPL/U-Boot, e.g. a DDR frequency change), which lives outside the filesystem.
-
-Release channel is configurable (stable, next, dev) under updates settings.
+Insert the SD card and power on. The correct board DTB is selected automatically.
 
 ## Building from Source
 
@@ -101,7 +90,7 @@ make docker-image-build
 make docker-RK3326
 ```
 
-Output images are generated in `target/`. Add `OFFICIAL=yes` for release-stamped images.
+Output images are generated in `target/`.
 
 ### Build Commands
 
@@ -116,23 +105,23 @@ Output images are generated in `target/`. Add `OFFICIAL=yes` for release-stamped
 
 Arch R separates **board configuration** from **panel configuration**:
 
-- **Board DTB** = hardware profile (GPIOs, PMIC, joypad, audio codec). Selected automatically by U-Boot via SARADC. One generic DTB per hardware family; board-revision differences are carried by the overlay.
-- **Panel overlay** = display init sequence, timings and board-specific wiring extracted from the stock DTB. Applied on top of the board DTB at boot time.
+- **Board DTB** = hardware profile (GPIOs, PMIC, joypad, audio codec). Selected automatically by U-Boot via SARADC.
+- **Panel overlay** = display init sequence and timings. Applied on top of the board DTB at boot time.
 
-This means the same image works on all boards of a variant. Only the overlay needs to match the specific device.
+This means the same image works on all boards of a variant. Only the panel overlay needs to match the specific display.
 
 ### Boot Flow
 
 ```
 Power On
-  U-Boot (mainline, legacy BSP loader for clone boards)
-    boot script: read SARADC hwrev, select board DTB
+  U-Boot (BSP or mainline)
+    boot.scr: read SARADC hwrev, select board DTB
     sysboot: load kernel + DTB + overlay from extlinux.conf
   Kernel 6.12 + initramfs
-    mount root (ext4) + storage, resolved by partition label
+    mount root (ext4) + storage
     switch_root to systemd
   systemd
-    archr-autostart (quirks by device-tree model, governors, audio)
+    archr-autostart (quirks, governors, audio)
     EmulationStation
 ```
 
@@ -141,7 +130,7 @@ Power On
 | Partition | Filesystem | Label | Purpose |
 |-----------|-----------|-------|---------|
 | 1 | FAT32 | ARCHR | Boot (kernel, DTBs, overlays, boot.scr) |
-| 2 | ext4 | ARCHR_ROOT | Root filesystem (Arch Linux ARM) |
+| 2 | ext4 | ARCHR_ROOT | Root filesystem |
 | 3 | ext4 | STORAGE | User data, ROMs, configs |
 
 ## Community
@@ -150,7 +139,7 @@ Contributions are welcome. Please open issues or pull requests on [GitHub](https
 
 ## Licenses
 
-The Arch R operating system is Arch Linux ARM plus original Arch R software. The image build tooling in this repository descends from [ROCKNIX](https://github.com/ROCKNIX/distribution) and [JELOS](https://github.com/JustEnoughLinuxOS/distribution/); the licenses of that inherited tooling continue to apply to the portions derived from it.
+**Arch R** is a fork of [ROCKNIX](https://github.com/ROCKNIX/distribution), which is a fork of [JELOS](https://github.com/JustEnoughLinuxOS/distribution/). All upstream licenses apply.
 
 You are free to:
 
@@ -179,12 +168,12 @@ Like any Linux distribution, this project is not the work of one person. It is t
 
 Special thanks to:
 
-- **[Arch Linux](https://archlinux.org/)** and **[Arch Linux ARM](https://archlinuxarm.org/)** -- the operating system Arch R is built on.
-- **[ROCKNIX](https://github.com/ROCKNIX/distribution)** and **[JELOS](https://github.com/JustEnoughLinuxOS/distribution/)** -- the projects whose build tooling and RK3326 device knowledge Arch R inherited and still learns from.
-- **[CoreELEC](https://coreelec.org/)** and **[LibreELEC](https://libreelec.tv/)** -- the embedded Linux distributions whose build system forms the backbone of the image pipeline.
+- **[ROCKNIX](https://github.com/ROCKNIX/distribution)** -- the upstream distribution that Arch R is forked from. ROCKNIX provided the complete build system, device support, EmulationStation integration, and the foundation for handheld gaming on Linux.
+- **[JELOS](https://github.com/JustEnoughLinuxOS/distribution/)** -- the project that ROCKNIX was originally forked from.
+- **[CoreELEC](https://coreelec.org/)** and **[LibreELEC](https://libreelec.tv/)** -- the embedded Linux distributions whose build system forms the backbone of this project.
 - **[Hardkernel](https://www.hardkernel.com/)** -- for the Odroid Go Advance BSP U-Boot and kernel device trees.
-- **[Rockchip](https://www.rock-chips.com/)** -- for the RK3326 SoC, rkbin firmware and the libmali GPU driver.
-- **[Mesa](https://mesa3d.org/)** -- for the open-source graphics stack.
+- **[Rockchip](https://www.rock-chips.com/)** -- for the RK3326 SoC and rkbin firmware.
+- **[Mesa](https://mesa3d.org/)** -- for the Panfrost open-source GPU driver.
 - **[RetroArch](https://www.retroarch.com/)** and **[Libretro](https://www.libretro.com/)** -- for the emulation framework and cores.
 - **[EmulationStation](https://emulationstation.org/)** -- for the frontend.
 - All developers and contributors across the open-source community who made this possible.