Joshua Riek’s ubuntu-rockchip project helped many run working OS images for their Rockchip SBCs, but due to burnout and lack of support, he decided to step away in late 2024, and the project is now archived.
However, that doesn’t mean his efforts have gone to waste. GitHub user defcom5-rockchip forked the project and released two Ubuntu 24.04-based distributions working on the Orange Pi 5B, notably integrating two fixes for the Ampak AP6275P WiFi and Bluetooth module, including one that Cypress apparently already fixed in 2018, but took a while to be integrated into Rockchip OS images.
Short description of the two OS images
- Pi Desktop v1.0-beta – A curated daily-driver desktop: 4K@120 via custom VOP2/dclk kernel work, hardware video decode, zero snaps/telemetry, and “self-healing Bluetooth”: a background service that revives the AP6275P radio wedge in ~10 seconds automatically.
- Pi Studio v1.3 — the audio-production sibling: low-latency kernel (PREEMPT/1000Hz), Sonic Pi with an on-NPU AI copilot running locally on the RK3588’s NPU, JACK-transparent PipeWire.
The two repositories above only link to binary images and some documentation. The actual code can be found in a fork of ubuntu-rockchip, and the parts specific to the two WiFi and Bluetooth issues are detailed in the issue tracker.
- Fix 1 — Bluetooth dead on boot whenever WiFi is active, aka “the boot race”: the vendor bring-up script runs
rfkill unblock all, waking WiFi during the BT firmware (patchram) load on the shared chip. Result:hci0DOWN, null MAC,HCI Reset opcode 0x1003 failed: -49, Bluetooth greyed out until a lucky reboot. Fix:rfkill unblock bluetooth+ verify/retry. A/B on the same board: stock 0/1, fixed 4/4, then first-boot-validated on a fresh flash with WiFi live. - Fix 2 — Bluetooth audio stutter whenever WiFi scans, aka “runtime coexistence”: the 2018 Cypress values (
btc_params8/1/50), ported to the AP6275P’s nvram. WiFi-scanning stutter: gone. The developers told us it’s the first time these parameters are implemented in a Rockchip-focused distribution.
The downside is that it only works on the Orange Pi 5, and other Rockchip RK3588 boards are not supported at this time, including variants like the Orange Pi 5 Pro. As a side note, it appears that the Raspberry Pi SBCs also share an issue similar to the one mentioned in “Fix 2”.
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! Donateods on Amazon or Aliexpress. We also use affiliate links in articles to earn commissions if you make a purchase after clicking on those links
