TheRA NTFS (Updated 10 31 2020) - christianhaitian/rk2020 GitHub Wiki

This distribution is now deprecated as it's been replaced by ArkOS. Go here for more information

TheRA NTFS custom rom for rk2020 emulation gaming device (Updated to V3.2 on 10/31/2020)

Disclaimer:

Although this image is based off the work of slaminger and his team, IT IS NOT SUPPORTED BY SLAMINGER OR HIS TEAM. Do not seek assistance from slaminger as he will not and CAN NOT ASSIST you with this image as the rk2020 is not supported and this image has been customized enough that he CAN NOT ASSIST you with this image. If you need assistance, get a Odroid Go Advance instead. Your best possible avenue for support is on the Retro Game Handhelds discord server on the rk2020 channel. My support for this image will be minimal as well. I make no guarantee on support or capabilities of this image. Use at your own risk!

Updates, Changes, and Tweaks to the image include the following:

  • The roms folder is on a separate NTFS (Now exfat as of 10/31/2020) partition for easy management of roms and bios files from a Windows 10 computer without needing a separate program. Just pop the micro SD card into a card reader and look for the drive letter named EASYROMS and start loading and managing your roms and bios files there.
    • If you don't see a drive letter named EASYROMS when you plug the SD card into a card reader, it's most likely that Windows did not automatically assign a drive letter to that partition on your SD card. This can be resolved by going to disk management (type disk management in the search bar in Windows 10 and select the first control panel app that comes up at the top as the best match), then going to the SD card with the EASYROMS partition label, then assign a drive letter to the EASYROMS partition by right clicking on the EASYROMS partition and selecting Assign Drive Letter or Change Driver letter and Path, then follow the directions from there. Once completed, the drive should show up under My Computer. You typically only need to ever do this once on the Windows machine.
  • Auto expansion of the NTFS((Now exfat as of 10/31/2020)) partition to fill the rest of the micro SD card. A 16GB micro SD card or larger is highly recommended for best experience.
  • Updated the global hotkey to the start button instead of L2.
  • Remote access services (SSH and Samba) are disabled by default for security. They can be enabled by going to Odroid options and selecting Enable Remote Services from the Emulationstation menu.
  • Stability tweak for RTL8812/RTL8811 wireless chipsets. (Disabled USB and wireless chip power saving in the 8812 driver which causes wifi drops on this chip. From my personal testing and use, SSH sessions are much more stable now.)
  • (Dreamcast) Flycast xtreme core is available and has it's own menu from named Dreamcast xtreme. Some games run faster on this core. The regular Flycast core is available as well as some games don't load on the xtreme core.
  • (Nintendo 64) Default N64 core is Parallel 64.
  • Possibly some other tweaks I can't recall.

V2 Updates (7/11/2020)

  • Updated .dtb on fat32 boot partition to improve battery monitoring performance
  • Added fix for menu refresh issue for Drastic emulator
  • Defaulted to full size screen for Drastic (Use L2 to swap between upper and lower screens)
  • Changed Drastic firmware language to English
  • Changed default frameskip value for Drastic from 4 to 2
  • Added recompiled PPSSPP emulator with updated controls for RK2020 (Start = Start, Select = Select, R2 = PPSSPP Menu)
  • Added stability fix for RTL8188 Wireless USB chipsets
  • Added Pico-8 support. Just add the contents of your purchased Pico-8 Raspberry Pi Pico-8 zip to /roms/bios/pico-8 folder and add your .png game files to /roms/pico-8 then start pico-8 from emulationstation menu. See V2.3 updates for new location
  • Increased font size for game selections for EmulationStation
  • Added Safarikniv's repo for retroarch (32 bit and 64 bit) for core updates and downloads
  • Some cleanup of gamelists and downloaded images from previous testing.

V2.1 Update (7/15/2020)

  • Fixed PPSSPP controls
  • Added new logo.bmp file to the boot fat32 partition. No more Hard Kernel logo on boot. You can change this to your own by following guidelines available here

V2.2 Update (7/18/2020)

  • Fixed some NTFS performance/stability issues
  • Added performance mode to Sega Mega Drive/Genesis/CD/32X emulation
  • Added support for Quake. Just add your own pak0.pak and pak1.pak files into the roms/quake folder. See V2.3 updates for new location
  • Added more mirrors for available downloads. Hope it helps!
  • Updated logo.bmp file to a nicer one. (Thanks to Tiduscrying)

V2.3 Update (8/9/2020)

