Jekyll2024-01-27T07:20:12+00:00https://blog.kobol.io/feed.xmlKobol BlogKobol Blog. The Open Source NASKobol Team is pulling the plug ;(2021-08-25T01:00:00+00:002021-08-25T01:00:00+00:00https://blog.kobol.io/2021/08/25/we-are-pulling-the-plug<p>Hi Folks, a bit saddened that after 4 months of radio silence we are coming up with a news that is clearly not the one you were expecting.</p>
<p>As the title says, we have decided to stop the adventure here. Quite a few reasons made us come up to this difficult decision, but it all comes down to 2 key points :</p>
<ol>
<li>
<p>The still ongoing difficulties to manufacture electronics, to procure parts and mainly to control costs.</p>
</li>
<li>
<p>We made a rookie mistake of stretching ourselves very thin last year with the first delivery of Helios64 while being just a 3 men show. We should have brought few more people onboard sooner, but we waited too long until we were a bit burnt out.</p>
</li>
</ol>
<p>Not seeing much improvement on the horizon and feeling like we didn’t ride the wave as we should have, our motivation started slowly to fade out lately. All of this is of course a bit frustrating and ironic because we had a great start with Helios64 plus a batch 2 waiting list that keeps growing and growing. We were also quite excited to come up with a refresh and improved version of Helios64.</p>
<p>But unfortunately sometimes it’s better to accept the fact that when the original motivation and passion are not there anymore then there is no point forcing it.</p>
<p>Now it’s time for us to go back to a more stable and sustainable work lifestyle. But who knows maybe Kobol will reborn again one day ;-)</p>
<p>In the meantime we will post on the wiki all the blue prints of Heliso64. That should help people to tinker or even troubleshoot their board when necessary. We will try our best to provide still a bit of support during our free time. Sorry in advance for any inconvenience this will cause.</p>
<p>We are also happy to discuss editing access to our wiki if someone is interested to maintain the project a bit longer.</p>
<p><strong>We want to thank you all very much to have followed us and supported us during this awesome adventure.</strong></p>Kobol TeamHi Folks, a bit saddened that after 4 months of radio silence we are coming up with a news that is clearly not the one you were expecting.Kobol Team is taking a short Break!2021-04-23T01:00:00+00:002021-04-23T01:00:00+00:00https://blog.kobol.io/2021/04/23/kobol-taking-a-break<p>It’s been 3 months since we posted on our blog. While we have been pretty active on <a href="https://forum.armbian.com/forum/51-helios64/">Armbian/Kobol forum</a> for support and still working at improving the software support and stability, we have been developing in parallel the <strong>new iteration of Helios64 around the latest Rockchip SoC RK3568.</strong></p>
<p>However things haven’t been progressing as fast as we would have wished. Looking back, 2020 has been a very challenging year to deliver a new product and it took quite a toll on the small team we are. Our energy level is a bit low and we still haven’t really recovered. Now with electronic part prices surge and crazy lead time, it’s even harder to have business visibility in an already challenging market.</p>
<p>In light of the above, we decided to go on <strong>a full break for the next 2 months</strong>, to recharge our battery away from Kobol and come back with a refocused strategy and pumped up energy.</p>
<p>Until we are back, we hope you will understand that communication on the different channels (blog, wiki, forum, support email) will be kept to a minimum for the next 2 months.</p>
<p><strong>Thanks again all for your support.</strong></p>Kobol TeamIt’s been 3 months since we posted on our blog. While we have been pretty active on Armbian/Kobol forum for support and still working at improving the software support and stability, we have been developing in parallel the new iteration of Helios64 around the latest Rockchip SoC RK3568.Helios64 Stock Update!2021-01-19T01:00:00+00:002021-01-19T01:00:00+00:00https://blog.kobol.io/2021/01/19/helios64-stock-update<p>First of all Happy 2021 to all of you. Looking back at 2020, we are very thankful for the continuous support we got from all of you during that difficult year. Needless to say we are crossing our fingers that 2021 will bring a brighter horizon to all.</p>
<h1 id="batch-1-stock">Batch 1 Stock</h1>
<p>We just added around 40 units for sales on our shop. These units have the manual rework already done for the <a href="https://blog.kobol.io/2020/11/13/helios64-2-5g-ethernet-issue/">1G speed mode issue</a> on the 2.5GbE interface.</p>
<p>Since shipping fees world wide have still increased and this is a small stock, we decided to limit these units to a handful of countries for which we can still offer the same shipping terms than before.</p>
<ul>
<li>Belgium</li>
<li>Czech Republic</li>
<li>France</li>
<li>Germany</li>
<li>Hungary</li>
<li>Italy</li>
<li>Netherlands</li>
<li>Poland</li>
<li>Portugal</li>
<li>Spain</li>
</ul>
<p>Shipping mode : AIR, Delivered Duty Paid</p>
<p>Delivery Time : 2-3 weeks.</p>
<p>Shipping cost : USD77 (includes Duties and Taxes for Europe) per unit.</p>
<p><a href="https://shop.kobol.io"><img src="/img/074/order-now.png" alt="Order Now" /></a></p>
<h1 id="future-batches">Future Batches</h1>
<p>We received thousands of inquiries asking when the next Helios64 batch will be coming up. We need a bit more time to refine our schedule before announcing our roadmap, but some exciting news coming up ;-)</p>
<h1 id="new-armbian-release">New Armbian Release</h1>
<p>A new major update for Armbian will be released in the coming weeks. This will introduce new Linux Kernel 5.10. But more importantly, we managed to fix a recurrent issue with the USB driver that impacted the stability of the 2.5GbE interface on Linux Kernel 5.x version.</p>
<p>This new release will also introduce ZFS v2.0.1 DKMS package that will now support Debian Buster. Stay tuned to know when the new Armbian release is available for download / upgrade.</p>Kobol TeamFirst of all Happy 2021 to all of you. Looking back at 2020, we are very thankful for the continuous support we got from all of you during that difficult year. Needless to say we are crossing our fingers that 2021 will bring a brighter horizon to all.Helios64 Product Limitation Notification !2020-11-13T01:00:00+00:002020-11-13T01:00:00+00:00https://blog.kobol.io/2020/11/13/helios64-2-5g-ethernet-issue<h1 id="25g-ethernet-issue-at-1gbps-link-speed">2.5G Ethernet Issue at 1Gbps Link Speed</h1>
<p>Recently we have discovered that when Helios64 2.5G Ethernet interface is connected at 1000Mb/s Link Speed (e.g. Connected to a Gigabit switch), the performance is really degraded, around 10 - 100 Mbps. Using iperf3 to test, it shows many packet retries which reduce significantly the throughput.</p>
<p>After investigation we found out that center tap of the RJ45 magnetic should have been directly connected to 2.5V power rail to provide common mode for MDI signals. Below is our schematic, we missed the connection on pin 5 and pin 6 to the mentioned power rail.</p>
<p><img src="/img/073/RJ45_schematic.png" alt="schematic" /></p>
<p>Most of 1G Ethernet design (eg. RTL8211F) don’t have requirement to connect center tap to power rail. However this connection does exist in 100Mbps design but we didn’t expect it would have been needed for our design. Unfortunately during design and manufacturing phases we only focused on 2.5Gbps link speed so we didn’t catch this issue earlier.</p>
<h1 id="solution">Solution</h1>
<p><strong>DISCLAIMER Please understand we are not responsible for any damage you might do to the board !</strong></p>
<p>Fortunately, it is not too difficult to fix it if you have some soldering skills.</p>
<p>To fix it, you need to connect the following two points with a cable. It is located on bottom side of the board below the affected Ethernet interface.</p>
<p><img src="/img/073/wiring_diagram.png" alt="wiring" /></p>
<p>Below a picture of a fixed board for your reference.</p>
<p><img src="/img/073/fixed_board.png" alt="fixed board" /></p>
<h1 id="conclusion">Conclusion</h1>
<p>Unless you are able to perform the fix described above, the 2.5G Ethernet interface is therefore limited to 2500Mb/s speed link usage. We apologize for the limitation. We will of course fix this issue in future revision of the board.</p>Kobol Team2.5G Ethernet Issue at 1Gbps Link SpeedHelios64 Software Issue Report !2020-10-27T01:00:00+00:002020-10-27T01:00:00+00:00https://blog.kobol.io/2020/10/27/helios64-software-issue<h1 id="do-not-upgrade-to-armbian-200813">Do NOT Upgrade to Armbian 20.08.13</h1>
