Exxos's PiStorm blog

[Steve]

@exxos the extra configuration options, if you click on them, will become evident straight away. It simply allows you to configure SSH to be enabled and to enter your network settings before you write the image to SD. This way the Pi will be configured for SSH access before you even turn the Pi on.

By the way, I'm assuming the reason you're doing this is to find out the MAC address? I don't recommend this way of doing it. Just plug your Pi into a monitor and keyboard, write the preconfigured image I sent you, log in and then find your Mac address using the following:

1.In a terminal window type ifconfig and return. You'll see a list of interfaces. Your wireless interface will likely be named wlan0 or wifi0. The wireless MAC address will be in the field labeled HWaddr.
2.You can also use iwconfig to find your wireless MAC address if you have it installed.

Or can we use a completely different way to find a MAC address?

For anyone else wondering: I'm trying to get Chris set up perfectly with exactly the same H5 Pi SD image I use for my H5 installation. This is because there are various different tweaked firmwares and I just want to guarantee that Chris has everything he needs all ready to go without any stress. Literally all we need to do is reconfigure my SD card image to connect to his network and we are golden.

So please if anyone wants to provide advice please do it with all this in mind :) otherwise we will get very confused!

[exxos]

Or can we use a completely different way to find a MAC address?

Could it all be added into some file on your SD card somewhere ? I mean the info must be in some file I can just edit ? If I can get the wifi IP and password added, then my router *should* report the MAC address as a failed connection attempt, so I could get the MAC that way.

If not, I will have to get a HDMI cable as mine are all standard stuff and not the tiny one on the PI. Not sure if I have a spare USB keyboard anymore either. It could be a bit of a sticking point for other people as well if they have to buy a USB keyboard & cable just to setup the pi.

Mostly just ends up being easier for me to just find the relevant file and edit it rather than typing in 50 lines of commands in linux just do do something simple.

[Steve]

@exxos yes that's the method I already mentioned earlier, using the wpa_supplicant file. When you put your WiFi details in there upon boot the Pi OS copies that information into the various configuration files inside /etc. you can't edit those files directly because they're protected and owned by root. So that's why the wpa_supplicant exists.

[exxos]

ah screw it, i'll order a hdmi cable. I've gotta go up in the loft at some point soon, so hope I can find a keyboard up there. I will probably end up needing to SSH in at some point anyway. So might as well get it over and done with sooner rather than later.

Also ordered a heatsink set. Also worked out I can use USB C for power, so that's fine.

I will get several boards made up with the 374 latches as well. I don't have much time to mess about with soldering stuff up. Rather JLC do the hard graft.

[Steve]

I salute you for your dedication sir :2k2:

[exxos]

Meanwhile I setup wifi just to see if I can get the thing to connect at all.

The first annoying thing was the first SD card (new) seems to be faulty :roll:

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[exxos]

Progress :D

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So I never enabled SSH it seems. So starting again with this basically.

rpi_imager_set_ssh.png

[exxos]

:D

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So running through... https://github.com/gotaproblem/pistorm-atari

First "issue"...

Append the following to your /boot/cmdline.txt file

quiet vt.global_cursor_default=0 fsck.mode=force fsck.repair=yes NOTE Do not add new-lines to this file. The entries must be one continuous line

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Also

Do not add new-lines to this file. The entries must be one continuous line

Odd ? but ok...

So I think that is probably as much as I can do until I get my I/O board thing back..

[Steve]

@exxos If you now know the MAC address & have it enabled on your network (or whatever it is you needed to do) Then I suggest stop using this new install & attempt to burn & configure the image I gave you. Since all of it is pre-configured. Once you write the image to the SD, mount it and then inside /boot configure a wpa_supplicant. See if you can get it on your network. Bare in mind it's IP address is not DHCP, it's set to be 192.168.0.53 as previously mentioned in PM. Hopefully (fingers crossed) if you use the same subnet of 192.168.0.X this should be easy.

This is the problem in the fast changing linux world, sometimes instructions get written, an update for the OS comes which then changes where certain files are located. Which is what this looks like with the cmdline.txt. On my image it's still the old-way, in /boot.

[exxos]

@exxos If you now know the MAC address & have it enabled on your network (or whatever it is you needed to do) Then I suggest stop using this new install & attempt to burn & configure the image I gave you.

I did try, but I cannot remember (or even have) any programs to restore the SD card image. I thought my backup software would do it, but seems there's no way to load a image which the software didn't write :roll: I know I did save and restore card images a few years back but I'm not sure if it worked properly in the end. So that could be a while before I could figure that out again.

But I really wonder what else there is to actually do now ? Because I already run through the guide. And basically (AFAIK) I am only stuck on programming the FPGA part now. Which I cannot do because I haven't got the board yet :lol: :roll:

Since all of it is pre-configured. Once you write the image to the SD, mount it and then inside /boot configure a wpa_supplicant.

I have no idea what any that means :)

See if you can get it on your network. Bare in mind it's IP address is not DHCP, it's set to be 192.168.0.53 as previously mentioned in PM. Hopefully (fingers crossed) if you use the same subnet of 192.168.0.X this should be easy.

My IP ranges are slightly different to that.. It would have to use the IP address I have allocated to it now.

This is the problem in the fast changing linux world, sometimes instructions get written, an update for the OS comes which then changes where certain files are located. Which is what this looks like with the cmdline.txt. On my image it's still the old-way, in /boot.

Yep that all drives me nuts. All the guides are written for older versions of stuff, and when you're forced update stuff / operating system, you get all new stuff , no guides on how to use any of it.. And by the time all the guides come out and things get fixed.. we are all onto the next operating system.. So everything always ends up perpetually broken :roll: