Cubieboard/FirstSteps

Unpacking the box
(List of contents of the Cubieboard box)

The Cubieboard has 4GB of internal memory (NAND Flash), and it comes pre-loaded with Android 4.0 (ICS).

Connecting and first startup
Some of the Cubieboards may not have a suitable DC to USB cable. If it fails to start with the USB to DC cable, then try to power through the USB OTG port.

You can power your Cubieboard from either


 * the USB to DC cable (provided) (requires power supply that offers USB port, as most mobile phones provide)
 * a USB to microUSB cable. You plug the USB cable to your computer (5V/500mA) and the microUSB end to the OTG port on the Cubieboard.

Connect the Cubieboard to your HDMI display/TV using an HDMI cable. Note that there has been some issues with HDMI to DVI adapters. Also, if your HDMI TV cannot display 720p, then it might not be able to display properly on the screen.

You can connect a USB hub to the Cubieboard and then attach a keyboard and mouse. Note that if you connect several devices to the Cubieboard, then you will need to provide more power (for example, 500mA will probably be not enough).

You can also look for a PSP power supply (PSP is a Sony game console), which has a compatible barrel plug and provides 5V/2A, just like the Cubieboard needs.

If you start the Cubieboard without attaching a microSD card, then it will boot from the NAND flash memory. The Cubieboard is pre-installed with Android 4.0, therefore, the system will boot into Android.

Booting sequence
If a microSD card is present, then the Cubieboard will try to boot from the microSD card. If there is no microSD card present, then the Cubieboard will boot from the internal memory (NAND flash), which by default has Android 4.0.

You can find more details on the boot sequence at http://linux-sunxi.org/BROM

Installing images on the microSD card with BerryBoot
(screenshots for process) (how to add more images to Berryboot? Can you filter to what is compatible to the Cubieboard? Can we add images to the BerryBoot list?)

What went wrong? Kernel logs!
You can troubleshoot the Cubieboard by making use of the serial console. See http://linux-sunxi.org/Cubieboard/TTL for instructions.