Delete me: Raspberry Pi 4 port status (Rev #43)
category: RaspberryPi
Overview
Work on porting RISC OS to the Raspberry Pi 4 is still ongoing. Some components are not available, so this build is not yet suitable for new users.
For users that wish to assist in the testing, a development ROM image is available from the Downloads page – choose “Risc OS Pi RC16” for the release candidate, or “Beta RPi ROM” for the latest development image.
Current status
Components that work
| Date | Details |
|---|---|
| 03 Sep 2019 | UART0 fixed: access to the command line via the serial port now works. |
| 13 Sep 2019 | Add GICv2 interrupt controller support. |
| 16 Feb 2020 | Audio output now works. |
| 18 Feb 2020 | USB devices now visible via USB-C (power input) port. |
| 03 May 2020 | Ethernet port now works. |
| 29 Jul 2020 | Firmware for VL805 USB controller loaded on 8GB models |
Major components needing attention
| Item | Comments |
|---|---|
| USB ports | The Pi 4 has a USB3 controller, which RISC OS does not yet support. |
Other restrictions
- The second HDMI port cannot be used at present.
- For the model fitted with 8GB RAM, only 4GB is available to RISC OS.
How to get RISC OS running on the Pi 4
Software information: Raspberry Pi: Firmware has details of the firmware required for the Raspberry Pi 4, along with details of the changes needed to config.txt.
The non-availability of the USB ports is a limiting factor. To use RISC OS on the Raspberry Pi 4, you have three options:
- Option 1: Back-power the Pi 4 with a hub connected to the USB-C port.
- If you have board revision 1.4 of the Pi 4 (e.g. if it is the 8GB model) a USB hub with Power Delivery will work.
- If you have board revision 1.1 or 1.2, Power Delivery may not work.
Note that relatively few hubs will back-power in the absence of Power Delivery – check the forum for suggestions.
- Option 2: Supply power to the GPIO pins, e.g. by means of a “power input” HAT. This allows an “ordinary” USB hub to be connected to the USB-C port.
- Option 3: Connect using VNC (either via the Ethernet port or by means of the WiFi HAT for the Raspberry Pi) – as no USB devices are needed, a standard power supply can be connected to the USB-C port. You will have to set up the VNC software on another Raspberry Pi before transferring the SD card to the Pi 4.
Further information
- ROOL announcement (02 July 2019)
- Discussion thread in the General forum
- Discussion thread in the Porting RISC OS forum
For more general information, see Using RISC OS on the Raspberry Pi.
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