No HDMI audio
- Edited
Thank you for the replies, @uli and @Dmian.
I'm using an Orange Pi Lite V1.1. Firmware revision is v0.90-177. Imaging software used: Etcher and Win32DiskImager, both using the inbuilt card reader and external card reader on a Dell E7450 laptop, as well as a Dell G3 3500 laptop.
My config file (after changing the default beep volume to 15 to see if they rectified the issue):
keyboard=1
mode=1
font=2
keyword_sep_optional=0
language=0
filter=0
cursor_color=0xff009500
beep_volume=15
phys_mode=0
tv_norm=0
color0=0,0,0
color1=192,192,192
color2=255,255,255
color3=128,128,128
color4=10,120,160
color5=140,140,140
color6=244,233,123
color7=214,91,189
color8=50,50,255
color9=238,137,17
color10=84,255,0
color11=0,0,0
Trying SAY "Hello, world!", BEEP 15, PLAY "A1B1C1", or playing SHMUP yields no sound output over HDMI (I've since tried it on a couple more televisions).
I've since tried the three latest firmware builds, using a large number of configurations, to no avail (used both Etcher and Win32DiskImager on a Dell E7450 & Dell G3 3500 laptops - both using inbuilt and external card readers). I'm not good at soldering, nor am I averse to it either, but these soldering pads are at the upper limit of my finite soldering skills Unfortunately, I do not have a 3.5MM audio pigtail, so I will have to order some in from Amazon. While I am there, I will see which other Orange Pi are available from stock within the United States and order one with an existing audio jack - if possible
Thanks again for developing this awesome little setup and for your help!!
Image of the solder pads for an audio jack:

Edit #2: Sleep deprivation is a nasty thing. I started reading through more threads and see there is a HELP command ( and assuming as much after seeing the json help files in the sys folder). I will try to go through them and document it as I go. It may even lead to a cure to the problem in the topic....or maybe I've got a lemon - that isn't terribly uncommon from what I've read this evening. In any case, I've ordered some 3.5MM audio jack pigtails, an Orange Pi PC for when I inevitably screw up the Orange Pi Lite soldering on it (I have mild essential tremors), and a high quality high output multi-port USB charger (something to power the OPI BE, original BE, Color Maximite, and Color Maximite 2...hopefully).
β¦and evidently my Orange Pi Lite is an HDMI audio lemon. I couldnβt get any sound with Android either.
I did manage to get a 3.5MM audio jack pigtail soldered on and it audio output is working fine that way.
- Edited
Hey guys,
seems like I'm the next victim of not having audio over HDMI :-/
I read about the Basic Engine NG a few weeks ago and was pretty excited, so I basically ordered an Orange Pi Lite (1GB-Model) from Aliexpress the next day.
It arrived on saturday - a pretty new unit it seems, with serial 2021072700101970 - and after a quick test everything seems to work fine and I was thrilled....until I found out I had no audio....
Unlike painintheworld I have no problems getting audio to work over HDMI in the official Debian, Ubuntu and Android-Builds. Only the BasicEngine-Firmware gives me trouble.
I already tried several different Firmware-Builds (271, 270, 177, 130), with 3 different HDMI-cables, on 2 Monitors and 2 TV-Sets. Each time using the default config, which should mean it's using 1080p-HDMI-mode, right?
In every scenario SAY "Hello world", BEEP 10 or PLAY "A1B1C1" didn't yield any sound at all.
Soldering in an audio jack for analog-audio is not an option for me and I'm ready to throw in the towel.
Since sound over HDMI is working perfectly when playing MP3 or movie-files under Linux and Android, I wonder if there could be anything wrong with the sound driver code?
I would really appreciate it if anyone had any suggestions on what else I could try to get this working, or if maybe @uli could take another look at the driver code, since my unit obvioulsy isn't broken. It would be a real shame otherwise....
