pi-top and RISC OS V5.27

My pi-top has been unusable due to serious repaeting keys problem. Advice given to me at the London Show was to install RISC OS V5.27 (it had been using V5.24). The Raspberry-Pi in the pi-top is a model 3. I followed the special instructions for upgrading to V5.27 given on the wiki/documentation pages to upgrade the SD card. I tested this first on a Raspberry-Pi B+ with a LapDock attached and it worked, although it complained about the resolution; but the pi-top with a Raspberry-Pi 3 inside produces a blank screen.
Before I get responses saying it works for me, I should point out that this is an original pi-top not a ‘mark 2’ which, some say, has a better keyboard.
When the pi-top is powered up, the green light does flash a few times before staying on.
It could be a screen resolution problem, and so I tried an old fix involving powering up without the screen cable attached, waiting for it to boot up, re-attaching the screen cable and typing commands blind: Co. Mon. 4; Co. Sync. 0; and wimpm. 32, each followed by return. No difference. Apart from the fact that these commands might not be relevant with the new hardware, with a very dodgy keyboard how do I know that the typing is correct?
I left the CMOS file unchanged with the other firmware in the pi-top.

I’m not sure which document you were looking at (I’ve been putting together an “Upgrading your Raspberry Pi to 5.27” page but it isn’t online yet).

Regardless, there are two things that you must do:

1. Upgrade the firmware – recent 5.27 ROMs may give a blank screen with old firmware.
2. Add “disable_gamma” to cmdline.txt – this avoids a (different) screen-blanking bug.

Be careful with upgrading the firmware – apparently the 21st October firmware fails. October 28th firmware should be fine.

If the pi-top needs settings in config.txt to force a particular screen mode, you’ll probably also want disable_mode_changes in cmdline.txt otherwise RISC OS will be overriding the config.txt settings as soon as it boots.

@Stuart
I have followed the instructions given including the cmdline.txt file (initially, I tried without it). Find them by following Downloads, Raspberry-Pi, ROM 5.27 etc., and, as I said, this does work on my Raspberry-Pi B+. The firmware suggested is very precise about the dates of the files. Go read it!

The firmware suggested is very precise about the dates of the files. Go read it!

I know, I wrote that page :-)

Anyway, my new page is now online – it is a step-by-step guide, with sections on “Upgrading from RC14 or earlier” and “Upgrading from RC15 or later” (I hope I’ve mentioned all of the important “gotchas”…)

If it helps, I can upload the content of my Pi-Top FAT partiton. Have two. Pi3B and Pi3B+ … any parts are not the same.

Edit: Find here (working for me with my Pi-Top V1 und Pi3B, ROM not inside)

I have tested again with Raik’s firmware (dated 18/10/16) plus a cmdline/txt file with the single line “disable_gamma”, a CMOS file and ROM v5.27 dated 24/10/19. This works in a R-Pi B+ attached to a LapDock, but not in the R-Pi 3 inside the pi-top.
The monitor type and wimp mode both report as Auto.
I could try again with Stuart’s recommended firmware versions in place of Raik’s; but how may combinations does one have to go through?
Stuart, are you testing your suggestions on a Pi-top? Because this is looking like a screen resolution issue to me and my Pi-top lists only 2 resolutions, 1280 × 1024 at 60Hz and 1360 × 768 at 56Hz.

Is the complete copy of my working Loader without the RISCOS rom.
Pi-Top V1 + Pi3B (without +)! Only a rom should be needed.

Stuart, are you testing your suggestions on a Pi-top?

No I don’t have a Pi-Top, sorry.

Because this is looking like a screen resolution issue to me

I’m inclined to agree. As the Pi-Top doesn’t seem to do the “fallback” (640×480) resolution that “MonitorType Auto” uses, you may have more luck with “*Configure MonitorType EDID”.

An alternative method would be to lock the Pi to the native screen resolution and add “disable_mode_changes” to the first line of cmdline.txt – other screen modes could then be generated via AnyMode.

For 1280×1024 (60Hz) you could use:
hdmi_group=2
hdmi_mode=35

1360×768 (56Hz) isn’t listed on the Raspberry Pi website, but for 1360×768 (60Hz) you would be using:
hdmi_group=2
hdmi_mode=39

It looks like you’d have to resort to the “hdmi_cvt” parameter if you want a 56Hz refresh rate. See the Raspberry Pi documentation page for full details.

