Group: Hardware/Computers/Tablets/PineTab

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Introduction

This page research if it's possible to replace a Libreboot Thinkpad with a PineTab (and its detachable keyboard) and how much freedom issue the PineTab has.

Research

Nonfree firwmares: TODO

WiFi

TODO

Storage

  • flash chip?
  • 64GiB? internal eMMC (removable?)
  • MicroSD (SD3.0, MMC 4.5, up to 50MB/s)
  • Adding an NVMe is also possible but this has some downsides:
    • This occupies the PCIe connector. It might be a better idea to try to find a way to connect an ath9k compatible card on that connector.
    • The NVMe has an internal nonfree firmware and probably has DMA access to your RAM
    • 1x M.2 slot with SATA and/or USB

Status

TODO

Other differences with a Libreboot Thinkpad

Libreboot Thinkpad Pinebook PRO
Architecture
  • i686 on some laptops
  • x86_64 on others
  • ARM 64bit

See distribution compatibility for more infos.

Embedded controller firmware Nonfree

Handles:

  • The keyboard
  • The power up sequence (voltages, power rails)
  • WiFi / bluetooth power on/off
  • Battery charging
  • etc
 Unsure if it's free software.

probably handles similar things. Probably in the keyboard.

RAM 4G, 8G possible with specific RAM DIMMs. 2G soldered
Ethernet Integrated Through USB adapter
Display Mate, good enough for working. Mate? Glossy? , more recent / better?
Debug
  • UART in the dock on some laptops, or absent on other
  • It might be possible to add an UART through the express card connector
  • USB Debug (not very practical)
  • Reinstalling Libreboot can be time consuming on some laptops (~1day) while it can be really fast on other (minutes)[1].
  • TODO

References

  1. ↑ It of course depends on people's skills, flash programmer speeds and so on but it's not uncommon to spend ~8h to disassemble and reassemble a Thinkpad T400 when doing it the first time, while it probably takes less than 10 minutes for a Thinkpad X200. Doing that is needed to install Libreboot or reinstall it if the computer doesn't boot anymore.
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