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    Installation guide: Multipurpose Raspberry Pi - Setting Up a Media (Kodi), Gaming (RetroPie), Lightweight PC Replacement (Raspbian Desktop)

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    • RetroResolution
      RetroResolution last edited by

      Installation Guide for a three-in-1 Multipurpose Raspberry Pi: Installing a Media, Gaming, PC Replacement

      I have a couple of older Raspberry Pi machines, each of which is limited to a single task. The Model 1 Pi has been doing duty for a couple of years as a media center, and is dedicated to running XBMC.

      The Pi 2 is currently running an installation of RetroPie 2. I ill-advisedly deleted the Raspbian files that were not directly needed by RetroPie, thereby removing the option of using the machine as a desktop replacement.

      Having taken delivery of a shiny new Raspberry Pi 3 I was keen to take advantage of the increased power of the machine, using it to perform multiple duties: a media center using Kodi, a retro-gaming system with RetroPie (of course), and PC (Linux) workstation using the Raspbian Desktop. I also wanted to avoid the need for swapping SD Cards, which is both a hassle and introduces needless wear and tear on the card port.

      The guide covers the following topics:

      A Little Background
      Considering the Options
      Undertaking the Installation: A Step by Step guide
      Obtaining and Installing Raspbian
          Obtaining and Writing the OS Image to the SD Card
          Post Installation – Update and Upgrade
      Configuring the Raspberry Pi
          Setting Boot Options
          Setting overscan
          Setting Localisation
          Setting the CPU/GPU Memory Split
          Expanding the Filesystem
      Installing RetroPie
          Obtaining RetroPie
          Running the RetroPie Setup Tool
      Installing Kodi Media Center
          Installing Kodi via the RetroPie Setup Tool
          Launching Kodi
          Exiting Kodi
      Building on the Foundations
      senkun TheIceBolt 2 Replies Last reply Reply Quote 0
      • senkun
        senkun @RetroResolution last edited by

        @RetroResolution thanks! As always, your guides are thoroughly informative and a pleasure to read and try.

        RetroResolution 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 1
        • RetroResolution
          RetroResolution @senkun last edited by

          @senkun Thanks! that's very kind of you - glad the guides are helpful.

          1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
          • mauruco
            mauruco last edited by

            Cool, kodi is working properly? I mean, in kodi no connection errors with the internet without error to find sources and managed to install the most popular plugins? Kodi is still in the experimental section. I tried but could not.

            RetroResolution 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 1
            • RetroResolution
              RetroResolution @mauruco last edited by RetroResolution

              @mauruco I've not experienced any issues with Kodi regarding internet connectivity; I've installed a couple of popular Video add-ons (TwitchTV and BBC iPlayer) - both work flawlessly.
              The guide is based on RetroPie 3.6 being installed on top of Raspbian Jessie, using the RetroPie experimental options menu - I understand from the release notes that Retropie 3.7 uses the newer Kodi 16, and handles the integration a little differently. I'm not sure if this would account for the issues you describe.

              I've also performed this installation a couple of times, as I accidentally messed up the Raspbian desktop when experimenting with X-windows packages. I did have problems with the repositories on the second installation, but this was a general issue with the server, and not with Kodi itself. I worked around the connectivity by using a mirror, but confirmed everything was working as normal with a third installation later that day when the main Raspbian server was back up.

              1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 1
              • wetriner
                wetriner last edited by

                Yep, there's some SSL verification problems when you try and run some addons through the stock RetroPie image. It's a pretty quick fix though.

                >>sudo apt-get install --reinstall ca-certificates
                >>sudo update-ca-certificates --fresh
                
                RetroResolution mauruco 2 Replies Last reply Reply Quote 1
                • RetroResolution
                  RetroResolution @wetriner last edited by RetroResolution

                  @wetriner It could be that I was installing the add-ons having launched Kodi from the terminal, or once at the Raspbian desktop. I'll update the guide!
                  [Guide updated]

                  herb_fargus 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                  • herb_fargus
                    herb_fargus administrators @RetroResolution last edited by

                    @RetroResolution you can do it both ways. Since RetroPie already built on raspbian it's easy enough to reinstall the desktop environment:

                    https://github.com/RetroPie/RetroPie-Setup/wiki/FAQ#where-did-the-desktop-go

                    It's a bit simpler this way as the script automated the booting options directly into emulationstation and provides a simple launcher from the ports menu so you can bounce between the desktop, RetroPie, and kodi.

                    RetroResolution 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 1
                    • RetroResolution
                      RetroResolution @herb_fargus last edited by

                      @herb_fargus I used the experimental install menu, so Kodi appears under the Emulation Station Ports menu. I've also got a text-mode menu that runs as soon the the Pi boots to the terminal to easily launch the Raspbian Desktop, Kodi, or Emulation Station (or reboot or shutdown)

                      The menu is re-displayed after exiting Raspbian Desktop, Kodi, or Emulation Station, but not run if you connect via SSH, or open a terminal on the desktop - there's a part-2 to the guide which covers setting this up.

