ghost commented 3 years ago

Hi,

We dont have any news about new pcb board. Deskpi team doesnt answer to mail too.

i need also another USB3 rear adaptater

Can you make an answer for that

thx

jamsoft commented 3 years ago

Thought I'd chip in here.

I just bought a DeskPi Pro, SSD and Pi 4B 8Gb last week from PiHut I had read about the lack of TRIM etc but this is really just a 'nix scratch pad play thing so totally not mission critical at all.

Built it all and installed Ubuntu 64 bit pi build. I'm typing this on it now. I have seen the crazy flashing USB light a number of times, requiring a power cycle to fix.

WiFi is dog slow and I've turned BT off for now as that seemed to be impacting WiFi ... but then that's also true of my stupid mac ... and it's not so magic mouse but that's another story.

The fan control install under Ubuntu 64 is pretty much broken. I've managed to get manual control working but really, what use is that? Cooling has to be controlled dynamically or it's "just a fan". Someone else suggested in another ticket the drivers need recompiling for 64bit but I don't know where to start with that at the mo. Also, anything other than 100% fan speed has an annoying vibration resonance that I haven't identified and fixed yet.

Seems odd someone would suggest the drivers need compiling when I have the standard 32bit drivers working with manual control but not automatic.

All in all, case looks and feels great but there are definitely issues to be ironed out and my experience overall is definitely on the slightly frustrated side.

Currently eyeing up a NUC to be honest ...

G6EJD commented 3 years ago

Same experiences here, but I discovered I get good WiFi connections on 5 GHz and now the WiFi is fast. The metal case is not conducive to good RF links. I have the same annoying buzz / resonance from the fan, not solved that yet. When I plug in a USB device the fan stops, examination of the script reveals it uses usb0 which is also being assigned to the first device plugged in. I am going to allocate and name a USB port say usbfan and change the script to use that to solve the problem. The cpu runs at about 40° most of the time and the fan is off, so cooling is good. Overall a neat case with issues.

jamsoft commented 3 years ago

Forgot to mention. The power light always stays blue now I'm running Ubuntu. Would power down and turn red under Raspian so definitely issues there in the config script.

Currently trying to get GPU accelration working and failing at that but that's nothing to do with this case.

I'm not driven enough to get a refund but the experience is a bit lackluster for what is THE most expensive Pi case on the market ...

I'm a bit picky with my hardware builds so these issues are actually quite annoying on that level.

jamsoft commented 3 years ago

@G6EJD Hmm ... 5Gz is pretty useless unless you're in the same room as the WiFi source.

jamsoft commented 3 years ago

On another issue here a chap posted this list of issues:

Front USB not working (or not properly)
USB dongle fail to use correctly the internal SSD/HDD
WIFI disturbance
Loading time takes too long.
Fan speed control should be better implemented for easy modification on OS, example on Ubuntu 20.10

That's an issue WITH EVERY SINGLE FUNCTION OF THE CASE other than it being a case ... anyway, enough moaning.

leicray commented 3 years ago

I have just heard from The Pi Hut, here in the UK, that they have decided to suspend sale of the case until matters are resolved.

simonduane commented 3 years ago

@leicray interesting - I just sent mine back with its RMA yesterday.

mjeshurun commented 3 years ago

I sent Deskpi a refund request two days ago. Didn’t hear back from them yet, but I’ll give this another week, before contacting them again about it.

risa2000 commented 3 years ago

FWIW, I emailed sales on April 20, asking for a refund and instructions how to proceed. They never replied, but sent me an advance notice about shipping the replacement board. So I went to PayPal customer protection and raised a complaint there while requesting a full refund.

