VENTUNO Q – Very happy with it as a Linux computer

Official Hardware VENTUNO Q
1

After using my VENTUNO Q for a little while now, I have to say that I am really enjoying it.

I initially approached it mainly as an Arduino board, but I now use it as a real Linux computer as well. Ubuntu runs very nicely, GPU acceleration with the Adreno 623 is working, Firefox is responsive, LibreOffice works perfectly, and I am currently listening to Radio Classique in stereo with excellent sound quality.

Of course, I still use the Arduino side and App Lab for my projects, so for me the combination of a Linux SBC and an Arduino MCU is really interesting.

At this point, there is only one thing I am really missing: a proper enclosure designed for the VENTUNO Q that still leaves the useful connections accessible, especially the MCU headers and the Media Carrier connectors.

Apart from that, I am very happy with the board. :slightly_smiling_face:

2

@philippe86220 , have you looked at our official 3d printable enclosure?

https://www.printables.com/model/1821574-arduino-ventuno-q-enclosure-case

3

Thanks, I'll also check it out and see if it keeps the MCU headers and Media Carrier connections accessible.

4

Are models already fixed? People in the printables comments said it doesn't fit Ventuno board

https://www.printables.com/make/3627298

5

let me ping the right people for the job, they'll follow up ::slightly_smiling_face:

6

@philippe86220

I'd like to request that you work with UNO Q in parallel with VENTUNO Q and present ADC- and PWM-related hardware tutorials using Zephyr APIs so that I can get answers to some of my questions directly and validate what AI says.

7

Thanks @GolamMostafa, but I think I should explain how I approach all this, because what I enjoy most is actually the freedom to have no predefined learning path. :slightly_smiling_face:

I came into this field with no formal education or professional background in electronics, embedded systems, Linux, Zephyr, etc. I still see myself as someone who is constantly learning, and the more I learn, the more I realize how much there is still to learn.

That's exactly what I enjoy.

I spent my professional life working within a very strict framework, with rules, procedures and objectives that had to be followed. Now that I'm retired, I want my learning to be the complete opposite: no curriculum, no roadmap and no predefined objectives.

I simply follow whatever interests me at the time. Today it might be the VENTUNO Q, tomorrow a camera, SPI, audio, Linux, or something I haven't even thought about yet. Sometimes this leads to something useful that I can document and share with others, and I'm always happy to do that.

So I don't want to commit myself to working systematically on UNO Q and VENTUNO Q in parallel or to producing ADC/PWM tutorials. That would turn my hobby into something too close to the structured way of working I deliberately left behind when I retired.

Of course, if my curiosity eventually takes me towards ADC, PWM and those Zephyr APIs, I'll be very happy to experiment with them and share what I discover.

But I want to get there — or somewhere completely different — by following my own path. :slightly_smiling_face:

8

Thank you for the good words.

9

Hi @philippe86220
Is the Ventuno Q your first experience using Linux as a desktop OS?

11

Hi @b707,

No, not at all. I already use Linux as a desktop OS on other computers, mainly Debian 13.

What is new for me with the VENTUNO Q is having this kind of Linux environment directly on an Arduino board, alongside the MCU. That's one of the things I find particularly interesting about it.

12

@philippe86220
The question arose because, in your initial post, you emphasized using the board as a typical desktop PC. You don't need to buy a Ventuno Q for that; any modern motherboard would give you the same result

However, judging by your reply to @GolamMostafa, you don't plan to delve into the technical details, so I was left wondering why you need this board.

13

Hi everybody,

Small additional storage and multimedia tests on my VENTUNO Q.

I tested:

  • a 2.5" SATA HDD using a SATA dock/adapter
  • a 3.5" SATA HDD (WD Caviar Blue 500 GB) using the same SATA dock/adapter
  • a SanDisk Ultra USB 3.0 32 GB flash drive

All three worked correctly.

I also tested some real-world use cases:

  • browsing and displaying relatively large JPEG photos stored on the SATA HDDs
  • playing MP3 files from the 3.5" SATA HDD using mpg123 from the command line
  • playing MP3 files using Audacious

JPEG loading is responsive and MP3 playback is perfectly smooth.

I did not encounter any errors or disconnections during these tests.

So far, everything I have tested regarding external storage and multimedia playback on the VENTUNO Q has worked very well. :+1:

I am now waiting to test an M.2 NVMe SSD on the VENTUNO Q as well. :wink:

14

Hi everyone,

I have successfully installed and tested a Kingston NV3 500GB M.2 2230 NVMe SSD on my VENTUNO Q.

The SSD was immediately detected by Ubuntu 24.04.4 LTS.

Hardware and detection:

  • SSD: Kingston NV3 500GB (SNV3SM3500G)

  • Interface: M.2 NVMe

  • Device: /dev/nvme0n1

  • Capacity: 500.11 GB (465.8 GiB)

  • Firmware: SDQ01101

I also checked the SSD using nvme-cli.

SMART results:

  • Critical warnings: 0

  • Available spare: 100%

  • Percentage used: 0%

  • Media errors: 0

  • Error log entries: 0

  • Temperature: 52°C at the time of testing

I created a GPT partition table and formatted the SSD as exFAT, since I also want to use it with my other Linux computers and my Mac.

The SSD was successfully mounted using:

udisksctl mount -b /dev/nvme0n1p1

Mount point: /media/arduino/KINGSTON

I successfully tested writing and reading a text file.

Ubuntu and Arduino App Lab remain installed on the VENTUNO Q's internal eMMC. The NVMe SSD is used only for file storage and backups.

Conclusion: The Kingston NV3 500GB M.2 2230 is recognized and works correctly for basic file storage on my VENTUNO Q.

I have not performed any performance benchmarks yet.

Just sharing another positive hardware compatibility result!

15

... deleted

16

I have 1TB Kingston and I did performance testing.
If someone wants to also use NVMe for daily usage, you can use NVMe rootfs script.
Having NVMe SSD on these edge boards is the single biggest quality improvement, so go for it!

(also, try to read about various 2230 SSDs to get right one, for example the one @philippe86220 and I have, there's difference between 512GB and 1TB write/read speeds )

17

Thanks for all this work!

18

Hi @martincerven,

Thanks for the additional information and the links!

Your previous feedback actually helped me choose my Kingston NV3 500GB SSD.

For now, I'll keep Ubuntu on the eMMC and use the NVMe for file storage and backups.

I may run some performance tests as well.

I've attached a photo of my SSD so that other VENTUNO Q users can easily identify the exact model.

Thanks again!

IMG_4516
IMG_45161920×1440 850 KB

19

Very nice! It's probably good idea to buy 2230 SSDs from reputable brands, at least I had zero issues with Kingston and Lexar.

Yeah I need to do more rootfs on NVMe testing on my second Ventuno Q, In earlier versions of the script the process didn't go as planned and I had to reflash my Ventuno :shaking_face:

But at least I tested there's nothing wrong with trying new things, and it's safe to go back to the stock Ubuntu Image :slightly_smiling_face:

With my experience from Jetsons, it's best to have everything as git repo and back up regularly, also their OS/SDK updates required device reflashing so...hopefully it won't be needed with Ventuno :eyes: