Kategoriarkiv: Raspberry Pi

Tips and tricks and information regarding Raspberry Pi 4 and newer.

Install a good Spotify player on Raspberry Pi 4 with Manjaro

Yes, there is a Spotify player who works on Manjaro 20.06 and with Raspberry Pi 4!

You find it in the software manager with the name ncspot. The version I installed (Aug 2020) is 0.2.0-1. This is in the AUR file system, so you have to have enabled this before your search.

Install it from scratch and rebuild it. It’s written in Rust – it takes time, but it’s worth it.

After du have installed it, there is no creepy .conf file to edit. Just type in your username and password and find a song and hit play straight away.

– Then it plays on your Raspberry Pi 4 without any problems.

It’s extremely fast relative to the original Spotify app. Some tricky keyboard shortcuts, but it plays all your playlists and everything you find on Spotify right away on your Raspberry Pi 4 with Manjaro 20.06.

Remember the ncspot has no GUI, only a text screen in the console. But it presents music – you did not look at the music, you hear. Works great for me. And it update Manjaro’s internal player with cover etc.


Written by Morten Steenberg
August 2020

Permalink to this article: https://minibase.no/?p=1610

How to Install new apps that are not supported by Arm architecture on Manjaro 20.06 on Pi 4

Yes, you find new program in the AUR archive, and try to install and got an error that the architecture is not supported. You give up? Don’t!!

Most of these programs can be recompiled to work with the arm architectures with only change one line! Not all but mostly.

You see most off the program in the AUR achieve is mostly supported by x86 or int386, and not arm. But since most Linux apps have source code, you can just recompile the package/program from scratch. That’s all, easy. Try it before you give up!

You have to enable AUR packages in settings in the software manager first – If you not already have done that.

This is a sample to rebuild Balena Etcher for you!

  1. Search for “balena” in the software manager in Manjaro on your Pi 4.
  2. Select balena-etcher (for the moment v. 2:1.5.102-1 in July 2020).
  3. After you have started the build of this package/program you got an error who tells you that this package/program is not build for ‘aarch64’ architectures. Don’t give up. You only need rebuild the package. Continue reading under.
  4. Select go/do again. Then you got a window up who tells you to quit or change construction/build files (rightmost icon). Click this icon.
  5. Then you got an editor up, first with the textfile PKGBUILD (forgot the others). Lock here? See something strange? Look for the line arch=(x86_64).
  6. Here is the fix. Change the text x86_64 to aarch64. Then save.
  7. Next (after save) start to build again.
  8. Now the complete package will be rebuild to hopefully support aarch64 structure, and not any x86 structure.
  9. This can take awhile.
  10. Sit down and take a coffee – you got a new fresh build of Balena Etcher, who works on Manjaro on your Raspberry Pi 4.

Written by Morten Steenberg
July 2020

Permalink to this article: https://minibase.no/?p=1602

How to install Lazarus 2.0.10 & FPC 3.2.0 on Manjaro 20.06 with Raspberry Pi 4

Yes, the new version of Manjaro 20.06 with Raspberry Pi 4 works great together, and the performance is just amazing with a small Raspberry Pi 4.
Here is a little guideline to install Lazarus on your Pi 4.

But I can’t find any install on this Aarch system for Lazarus 2.0.10. Only older outdated versions. So : I had to do it the manual way. Hard? not! – It only looks nasty with all the shell scripts to run – Don’t be afraid, go on! It’s not too hard.