G6EJD commented 3 years ago

I’m wondering what’s different with my two cases which apart from the fan control using USB0 which I fixed by allocating the port to the fan and changing the Python script all is working as expected. I’ve since found if I take the RPi out of the case it won’t connect to a 2.4G access point, well unless I force it to do so via wpa_supplicant. 5G range is a good 6M but I’m using a wifi6 mesh. I note the new boards have a screening can over components directly below the Pi USB ports. In one case I’m using an M.2 drive the other a 2.5” SSD both boot in identical times of about 7.5secs according to system-analyse and I’m getting near maximum r/w speeds for the two drives. Processor temp is a steady 39°c at most 46°. There are matching serial number stickers on the top and bottom pcbs the originals were blank. I think the version number is 3.1 on the new boards. The fan buzz is of very low sound level, but doesn’t bother me as at 1M it’s inaudible.

mjeshurun commented 3 years ago

An automated reply I got regarding my refund request email from Deskpi’s sales account. Let’s see if they answer in the next few days.

Hello,

Thanks for your letter.

Please
kindly note: we will have Labor Day holiday during May 1st to 5th.

We will reply you when we back to the office on May 6th.

Have a nice day!

jamsoft commented 3 years ago

@G6EJD I've only got one, bought just days before PiHut decided to stop selling them.

I can honestly report the same. The fan and power buttons have issues under Ubuntu 21.04 but all in all it is working for me also.

From cold boot to entering my password is around 28 seconds and it takes maybe another 10-15 to get into the desktop proper. I feel that's actually pretty acceptable performance wise.

It's using a 2.5in WD Green also bought from PiHut.

I do think they're right to suspend selling it though. Too many people are having showstopper problems.

mjeshurun commented 3 years ago

Just to update, I’ve received my refund. I also got confirmation from PayPal.

Mister-42 commented 3 years ago

Just to update, I’ve received my refund. I also got confirmation from PayPal.

I'm still waiting. @yoyojacky @deskpi process that refund!

haan2787 commented 3 years ago

i wil not sent it back for a refund ,i want the new pcb board like deskpi promist but digi-key where i have this deskpi from wil not help they say "you must call deskpi" so i ask deskpi for sending me the newest pcb boad ,and if i have to pay ,i like to hear made this reguest 2 days ago till now no aswer if someone else has better results then i like to know

G6EJD commented 3 years ago

I have the new pcb fitted but have today decided to return mine for a refund. Reliability is poor, let alone the on-going WiFi, USB, fan, ssd access issues. I decided to run the RPi + SSD outside the case and everything works as expected, WiFi can connect to either 2.4GHz or 5GHz, USB ports work, SSD access is trouble free and no random crashing. I’ve ordered an Argon one m2 to try that.

leicray commented 3 years ago

@G6EJD

I decided to run the RPi + SSD outside the case and everything works as expected.

That is exactly the same as my experience. I was beginning to think that every user had similar but non-identical experiences. I'm holding off returning the case to Pi Hut just yet as they do seem to be investigating the situation.

G6EJD commented 3 years ago

When I saw the case I thought the ventilation holes would provide a sufficient path for the RF coupled with the Perspex end-plates, but unfortunately the case provides an effective shielded enclosure and for that aspect there is no solution. The fan/usb port can be solved. Assign a logical name to USB0, I called it USBFAN and then modified the Python script so it was always in use when other devices were plugged in. The SSD driver speed didn’t bother me as I was getting near maximum transfer speeds for the SSD (550MB/s) I’m using, but unexplained crashing after a few days on my webserver was irritating and doesn’t happen out of the case with an SSD adapter. So yes they can probably resolve the issues, but not the WiFi unless they cut out a reasonably large part of the case above the WiFi chip and maybe replace with a plastic insert.

I’ll get my Argon One M.2 tomorrow and I’ll be keen to compare and contrast, the upside is there are few reported issues with it in the V2 variant.

If the issues are fixed I’ll purchase one again. I got mine from PiHut and they didn’t hesitate to issue an RMA seeking a return, so I did. They have withdrawn sales for the time being.

Good luck with yours.

G6EJD commented 3 years ago

New Argon M2 working perfectly, cpu temp about 45-degs, slightly faster than the DeskPi Pro, so far pleased. No Wi-Fi issues to report,, both 2.4G and 5G can be received. Time to boot 11.63-secs according to systemd-analyze.