  • Boot image changes after each boot
    • Just load your graphical images into /boot/BMPs folder and they will eventually be shown in one of the boots. The process is random so it may take awhile for particular images to be shown at boot depending on the number of images are loaded in the directory. Images must be formated to the standard shown in this link: https://wiki.odroid.com/odroid_go_advance/application_note/bootlogo
  • Emulationstation Odroid name removal from top status bar and options menu
  • Added ability to scroll through rom lists using L1 for page up and R1 for page down in Emulationstation
  • Slightly better performing PPSSPPSDL executable
  • Updated PPSSPPSDL to allow exiting by hitting select and start buttons together
  • Updates for base OS
  • Updated retroarch 32 bit and 64 bit executables to version 1.8.9
  • Atomiswave now boots using the flycast libretro emulator core
  • Setup samba shares to be secured with odroid login
  • Moved Quake and Pico-8 into /roms/ports folder and ports menu for menu consolidation purposes
    • Add the contents of your purchased Pico-8 Raspberry Pi Pico-8 zip to /roms/bios/pico-8 folder and add your .png game files to /roms/ports/pico-8 folder then start pico-8 from Ports in emulationstation menu
    • Add add your own pak0.pak and pak1.pak files into the roms/ports/quake/quakepaks folder
  • Set default screensaver mode to black screen
  • Added Fix NTFS Partition tool to the Emulationstation options menu in case of suspected mild corruption of the NTFS partition
    • The need to use this tool should be rare if ever needed unless there's been multiple unexpected shutdowns or a bad SD card. Some signs to watch for are missing roms and slow loading of rom lists
  • Added RK2020 Genuine Check tool to the Emulationstation options menu
    • There are many fakes of the RK2020 being sold on Amazon and other online retailers. Use this tool to check if your unit is most likely genuine based on the SOC and RAM amount.
  • Added Super Retro OGA emulationstation theme (Thanks to Tiduscrying)
  • Added Freeplay emulationstation theme (Thanks to rxbrad)
  • Hostname has been changed from goadvance to rk2020
  • Added messaging for the NTFS partition expansion process

V3 Update (9/7/2020)

  • Disable various systemd services to minimize on stuttering due to unnecessary IO processing
    • rsyslog
    • logrotate
    • journald
    • journal-flush
    • ModemManager
    • polkit
  • Add lr-fuse (ZX Spectrum) retroarch core.
    • Use L2 to display onscreen keyboard.
  • Replaced bluemsx (MSX and MSX2) standalone core with fMSX retroarch core.
  • Moved PPSSPP and Drastic save locations to PSP and NDS roms folders respectively.
  • Add system logging start and stop to options menu (For debugging system issues only)
  • Updated retroarch to version 1.9.0
  • Enlarge retroarch notification gui size for better readability

V3.1 Update (10/16/2020)

  • Updated Emulationstation to Emulationstation-FCAMOD by fabricecaruso. Thanks to sana2dang for volume, brightness, battery and wifi logo for ES top bar.
    • Allows for core changes per system and per game. See FAQ for more information about this.
    • Much faster load speed especially with large game libraries.
    • Supports more themes like EmuElec's carbon theme
  • Added 5 additional Emulationstation Themes
    • EmuElec Carbon Theme by shantigilbert, updated for TheRA-NTFS by tiduscrying
    • Switch theme by lilbud, updated for TheRA-NTFS by Jetup
    • SuperRetroBoy theme by Travis Wilson, updated for TheRA-NTFS by tiduscrying
    • GBZ35 theme by rxbrad, updated for TheRA-NTFS by tiduscrying
    • Minimal theme by tlayne, updated for TheRA-NTFS by Jetup
    • dosirak theme, updated for TheRA-NTFS by Jetup
  • Added support for video snaps in Emulationstation
  • Added RGA Scaling option in Retroarch for sharper clear text in some systems like Dreamcast
    • Available and can be activated in the retroarch menu (Settings-->Video-->RGA Scaling)
  • Kernel modifications for better overall system performance and wifi sleep fix.
  • Added 7z and 7Z as compatible and recognizable extensions for flycast core based emulators in es_systems.cfg (Atomiswave, Naomi, and Dreamcast)
  • Fixed RK2020 Genuine Check
  • Add Update option for future easy updates
  • Added ability to use L1+R1+Start+Select to open the menu and exit the search dialog box with the start button in order to restore the retroarch hotkeys. See this link for more info on this rare issue.
  • Added 5 additional ports (Cannonball, Cave Story, Doom 1, Doom 2 and Rick Dangerous)
  • Fixed Quake shell script
  • Fixed Atari800/Atari5200 bios location
  • Fixed ntfsresize commandline switch which could cause occassional hangup during initial ntfs partition expansion.
  • Fixed some retroarch32 default keymap issues.

