Fix Panther-X2

[sicXnull]

Description

The current build for PantherX2 is broken at a u-boot level. Upon testing various builds the stable-4.19-rock3 branch allowed for proper booting, which makes sense as these boards were originally shipped with kernel 4.x

Also added i2c and Spidev to match the original functionality of the board (helium miner)

Summary by CodeRabbit

• New Features
  • Added enhanced hardware support for Panther X2 board including new peripheral interfaces and improved SD/MMC power configuration.

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[coderabbitai]

📝 Walkthrough

Walkthrough

This PR adds board-specific U-Boot configuration override and device tree hardware definitions for the Panther-X2 board. The configuration hook redirects U-Boot to use a Radxa repository with a specific branch while bypassing patches. Device tree additions enable I2C controllers (i2c2, i2c3, i2c4), SPI0 with userspace access, and power supply references for SD/MMC interfaces.

Changes

Cohort / File(s)	Summary
U-Boot Configuration Override config/boards/panther-x2.csc	New post_family_config__use_radxa_rock3_uboot() function that redirects BOOTSOURCE to Radxa U-Boot repository, sets BOOTBRANCH to stable-4.19-rock3, and disables patch application via BOOTPATCHDIR and SKIP_BOOTSPLASH_PATCHES.
Device Tree Hardware Additions patch/kernel/archive/rockchip64-6.18/dt/rk3566-panther-x2.dts	Introduced three I2C controllers (i2c2, i2c3, i2c4) with default pin configurations, SPI0 controller with spidev@0 userspace device (armbian,spi-dev), and enhanced SD/MMC1 power rail references (vmmc-supply and vqmmc-supply).

Estimated code review effort

🎯 2 (Simple) | ⏱️ ~12 minutes

Possibly related PRs

• u-boot: v2025.10: prepare 0000.patching_config.yaml for null-patch-free u-boot #8739: Introduces similar post_family_config__...() U-Boot override functions for other boards, following the same configuration pattern.
• khadas-edge2: add support for mainline uboot #8796: Adds board-specific post_family_config functions that override BOOTSOURCE, BOOTBRANCH, and patch-related BOOT variables in parallel.
• Bump uboot to v2025.10-rc5 for rockpi-e and orangepi4-lts #8743: Modifies identical U-Boot configuration variables (BOOTBRANCH, BOOTPATCHDIR, BOOTSOURCE) suggesting related board configuration work.

Suggested reviewers

• rpardini
• joekhoobyar
• igorpecovnik
• pyavitz

Poem

🐰 Oh, Panther-X2, now you shine so bright,
With I2C dancing and SPI in flight!
Radxa's U-Boot guides you true,
Power rails and pins, all shiny new—hops 🌟

🚥 Pre-merge checks | ✅ 2 | ❌ 1

❌ Failed checks (1 inconclusive)

Check name	Status	Explanation	Resolution
Title check	❓ Inconclusive	The title 'Fix Panther-X2' is vague and non-descriptive, using generic language that doesn't convey the specific nature of the changes (U-Boot configuration update and device tree enhancements).	Consider a more specific title like 'Update Panther-X2 U-Boot configuration and add I2C/SPI device tree support' to better describe the actual changes.

✅ Passed checks (2 passed)

Check name	Status	Explanation
Description Check	✅ Passed	Check skipped - CodeRabbit’s high-level summary is enabled.
Docstring Coverage	✅ Passed	No functions found in the changed files to evaluate docstring coverage. Skipping docstring coverage check.

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📥 Commits

Reviewing files that changed from the base of the PR and between 1d91ae2 and 2dcd4fe.

📒 Files selected for processing (2)

• config/boards/panther-x2.csc
• patch/kernel/archive/rockchip64-6.18/dt/rk3566-panther-x2.dts

🧰 Additional context used

🧠 Learnings (15)

📓 Common learnings

Learnt from: EvilOlaf
Repo: armbian/build PR: 8428
File: config/boards/lckfb-taishanpi.csc:5-9
Timestamp: 2025-07-25T03:51:50.830Z
Learning: When reviewing PRs in the Armbian build system, U-Boot defconfig files and patches may be added as part of the PR changes but might not be visible in the current repository clone state during review. It's important to check the actual PR file changes directly via GitHub or the PR API to get the complete picture of what files are being added or modified.

Learnt from: EvilOlaf
Repo: armbian/build PR: 0
File: :0-0
Timestamp: 2025-12-19T13:56:45.124Z
Learning: When reviewing kernel or u-boot version bump PRs in the Armbian build system, check if patches existed in previous kernel version directories (e.g., sunxi-6.12, sunxi-6.13) before describing them as new features. If a patch and the majority of its contents existed previously with no major functionality changes, focus the review on the actual changes: the version bump itself and patch compatibility adjustments. Don't describe existing patches being ported/maintained across versions as new features or drivers—this is misleading. The patches are existing code being re-aligned to work with the new upstream version.

Learnt from: rpardini
Repo: armbian/build PR: 8879
File: config/sources/families/uefi-x86.conf:0-0
Timestamp: 2025-11-06T15:36:04.682Z
Learning: As of PR #8879, the uefi-x86 family in the Armbian build system now includes kernel patches for the first time. The current and edge branches for uefi-x86 are specifically configured for Apple T2-based x86 machines, including T2-specific patches from the linux-t2 project and custom kernel configuration options for Apple hardware drivers.

Learnt from: EvilOlaf
Repo: armbian/build PR: 8428
File: config/boards/lckfb-taishanpi.csc:5-9
Timestamp: 2025-07-25T03:51:50.830Z
Learning: When reviewing PRs in the Armbian build system, U-Boot defconfig files and patches may be added as part of the PR changes but might not be visible in the current repository clone state during review. It's important to check the actual PR file changes directly via GitHub API (https://api.github.com/repos/armbian/build/pulls/{pr_number}/files) to get the complete picture of what files are being added or modified, especially for U-Boot patches that will be applied during the build process.

Learnt from: rpardini
Repo: armbian/build PR: 9159
File: patch/u-boot/u-boot-genio/0026-dts-configs-add-Grinn-GenioSBC-510.patch:161-161
Timestamp: 2026-01-03T20:46:29.189Z
Learning: For the Armbian genio family (config/sources/families/genio.conf and patch/u-boot/u-boot-genio/), when reviewing PRs that include vendor U-Boot patches from Collabora, avoid flagging potential issues in board configurations that are out of scope for the PR's primary focus (e.g., don't flag Genio 510/700 board issues when the PR is focused on radxa-nio-12l/Genio 1200). The maintainer prioritizes keeping vendor patches close to upstream for easier re-copying and maintenance, even if secondary board configs have potential mismatches.
<!-- </add_learning>

Learnt from: rpardini
Repo: armbian/build PR: 8044
File: patch/u-boot/v2025.04/cmd-fileenv-read-string-from-file-into-env.patch:76-86
Timestamp: 2025-03-31T22:20:48.475Z
Learning: For the Armbian build project, maintaining consistency with existing patches across U-Boot versions (such as between 2025.01 and 2025.04) is prioritized over refactoring individual patches for code improvements.

Learnt from: EvilOlaf
Repo: armbian/build PR: 0
File: :0-0
Timestamp: 2025-12-17T05:09:02.306Z
Learning: In the Armbian build system, kernel patches (e.g., in patch/kernel/archive/sunxi-6.18/patches.armbian/) contain device tree overlays and other code that have existed for years and are maintained/ported across kernel versions. When reviewing PRs that modify these patch files, focus on the actual changes being made (e.g., Makefile fixes, new additions) rather than reviewing the entire existing content within the patch as if it were new code. The patch file contents are existing, stable code unless explicitly modified in the PR diff.

Learnt from: pyavitz
Repo: armbian/build PR: 9058
File: patch/u-boot/legacy/u-boot-spacemit-k1/003-SpacemiT-K1X-Fixups.patch:28-67
Timestamp: 2025-12-13T11:39:08.046Z
Learning: In the Armbian build system for SpacemiT U-Boot patches (patch/u-boot/legacy/u-boot-spacemit-k1/), alignment with mainline U-Boot behavior is prioritized. For example, in boot mode handling, leaving devnum unchanged in the default case (when devtype is cleared) follows mainline conventions rather than explicitly clearing it to handle edge cases.

Learnt from: rpardini
Repo: armbian/build PR: 8044
File: patch/u-boot/v2025.04/cmd-fileenv-read-string-from-file-into-env.patch:73-75
Timestamp: 2025-03-31T22:20:41.849Z
Learning: When porting patches between U-Boot versions (like from 2025.01 to 2025.04), rpardini prefers to maintain patches as-is rather than introducing refactoring changes, even when potential improvements are identified. This approach prioritizes consistency and reduces the risk of introducing new issues.

Learnt from: EvilOlaf
Repo: armbian/build PR: 8968
File: patch/u-boot/u-boot-sunxi/arm64-dts-sun50i-h6-orangepi.dtsi-Rollback-r_rsb-to-r_i2c.patch:36-36
Timestamp: 2025-11-20T18:20:11.985Z
Learning: The rewrite-patches tool (REWRITE_PATCHES=yes) in the Armbian build system can inadvertently introduce semantic changes when the u-boot/kernel git base revision differs from expected state. The tool applies patches, commits them, and re-exports them using git format-patch, which can cause the re-exported patch to reflect the base revision's state rather than preserving the original patch intent. This is particularly problematic for device tree changes like interrupt specifications. The tool currently lacks validation mechanisms to detect such semantic drift, and affected patches must be manually corrected after rewriting.

Learnt from: pyavitz
Repo: armbian/build PR: 9058
File: patch/u-boot/legacy/u-boot-spacemit-k1/003-SpacemiT-K1X-Fixups.patch:17-25
Timestamp: 2025-12-13T11:45:02.422Z
Learning: In the SpacemiT U-Boot patches for Armbian (patch/u-boot/legacy/u-boot-spacemit-k1/), the environment variable `devnum` is set to the device name string (e.g., "mmc", "nvme") rather than a numeric index, and `distro_bootpart` holds the partition number. This implementation aligns with mainline U-Boot conventions for the SpacemiT platform and has been verified to work correctly by the maintainer.

Learnt from: amazingfate
Repo: armbian/build PR: 8619
File: config/sources/families/rockchip.conf:222-230
Timestamp: 2025-09-14T06:32:29.806Z
Learning: In the Armbian build system, the write_uboot_platform() function implementations follow different patterns across Rockchip family files. The newer standard (used in rockchip64_common.inc and rk3506) includes 'status=none' parameter in dd commands, while older implementations (rk3288, rk322x) use an older pattern without this parameter. The rk3506 implementation correctly follows the current Rockchip family standard.

📚 Learning: 2025-11-02T20:49:56.719Z

Learnt from: igorpecovnik
Repo: armbian/build PR: 8849
File: config/boards/radxa-e54c.csc:14-28
Timestamp: 2025-11-02T20:49:56.719Z
Learning: In Armbian board configuration files (config/boards/*.conf, *.csc, etc.), do not use kernel_config_set, kernel_config_set_m, kernel_config_set_y, or custom_kernel_config__* functions to modify kernel configuration. Kernel configuration is associated with LINUXFAMILY/BOARDFAMILY, not individual BOARD. Board-specific kernel modifications cause inconsistency in kernel packages published to the apt repository because boards within a family share the same kernel packages. Kernel configuration changes must be made in the appropriate kernel config file (e.g., config/kernel/linux-*-*.config) or in family configuration files (config/sources/families/*.conf, *.inc) instead.

Applied to files:

• config/boards/panther-x2.csc

📚 Learning: 2026-01-03T20:46:29.189Z

Learnt from: rpardini
Repo: armbian/build PR: 9159
File: patch/u-boot/u-boot-genio/0026-dts-configs-add-Grinn-GenioSBC-510.patch:161-161
Timestamp: 2026-01-03T20:46:29.189Z
Learning: For the Armbian genio family (config/sources/families/genio.conf and patch/u-boot/u-boot-genio/), when reviewing PRs that include vendor U-Boot patches from Collabora, avoid flagging potential issues in board configurations that are out of scope for the PR's primary focus (e.g., don't flag Genio 510/700 board issues when the PR is focused on radxa-nio-12l/Genio 1200). The maintainer prioritizes keeping vendor patches close to upstream for easier re-copying and maintenance, even if secondary board configs have potential mismatches.
<!-- </add_learning>

Applied to files:

• config/boards/panther-x2.csc

📚 Learning: 2025-10-26T10:41:35.118Z

Learnt from: HackingGate
Repo: armbian/build PR: 8665
File: config/boards/photonicat2.csc:4-4
Timestamp: 2025-10-26T10:41:35.118Z
Learning: In the Armbian build system, rk3576 boards consistently use BOARDFAMILY="rk35xx" for both vendor and edge kernel targets. The rk35xx family configuration sources rockchip64_common.inc, which provides edge and current kernel branch definitions, making these branches available even though they're not defined directly in rk35xx.conf.

Applied to files:

• config/boards/panther-x2.csc

📚 Learning: 2025-09-14T06:32:29.806Z

Learnt from: amazingfate
Repo: armbian/build PR: 8619
File: config/sources/families/rockchip.conf:222-230
Timestamp: 2025-09-14T06:32:29.806Z
Learning: In the Armbian build system, the write_uboot_platform() function implementations follow different patterns across Rockchip family files. The newer standard (used in rockchip64_common.inc and rk3506) includes 'status=none' parameter in dd commands, while older implementations (rk3288, rk322x) use an older pattern without this parameter. The rk3506 implementation correctly follows the current Rockchip family standard.