Here we go

  1. Install FPC: Download the file fpc-3.2-0.aarch64-linux.tar from (you find the file other places to) the site under:
    – Download the file from http://freepascal.org/down/aarch64/linux-canada.var – This is binary files, and it will install quickly.
  2. Unpack the file to a temporary folder first, somewhere. You will have the option later to select the destination folder, so don’t worry.
  3. Open the console and cd to the folder where you extract the files. Find the file install.sh and run it with ./install.sh
    – Select the default folder. Like /home/yourusername/fpc-3.2.0 (Hit Enter)
    – Select Yes to install the documentation (Hit y and Enter)
    – Select install demos (Hit y and Enter)
    – Also, hit Enter again to install demos in the default folder (Hit Enter)
    – Also, Hit Y to insert the right version in fpc.cfg file (Hit Y and Enter)
  4. Install FPC source. This you can do via the Software manager here in Manjaro, just search for fpc-src and you find the file and install it.
  5. Install Make. You find it under the software manager, install the file/program Make.
  6. Install gtk2 (GUI toolkit, needed when compiling Lazarus). You find this in the software manager. Version i use is 2.24.32-2.
  7. Install Lazarus. Download this file via http://sourceforge.net/projects/lazarus/files/ and select/click on Lazarus Zip_GZip (this is the source) Then select Lazarus 2.0.10 and then download lazarus-2.0.10-2.zip (newest July 2020!).
    – Unzip this Zip file to a place you want in your home folder hierarchy. Perhaps try (from home) Lazarus? Remember after you have compiled the Lazarus, this will also be the home folder for Lazarus. So think twice when you unzip the Lazarus source.
  8. Next is to set the path so you can compile the source code of Lazarus, if you use “fpc-3.2.0” as folder name from your home folder, you enter this in the console :
    export PATH=”$PATH:/home/yourusername/fpc-3.2.0/bin”
    – Note: Don’t copy/paste the line over direct, use your keyboard to get the right
    – Remember to change yourusername to you right username (name before @ i console).
  9. You can now use fpc compiler in your home folder or anywhere, try to enter fpc in the console, and then press Ctrl+C to exit. If you start the fpc compiler, you are ready for step 10 here, else something is wrong! try check over again…
  10. Now go to the folder where you unzipped the Lazarus and enter this in the console:
    make clean bigide
    – This shod start the compiling of Lazarus, and take about 10-20 minutes…
  11. Double-tap (in the Lazarus folder) in Dolphin file-browser, the file startlazarus – not the startlazarus.app. Then the window “Configure Lazarus IDE” opens with an error it can’t find the fpc binaries. Click browse and go to your fpc folder, then the bin folder, then select the fpc file.
    – Important you select THE file fpc, and not the complete folder!
    – This will return to the window with no errors.
    – Click button “Start IDE”
  12. Create a small project with a button etc, and then try to compile/build (hit F9). You probably get some errors:
    – Not found FPCRES – Add this line under the last -FD line in the hidden file in your home folder, with the name “fpc.cfg” and edit this with Kate. Add a new the line under the -FD line:
    -FD/home/yourusername/fpc-$fpcversion/bin
    – If you got an error that the compiler not found crtbegin and crtend files are missing. Add a new line after et last -Fl line with:
    -Fl/usr/lib/gcc/aarch64-unknown-linux-gnu/9.3.0
    – Then add a package in the software manager with the name gcc and gcc-libs – if it not already is installed. This gives you the crtbegin.o and crtend.o file.
  13. At last, I prefer a docking system in the Lazarus Ide, activate the already light preinstalled packages with (Lazarus Ide→Package→Install/uninstall packages) :
    AnchorDocking 1.0 or Sparta_DockedFormEdtiro 0.0
    AnchorDockingDsgn 1.0
    … And you can uninstall an older package how is only create trouble later for you, that is the package: Chmhelppkg… (Old help file system on Windows?). You don’t need it and it also has a bug when you try to recompile Lazarus with this package included!
  14. You are done. Happy programming with fpc/lazarus.

Freepascal.org updated for arm - aarch Lazarus

As of 15 August 2020, there is also a new guideline on freepascal.org. Very similar to my original guide over, from July. Check this out : https://wiki.freepascal.org/Install_on_aarch64_Arch_or_Manjaro

BONUS TIPS
Wish to support QT5 Widgets controls in your apps in Pi/Lazarus/Manjaro?
– No problem!


Super easy to «add» support for QT5 style in your apps. This also follows the default theme.

  • Install in software manager in Manjaro the file qt5pas.
  • In your program you create/In Lazarus : In menu Project→Project Options→Scroll down to “Additions and Overrides”.
  • Click on the button “Set LCLWidgetType”, select “Value gt5
  • Press OK button.
  • You’re done. God Luck.

Written by Morten Steenberg
July 2020

Permalink to this article: https://minibase.no/?p=1530