GPD MicroPC
- Thread starter vcoleiro1
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ckblackm
Very Active Member
From reddit
GPD has decided to use a MIPI display panel and not use a eDP to MIPI bridge chip with it this time (other devices used a bridge chip or had eDP interfaces). My understanding is that the MIPI API is display/panel specific. Also, in order to get that information you'd have to sign NDAs and pay loads of money to the manufacturer.
Martin of Ubuntu MATE stopped working on the MicroPC after a week of getting his prototype due to the display problems. He's the Ubuntu MATE project co-founder so I doubt he used a bad build of Ubuntu. Other people with prototypes have confirmed the display problems as well with other Fedora/Ubuntu distros.
The second person, Hans of Red Hat who has a history of getting Linux on the Pocket 1 in a workable state is supposed to get a production model in early May. As said, it's TBD whether he can resolve the display problems.
GPD could have resolved all this at the hardware level by integrating an eDP to MIPI bridge chip like their other devices or using an eDP panel. Instead, someone needs to reverse engineer the API of the panel (hopefully it's similar to other MIPI panels that already has upstreamed drivers) to create a driver for it. In the unlikely event that someone signs the NDAs and pays the large sums of money to access the panel documentation, a proprietary (ie. not upstreamable to the Linux kernel) could be created.
GPD has decided to use a MIPI display panel and not use a eDP to MIPI bridge chip with it this time (other devices used a bridge chip or had eDP interfaces). My understanding is that the MIPI API is display/panel specific. Also, in order to get that information you'd have to sign NDAs and pay loads of money to the manufacturer.
Martin of Ubuntu MATE stopped working on the MicroPC after a week of getting his prototype due to the display problems. He's the Ubuntu MATE project co-founder so I doubt he used a bad build of Ubuntu. Other people with prototypes have confirmed the display problems as well with other Fedora/Ubuntu distros.
The second person, Hans of Red Hat who has a history of getting Linux on the Pocket 1 in a workable state is supposed to get a production model in early May. As said, it's TBD whether he can resolve the display problems.
GPD could have resolved all this at the hardware level by integrating an eDP to MIPI bridge chip like their other devices or using an eDP panel. Instead, someone needs to reverse engineer the API of the panel (hopefully it's similar to other MIPI panels that already has upstreamed drivers) to create a driver for it. In the unlikely event that someone signs the NDAs and pays the large sums of money to access the panel documentation, a proprietary (ie. not upstreamable to the Linux kernel) could be created.
pmprog
DNF (Did Not Finish)
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Forgive me, but if the API is unique, how can you possibly get a chip to convert eDP to MIPI? Surely there must be some standard API for all MIPI panels
ckblackm
Very Active Member
You got me... this is all above my pay grade. 
levi
Still fresh, damnit!
Is there a sensible reddit link you have so that we can dig into this a little closer to the horses mouth, so to speak?
MIPI itself is a standard, but the initialization routines for the displays are not.
If you don't initialize the display, it doesn't show anything. We had to do it ourselves for the Pyra as well.
Once the display is initialized, the MIPI stuff is standard.
If you don't initialize the display, it doesn't show anything. We had to do it ourselves for the Pyra as well.
Once the display is initialized, the MIPI stuff is standard.
levi
Still fresh, damnit!
Yeah, I had a feeling that the Pyra used a MIPI display. Couldn't find a reference for it though, so I kept schtum.
ckblackm
Very Active Member
You should be able to click on the link in my post to get to the only reddit post I know of... I was just searching on reddit and found that.
I had seen on a couple of "comments" on indiegogo that "people kept hearing that ubuntu wouldn't work"... so I just assumed that was from reddit.
I had seen on a couple of "comments" on indiegogo that "people kept hearing that ubuntu wouldn't work"... so I just assumed that was from reddit.
levi
Still fresh, damnit!
Oh right, this borked forum software likes to hide links it recognises from me. I don't know off the top of my head how to decode what it's turned it into into a real https link, but I guess it's kind of academic now anyway; if it being MIPI stopped that dev working on it, he's not up to the quality of the team we have working for the pyra.
Or he didn't get the datasheet for the display.
Shouldn't the UEFI of the Micro PC already have sent the initialization sequence, once the operating system gains control? Otherwise you shouldn't be able to see anything on the screen until the OS loads, right?
That's a good question... yes, it should. But it could be that it needs to be reinitialized or reconfigured for some reason.
Different resolution, video stream instead of comand stream, etc.
I don't remember it that well (we did that years ago), but I THINK that you need to send part of the initialization before each command.
So, for example, to switch to video stream mode:
<Special command sequence for the display><Standard MIPI command sequence>
Eight Bit
Hardcore Member
Sweet, do you happen to know if they can be multi boot with grub or something @vcoleiro1 ?
vcoleiro1
Hardcore Member
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I don't know but people should start getting it in the next few weeks . So I'm sure there are going to be people trying all sorts of things.
No reason it shouldn't work, as it works on all the other GPD handhelds.
vcoleiro1
Hardcore Member
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Wed May 29 '19 Announcement from GPD MicroPC, 6-inch Handheld Industry Laptop
So long for
Still, I think this is a successful campaign
The slight delay was due to the HW upgrade to 8GB from 4GB and the further testing required due to that.
Otherwise it would have been delivered in May (with 4GB)