Thanks in advance for any help
Fingerhoff Could you please try a build from before 2021-03-30, i.e. v0.89-149 or lower? That's when I switched from the fixed-resolution HDMI driver from allwinner-bare-metal to the libh3 driver.
uli Thanks for your quick reply :-)
I tried v0.89-149 and that seemed to do the trick! Just popped the sd-card in, fired up the unit up using my Dell Monitor (which has speakers attached via 3.5mm-jack) and sound instantly worked using the SAY-command. SOUND and PLAY also worked. Just the BEEP-command (BEEP 10) didn't do much,....but maybe I was using wrong.
So it had something to do with the drivers in the end? Is this something that could be fixed in a future update or would I need to keep using this older version?
Anyway, thanks again for getting back to me so quickly. I really love your Basic Firmware running on my Orange Pi Lite and I'm super happy to have sound now. Keep up that great work, Uli
I have looked into it again, and it seems to me that the lib-h3 driver does not do any HDMI audio initialization at all, with the exception of turning on the clock. If that is true, it's a miracle that sound worked for anyone at all...
I have reinstated the HDMI audio initialization code from the old driver; please check out the latest build and see if that helped with your issue. Thanks.
Wow, that was fast uli !
OK, having sound despite audio not being initialized definitely sound's like miracle to me^^
Mhhh, but it seems there is more to it than just reinstating HDMI audio initialization. Just tried out v0.90-285 (with default config).....and sound is no more again. Damn!
This couldn't be a problem specific to the Lite-Model, can it? You are using one yourself, right?
Anyway, happy to help squashing this bug. If you have another idea and want to update the firmware, I'm happy to give feedback, uli :-)
Btw. I noticed there's something potentially off with the german keyboard-layout:
Tried to set the layout to german in v0.90-285, afterwards shift+z produces a captial "Y". Can you confirm this?
Fingerhoff This couldn't be a problem specific to the Lite-Model, can it? You are using one yourself, right?
...and a One, a PC, and a non-OPi board; all work. There is, in fact, little in the way of board design that could affect the HDMI functionality.
Fingerhoff Anyway, happy to help squashing this bug. If you have another idea and want to update the firmware, I'm happy to give feedback, uli :-)
Appreciated.
Fingerhoff Btw. I noticed there's something potentially off with the german keyboard-layout:
Tried to set the layout to german in v0.90-285, afterwards shift+z produces a captial "Y". Can you confirm this?
Yes, I can. Please file a bug report for that so I don't forget.
Alrighty, I think I have found the issue. The lib-h3 HDMI driver runs the HDMI controller with "scrambled" registers, but the allwinner-bare-metal code is all written to be run in "unscrambled" mode, so adding the audio config back didn't do anything. I have fixed that now, and I hope that will solve the issue.
Note that because there is no change to the Engine BASIC repository, the build number has not been increased, so please re-download the v0.90-285 image, and don't accidentally use the old one.
You're the man, uli. That was it! Everything seems to work perfectly now.
Though, I have to say you weren't kidding when you mentioned "BEEP 10 should produce an ear-piercing constant high-pitched beep". I tried the command for the 1st time and was almost going deaf. Also, my wife was going apeshit, yelling at me from the other side of the apartment what the f*** I was doing....
That IS some nasty command...especially with turned up volume!
Thanks anyway for your quick help, I appreciate it .
Also, regarding that bug report for the Y/Z-issue in the german-keyboard-layout. Any preference where you want such things filed,...as new topic here in the forum or as 'issue' at github?
@Fingerhoff Glad you got it going! I'm 100% certain that particular Opi I was having issues with was just a lemon. I ended up soldering a 3.5mm pigtail jack and doing it that way.
Fingerhoff Everything seems to work perfectly now.
Excellent. Can you do me a favor and run the following commands on your device and tell me what the results are:
?HEX$(PEEKD($1c00024))
POKED $1ef0014, $42494e47
?HEX$(PEEK($1ee0000))
?HEX$(PEEK($1ee0001))
?HEX$(PEEK($1ee0002))
?HEX$(PEEK($1ee0003))
Fingerhoff That IS some nasty command...especially with turned up volume!
