instructables
Ubuntu and Android on Raspberry Pi
by Lithium-ion
Performance testing of ubuntu and android systems on a raspberry pi 4. Get design consideration to make your own
Raspberry pi encloser.
Supplies:
1) Raspberry Pi 4 : https://www.amazon.com/GeeekPi-Raspberry-8GB-Starter-Kit/
2) CPU Cooler: https://www.amazon.com/GeeekPi-Raspberry-Low-Pro le-Cooling-Heatsink/
3) Power Supply: https://www.amazon.com/Replacement-Raspberry-Pi-4-Supply-Charger-Adapter/
Ubuntu and Android on Raspberry Pi: Page 1
Step 1: Story:
When it comes to single board computer then rst name come in my mind is Raspberry pi, because it is the most recently
developed single board computer which can run a desktop system. But there are few alternatives and more power SBC
(Single board computers) are available nowadays in market like latte panda, Jetson NANO. Newest Raspberry pi 4 has
ARM based x64 quad core processor which has a base frequency of 1.5Ghz and can be boosted up to 2Ghz all cores.
Because of ARM architecture the GPU and CPU of raspberry pi is not too much strong and only capable of doing low
power works. On the other hand latte panda comes with Intel microprocessor and Jetson is developed by Nvidia. They
are costly and obviously perform better than raspberry pi.
Ubuntu and Android on Raspberry Pi: Page 2
Step 2: Raspberry Pi Specs:
I bought a 8GB RAM variant of Raspberry pi 4, then I paired it with a constant voltage 5v supply up to 5A. I boosted the
CPU clock to 2Ghz and GPU to 650Mhz. Add a high performance heat dissipator while overclocking the Raspberry pi. It is
advisable to use a 3D printed shield with the CPU cooler unit to avoid dust particle and external molecules.
Housing a computer properly is very important. And here is what PCBWAY comes into play, they o er 3D printing and
assembly services in very low prices. If you don’t have 3D printed then got your design ready from PCBWAY with
professional high-end machines. Sign-up now using this link and get free new user coupon.
Ubuntu and Android on Raspberry Pi: Page 3
Ubuntu and Android on Raspberry Pi: Page 4
Step 3: Testing Procedure:
I want to stress test the raspberry pi to get the maximum possible performance. And here because of ARM based
hardware the OS selection matters a lot. Usually Raspbian desktop is recommended for it but I want to something
di erent and powerful. That’s why I ashed by SD card with Android and Ubuntu. Android is well optimised for ARM and
a 4-core processor with 8GB can easily run Android and few games also. But I am not sure with ubuntu and its
optimisation with raspberry pi.
Step 4: Downloading and Flashing Criteria:
You can download android from Konstakang and Ubuntu o cially released their new optimised OS for raspberry pi. Both
the links are given below. then extract the ISO le from the Zipped download. To ash the ISO into SD card download
raspberry pi image asher from here. Select the ISO le and SD card in imager asher and we are ready to go. Usually
ashing the OS in SD card may take an hour. These are the links of stable versions, so try other versions at your own risk.
Ubuntu and Android on Raspberry Pi: Page 5
Download Android:https://konstakang.com/devices/rpi4/LineageOS16.0/
Download Ubuntu:https://ubuntu.com/download/raspberry-pi
Download image asher:https://www.raspberrypi.com/software/
Image asher is basically a program or software that burn the SD card with any of the OS. You can choose di erent
operating systems including Windows and Kali Linux.
Step 5: Performance With Android:
I perform a game test you can refer to that article from here. Where I played 2 di erent games, here to stress test the CPU
and GPU together I used 4K video playback on Chrome. Then I check the stats of nerds inside the video and then perform
some multitasking with 1080p video playback. The overall performance is good but while running the Android, chrome
and 1080p video together the Raspberry pi struggles a lot. Sometimes it auto power o and sometimes jumps back to
home page and reset itself.
So here we can say it can run android but not fully capable to multitasking and all. More about the apps, google scrolling
and programming. Using a raspberry pi 4 based desktop we can easily perform these small tasks. The best thing about pi
4 is it has onboard 2.4/5Ghz Wi-Fi and Bluetooth compatibility.
Ubuntu and Android on Raspberry Pi: Page 6
Step 6: Performance With Ubuntu:
Ubuntu released its new version for raspberry and it is very similar to Raspbian(Linux). But it has a better UI and overall
software handling capabilities. Both Arduino and Ubuntu gives almost same performance. But Android system is
relatable due to access of google play store and other games. In the image you can see the stats of 1440p video running
Ubuntu and Android on Raspberry Pi: Page 7
on Mozilla Firefox.
Step 7: Make Your Own 3-D Printed Shield for Raspberry Pi:
You can design your own shield and get 3D printed it from PCBWAY in very low cost. You can consider several designs
available on web or design according to the form factor of CPU cooling unit. PCBWAY is the China based PCB
manufacturer working in the prototyping industry for more than 8 years. Get design consideration from here.
Ubuntu and Android on Raspberry Pi: Page 8