<p>We have received reports of instability issues through email and forum with the latest Armbian image we published (20.08.13) for <strong>Helios64</strong>. We are still investigating the root cause and managed to reproduce the kernel crash on some of our boards. We advise user to <strong>NOT</strong> install or upgrade to <strong>Armbian 20.08.13</strong> which contain <strong>Linux Kernel 5.8.16</strong> until further notice.</p>
<p><strong>Note:</strong> <em>this issue report doesn’t apply to our previous product Helios4 !</em></p>
<p>You can download <strong>Armbian 20.08.10</strong> for Helios64 which is known stable from following links</p>
<table>
<thead>
<tr>
<th>Filename</th>
<th>Link</th>
</tr>
</thead>
<tbody>
<tr>
<td><strong>Armbian_20.08.10_Helios64_buster_current_5.8.14.img.xz</strong><br />Build date : 13/10/2020<br />Size : 443 MB</td>
<td><a href="https://archive.armbian.com/helios64/archive/Armbian_20.08.10_Helios64_buster_current_5.8.14.img.xz">Download</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>Armbian_20.08.10_Helios64_focal_current_5.8.14.img.xz</strong><br />Build date : 13/10/2020<br />Size : 334 MB</td>
<td><a href="https://archive.armbian.com/helios64/archive/Armbian_20.08.10_Helios64_focal_current_5.8.14.img.xz">Download</a></td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<p>You can prevent Board Support Package (bootloader/kernel/device tree) upgrade by following instruction on next <a href="#prevent-bsp-update">section</a>.</p>
<h2 id="revert-back-to-linux-kernel-5814">Revert back to Linux Kernel 5.8.14</h2>
<p>If you already upgraded your system to LK 5.8.16 (use command <em>uname -r</em> to check), then to downgrade to LK 5.8.14 you can use <em>armbian-config</em></p>
<div class="highlighter-rouge"><div class="highlight"><pre class="highlight"><code>sudo armbian-config
</code></pre></div></div>
<ul>
<li>Select System</li>
</ul>
<p><img src="/img/072/revert_01_main.png" alt="Armbian config main" /></p>
<ul>
<li>Select Other</li>
</ul>
<p><img src="/img/072/revert_02_system.png" alt="Armbian config main" /></p>
<ul>
<li>Confirm that you understand the risk and want to switch kernel.</li>
</ul>
<p><img src="/img/072/revert_03_agreement.png" alt="Armbian config main" /></p>
<ul>
<li>Select Kernel, <strong>linux-image-current-rockchip64=20.08.10 5.8.14-rockchip64</strong></li>
</ul>
<p><img src="/img/072/revert_04_kernel_list.png" alt="Armbian config main" /></p>
<p>System will automatically reboot.</p>
<ul>
<li>
<p>Verify you are running kernel 5.8.14 by executing</p>
<p><code class="highlighter-rouge">uname -r</code></p>
<p>You should get <code class="highlighter-rouge">5.8.14-rockchip64</code></p>
</li>
</ul>
<h2 id="prevent-bsp-update">Prevent BSP update</h2>
<p>After kernel 5.8.14 running (either by downgrading or use older image), you need to frezee/hold the BSP package so it will not be updated in future. You can use <em>armbian-config</em> for this purpose.</p>
<div class="highlighter-rouge"><div class="highlight"><pre class="highlight"><code>sudo armbian-config
</code></pre></div></div>
<ul>
<li>Select System</li>
</ul>
<p><img src="/img/072/bsp_hold_01_main.png" alt="Armbian config main" /></p>
<ul>
<li>Select Freeze</li>
</ul>
<p><img src="/img/072/bsp_hold_02_system.png" alt="Armbian freeze menu" /></p>
<ul>
<li>Confirm to freeze the firmware updates</li>
</ul>
<p><img src="/img/072/bsp_hold_03_freeze.png" alt="Armbian freeze confirmation" /></p>
<ul>
<li>After the packages frozen, the background color will be changed to red.</li>
</ul>
<p><img src="/img/072/bsp_hold_04_warning_frozen.png" alt="Armbian frozen" /></p>
<ul>
<li>Exit Armbian Configuration Utility</li>
</ul>
<p>You will see this message when doing update while the BSP frozen.</p>
<div class="highlighter-rouge"><div class="highlight"><pre class="highlight"><code>The following packages have been kept back:
armbian-firmware linux-dtb-current-rockchip64 linux-image-current-rockchip64
linux-u-boot-helios64-current
</code></pre></div></div>
<h2 id="armbian-support-forum">Armbian Support Forum</h2>
<p>If you are facing an issue, you can go on the <strong>Armbian</strong> forum to ask for some help. There is a thread dedicated to <a href="https://forum.armbian.com/topic/15431-helios64-support/">Helios64 support</a>.</p>Kobol TeamDo NOT Upgrade to Armbian 20.08.13Helios64 Software News 1!2020-10-06T01:00:00+00:002020-10-06T01:00:00+00:00https://blog.kobol.io/2020/10/06/helios64-software-support<h1 id="new-armbian-images-available">New Armbian Images Available</h1>
<p>We have just published new Armbian images (20.08.8) with some adjustments that should be fixing the instability issues that we have been facing with early image releases. Of course we need your help to test and see if it achieves the expected stability (<strong>Important</strong> : We recommend to do a fresh install).</p>
<h3 id="image-list">Image List</h3>
<table>
<thead>
<tr>
<th>Filename</th>
<th>Link</th>
</tr>
</thead>
<tbody>
<tr>
<td><strong>Armbian_20.08.8_Helios64_buster_legacy_4.4.213.img.xz</strong><br />Build date : 05/10/2020<br />Size : 397 MB</td>
<td><a href="https://dl.armbian.com/helios64/archive/Armbian_20.08.8_Helios64_buster_legacy_4.4.213.img.xz">Download</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>Armbian_20.08.8_Helios64_buster_current_5.8.13.img.xz</strong><br />Build date : 05/10/2020<br />Size : 443 MB</td>
<td><a href="https://dl.armbian.com/helios64/archive/Armbian_20.08.8_Helios64_buster_current_5.8.13.img.xz">Download</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>Armbian_20.08.8_Helios64_focal_current_5.8.13.img.xz</strong><br />Build date : 05/10/2020<br />Size : 330 MB</td>
<td><a href="https://dl.armbian.com/helios64/archive/Armbian_20.08.8_Helios64_focal_current_5.8.13.img.xz">Download</a></td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<p><em>If download links are broken, you can check directly on Armbian <a href="https://archive.armbian.com/helios64/archive/">repo</a>.</em></p>
<h1 id="features-support-status">Features Support Status</h1>
<p>Again these Helios64 images are still a work-in-progress, not all board features are supported yet. You will find below the list of features that are partially or not fully supported yet on both Linux Kernel 4.4 and 5.8.</p>
<h3 id="linux-kernel-44">Linux Kernel 4.4</h3>
<table>
<thead>
<tr>
<th><strong>Feature</strong></th>
<th><strong>Support Status</strong></th>
<th><strong>Remarks</strong></th>
</tr>
</thead>
<tbody>
<tr>
<td><strong>Shutdown</strong></td>
<td>Partial</td>
<td>Fails to shutdown PMIC and triggers crash, HDD already parked</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>Reboot</strong></td>
<td>Partial</td>
<td>Similar like shutdown but Watchdog triggers the reboot so it appears successful</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>Suspend to RAM</strong></td>
<td>Not Supported</td>
<td>Fails to resume operation after wake up</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>2.5G Ethernet</strong></td>
<td>OK</td>
<td> </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>Main Power/UPS Status</strong></td>
<td>OK</td>
<td>Status can be read from sysfs</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>Battery Charging Status</strong></td>
<td>Not supported</td>
<td> </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>UPS configuration</strong></td>
<td>Not Supported</td>
<td>Need user-space tool to monitor power status and trigger shutdown</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>USB Type C - Host</strong></td>
<td>OK</td>
<td> </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>USB Type C - Gadget</strong></td>
<td>OK</td>
<td>use g_mass_storage kernel module</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>USB Type C - DisplayPort</strong></td>
<td>OK</td>
<td> </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>eMMC Boot</strong></td>
<td>Not Supported</td>
<td>Bootloader unable to load rootfs from eMMC</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>SPI Boot</strong></td>
<td>Not Supported</td>
<td> </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>Recovery key</strong></td>
<td>Not Supported</td>
<td>System can enter maskrom mode but need special OS image and rkdevelop</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<h3 id="linux-kernel-58">Linux Kernel 5.8</h3>
<table>
<thead>
<tr>
<th><strong>Feature</strong></th>
<th><strong>Support Status</strong></th>
<th><strong>Remarks</strong></th>
</tr>
</thead>
<tbody>
<tr>
<td><strong>Shutdown</strong></td>
<td>OK</td>
<td> </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>Reboot</strong></td>
<td>OK</td>
<td> </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>Suspend to RAM</strong></td>
<td>Not Supported</td>
<td>USB host controller refuses to enter suspend mode</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>2.5G Ethernet</strong></td>