FTR, there is a volume parameter; see HELP BEEP
. Also, the default volume can be adjusted using CONFIG 7, ...
.
Fingerhoff Also, regarding that bug report for the Y/Z-issue in the german-keyboard-layout. Any preference where you want such things filed,...as new topic here in the forum or as 'issue' at github?
Please open an issue on Github.
painintheworld I'm 100% certain that particular Opi I was having issues with was just a lemon.
Would you mind trying it again with the new build? There is at least a small chance that whatever Linuxes you have tried might have the same issue. (And run the above commands as well, while you're at it.)
uli
Sure I can, here are the results, uli:
?HEX$(PEEKD($1c00024)) -> 100
POKED $1ef0014, $42494e47 -> OK
?HEX$(PEEK($1ee0000)) -> 13
?HEX$(PEEK($1ee0001)) -> 2A
?HEX$(PEEK($1ee0002)) -> A0
?HEX$(PEEK($1ee0003)) -> C1
As requested, I have opened the issue regarding the key-missmatch in the german keyboard-layout on github,...so you won't forget ;-)
Also, thanks for hinting me to the help file for the BEEP-command. I already figured that out myself after bespoke situation where I almost fell off my chair. Very "helpful" these help-files, I must say.... :-P
uli Would you mind trying it again with the new build? There is at least a small chance that whatever Linuxes you have tried might have the same issue. (And run the above commands as well, while you're at it.)
I will try the newest build as soon as possible and post results. I need to do the gamepad tests you advised me on, too.
Thank you!
Ahoy,
Using EB NG V90-271 and 90-287 on a Tauon PC-1 I'm having trouble with no sound on some monitor hardware but sound on others. I'm using 4 things:
1)19" Craig 720P TV/monitor-Sound in composite mode, no sound in HDMI
2) 24" LG 1080P TV/monitor-Sound in HDMI mode
3) VLC w/composite capture card output to LG 24"-sound in composite
4) VLC w/HDMI capture card output to LG 24"-no sound in HDMI
I have 5 19" Craig TV/monitors all the same model number. Two are older version, 3 are newer version. I have 3xCompulab Utilite Pro mini computers. They will ONLY work on the 2 older versions. I believe this has to do with the HDML version, whether HTML 1.3, 1.4 or 2.0. I think the older Craig mons & the HDMI cap card must be HDMI V1.3 and will not make sound from EBASIC NG. Only the LG mon is V1.4 or higher so it works.
DaveyB
PS: the HDMI cap card is a MS2109-based cheapo I grabbed for a few dollars and change. On my Ubuntu ASUS Chromebox the lag is terrible bordering on 1-2 secs making my Amazon Firestick TV unwatchable. On my RPi 4B its much faster and usable but sound refuses to work in any capture program (go figure!). Basically it works the same for the Easycap AV card except its watchable on the ASUS box. No sound in Raspbian. Both are fine for programming in EngineBASIC. db
Those generic HDMI capture devices are a gamble, at least that has been my experience. I have an Elgato HD60 that plays nice with what little I've tried on the Orange Pi. I do have a cheapo USB 2 HDMI capture device that I've been tickled with. I just checked my order history to grab a link and it is no longer available (iorder says "LENCENT Audio Video HDMI To USB 2.0 1080p60" and it works fine at 1080p60 with OBS).
I mostly use an 11.6" HDMI/VGA/Composite/BNC 12 volt DC monitor and it works awesome. I've been planning on making a cyberpunk-ish laptop and may use this monitor...maybe get something a little large for my old eyes. Currently it is stuck to a laptop lap desk with velcro and powered(powering the monitor and Pi) by a 12v/5v (6ahr at 12v) lipo battery , and using a most excellent mechanical keyboard that I snagged on Prime Day for $22 or so.
It has been hit or miss on various Vizio and Samsung televisions. I will try to grab parts numbers this weekend, as it may help someone else in the future. Since the wife has a three day weekend, I will also test the gamepads like I told uli a while back I would and get those results out to the community.
monitor link >>
[https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08L7Q7Y22/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1](https://)