That’s it, the latest attempt to find a use for Khadas Edge-V MAX from the most pretentious, most expensive and most funny Chinese manufacturer. Guys are really funny – they say this is the most powerful miniPC for Android TV, but they haven’t certifide it with Google, which means Netflix won’t work and etc. They sell the official case for Khadas Edge MAX, but they do not warn that it will have to be finalized! All kinds of additional options: it was possible to do something with them, but the battery works only on Android, who needs an Android like that: a cooler, it’s good only if it doesn’t scream louder than the TV, but this is not about the Khadas official cooler 🙂 I already described this in detail here ¡Review of Edge-V MAX as a TV Box for Netflix! and here Khadas Edge-V MAX: Excellent and Terrible, review!!
I will try to use Khadas Edge MAX as a desktop. It does not work with HDMI > VGA adapter, so you need a monitor with speakers or a TV with HDMI.
I will need a case, we take the only existing and official DIY Case , the manufacturer on the page at the bottom made a little postscript, where to cut to fit Khadas Edge-V MAX in that case!
At the up of the box, there is a cover, which has to be cut to cover the GPIO; with the fan installed, it does not close
I installed all the options: here is a thermal pad for the processor that rests against a metal plate, for this you need to break a window in the case; This was disined so the window breaks easily!
That beauty
Beauty price:
230 – Edge-V Max
15 – 3705 Cooling Fan
10 – VIMs Heatsink
9 – Metal Plate
2 – Heat Pad for Metal Plate
15 – DIY Case
4 – USB-C Male to Male Cable
12 – 24W USB-C Adapter
297 $
I download the image from that website https://docs.khadas.com/firmware/EdgeFirmware.html this one
Edge_Ubuntu-gnome-focal_Linux-5.7_arm64_EMMC_V0.9.1-20200602(Latest release)
We write it in Khadas. One cable is ready to connect to the current, and the second USB-C is already connected to the PC, in my case to Ubuntu
1. Turn on the Khadas power or press the reset button when it is on
2. Press the center button on Khadas three times to switch to firmware recording mode.
I already have installedrk-burn-tool
rk-burn-tool -i Edge_Ubuntu-gnome-focal_Linux-5.7_arm64_EMMC_V0.9.1-20200602.img
and firmware burn will start
tool -i Edge_Ubuntu-gnome-focal_Linux-5.7_arm64_EMMC_V0.9.1-20200602.img Burn to eMMC... Rockchip Android image (or linux image compatible with AndroidTool one image burning) found! Try to burn Rockchip image... Loading firmware... Support Type:RK330C FW Ver:6.0.41 FW Time:2020-06-02 18:05:52 Loader ver:1.24 Loader Time:2020-06-02 17:58:34 Upgrade firmware ok. Time elapsed: 5 minute(s). Done!
I connect the keyboard and mouse. The USB-C power cable is too close to USB 2, you can only connect a cable no bigger than the USB port, I just had a USB HUB with such demesions; of course, the end of the keyboard and mouse USB connector is too big to fit here.
From this place of this article, I write and reduce the screenshots in Khadas Edge-V MAX
We enter Ubuntu on Khadas Edge-V MAX
Password: khadas
Update all
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get upgrade
I add Russian lamguage. Changing the language here is exactly the same as in all Ubuntu it does not work and it cannot be configured, but it is already installed gnome-tweaks and it can be done in Keyboard & Mouse > Additional Loyaut Options > Switching to another loyaut
eMMC speed
sudo hdparm -Tt --direct /dev/mmcblk2p7
/dev/mmcblk2p7: Timing O_DIRECT cached reads: 344 MB in 2.00 seconds = 171.90 MB/sec HDIO_DRIVE_CMD(identify) failed: Invalid argument Timing O_DIRECT disk reads: 744 MB in 3.00 seconds = 247.62 MB/sec
sudo dd if=/dev/zero of=test.file count=10000 bs=1048576
10000+0 records in 10000+0 records out 10485760000 bytes (10 GB, 9.8 GiB) copied, 48.753 s, 215 MB/s
There are no programs to install programs in Khadas Ubuntu. It is possible to install the Snap Store by force, but it still won’t work! Lets install from the console, for example, Gimp
sudo apt-get install gimp
Among the apps there is a Fan fan control: it does not work, you can only turn the fan on manually, you cannot turn it off, and the automatic mode does not work.
We will start the fan ourselves, it is not difficult
create a file
vi fan.sh
code
#!/usr/bin/bash gspeed=0 while true; do gtemp=`/usr/bin/cat /sys/class/thermal/thermal_zone0/temp` if [ $gtemp -lt 45000 ] then if [ $gspeed -ne 0 ] then /usr/bin/echo 0 > /sys/class/thermal/cooling_device0/cur_state gspeed=0 fi fi if [[ $gtemp -gt 55000 && $gtemp -lt 60000 ]] then if [ $gspeed -ne 1 ] then /usr/bin/echo 1 > /sys/class/thermal/cooling_device0/cur_state gspeed=1 fi fi if [[ $gtemp -gt 60000 && $gtemp -lt 65000 ]] then if [ $gspeed -ne 2 ] then /usr/bin/echo 2 > /sys/class/thermal/cooling_device0/cur_state gspeed=2 fi fi if [[ $gtemp -gt 65000 ]] then if [ $gspeed -ne 3 ] then /usr/bin/echo 3 > /sys/class/thermal/cooling_device0/cur_state gspeed=3 fi fi sleep 15 done
Making it executable
sudo chmod +x fan.sh
We install app needed to start script on login
sudo apt install gnome-startup-applications
We find Startup Applications in apps, and there we add our script Add .
Reboot and have to work!
After restarting, the USB keyboard and mouse does not work; you must take them out and insert them again
Checking Wi-Fi
It doesn’t work, it connects, but the speed is about zero. Other devices on the same Wi-Fi show 20 megabits
Ethernet ok
Checking Bluetooh
Same, it connects, but disconnects immediately or does not work: I tried two Bluetooth keyboards
Video 4K
Well, of course not, neither in yuotube nor in the archive, it doesn’t shoot. But 1080 can be seen, the image is still broken, but bearable
CONCLUSION: I liked how FireFox works with websites in Khadas Edge-V MAX: it is quite responsive, something can be done in Gimp, it just takes much longer time than creating image files. In Ubuntu, everything happens with microscopic lag after clicking anything. It is a pity that Wi-Fi and Bluetooth do not work, you are tied to cables. But, it can be used as an Internet browser! Of course, if only it was not 300$ (and if you add the price of the moritor here, then uh) you can buy a tablet and everything will work fast, both the video and the Internet via Wi-Fi! But don’t buy a Huawei tablet, it doesn’t have Android certified either – watch out for that!
Leave a Reply