VFD Clock on amlogic-s9xxxx

I think Manjaro ARM needs working vfd clock.
For the adventurous here is how to do that.

From

https://github.com/ophub/amlogic-s9xxx-armbian/blob/main/build-armbian/armbian-docs/led_screen_display_control.md

download “/usr/share/openvfd” directory and “/usr/sbin/armbian-led”.
I put all files in “/root/openvfd”, no subdir. Make “vfdservice” and “armbian-led” executable.
Change in “armbian-led” the openvfd_path to openvfd_path="/root/openvfd"

Get

https://downgit.github.io/#/home?url=https:%2F%2Fgithub.com%2Funifreq%2Flinux-5.17.y%2Ftree%2Fmain%2Fdrivers%2Fauxdisplay%2Fopenvfd

and unzip the dowloaded “openvfd.zip”.
Create a new kernel module:
CONFIG_OPENVFD=m make -C /lib/modules/uname -r/build M=$PWD modules
Copy the created “openvfd.ko” to “/usr/lib/modules/extramodules-YOURKERNEL”
Then “depmod -a”

At last you need to modify your dtb.
Decompile it and add openvfd paragraph before symbols like in this diff and recompile.

 		phandle = <0x32>;
 	};
 
+       openvfd {
+                compatible = "open,vfd";
+                dev_name = "openvfd";
+                status = "okay";
+        };
+
 	__symbols__ {
 		simplefb_cvbs = "/chosen/framebuffer-cvbs";
 		simplefb_hdmi = "/chosen/framebuffer-hdmi";

Reboot with the new dtb and run “/root/openvfd/armbian-led 17” if you have X96Air.
Otherwise run “/root/openvfd/armbian-led” and chose your box or just try them all if your box is not there.
(+ I think CoreElec forums have a lot of configuration files.)

Hopefully I did not forget anything and now the vfd should show hours:minutes.
Unfortunately after every kernel update “openvfd.ko” must be recreated.

2 Likes

I think to add package to aur according to your instruction :grinning:, Thanks!

We can enable it, once it gets upstream…

Adding it before then, is likely not gonna happen, as it seems to be for some special hardware application and Manjaro ARM is primarily a desktop computing distro.

So yes. Best way to get this would be an AUR package.

You can turn it into dkms pkg.

Yes for openvfd

But we do not maintain support for tv boxes with led display so the is no point for us to maintain it.

Thank you for the contribution. Users with such device can use this guide.

Cheers.