Applied to files:

• config/boards/panther-x2.csc

📚 Learning: 2025-10-05T19:31:16.930Z

Learnt from: rpardini
Repo: armbian/build PR: 8718
File: config/boards/thinkpad-x13s.conf:185-185
Timestamp: 2025-10-05T19:31:16.930Z
Learning: In config/boards/thinkpad-x13s.conf, the x13s_obtain_firmware() function is reference-only utility code that never runs. It is kept for documentation purposes. Updates to firmware must be done at the armbian/firmware repository. TODO comments in this function are intentional reminders and should not be flagged.

Applied to files:

• config/boards/panther-x2.csc

📚 Learning: 2025-09-12T19:28:38.491Z

Learnt from: Grippy98
Repo: armbian/build PR: 8622
File: config/sources/families/k3.conf:66-66
Timestamp: 2025-09-12T19:28:38.491Z
Learning: In the Armbian k3 family build system (config/sources/families/k3.conf), builds do not fail when TIBOOT3_BOOTCONFIG is unset, even though tiboot3.bin is still listed in UBOOT_TARGET_MAP. The gating mechanism in pre_config_uboot_target__build_first_stage function works as intended to conditionally build/copy tiboot3.bin only when TIBOOT3_BOOTCONFIG is defined.

Applied to files:

• config/boards/panther-x2.csc

📚 Learning: 2025-03-31T22:20:41.849Z

Learnt from: rpardini
Repo: armbian/build PR: 8044
File: patch/u-boot/v2025.04/cmd-fileenv-read-string-from-file-into-env.patch:73-75
Timestamp: 2025-03-31T22:20:41.849Z
Learning: When porting patches between U-Boot versions (like from 2025.01 to 2025.04), rpardini prefers to maintain patches as-is rather than introducing refactoring changes, even when potential improvements are identified. This approach prioritizes consistency and reduces the risk of introducing new issues.

Applied to files:

• config/boards/panther-x2.csc

📚 Learning: 2025-12-13T11:39:08.046Z

Learnt from: pyavitz
Repo: armbian/build PR: 9058
File: patch/u-boot/legacy/u-boot-spacemit-k1/003-SpacemiT-K1X-Fixups.patch:28-67
Timestamp: 2025-12-13T11:39:08.046Z
Learning: In the Armbian build system for SpacemiT U-Boot patches (patch/u-boot/legacy/u-boot-spacemit-k1/), alignment with mainline U-Boot behavior is prioritized. For example, in boot mode handling, leaving devnum unchanged in the default case (when devtype is cleared) follows mainline conventions rather than explicitly clearing it to handle edge cases.

Applied to files:

• config/boards/panther-x2.csc

📚 Learning: 2025-12-13T11:45:02.422Z

Learnt from: pyavitz
Repo: armbian/build PR: 9058
File: patch/u-boot/legacy/u-boot-spacemit-k1/003-SpacemiT-K1X-Fixups.patch:17-25
Timestamp: 2025-12-13T11:45:02.422Z
Learning: In the SpacemiT U-Boot patches for Armbian (patch/u-boot/legacy/u-boot-spacemit-k1/), the environment variable `devnum` is set to the device name string (e.g., "mmc", "nvme") rather than a numeric index, and `distro_bootpart` holds the partition number. This implementation aligns with mainline U-Boot conventions for the SpacemiT platform and has been verified to work correctly by the maintainer.

Applied to files:

• config/boards/panther-x2.csc

📚 Learning: 2025-11-06T15:36:04.682Z

Learnt from: rpardini
Repo: armbian/build PR: 8879
File: config/sources/families/uefi-x86.conf:0-0
Timestamp: 2025-11-06T15:36:04.682Z
Learning: As of PR #8879, the uefi-x86 family in the Armbian build system now includes kernel patches for the first time. The current and edge branches for uefi-x86 are specifically configured for Apple T2-based x86 machines, including T2-specific patches from the linux-t2 project and custom kernel configuration options for Apple hardware drivers.

Applied to files:

• config/boards/panther-x2.csc

📚 Learning: 2025-10-14T05:08:11.785Z

Learnt from: EvilOlaf
Repo: armbian/build PR: 8754
File: config/boards/bestv-r3300-l.csc:14-16
Timestamp: 2025-10-14T05:08:11.785Z
Learning: In the Armbian build system, BOOTBRANCH_BOARD is a valid framework variable used as a fallback when BOOTBRANCH is unset. The framework checks BOOTBRANCH_BOARD before applying the default bootloader branch value (see config/sources/common.conf). Board configuration files can use BOOTBRANCH_BOARD to specify the bootloader branch.