V3.2 Update (10/31/2020)

  • Major News: In preparation and as a test for transitioning to ArkOS, this last image of TheRA-NTFS is now using exfat for the EASYROMS partition.
  • Libretro Atari800 workaround for 800, 5200, and XEGS emulation to allow booting of games without changing bios settings in retroarch options menu.
  • Wolfenstein 3D port has been added.
  • You can now quit EmulationStation. This could be handy if you want to access a terminal via keyboard by doing alt-f2 or alt-f3 for testing or debugging purposes.
  • An issue with flycast 64bit being able to save to the default configuration file has been fixed.
  • You now have the option to select retroarch for playing PSP games.
  • You now have the option to select Mednafen_PCE or Mednafen_Supergrafx retroarch core for PCE/TG-16 games.
  • Updated Emulationstation with power icon added when plugged to charger.
  • Added support for standalone N64 emulator.

Instructions for loading:

DO NOT MANUALLY EXPAND THE EASYROM PARTITION AS THIS WILL BE DONE AT FIRST BOOT OF THIS IMAGE. Manually expanding the partition prior to the first boot of this distro will cause the distro to hang and not complete the boot up process. If the partition expansion fails for some reason, you can use tools such as Gparted for linux or Minitool Partition Wizard for Windows to expand the partition.

This image requires a minimum of an 8GB micro SD card. A 16GB micro SD card or bigger is highly recommended for the best experience! Do not use low quality or no name brand SD cards. Those will most likely fail quickly, cause inconsistent emulation performance, or fail in booting up.

It is recommended that you use a good name brand SD card such as Sandisk, Samsung, or PNY. For a dependable list of good name brand cards, please check this link.

Make sure to buy your SD cards from a trusted retail source. In the United States of America, Wal-Mart, Best Buy, and Target are good sources. Online, SD cards shipped and sold by Amazon are best. Example of such is in this link

  • Windows 10 (1703 or newer) users: (Please be sure you do not have Paragon Linux File Systems for Windows installed. It will cause issues with completing these steps and may corrupt the SD card in the process.)

    • Download the image from from one of the links at bottom of this page.
    • Uncompress the image with 7zip (Can be downloaded from https://www.7-zip.org/download.html)
    • Use a program such as USB Image Tool by Alexander Beug (https://www.alexpage.de/usb-image-tool/download/) (Recommended) or Win32DiskImager (Works Fine) (https://sourceforge.net/projects/win32diskimager/) to flash to a 8GB micro SD card or larger. (16GB micro SD card or bigger highly recommended!)
      • DO NOT USE BALENA ETCHER WITH THIS IMAGE. There has been reports of various strange issues and inconsistent performance using Etcher for this image.
    • Insert into rk2020 and power on the device.
    • Device will reboot twice as it expands and converts the NTFS partition to exfat to fill the rest of the micro SD card.
    • Device is ready once the Emulationstation menu is displayed.
    • Add the roms to their respective folders in the respective folders on the EASYROMS exfat partition.
      • This can be accomplished by either using either network connectivity (samba share or ftp) or by shutting down the device (start + power) then inserting the SD card into the computer.
      • Do not delete any of the existing folders in the EASYROMS (roms) folder or any of their existing contents. There are some dependencies in some of these folders (ex. PSP and NDS) that's needed for those emulators to work correctly.
    • Insert the SD card back into rk2020 and power it on if you removed it to load your roms or reboot you device and enjoy!
    • (Tip) There are additional updates that are made available from time to time. You can apply them by going to the options menu and clicking on Update. Make sure you're wifi adapter is plugged in and connected to your wireless network. You must have a reliable internet connection for these online updates to complete successfully when available.

