Falcon Player v1.x - Install Instructions - BeagleBone Black (BBB) & Green (BBG)

[CaptainMurdoch]

NOTE: FPP v1.x is no longer developed or supported.   Users should move to v2.x.  See: https://falconchristmas.com/forum/index.php/topic,9372.0.html

NOTE: This set of Install Instructions is for installing FPP v1.x on the BeagleBone Black and BeagleBone Green

Installing the Falcon Player (FPP) on your BeagleBone Black (BBB) and BeagleBone Green (BBG)

The latest FPP release for the BeagleBone Black is FPP v1.5 and is available for download at the following locations:

FPP v1.5 BBB SD image: https://github.com/FalconChristmas/fpp/releases/download/1.5/FPP-v1.5-BBB-SD.img.zip
FPP v1.5 BBB eMMC image: https://github.com/FalconChristmas/fpp/releases/download/1.5/FPP-v1.5-BBB-eMMC.img.zip

The Falcon Player is designed to be treated like a software appliance.  To make FPP installation easier on the BeagleBone Black, the player is distributed as a pair of ZIP files which both contain a disk image containing an Operating System with FPP pre-installed.  The "SD" image is for running FPP off of the micro-SD card on the BBB.  The "eMMC" image will install the OS and FPP onto the onboard eMMC on the BBB.  NOTE: You do not need to download or install both images.  The image you use will be determined by whether you choose to run FPP off the micro-SD card or the onboard eMMC drive on the BBB.

These instructions will guide you through installing the BBB images on your micro-SD card to easily get FPP up and running on the BBB.



Running FPP on BBB micro-SD

Using the micro-SD card for the FPP OS means that the USB slot must be used for either a USB flash drive or you must connect a USB hub if you need to attach other USB devices.

   
• Write FPP BBB SD disk image to micro-SD card using "Win32 Disk Imager"
  
        
  • Download and install the Win32 Disk Imager from the following link:
            http://sourceforge.net/projects/win32diskimager/files/latest/download
  • Extract the .img file from the FPP BBB SD image .zip file
  • Insert a 2GB or larger micro-SD card into your computer
  • Run the Win32 Disk Imager application
  • Select the correct disk drive letter for the micro-SD card.  NOTE: Double-check that this is the correct drive letter as the Win32 Disk Imager will overwrite any data if you select the incorrect drive letter
  • Select the extracted .img file
  • Press "Write" and wait for the image to be written to the micro-SD
• Disconnect power from the BBB if it is powered up
• Insert micro-SD card into the BBB
• Insert a USB flash drive for FPP storage.
• Hold the Boot Button (S2) on the top of the BBB (near the micro-SD slot) and while holding the button, connect power to the BBB.  Continue holding the S2 button until the blue LED's start to flash. (Some users have reported not being required to do this step if they have been using the BBB already booting off the micro-SD card)
• The BBB should boot up running FPP off the micro-SD.  The boot process will automatically resize the main disk partition to fill up the micro-SD card, and this will automatically reboot.  The whole process should take under a minute and then FPP will be up and running.
• Once the BBB has rebooted, FPP will be automatically started.  All further interaction with FPP will be via the web UI accessible via http://fpp/

Running FPP on BBB eMMC

Using the onboard eMMC on the BBB to run FPP eliminates the need to use a micro-SD for FPP OS storage.  The micro-SD can be used for media storage which frees up the USB slot for other use.

   
• Write FPP BBB eMMC disk image to micro-SD card using "Win32 Disk Imager"
  
        
  • Download and install the Win32 Disk Imager from the following link:
            http://sourceforge.net/projects/win32diskimager/files/latest/download
  • Extract the .img file from the FPP BBB SD image .zip file
  • Insert a 2GB or larger micro-SD card into your computer
  • Run the Win32 Disk Imager application
  • Select the correct disk drive letter for the micro-SD card.  NOTE: Double-check that this is the correct drive letter as the Win32 Disk Imager will overwrite any data if you select the incorrect drive letter
  • Select the extracted .img file
  • Press "Write" and wait for the image to be written to the micro-SD
• Disconnect power from the BBB if it is powered up
• Insert micro-SD card into the BBB
• Do NOT have a USB flash drive plugged in.  If there is a flash drive plugged in, the BeagleBone eMMC installer will try to copy the contents of the USB drive to the eMMC along with the OS.
• Remove any Capes installed on the BBB as recommended by Beagleboard.
• Hold the Boot Button (S2) on the top of the BBB (near the micro-SD slot) and while holding the button, connect power to the BBB.  NOTE: BeagleBoard recommends powering the BBB via the USB power input when installing to the eMMC.  We have had one report of possible bricking of a BBB but are not certain yet what caused it, so we feel it is best to follow their recommendation.
• Continue holding the S2 button until the blue LED's start to flash. (Some users have reported not being required to do this step if they have been using the BBB already booting off the micro-SD card)
  NOTE: The blue LEDs should flash in sequence and continue to flash for the next 5-25 minutes depending on micro-SD speed.
• Wait until the LED's stop flashing and turn off.  NOTE: This may take 5-25 minutes depending on the speed of the micro-SD card.
• Disconnect power from the BBB
• Remove the micro-SD card.
• Insert a formatted micro-SD card or USB flash drive for FPP storage.  If you need to reformat a SD card for use as FPP storage, you can follow the instructions in the FPP Raspberry Pi Install Notes to use the SD card Association tool to reformat the card.  NOTE: if you want to use micro-SD for storage, then once FPP is up you will need to configure the storage device on the settings page in FPP and reboot.  FPP will not automatically use the micro-SD instead of the USB flash.
• Re-apply power to the BBB and it should boot up running FPP off the eMMC.
• Once the BBB has booted, FPP will be automatically started.  All further interaction with FPP will be via the web UI accessible via http://fpp/

NOTE: If you experience issues with Edimax wireless USB dongles, you may need to ssh into the BBB/BBG and run the following commands:

sudo bash
wget -O /lib/modules/3.8.13-bone50/kernel/drivers/net/wireless/8192cu.ko https://github.com/FalconChristmas/fpp/releases/download/1.5/8192cu.ko
depmod -a
modprobe 8192cu
exit
exit