Raspberry Pi Diagnostics - version 0.9 Fri May 7 12:20:48 2021

Test : SD Card Speed Test Run 1 prepare-file;0;0;321254;627 seq-write;0;0;306242;598 rand-4k-write;0;0;53939;13484 rand-4k-read;53894;13473;0;0 Sequential write speed 306242 KB/sec (target 10000) - PASS Random write speed 13484 IOPS (target 500) - PASS Random read speed 13473 IOPS (target 1500) - PASS Test PASS

haan2787 commented 3 years ago

no answer from digi-key and deskpi
bad support shame on them i am going to build a case with the help of geekpi using the cooler and the sabre ssd to usb incloser thanks for the help

simonduane commented 3 years ago

full marks to Pi Hut - no quibble, the refund for the case and SSD that I returned, arrived yesterday. Pi users in the UK probably don't need my recommendation, but I'll make it anyway. Very strongly.

G6EJD commented 3 years ago

I agree PiHut have been exemplary I requested a refund, they sent me a free postage and collection link - excellent customer service.

mjeshurun commented 3 years ago

Although I already received my refund, I just got this email from Deskpi's sales team, regarding the future support of UASP and TRIM in a third version of Deskpi Pro.

Hi friend,
Thanks for your time, sorry for my delay because we had Labor Day holiday in the past few days.

It is delayed, we delayed the launch and delivery of new products. in order to meet the needs of most consumers, we want to update DeskPi Pro again to make it also supports UASP / TRIM.

Our tech team is testing the new board (with another new chip) if it can support UASP / TRIM. We may get the testing result recently.

We can also full refund you if you want. Please kindly let me know your idea.

Sorry for any inconvenience! Thank you!

Best regards,
DeskPi Team

G6EJD commented 3 years ago

You should also find a solution for the USB port being reassigned to e.g. a keyboard when plugged in as it stops the fan from working and improve the Wi-Fi signal by removing some case material over/around the RPi Wi-Fi chip.

Also the front USB ports can stop working for some reason.

The case is the best I've seen but unusable in its current form.

leicray commented 3 years ago

Also the front USB ports can stop working for some reason.

The behaviour of the front USB ports is definitely odd. For me, they work fine if I boot from the SSD, but they do not work if I boot from a microSD card. BTW, I'm running Raspberry Pi OS 5.10.

haan2787 commented 3 years ago

o thats good news if they make a new board are they helping everyone who bought a deskpi for example digi-key they can better stop selling until everything is working and contact copany like digi-key pihut etc to give everyone a good solution i have bought a other case ,but i want the dekpi working cost me a lot of money now problems : slow speeds with usb now hdmi output connecting to kvmswitch (tesmart 4x4 4k) hdmi only works directly connecting to the monitor ,usb 2.0 connection no booting ,booting ssd inside does not work sometimes slowly ,external ssd slow ,external hhd slowly so a lot of things i hope that deskpi wil help crossing my vingers for that

leicray commented 3 years ago

and contact copany like digi-key pihut etc to give everyone a good solution

Pi Hut has contacted me to say that 52Pi (the manufacturer) says that there be "some faulty units". Pi Hut say that think that the problem is widespread.

now hdmi output connecting to kvmswitch (tesmart 4x4 4k) hdmi only works directly connecting to the monitor

That's an interesting point. I too had been using a KVM switch before I transferred the Pi to the DeskPi case, and it worked as expected. However, it suddenly stopped working around the time of a Windows 10 update that was claimed to increase HDMI security. I never did resolve the problem and instead now use VNC to connect to the Pi desktop.

G6EJD commented 3 years ago

Looking at the PCB design / layout there appears to be just a simple microHDMI pin-to-pin tracking between micro and full size HDMI connectors, making it difficult to attribute the switching problem to the Deskpi case/pcbs, unless the same arrangement with the bare Pi using microHDMI works without issues.

jamsoft commented 3 years ago

I've gone back to Raspios OS 64bit since Ubuntu was just throwing up too many brick walls for my use case. Key development tools that are 3 major versions behind my main environment tools isn't inspiring.

However, the DeskPi now seems to be working ...

I'm booting from SSD, the auto fan control is working. It really does need ramp up and down behaviour rather than just plain on / off as the CPU fluctuates around the first threshold, but it is working. The power button also seems to be behaving as expected as well.

