After releasing a pretty good Ubuntu 11.10 image with both VPU and GPU acceleration for Freescale i.MX6 based HDMI dongles last month, Jasbir (aka jas-hacks) has released an Ubuntu 12.04 image with GPU support thanks to the help of Octavio (Yocto Project contributor), and Wi-Fi support. It’s possible to select Unity 2D or Xubuntu desktop, and Chromium and Neverball, a 3D ball game, are part of the image. There’s still more work however, as VPU (Video Processing Unit) support is work in progress, Bluetooth does not work yet, and OpenGL ES test programs such as glmark2-es2 or es2gears do not work properly with Xubuntu, even though they do work fine with Unity 2D.
Jasbir uploaded a video showing Neverball 3D game in GK802, and it works pretty good, although the framerate does not seem optimal for now.
If you want to give this image a try, install GK802 Ubuntu 11.10 image first, and follow the instructions below:
- Download Ubuntu 12.04 rootfs for i.MX6 dongles:
12cd ~/Downloadswget http://dl.miniand.com/jas-hacks/gk802/linaro_12_04_gpu.tar.gz - Insert the micro SD card into a Linux PC, delete the existing rootfs from the Oneiric image, and extract the new rootfs:
1234cd <sd card mount point>/ubuntusudo rm -rf *sudo tar xzvf ~/Downloads/linaro_12_04_gpu.tar.gzsync - Remove micro SD card, insert it in the internal micro SD slot for your mini PC, and power the device up to start Ubuntu 12.04.
If you have questions about the image and/or want to participate in development, feel free to join imx6-dongle developers’ community, and contact developers on #imx6-dongle IRC channel or imx6-dongle mailing list.
Jean-Luc started CNX Software in 2010 as a part-time endeavor, before quitting his job as a software engineering manager, and starting to write daily news, and reviews full time later in 2011.
Support CNX Software! Donate via cryptocurrencies, become a Patron on Patreon, or purchase goods on Amazon or Aliexpress