<td>Performance issue</td>
<td>Slightly improved with tx offload disabled</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>Main Power/UPS Status</strong></td>
<td>OK</td>
<td>Status can be read from sysfs</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>Battery Charging Status</strong></td>
<td>OK</td>
<td>Charging and Full charge can be read from sysfs</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>UPS configuration</strong></td>
<td>Not Supported</td>
<td>Need user-space tool to monitor power status and trigger shutdown</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>USB Type C - Host</strong></td>
<td>Not Supported</td>
<td>There are some issues with fusb302 driver and USB Host Controller driver</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>USB Type C - Gadget</strong></td>
<td>Not Supported</td>
<td>There are some issues with fusb302 driver and USB Controller driver</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>USB Type C - DisplayPort</strong></td>
<td>Not Supported</td>
<td>There are some issues with fusb302 driver and DisplayPort alternate driver</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>eMMC Boot</strong></td>
<td>Not Supported</td>
<td>Bootloader unable to load rootfs from eMMC</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>SPI Boot</strong></td>
<td>Not Supported</td>
<td> </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>Recovery key</strong></td>
<td>Not Supported</td>
<td>System can enter maskrom mode but need special OS image and rkdevelop</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>Kobol TeamNew Armbian Images AvailableHelios64 Shipping Update 2!2020-09-28T01:00:00+00:002020-09-28T01:00:00+00:00https://blog.kobol.io/2020/09/28/helios64-shipping-update2<h1 id="shipping-update">Shipping Update</h1>
<p><strong>As of today we have shipped exactly half of the orders. It’s not moving as fast as we hoped but it’s still moving.</strong> The bottleneck comes from the enclosure factory which is not delivering as quickly as they promised after they decided to redo the anodizing of the aluminum case.</p>
<p>Also do note that China will be on public holiday for their National Day coming soon, so this will impact our warehouse operation for the coming 10 days.</p>
<p>Some of you wonder why their orders are still not shipped even though they are amount the early buyers. The reason could be that you are from one of the few countries we made wrong estimate on the shipping fees and/or we didn’t anticipated the post covid-19 impact on shipping cost and route. We already addressed this issue with customers from Switzerland, Russia and New Zealand. This week we will approach the other few dozen concerned customers.</p>
<p>We apologize for the fact that this doesn’t translate into a great customer experience. We hope you will understand that this is a learning curve for us and all those mistakes we made will help us to further improve.</p>
<p>Finally, please understand that sending us email to ask us about your order status hoping it will fast track your order has the exact opposite effect. The time we spend replying to your email is time we are not spending on fulfillment. We understand the impatience, but keep in mind we are a very small team and we would prefer to allocate our limited bandwidth to more urgent tasks. Thanks for your understanding.</p>
<h1 id="os-support-status-armbian">OS Support Status (Armbian)</h1>
<p><strong>Recently we published the latest Armbian images for Helios64, version 20.08.4.</strong> These images have a lot of improvement but they are still considered as work-in-progress.</p>
<p>The board is still experiencing some instability issues that we have now narrowed down to wrong LPDDR4 timing settings. This is going to take us a bit of time to fine tune. For now we are recommending to use Linux Kernel 4.4 which is more stable than 5.8. Don’t worry, you won’t have to do a fresh install once Linux Kernel 5.8 is good to go.</p>
<table>
<thead>
<tr>
<th>Filename</th>
<th>Download</th>
</tr>
</thead>
<tbody>
<tr>
<td><strong>Armbian_20.08.4_Helios64_buster_legacy_4.4.213.img.xz</strong><br />Armbian 20.08.4 Debian 10 Buster (Kernel 4.4.213)<br />Build date : 24/09/2020<br />Size : 412 MB<br />Status : <strong>Relatively stable</strong></td>