I've just run some speed tests on the Pi, inside the case. My router is two floors below me, so quite a distance. I have a mixture of Cat6 wired and wireless devices in this room that still have really good connections so it certainly could get a solid connection if working correctly, which it seems to be. But then I've only really used the Pi WiFi from inside the case so I've no baseline expectation at the mo.

WIFI

speedtest-cli
Retrieving speedtest.net configuration...
Retrieving speedtest.net server list...
Selecting best server based on ping...
Hosted by Fasthosts Internet (Gloucester) [59.89 km]: 29.494 ms
Testing download speed................................................................................
Download: 9.39 Mbit/s
Testing upload speed................................................................................................
Upload: 9.94 Mbit/s

SSD

WD Green 240GB 2.5" SSD PiHut Link

I'm also not entirely sure what figures to expect here.

Write Speeds

dd if=/dev/zero of=./speedTestFile bs=20M count=5 oflag=direct
5+0 records in
5+0 records out
104857600 bytes (105 MB, 100 MiB) copied, 0.695178 s, 151 MB/s

Read Speeds

dd if=./speedTestFile of=/dev/zero bs=20M count=5 oflag=dsync
5+0 records in
5+0 records out
104857600 bytes (105 MB, 100 MiB) copied, 0.569607 s, 184 MB/s

I also took those terminal snippets and copied and pasted them into a file on a thumb drive plugged into the front USB ports in order to test them and get the text to paste in here ... #ludditemode lol

All in all, it looks like my unit is pretty functional.

I did have one power warning when running Ubuntu but nothing unexpected happened. The OS didn't attempt to shutdown and the hardware just kept on going so not entirely sure what that was about.

haan2787 commented 3 years ago

thanks for the test i have the raspberry without a case running and normal hdmi and the espected speed with the ssd and hdd the router acts normal so no problems just like i want to see ,the problem is the deskpi i realy hope for a solution but in the mean time a wait for the geekpi

leicray commented 3 years ago

I've gone back to Raspios OS 64bit

My understanding is that the 64-bit version is still in development. Please correct me if I'm wrong. I'm using the 32-bit version as I only have 4 GB RAM and the 64-bit version would yield no advantages.

However, the DeskPi now seems to be working ...

Weirdly, so is mine. It has been up for nearly five days now, whereas it had previously been crashing once or twice a day. The power button works exactly as expected.

BREAKING NEWS: it has just crashed again in the last couple of minutes!

Still no further forward I fear.

G6EJD commented 3 years ago

Crashing after about 5-days, that was my experience too, since I changed to the Argon One M2 no crashing, no WiFi drop-outs or USB problems on my webserver.

jamsoft commented 3 years ago

My understanding is that the 64-bit version is still in development. Please correct me if I'm wrong. I'm using the 32-bit version as I only have 4 GB RAM and the 64-bit version would yield no advantages.

Strictly speaking a 64 bit chip really should be running a 64 bit OS. It effects things like addressable RAM etc so my having 8GB 64bit makes a stack of sense.

Besides, isn't all of Linux constantly "in development" ;)

leicray commented 3 years ago

My understanding is that the 64-bit version is still in development. Please correct me if I'm wrong. I'm using the 32-bit version as I only have 4 GB RAM and the 64-bit version would yield no advantages.

Strictly speaking a 64 bit chip really should be running a 64 bit OS. It effects things like addressable RAM etc so my having 8GB 64bit makes a stack of sense.

Besides, isn't all of Linux constantly "in development" ;)

I was perhaps not as clear as I might have been. If I run Raspberry Pi Imager, it only offers 32-bit versions of Raspberry Pi OS. I interpret that to mean that the 64-bit versions are still not far enough along the development path to be considered ready for general release.

As I said previously, my Pi has just 4 GB RAM. The value of the 64-bit version would only be realised if I had the 8-GB version.

jamsoft commented 3 years ago

No you were clear, just missed the joke.

You should also see better performance too. I'm not as familiar with ARM to be honest but I know, for example, x64 has additional instructions too not just greater address space.