Long time ago. I mean there is a problem with “Auto” for the screen settings.
Will take a look if I back at home.
I’m sure 1280×720@60 was working.
I have my own MDF for the “full resolution”.

You find my MDF here. The same I use for my LapDock.

In PreDesk.Configure.Monitor…
LoadModeFile BootResources:Configure.Monitors.Other.MotoAttached
WimpMode X1360 Y768 C16M F56 … F60 is also working.

Note: Any times LoadModeFile is set to |oadModeFile… than it will fail.

Sorry. Have try this morning… My stuff will not work with the latest 5.27.
I use one of the first 5.27 “self compiled”. This works.
Have made a clean 5.24 card and will try to upgrade this evening to 5.27.

Minimum settings you require for a pi-top with Pi3 are below. You need to be running a fairly recent firmware as RISC OS has been kept in step with firmware revisions. I’m running 5.27 (1st Oct 2019) with matching firmware dated 13th Oct 2019.

Unless you’re really unlucky, updating to the latest RISC OS beta and Pi firmware at the same time usually works.

CMDLINE/TXT:

disable_mode_changes disable_gamma

CONFIG/TXT:

hdmi_group=2
hdmi_mode=39
fake_vsync_isr=1
framebuffer_swap=0
kernel=RISCOS.IMG
ramfsfile=CMOS
ramfsaddr=0×508000
gpu_mem=64

Have use the ROOL 2GB Image and have add the new ROM (28th Oct 2019) and change the Firmware (bootcode.bin, start.elf, fixup.dat) from here (Stuarts link) and create a cmdline/txt like Jon wrote. For the first try I have nothing changed in config.txt.
Pi-Top V1 is booting with 1280×720 I mean.
Now I use my MDF with 1360×768...

My Pi-top now boots to desktop using the CONFIG/TXT and CMDLINE/TXT files suggested by Jon above. Thanks for that; but the keyboard is not accepting input.
It is booting into 1360 × 768 resolution which I find good.

… but the keyboard is not accepting input.

Have you checked the connection?
Sorry for the question but is a problem I had many times if I open the case. The small plug downside the keyboard is not the best. Now I fixed it with tape.

The keyboard USB plug at the Raspberry-Pi end is firmly plugged into the top socket nearest to the ethernet socket. The plug at the other end of this cable, going into the keyboard, is underneath the keyboard and to get to this you need to take the base off. As far as I can tell from the instruction manual, Step 8, the base has to be prised off or levered off the upper part. Is this what you did? Any tips for doing this to avoid breaking the plastic?

I can see now that it is not the base that needs seperating from the rest, but the keyboard panel needs levering off the rest of the Pi-top.

You can lift the keyboard part with your fingers (nails) and a bit “power”.
The small plug at the end of the keyboard cable … pulling a little can interrupt the contact.

I plucked up courage and did it! The Pi-top keyboard now works; but I still need to check whether it solves the repeating keys problem since upgrading to RISC OS V5.27.

At ROUGOL tonight the topic was ‘mobile RISC OS’ and we were all to bring our mobile computers running RISC OS. So I took my Pi-top ss well as my Lapdock and ARMbook. I tested the Pi-top keyboard during the evening and no key repeated – what a miracle! I still can’t believe it and so will test some more, but it looks as if it’s a problem solved.

So how has version 5.27 of RISC OS stopped the repeating keys syndrome?

So how has version 5.27 of RISC OS stopped the repeating keys syndrome?

At a guess I’d say it’s because 5.27 contains a fix for this bug

For the record, the actual change is here

At a guess I’d say it’s because 5.27 contains a fix for this bug

Great even though I read the log of all the source changes, I’d missed that. It is a pity that this significant bug fix has not been publicised much wider.

With all the updates to RISC OS since the pi-top first came out, has anyone figured out how to use EDID with a pi-top without adding disable_mode_changes to CMDLINE.TXT and running AnyMode?

I’ve tried various settings in CONFIG.TXT, such as ignoring EDID, setting an explicit resolution, adding overscan to the sides to reduce it from 1366 to 1360. They all result in RISC OS appearing to lock with a screen that fades to grey.