                      I may update the guide when I get around to testing RetroPie 3.7 - I tend to leave new releases to stabilise before updating a known-good installation.

                      herb_fargus 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                      • herb_fargus
                        herb_fargus administrators @RetroResolution last edited by

                        @RetroResolution very cool. Looking forward to your updates

                        RetroResolution 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 1
                        • RetroResolution
                          RetroResolution @herb_fargus last edited by

                          @herb_fargus Cheers! Trouble with writing technical guides is the ever-present risk of large chunks of the text becoming obsoleted by the very next release of the system you're describing!

                          1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                          • mauruco
                            mauruco last edited by

                            Really cool!

                            1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 1
                            • mauruco
                              mauruco @wetriner last edited by

                              @wetriner
                              I looked at the log and found that:
                              ERROR: CCurlFile::FillBuffer - Failed: Couldn't connect to server(7)
                              So I tried on my PI3 remove the overclocking settings.
                              Did not work.
                              I disabled the WiFi and tried with a wifi dongle.
                              Did not work.
                              I asked google master.
                              Did not work.
                              Reinstalled ca-certificates.
                              Did not work.
                              But with the help of fusion addon-installer could install the addon I wanted.
                              And with "sudo apt-get install kodi-pvr-iptvsimple" managed to install iptv.
                              Thanks to Rascas, https://retropie.org.uk/forum/topic/677/a-problem-with-kodi-installed-from-experimental-packages/2 .
                              And now it's all as I wanted.
                              Cheers

                              1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 1
                              • RetroResolution
                                RetroResolution last edited by

                                Seems that Kodi behaves differently depending upon how the entire system is setup (RetroPie image as base vs raspbian image as base).
                                Glad you resolved the kodi add-on issues on your installation.

                                mauruco 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                                • TheIceBolt
                                  TheIceBolt @RetroResolution last edited by

                                  @RetroResolution I have been stuck for a day and a half - with this kind of issue.

                                  before getting the screen, I ran Kodi in a port ( #527* ? ) - as the Pi2b was just RetroPie.

                                  Got a cheap'ish 7inch touch screen 800x480 - BUT it needs it's drivers from a 'mirrored' raspbian jessy.

                                  I installed retropie in terminal [ https://www.raspberrypi.org/forums/viewtopic.php?f=78&t=146313&hilit=update&sid=e70aa76991ab544cef454256aac45272 ] -
                                  after an hour - all seemed fine - except it won't seem to quit LXDE.

                                  If I could cherry pick the 'relevant' settings - from the manufacturers image - anyone know if this is workable ??
                                  [ https://s3-ap-northeast-1.amazonaws.com/sain-amzn/20/20-011-238/7inch_HDMI_Raspbian-150604.img ]
                                  [https://s3-ap-northeast-1.amazonaws.com/sain-amzn/20/20-011-238/raspberry+pi+7-hdmi.zip ]
                                  [ https://s3-ap-northeast-1.amazonaws.com/sain-amzn/20/20-011-238/7+lcd.xps ]

                                  Anyway I'll try this to see if I can find any hints &or solutions.

                                  • I'm going to run this guide on a 16Gb class10 - wish me luck.

                                  ( if adafruit had these in stock, my daughter would have gotten me one from them ! )

                                  TheIceBolt 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                                  • TheIceBolt
                                    TheIceBolt @TheIceBolt last edited by

                                    @TheIceBolt Already seen this - I'm so excited, . . .

                                    Set Boot Options
                                    Older releases of the Raspbian OS booted directly into the text-mode Command Line / Shell; more recent versions start the desktop GUI by default. Although booting direct to the Raspbian desktop GUI is handy, selecting this option also removes the ‘Exit to Command Line’ option from the Shutdown menu; this is a problem as Emulation Station / RetroPie cannot be launched from within the GUI environment.

                                    1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                                    • TheIceBolt
                                      TheIceBolt last edited by

                                      Well it all went flawlessly, . . until it rebooted -
                                      I got to this part, . . .

                                      " Once the installation completes, reboot the Raspberry Pi. Generally it’s never a good idea to simply switch the power off as the filesystem can become corrupted. To reboot cleanly from the command line:
                                      sudo reboot
                                      If you wish to shut down the Pi from the command line:
                                      sudo shutdown -h now
                                      When the Pi has rebooted, to launch RetroPie, issue the following command:
                                      emulationstation
                                      (this is the name of the graphical user interface used by RetroPie) "

                                      . . now it boots and shows no GUI - just a black screen with mouse pointer .

                                      TheIceBolt 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                                      • TheIceBolt
                                        TheIceBolt @TheIceBolt last edited by

                                        @TheIceBolt - It was the TDK16Gb SD ( class4 ) -
                                        I copied the contents on a class10 SanDisk - and hey presto, . . !
                                        It runs well, !
                                        alt text

                                        RetroResolution 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 1
                                        • RetroResolution
                                          RetroResolution @TheIceBolt last edited by RetroResolution

                                          @TheIceBolt This is great news - many apologies for not responding to your question, I haven't logged onto the forum and currently I'm not sure where (if anywhere) I can set an email alert to responses to my posts.
                                          [edit - hopefully it's as simple as me clicking the huge 'watch' button!]

                                          That display looks tremendous.

                                          1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                                          • cparker74
                                            cparker74 last edited by

                                            I would like to say thank u very much 4 this post...ive been trying to get this answer for 2 weeks now...thank u

                                            1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 1
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