  • Mac OS X users (Instructions are untested):

    • Download and install the ApplePi-Baker application if you don't have it already.
    • Download the compressed .7z image from from one of the links at bottom of this page.
    • Extract the image file from the downloaded .7z file with The Unarchiver or Keka or tool that can uncompress .7z files.
    • Insert the SD card into your SD card reader.
    • Run ApplePi-Baker
    • Click on the Select Disk(s) test or the hard drive icon and select your SD card.
    • Click on the Restore.
    • When the restore task has been completed, safely eject the SD card.
    • Insert into rk2020 and power on the device.
    • Device will reboot twice as it expands the NTFS partition and converts it to exfat to fill the rest of the micro SD card.
    • Device is ready once the Emulationstation menu is displayed.
    • Add the roms to their respective folders in the respective folders on the EASYROMS exfat partition.
      • This can be accomplished by either using either network connectivity (samba share or ftp) or by shutting down the device (start + power) then inserting the SD card into the computer.
      • Do not delete any of the existing folders in the EASYROMS (roms) folder or any of their existing contents. There are some dependencies in some of these folders (ex. PSP and NDS) that's needed for those emulators to work correctly.
    • Insert the SD card back into rk2020 and power it on if you removed it to load your roms or reboot you device and enjoy!
    • (Tip) There are additional updates that are made available from time to time. You can apply them by going to the options menu and clicking on Update. Make sure you're wifi adapter is plugged in and connected to your wireless network. You must have a reliable internet connection for these online updates to complete successfully when available.

  • Linux users (Instructions are based on Ubuntu 16.04 as this is the Linux OS I use):

    • Download the image from from one of the links at bottom of this page.
    • Uncompress the image with 7zip (From terminal, you can install this by doing sudo apt-get install p7zip-full p7zip-rar)
    • For those with Ubuntu based systems, you can use the Disks app to image to a 8GB micro SD card or larger. (16GB micro SD card or bigger highly recommended!)
      • If you're using some other flavor of Ubuntu like Xubuntu that doesn't have Disks installed by default, you can install the disks app by typing sudo apt install gnome-disks from terminal.
    • Insert into rk2020 and power on the device.
    • Device will reboot twice as it expands the NTFS partition and converts it to exfat to fill the rest of the micro SD card.
    • Device is ready once the Emulationstation menu is displayed.
    • Add the roms to their respective folders in the respective folders on the EASYROMS NTFS partition.
      • This can be accomplished by either using either network connectivity (samba share or ftp) or by shutting down the device (start + power) then inserting the SD card into the computer.
      • Do not delete any of the existing folders in the EASYROMS (roms) folder or any of their existing contents. There are some dependencies in some of these folders (ex. PSP and NDS) that's needed for those emulators to work correctly.
    • Insert the SD card back into rk2020 and power it on if you removed it to load your roms or reboot you device and enjoy!
    • (Tip) There are additional updates that are made available from time to time. You can apply them by going to the options menu and clicking on Update. Make sure you're wifi adapter is plugged in and connected to your wireless network. You must have a reliable internet connection for these online updates to complete successfully when available.

ATTENTION CURRENT TheRA NTFS v3.1 USERS

You can update your existing v3.1 distro to TheRA NTFS v3.1 without having to re-image your SD card. You're on TheRA NTFS v3.1 if you downloaded or updated your current distro on 10/16/2020 or later. JUST BE AWARE THAT YOUR EASYROMS PARTITION WILL REMAIN NTFS IF YOU UPDATE USING THIS METHOD. First, make sure you've backed up your existing SD card using a program like USB IT by Alex Beug or simply backup your EASYROMs folder. Then put your sd card back into your unit, turn it on. Make sure you're wifi adapter is plugged in and connected to your wireless network. You must have a reliable internet connection for this online update to complete successfully. Go to the Options menu, scroll to the bottom and select Update. Follow the directions as shown on the screen.

Download Links

Mega - https://mega.nz/file/HdpHGCoa#e4PbHm10j6NVgcdGS577BZ2MqvyokAxOxPQA41zPCdE
Gdrive - https://drive.google.com/file/d/1MhThvE9JXkQ7zq13jndaYKFxtnnElAic/view?usp=sharing
OneDrive - https://1drv.ms/u/s!AmavN31ScHcitgVISfxGbe0xVZVi?e=33dC23

Credits and Thanks

Slaminger for the TheRA OS (Do not ask him for support as he is not available to support this mod for the rk2020.)
RadioMan for testing and feedback
IggyV for testing and feedback
Jetup for bootlogo fix, suggestions, theme update, testing and feedback Tiduscrying for themes, testing and feedback
plex for testing and feedback
WadaKatsu for testing and feedback
Rex for testing and feedback
TadMSTR for testing and feedback
RayLancer for bootlogo design, testing and feedback
silt247 for the Cannonball, Cave Story, Doom 1 and Doom 2 ports package

I may have missed others and will update this area as I become aware.

For questions, comments and feedback related to this distro or the RK2020 in general, find us on Discord using this link