<td><a href="https://dl.armbian.com/helios64/archive/Armbian_20.08.4_Helios64_buster_legacy_4.4.213.img.xz">Link</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>Armbian_20.08.4_Helios64_buster_current_5.8.11.img.xz</strong><br />Armbian 20.08.4 Debian 10 Buster (Kernel 5.8.11)<br />Build date : 24/09/2020<br />Size : 464 MB<br />Status : <strong>Unstable</strong></td>
<td><a href="https://dl.armbian.com/helios64/archive/Armbian_20.08.4_Helios64_buster_current_5.8.11.img.xz">Link</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>Armbian_20.08.4_Helios64_focal_current_5.8.11.img.xz</strong><br />Armbian 20.08.4 Ubuntu 20.04 Focal (Kernel 5.8.11)<br />Build date : 24/09/2020<br />Size : 345 MB<br />Status : <strong>Unstable</strong></td>
<td><a href="https://dl.armbian.com/helios64/archive/Armbian_20.08.4_Helios64_focal_current_5.8.11.img.xz">Link</a></td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<p>This, hopefully, will be the last news we need to post about shipping / fulfillment ;-)</p>Kobol TeamShipping UpdateHelios64 Shipping Update!2020-09-08T01:00:00+00:002020-09-08T01:00:00+00:00https://blog.kobol.io/2020/09/08/helios64-shipping-update<h1 id="shipping-update">Shipping Update</h1>
<p><strong>We started shipping 2 weeks ago and we have shipped 300 parcels so far. This week will ship another 200 parcels, and we will carry on with this rate every week.</strong> So it will take us 3-4 more weeks to get all orders on their way.</p>
<p>As mentioned previously, we are trying to apply a <em>first in first out</em> shipping policy, however we still have to group orders based on countries for shipping cost reason. Example, because freight is still super costly for Canada, we are currently working with a forwarder to bulk ship next week all orders for Canada at once.</p>
<p>We also wanted to highlight that most of the orders we received happened in January alone when we started taking orders. So if you hear people, who ordered around the same time than you, mentioning they have already received a shipping notification but you didn’t it is normal. Just rest assured your orders will get shipped soon.</p>
<p>Finally, we are aware some of you are trying to figure out what’s their position in the shipping queue based on your order ID. For your information the Order ID is not just incremented by 1 for every new order ( don’t ask us why, it’s just how <a href="https://woocommerce.com/">woocommerce</a> works :P ). So it’s not because your Order ID is 4001 that it means there are 4000 orders before you, in reality there are currently around only 600 orders to fulfill before you.</p>
<p>We hope the above info clarify most of your questions…</p>
<h1 id="os-support-armbian">OS Support (Armbian)</h1>
<p>As announced Helios64 support in Armbian was added recently. Please take note it’s still a work-in-progress. Key features are supported, but we still need another 2 or 3 weeks to have a proper build that we can tag as Stable.</p>
<p>So for people who already received their Helios64, you might want to wait a bit before setting once for all your setup… take the opportunity to play around with the board first.</p>
<p>You can find the latest image builds either on our wiki <a href="https://wiki.kobol.io/download/#helios64">here</a>, or directly on Armbian Helios64 <a href="https://www.armbian.com/helios64/">page</a>.</p>
<h1 id="enclosure-kit-assembly">Enclosure Kit Assembly</h1>
<p>We noticed that the HDD plastic tray can be quite hard to slot in and out during the first usage. Once the HDD trays have been sitting in the enclosure for couple of days, the plastic leaf spring of the tray will loosen a bit and then it won’t be an issue anymore.</p>
<p>Also we added <a href="https://wiki.kobol.io/helios64/kit/#screw-list">screw visuals</a> on the Enclosure Kit assembly manual page since there are several types used and it can be a bit difficult to identify / differentiate each of them.</p>
<h1 id="install-instruction">Install instruction</h1>
<p>The <a href="https://wiki.kobol.io/helios64/install/">Helios64 Install Instructions</a> are available on our wiki. For now it focuses on installing using a microSD card. We will add soon the instructions on how to install on on-board eMMC Flash.</p>
<h1 id="free-goodies">Free Goodies</h1>
<p>Back in March, to apologize for the long delay, we said we will add to each pre-orders made before March 15th 2020 :</p>
<ul>
<li>USB-C to HDMI cable</li>
<li>USB-C to USB3.0 cable</li>
</ul>
