Documentation Release Date?

Does anyone have any idea when we can expect documentation for the VF2 Lite? Was the original VF2 documentation available by the time the boards shipped?

I would expect that about 90% to 98% of the documentation, will be the same. The major differences that I can see are:

VisionFive 2 VisionFive 2 lite
larger PCB 100 mm in length, 74 mm in width, and 21 mm in height (bigger is better, because the extra surface area, ~50%, means that more air convection is happening to cool the board) smaller PCB 85.3mm x 55.9mm (3.35 inches by 2.2 inches), same size as any RPi (smaller surface area means less air convection to cool the board)
empty eMMC socket on the back of the SBC (opposite side to the MicroSD card) no eMMC socket, 64GB soldered down is an option when ordering the model with 8GB of RAM
expensive cheaper
4 port USB 3.0 hub (VIA Labs quad port USB 3.0 to PCIe host controller VL805-Q6) ; 1 port USB 2.0 port multiplexed with the USB Type-C port 4 port USB 2.0 hub (TERMINUS FE1.1-AQFP48A USB 2.0 HighSpeed 4-port hub controller) ; with one port also providing a dedicated USB 3.0 port
JH7110 @ 1.5 GHz (RISC-V U74 Quad-core 64-bit V64GC ISA SoC) JH7110S @ 1.25 GHz (RISC-V U74 Quad-core 64-bit V64GC ISA SoC)
2x gigabit NIC’s 1x gigabit NIC and (optional on the 2GB RAM model) WiFi 6 with Bluetooth 5.4 (BL-M8800DS2-40 1T1R 802.11a/b/g/n/ac/ax WiFi+BT5.4 Module)
2-lane MIPI DSI × 1 ; 4-lane MIPI DSI × 1 ; Only one DSI port can be used for display at any time. 2-lane MIPI DSI display connector
M.2 Key-M 2280 (22 mm wide 80 mm length) (PCIe Gen2 x1) M.2 Key-M 2242 socket (PCIe Gen2 x1)
3.5mm Audio Jack n/a
TF slot for replaceable/upgradeable MicroSD cards AND eMMc socket for replaceable/upgradeable eMMc storage. Both can be used simultaneously because both have dedicated SDIO buses. TF slot for replaceable/upgradeable MicroSD cards OR a soldered down non-replacable/non-upgradable 64 GB eMMc storage. Only one can be used because both share the exact same SDIO bus.

My guess is that the PMIC (Power Management Integrated Circuit) is probably different between the two as well, but until I see the VF2L board I have no way to verify that. An X-Powers AXP-15060 PMIC is used on both the VF2 and VF2L. I might have missed a few differences, and if anyone notices any that I am missing or something that I have wrong, join the thread and let everyone know.

I know the above sounds like a lot of differences between the VF2 and the VF2L, but unless the JH7110S is new silicon (very low probability), I would expect most of the documentation to still apply, with very minor tweaks.

EDIT: There is only one thing that I would like to know from the VisionFive2 lite documentation.

What will eventually happen when the soldered down 64 GB eMMc fails read only. Will the VF2L have the exact same boot order as a the current VF2 (SD > eMMC > NVMe) (I seriously doubt that there will be a physical switch on a cost optimized board like the VF2L). So I guess my question becomes can the boot order be reconfigured either by compiling a new boot loader (stored in the QSPI flash) or by changing an environmental variable in say Das U-Boot: The Universal Boot Loader or a setting in edk2. My guess would be yes to u-boot (last updated a few weeks ago) and probably no for edk2 (no public commits in quite a while by StarFive).

There was some, as far as I can remember, but no where near as much as there is now.

The documentation for the VF2 Lite is now available. You can follow this link to access it: https://doc-en.rvspace.org/Doc_Center/visionfive_2_lite.html

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:+1: :smiling_cat_with_heart_eyes:

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Thanks. Lots of new stuff for me to learn about how (android) fastboot is being used to transfer/install a boot image file across USB to the eMMc.

It’s very simple. :blush:

It is funny that they document how to connect a fan electrically, but not how to mount it :grinning_face:
Unlike on the VisionFive 2, there are no mounting holes for a heatsink/fan present, as far as I can tell.

Sometimes cases have holes to mount a fan.


hi ErinD,
文档里这里可能有个小错:$ sudo apt install img2simg
在新的ubuntu和debian13里,img2simg 它好像不是一个单独的软件包,所以它是不能install, 新版本的系统里应该是:$ sudo apt install android-sdk-libsparse-utils ,然后img2simg就可以单独使用了。这个问题是我和乔楚乔老大,共同完成的。

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:saluting_face: 我们立即核查修改

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最好,两个指令都有。乔老大说,也许这个软件以前是独立的包 :blush:

可以改一下,以前版本的Ubuntu安装img2simg的时候会自动安装这个包android-sdk-libsparse-utils;这个工具包中包含img2simg这个工具。

:+1:
延伸一下问题,不能只有windows和ubuntu。例如我是不用windows和ubuntu,我用deban或其他版本的linux, 或者我是用vf2去给vf2 lite刷镜像,那么还要给vf2安装上ubuntu。所以$ sudo apt install img2simg 和 $ sudo apt install android-sdk-libsparse-utils 都有更好。我已经弄明白,所以文档中的小缺陷,对我已经没困难了。 :blush:

hi, LivingLinux
Do you know this instruction?

sudo watch cat /sys/kernel/debug/pvr/status

It is used in the vf2 debian2409 and vf2 debian2409 pro systems,The future VF2 Lite system may also be usable. It can observe GPU usage.
I can also use this command on lpi4a (TH-1520).Perhaps IMG’s GPU can be universal.







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I think this is just the logging, not really the functionality.

ImgTec develops drivers per iGPU, not a general driver.

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The four holes in the board are mostly surrounded by connectors, there is no easy way to mount a regular heat-sink (I am still trying to get a matching one for the VF2, my first attempt didn’t fit, and the custom made is no longer available).
We will see how hot the JH7110S gets under load, and if a custom case with fan-mount will be available (or a design for a 3D-Printer).

I think there’s no need to rush, if it’s for personal use.Waiting for more manufacturers to have more products to choose from.
In the early stages of VF_2lite, just get a cooling fan.
Wait for more than six months before considering changing to a suitable cooling equipment,At that time, there will be more products and cheaper prices to choose from. :joy:

Yes, it’s just logging, but it can also detect GPU usage. I have seen many CPU temperature detection programs that actually read log files and then display CPU temperature.

Regarding the GPU driver updates for VF2 and Lite, please wait patiently. It’s not just a VF2 issue anymore. VF2, TH-1520, K1, and EBC7700 are all using IMG’s GPU, so they are all waiting for IMG’s development. :sob:
At least the VF2_GPU driver has chosen to support Wayland, which is faster and more suitable for new software programs. :joy:

One great thing about Wayland is it’s enhanced security. No application can inject mouse clicks or characters into other applications. But a consequence of this (with no way to disable or bypass it) is that about 0.6% to 0.7% of the global population who are blind (mostly in the poorest countries around the world) no longer have access to coherent assistive technology that can function exactly the same across all applications. With Wayland each individual application needs to implement their own individual assistive technology independently of Wayland. And each application will either offer no support or totally different individual assistive interfaces. Do not get me wrong X11 has many flaws, but some of them are really helpful.