Olimex Teres-A64

Do it yourself laptop, hacker friendly.

= Identification =

The PCB has the following silkscreened on it:

TERES PCB1-A64-MAIN REV. B

Along with the availability in the olimex web shop mid-2017, PCB1 Rev.C was released.

= Sunxi support =

Current status
Generally works with mainline kernel since release 4.19 and mainline u-boot since [|commit 504bf79] targeted release 2019.07.

Debian buster image (including linux 4.19, and u-boot 2019.04 with above patch backported) is at http://box.redpill.dk/

Manual build
You can build things for yourself by following our Manual build howto and by choosing from the configurations available below.

Sunxi/Legacy U-Boot
Use the  build target.

Mainline U-Boot
The board is [expected to be] fully supported since v2019.07. Use the  target to build a U-Boot image. You need an ARM Trusted Firmware build (bl31.bin), which will be included in the FIT image.

Booting from MicroSD card or USB works, as does use of an externally plugged in USB keyboard. Builtin USB keyboard fails to register with U-boot - possibly due to special quirks needed. [See also this bug in debian BTS]

Sunxi/Legacy Kernel
Use the  file.

Mainline kernel
Use the  device-tree binary. (no "final" device tree yet)

Linux-4.19 has most of the relevant drivers included. If U-Boot has provided an appropriate frame buffer it can be re-used for a display; otherwise screen still stays dark. Drivers for the eDP bridge anx6345 mainly responsible for this are being discussed []. Audio drivers are to appear in 4.20.

= Tips, Tricks, Caveats =

FEL mode
The main PCB has a solder jumper labeled "UBOOT1", next to the internal expansion connector "CON3". A drop of solder will pull A64's ball F17 low and should activate FEL mode. The corresponding USB OTG however is only available on the internal extension connectors, so an appropriate breakout PCB seems to be the bigger task.

= Adding a serial port =



PCB1 has solder pads for a 3-pin header. A horizontal pin header would however bump into the battery, once assembled.

On Revision C boards, a serial port is provided through the audio jack. It can be enabled via an analog switch controlled by bit 9 on Port L, which has to be pulled low. Otherwise it will be a plain audio jack, as on Rev.B boards. You can find more information on [Olimex github repo]. Olimex sell a specific cable: [Teres usb debug]. The Pinebook debug cable also works.

If you decide to build your adapter cable, connect the tx to the tip of the jack, rx to central ring, and ground to the sleeve. They must be 3.3V compatible. The board's RX is protected with a diode ("D4"), so 5V should work as well. Never connect to a rs232 serial port directly. Usually usb serial adapters with 1/10" pin headers are 5v or 3.3v level compatible, but if in doubt, double check it.

= Pictures =

= Also known as =

= See also =

TERES-I on Debian wiki

Manufacturer images
The Olimex image of Ubuntu Mate can be downloaded, using torrent. It uses allwinner provided linux kernel 3.10 and u-boot.

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