OpenAuto for RK3229/Rockchip

Fork of OpenAuto optimized for Rockchip RK3229 (and similar) ARM devices running Armbian.

Description

OpenAuto is an AndroidAuto(tm) headunit emulator based on aasdk library and Qt libraries. This fork is specifically optimized for Rockchip SoCs with hardware video decoding via V4L2/KMS.

Features

• Custom FFmpeg Backend - Uses Jock's experimental builds (v4l2request/v4l2drmprime) for hardware H.264 decoding on Rockchip/Allwinner SoCs.
• KMS/DRM video output - direct rendering without compositor overhead.
• RtAudio Audio I/O - Replaces PulseAudio/QtAudio for lower latency audio handling.
• LinuxFB Default - Targeted for Linux Framebuffer by default for embedded performance.
• 480p -> 1080p 60 FPS support
• Audio playback from all audio channels (Media, System and Speech)
• Touchscreen input
• Bluetooth support
• Automatic launch after device hotplug
• Automatic detection of connected Android devices
• Wireless (WiFi) mode via head unit server

Supported Hardware

• Rockchip RK3229 (primary target)
• Other Rockchip SoCs with rkvdec (RK3328, RK3399, etc.)
• Any ARM device with V4L2 stateless H.264 decoder and KMS/DRM support

Requirements

• Hardware: Rockchip RK3229/RK3328/RK3399 (or similar with stateless V4L2 decoder).
• RAM: 1GB or more recommended.
• OS: Armbian (Bookworm or Trixie).
• Kernel Config: CMA (Contiguous Memory Allocator) MUST be set to 256MB in /boot/armbianEnv.txt.
• System Dependencies:
  • FFmpeg (custom build with v4l2request & v4l2drmprime patches)
  • Qt5 with Multimedia widgets
  • ALSA (libasound2)
  • libdrm
  • Abseil C++ Library
  • Protobuf 30.x (protoc compiler and libraries)
  • aasdk (install before compiling OpenAuto)

Getting Started

1. Download Armbian

Download the Armbian image for RK322x-box:

• Armbian RK322x-box Archive

2. Enable V4L2 Hardware Decoding

The V4L2 stateless decoder requires additional setup. Follow this guide to enable hardware video decoding:

• V4L2-request Hardware Video Decoding for Rockchip/Allwinner

This is required for hardware video decoding to work properly.

Building

For detailed build instructions including dependencies and cross-compilation, see BUILD.md.

Quick Start (Native Build on Device)

# Install dependencies and build
./build.sh release --auto-deps --package
# Install dependencies and build
./build.sh release --auto-deps --package

Docker Build (QEMU armv7 Emulation)

You can build the project for ARMv7 on an x86 machine using Docker with QEMU emulation.

1. Install QEMU User Static:

   docker run --rm --privileged multiarch/qemu-user-static --reset -p yes

2. Build using Docker:

   # Build the Docker image (compiles OpenAuto)
   docker build --platform linux/arm/v7 -t openauto .

   Note: This ensures all dependencies (including Abseil, Protobuf 30.x, and AASDK) are correctly installed in the build environment.

Cross-Compilation

# Set up ARM toolchain
export CROSS_COMPILE=arm-linux-gnueabihf-

# Build with FFmpeg DRM video output (default)
mkdir build && cd build
cmake -DCMAKE_BUILD_TYPE=Release \
      -DNOPI=ON \
      -DUSE_FFMPEG_DRM=ON \
      ..
make -j$(nproc)
make package

ALSA Configuration

Create /etc/asound.conf for audio output (HDMI example):

pcm.!default {
    type asym
    playback.pcm "plug_dmix_hdmi"
    capture.pcm "plug_null"
}

ctl.!default {
    type hw
    card 0
}

pcm.plug_dmix_hdmi {
    type plug
    slave.pcm "dmix_hdmi"
}

pcm.plug_null {
    type plug
    slave.pcm "null"
}

pcm.dmix_hdmi {
    type dmix
    ipc_key 1024
    ipc_perm 0666
    slave {
        pcm {
            type hw
            card 0
            device 0
        }
        format S16_LE
        rate 48000
        channels 2
        period_size 512
        buffer_size 4096
    }
    bindings {
        0 0
        1 1
    }
}

Running

# Stop display manager to free DRM resources
sudo systemctl stop lightdm

# Run autoapp
./autoapp

DRM/KMS Configuration

The default configuration uses:

• Connector 46 (HDMI-A-1)
• Plane 31 (Primary plane)

To find your device's configuration:

modetest -M rockchip -c  # List connectors
modetest -M rockchip -p  # List planes

License

GNU GPLv3

AndroidAuto is registered trademark of Google Inc.

Credits

• Original OpenAuto by f1x.studio
• aasdk library

Known Issues

• FFmpeg Backend Cursor: The mouse cursor is currently not visible when using the FFmpeg video backend.
• Backend Selection: Logic may default to Qt video output if FFmpeg/DRM initialization fails silently.
• System Audio: Enabled by default and cannot be disabled via UI.

Disclaimer

This software is not certified by Google Inc. It is created for R&D purposes and may not work as expected. Do not use while driving. You use this software at your own risk.