Using RISC OS on the Raspberry Pi (Rev #2)
category: RaspberryPi
Introduction
This section of the wiki contains information to assist users who wish to run RISC OS on the Raspberry Pi.
If you are new to RISC OS you may wish to read the Introduction to RISC OS and the RISC OS Beginners FAQ.
Raspberry Pi hardware supported at each RISC OS version
| Software version | Models supported |
|---|---|
| RISC OS 5.24 | Pi 1A, Pi 1A+, Pi 1B, Pi 1B+, Pi 2, Pi 3B, Pi 3B+, Pi Zero, Pi Zero W, Compute Module 1, Compute Module 3 |
| RISC OS 5.26 | As above, plus: Pi 3A+ |
| RISC OS 5.27 | As above, plus: Compute Module 3+ |
Hardware issues
- The Raspberry Pi 4 is not supported at present. For more information about the work underway to get RISC OS running on the Pi 4, see Raspberry Pi 4 port status.
- RISC OS can only run in a single core: the other cores in the four-core Raspberry Pi 2 and Raspberry Pi 3 are currently unused.
- The onboard WiFi chip (in the Pi Zero W, Pi 3B, Pi 3B+ and Pi 3A+) is not currently supported. One of the open bounties should address this issue.
RISC OS builds available for the Raspberry Pi
Please note that the Raspberry Pi 4 is not supported yet.
- The most straightforward to use is RISC OS Pi. This archive contains an SD card image which needs to be written to a microSD card using a utility such as Win32DiskImager or Etcher. Once this has been done, you can plug the card into your Raspberry Pi and switch on.
- Alternatively, you can use NOOBS Lite from the Raspberry Pi website (be sure to use NOOBS Lite – the installation will fail if you use the full NOOBS). Copy the contents of the archive to a microSD card and install in your Raspberry Pi (make sure you have a network connection available). When this starts up it will offer you a selection of operating systems to download – choose “RISC OS”.
The remaining builds are for the more experienced user. Installation instructions (including an indication of other software you will need to download) are given on the linked pages:
- RPi ROM stable – The RISC OS 5.24 ROM, for people who prefer to “roll their own”.
- Beta RPi ROM – The latest development build, for the more adventurous user.
- RISC OS Pico? – A cut-down version of RISC OS (no GUI) that boots into BASIC for that genuine retro computing experience!
Setup and configuration information
- Hardware compatibility list – peripherals seen to work with the Raspberry Pi
- Installing RISC OS – How to create your own SD card image.
- Dual-format SD card – Why the SD card needs to be in a special format
- Raspberry Pi Firmware – The other files you need to get RISC OS to load on the Raspberry Pi
- config.txt (Raspberry Pi) – Settings needed for the Raspberry Pi bootloader
- cmdline.txt (Raspberry Pi) – Parameters passed to the RISC OS ROM on boot
- CMOS RAM on the Raspberry Pi
- Upgrading your Raspberry Pi to RISC OS 5.27? – How to upgrade from an older release of RISC OS
Hints and tips
- RISC OS Pi Welcome guide
- RISC OS bugs specific to the Raspberry Pi
- Raspberry Pi questions and answers – Topics include “Why isn’t the Pi 4 supported?”, “Can I boot the Pi from USB?” and “What is all this talk of RC14 and RC15?”
- Community support forum – Help and advice from other RISC OS users
Technical information from other websites
- Temperature (etc.) warnings
- LED warning flash codes
- Raspberry Pi schematics and hardware
- BCM2835 datasheet and errata
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