Applied to files:

• config/boards/panther-x2.csc

📚 Learning: 2026-01-12T17:21:32.630Z

Learnt from: rpardini
Repo: armbian/build PR: 9233
File: patch/u-boot/v2026.01/1000-rockchip-rk3588-stable-MAC-addresses-system-fixup-on-fdt-gmacX.patch:86-94
Timestamp: 2026-01-12T17:21:32.630Z
Learning: For U-Boot patches that implement custom MAC address injection into device tree nodes (such as for Rockchip RK3588 gmac interfaces), consider using U-Boot's standard fdt_fixup_ethernet() function instead. This function automatically walks /aliases looking for ethernet, ethernet0, ethernet1, etc., resolves each to a device node, and writes the corresponding environment MAC (ethaddr, eth1addr) into the mac-address or local-mac-address property. The standard approach requires: 1) adding ethernet aliases to board device trees (e.g., ethernet0 = &gmac0), 2) calling fdt_fixup_ethernet(blob) in ft_board_setup() or ft_system_setup(), and 3) ensuring ethaddr/eth1addr are set in the environment. This is simpler, well-tested, and easier to upstream than custom implementations.

Applied to files:

• config/boards/panther-x2.csc

📚 Learning: 2025-12-28T15:39:55.793Z

Learnt from: rpardini
Repo: armbian/build PR: 9119
File: config/boards/mixtile-core3588e.csc:1-1
Timestamp: 2025-12-28T15:39:55.793Z
Learning: In board configuration comments, e.g., a reference to Jetson SoM, treat it as indicating compatibility with the form factor/pin layout rather than implying the board uses an NVIDIA Jetson product. This helps reviewers avoid misclassifying boards as Jetson-based. Apply this understanding broadly to all .csc files under config/boards to ensure consistent interpretation of form-factor references.

Applied to files:

• config/boards/panther-x2.csc

📚 Learning: 2025-12-23T04:44:25.212Z

Learnt from: EvilOlaf
Repo: armbian/build PR: 9067
File: patch/kernel/archive/rockchip64-6.19/dt/rk3399-orangepi-4-lts.dts:869-875
Timestamp: 2025-12-23T04:44:25.212Z
Learning: During code reviews of device tree changes (any .dts file), verify node properties against the official kernel device tree binding documentation (*.yaml) rather than relying solely on patterns observed in existing DTS files. This helps catch copy-paste or drift errors and ensures properties align with authoritative bindings for each device node type.

Applied to files:

• patch/kernel/archive/rockchip64-6.18/dt/rk3566-panther-x2.dts

🔇 Additional comments (5)

patch/kernel/archive/rockchip64-6.18/dt/rk3566-panther-x2.dts (4)

412-431: I2C controller enablement looks correct.

The I2C2/3/4 nodes follow standard device tree patterns with proper pinctrl bindings. These enable the general-purpose I2C buses needed for the Helium miner hardware.

---

559-560: Power supply bindings for SDIO WiFi interface are correct.

The vmmc-supply (3.3V card power) and vqmmc-supply (1.8V I/O) reference regulators that are properly defined earlier in the file. This properly powers the WiFi SDIO interface alongside the existing mmc-pwrseq configuration.

---

1-5: Header comment appropriately documents the additions.

---

444-455: No changes needed for SPI0 pinctrl configuration.

The SPI0 node is correctly configured without explicit pinctrl-0. RK3566 board-specific device tree files do not redeclare pinctrl settings already provided by the base kernel dtsi file. This pattern is consistent across all RK3566 boards in the codebase (rk3566-h96-tvbox, rk3566-jp-tvbox, etc.), unlike other SoCs such as RK3328 which require explicit pinctrl definitions. The default pin configuration for SPI0 is managed by the upstream kernel's rk3566.dtsi base file, similar to how the serial0 alias is already defined in base device tree files.

Likely an incorrect or invalid review comment.

config/boards/panther-x2.csc (1)

16-24: Board-specific U-Boot branch override is appropriate.

The hook correctly overrides the default rk35xx U-Boot branch from next-dev-v2024.10 to stable-4.19-rock3 for this Radxa RK3566 board. Since the rk35xx family already defaults to the Radxa u-boot repository, the override is properly scoped to change only the branch. Setting BOOTPATCHDIR and BOOTPATCHES to "none" is necessary because the stable-4.19-rock3 branch does not use the same patches as the default branch configuration.

---

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[github-actions]

✅ This PR has been reviewed and approved — all set for merge!