<p>The USB-C to USB3.0 cable is now included in the full bundle. As for the USB-C to HDMI cable, we will ship them to you a bit later, we are still waiting the vendor to deliver them.</p>Kobol TeamShipping UpdateHelios64 Production Update 4 !2020-08-23T01:00:00+00:002020-08-23T01:00:00+00:00https://blog.kobol.io/2020/08/23/helios64-update4<h1 id="manufacturing-status">Manufacturing Status</h1>
<p>It took us a bit of time to post this update because of few annoying problems we are experiencing on the last phase of production, generating a lot of stress for things we thought was behind us already.</p>
<h3 id="helios64-board">Helios64 Board</h3>
<p>As mentioned previously, the latest step before packing the board was the Factoring Acceptance Test (FAT). Unfortunately this process is not going as fast as expected and managing it remotely is not helping either. Our test successful rate is not as high as we expected. It turned out that our FAT software was a bit too strict resulting in some board failing the FAT while they are actually OK. We also noticed an issue with the PCIe link training on some of the boards, which we are currently investigating in order to fine tune the PCIe PHY settings on both RK3399 and JMB585 chips.</p>
<h3 id="helios64-enclosure-kit">Helios64 Enclosure Kit</h3>
<p>While the manufacturing was completed, the quality inspection revealed that the anodize finish of the aluminum shell wasn’t up to standard. So it was decided to redo the anodizing step. It’s ongoing and will soon be completed.</p>
<h1 id="shipping-status">Shipping Status</h1>
<p><strong>We are still starting to ship next week !</strong> But it will take us a bit longer to get all of the thousand++ orders on their way. For fairness we will ship according to order dates. First people to have pre-ordered, will be the first ones to get their Helios64 shipped.</p>
<p><strong>As soon as we have shipped your order you will receive a notification email with the tracking information</strong>. You can also check your order status <a href="https://shop.kobol.io/check-order/">here</a> using your order ID and email. If the order status is <em>“processing”</em>, it means you order hasn’t been shipped yet. If it shows as <em>“completed”</em>, it means it has been shipped and the tracking information should be displayed.</p>
<h1 id="ddp-for-eu-customers">DDP for EU customers</h1>
<p>Last month we introduced the Delivered Duty Paid (DDP) option for EU customers and we made it mandatory for all orders of Helios64 Full Bundle. Almost everyone has already settled their DDP add-on invoice but we have still few dozens which haven’t yet. Please take note that we won’t be able to ship your order until you settle the invoice. We will resend the invoice for those who haven’t settled it yet in case you didn’t receive the email in the first place.</p>
<h1 id="assembly-manual">Assembly Manual</h1>
<p>While we still have a lot to publish on our wiki regarding installation and configuration instructions,<strong>we just finished the Enclosure Kit assembly manual that you will find on the following <a href="https://wiki.kobol.io/helios64/kit/">page</a>.</strong></p>
<p><a href="https://wiki.kobol.io/helios64/kit/"><img src="/img/068/kit-assembly1.png" alt="Kit Assembly" /></a></p>
<p><a href="https://wiki.kobol.io/helios64/kit/"><img src="/img/068/kit-assembly2.png" alt="Kit Assembly" /></a></p>
<h1 id="armbian-support">Armbian Support</h1>
<p><strong>Helios64 support has been added to Armbian lastest <a href="https://www.armbian.com/newsflash/armbian-20-08-caple/">version 20.08</a></strong>. You can already find image on the Armbian <a href="https://www.armbian.com/helios-64/">download page</a>. It’s still a work in progress, but should be completed by the time people receive the first boards.</p>
<h1 id="ce-and-fcc-emc-test-result">CE and FCC EMC Test Result</h1>
<p>We are happy to announce that <strong>Helios64 passed all the required EMC (ElectroMagnetic Compatibility) tests to conform to FCC an CE regulation</strong>. You can find the test reports and declaration of conformity documents on our wiki <a href="https://wiki.kobol.io/helios64/docs/#certification">here</a>.</p>
<p><a href="https://wiki.kobol.io/helios64/docs/#certification"><img src="/img/068/ce-fcc-doc.png" alt="CE FCC DoC" /></a></p>
<p><strong>Once again the Kobol Team apologizes for the delay experienced.</strong></p>Kobol TeamManufacturing StatusHelios64 Production Update 3 !2020-07-23T01:00:00+00:002020-07-23T01:00:00+00:00https://blog.kobol.io/2020/07/23/helios64-update3<h1 id="manufacturing-status">Manufacturing Status</h1>
<p>As shared recently on our <a href="https://twitter.com/kobol_io">Twitter</a> and <a href="https://www.facebook.com/kobol.io/">Facebook</a> pages, the first batch of <strong>Helios64 boards is currently going through Factory Acceptance Test (FAT)</strong>. This is the last step before the boards get packed and sent out to our warehouse for fulfillment. Our FAT procedure takes a bit of time since we tests all the interfaces & features of each board.</p>
<p><img src="/img/067/h64-pcb-box.png" alt="PCB Box" /></p>
<p>Regarding the Heliso64 Enclosure Kit, the manufacturing is complete. Now only remains to the factory to pack all the accessories of each enclosure kit and deliver them to our warehouse.</p>
<p><img src="/img/067/h64-enclosure-sticker.png" alt="Enclosure Kit Sticker" /></p>
<p>So in a nutshell, <strong>all looks very good for shipping to start early August ;-)</strong> And talking about shipping, please read carefully the following sections.</p>
<h1 id="introducing-ddp-for-eu-customers">Introducing DDP for EU customers</h1>
<p>For EU customers <strong>we are introducing Delivered Duty Paid (DDP)</strong> where we collect directly duties and taxes to do the customs clearance for EU import on your behalf. This way it’s fuzz free for you, no need to pay anything on delivery or worry about expensive admin fees some couriers charge for customs clearance.</p>
<p>We work out the following flat fee with our shipping partner that includes import duties+taxes AND shipping fees : USD 77 per Helios64 Full Bundle unit. This is a good deal taking in consideration the parcel weight (6.5 Kg) and the goods value.</p>
<p>In order to simplify logistic and fast track Helios64 shipping, <strong>we decided to make this DDP option mandatory for all past and new pre-orders of the Helios64 Full Bundle made by EU customers</strong>. If you have already made a pre-order, you will soon receive an electronic invoice from our system that will ask you to top-up USD 45 per unit corresponding to USD 77 minus what you paid already for shipping fees.</p>
<p>Here the list of the concerned countries :</p>
<table>
<tbody>
<tr>
<td>Austria</td>
<td>France</td>
<td>Latvia</td>
<td>Romania</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Belgium</td>
<td>Germany</td>
<td>Lithuania</td>
<td>Slovakia</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Bulgaria</td>
<td>Greece</td>
<td>Luxembourg</td>
<td>Slovenia</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Czech Republic</td>
<td>Hungary</td>
<td>Netherlands</td>
<td>Spain</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Denmark</td>
<td>Ireland</td>
<td>Poland</td>
<td>Sweden</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Estonia</td>
<td>Italy</td>
<td>Portugal</td>
<td>United Kingdom</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Finland</td>
<td> </td>
<td> </td>
<td> </td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<h1 id="check-your-shipping-address-">Check your shipping address !</h1>
<p>Now that the order fulfillment phase is coming soon, this is the right time to <strong>double check that your shipping address is correct and up to date</strong>. Simply reply to the <em>order confirmation</em> email you received with any required change.</p>
<p>In case you cannot find your <em>order confirmation</em>, just email us to <a href="https://shop.kobol.io/contact-us/">support@kobol.io</a> from the email address you used to make the pre-order and we will resend you the <em>order confirmation</em> email.</p>
<h1 id="25-inches-adapter-available">2.5 Inches Adapter Available</h1>
<p>You are now able to order the 2.5 inches HDD/SSD adapter on our <a href="https://shop.kobol.io/product/helios64-2-5-hdd-ssd-adapters/">shop</a>.</p>
<p><a href="https://shop.kobol.io/product/helios64-2-5-hdd-ssd-adapters/"><img src="/img/067/h64-2.5-adapter.png" alt="2.5 Inches Adapter" /></a></p>
<p>For existing customers who want to add the adapter(s) to their pre-order, just indicated your pre-order ID in the <strong>Order Notes</strong> during checkout. We will then consolidate it to your existing order.</p>
<p><img src="/img/067/kobol-shop-checkout.png" alt="Kobol Shop Checkout" /></p>Kobol TeamManufacturing Status