thomasvon2021/pikvm-board

Cheap and high performance hardware based on CM4 for pikvm or tinypilot

BliKVM - Open hardware for PiKVM

BliKVM is hardware that runs PiKVM, helping you to manage servers or workstations remotely, regardless of the health of the operating system or whether one is installed.

Support

• Check out the documentation!
• Add the language of your country to the documentation
• Join the Discord Community Chat for news, questions and support!
• BliKVM software

Purchase

• Purchase - BliKVM CM4 Version
• Purchase - BliKVM HAT Version
• Purchase - BliKVM PCIe version
• Reserve - BliKVM PCIe version

Videos

• Watch - CM4 version Review by Geerling Engineering
• Watch - PCIe version Review by Geerling Engineering
• Watch - Feature Overview for CM4 Version
• Watch - Unboxing for CM4 Version

Pictures

Features

This product’s key features include Video Capture, ATX Power Control, USB 3.0, OTG, Gigabit Ethernet, OLED, and RTC.

PCB - Front	PCB - Back

1. HDMI IN port with I2S
2. ATX controller interface (power on/off, reboot control, PWR and HDD ACT LEDs)
3. USB3.0 port x 2
4. USB-C OTG
5. Real Time Clock (RTC)
6. Gigabit Ethernet
7. Activity LED
8. Micro SD Card socket
9. Power LED
10. I2C display connector
11. nRPI_BOOT Jumper
12. USB-C power input
13. PWM FAN controller
14. Serial console port
15. Support POE

Other Purchase Links

• Purchase - PiKVM ATX Power Adaptor
• Purchase - PiKVM USB Splitter
• Purchase - PiKVM HDMI to CSI Board

Acknowledgments

BliKVM would not be possible without the excellent and generous work from many open source projects, the most notable of which are listed below:

• PiKVM
• TinyPilot

pikvm-board's Issues

PCI Bracket for ATX connection [SUGGESTION]

Since the KVM will usually be outside of the server, there is no clean way to run the ATX power breakout cables to the motherboard.

Do you know/can you recommend a PCI bracket that can pass through the ATX power connector?

I'm assuming a simple 8 pin male-to-male connector block mounted to a PCI bracket should do the trick, but I have not found one on AliExpress yet.

Otherwise, everything else is great! I would use the CM4 eMMC so I don't have to depend on an SD card, and looking forward to a POE version. I would prefer this for datacenter and remote office deployments over the normal KVM.

I do recommend forking the PiKVM repo to prebuild images with Github Actions, so that we have images that are known to work with the hardware stack (in case you need to include some custom drivers or code, or PiKVM upstream does something stupid and poisons their codebase - like colors.js and faker).

PiKVM #unsupported #selfsupported

Not officially endorsed by the PiKVM team

Documentation - Csi channels (cam0 or cam1?)

Unfortunalaly documentation is a bit lacking.
As a cm4 module is used the second csi interface (cam1) is available.
The cam1 is a 4-channel interface which allows for a higher bandwidth where cam0 is only 2-channel
From the documentation it isn't clear which interface is used.
Could you please update the documentation to provide clarification of which interface is used?

A schematic showing the cm4 pins used would be awesome

POE version

Is a poe-powered version a possibility?

How to get PoE working?

I purchased a BliKVM from Aliexpress store. In the item's page it's listed as "A PoE jumper cap" is needed to enable PoE. However I can't find such device in the shipping box, nor can I find it in the official store. Can I get instruction where to get these PoE jumper cap? Thanks

Permission denied: '/sys/class/rtc/rtc0/wakealarm'

I'm seeing a repeating error in the log PiKVM web log that seems linked to the RTC module. I'm running the latest v3 hat image of PiKVM

PermissionError: [Errno 13] Permission denied: '/sys/class/rtc/rtc0/wakealarm'

Full error log:

[2022-03-16 00:25:07 kvmd-watchdog.service] --- kvmd.apps.watchdog INFO --- Running watchdog loop on RTC0 ...
[2022-03-16 00:25:07 kvmd-watchdog.service] --- Traceback (most recent call last):
[2022-03-16 00:25:07 kvmd-watchdog.service] --- File "/usr/bin/kvmd-watchdog", line 9, in
[2022-03-16 00:25:07 kvmd-watchdog.service] --- main()
[2022-03-16 00:25:07 kvmd-watchdog.service] --- File "/usr/lib/python3.10/site-packages/kvmd/apps/watchdog/init.py", line 119, in main
[2022-03-16 00:25:07 kvmd-watchdog.service] --- options.cmd(config.watchdog)
[2022-03-16 00:25:07 kvmd-watchdog.service] --- File "/usr/lib/python3.10/site-packages/kvmd/apps/watchdog/init.py", line 80, in _cmd_run
[2022-03-16 00:25:07 kvmd-watchdog.service] --- _reset_alarm(config.rtc, config.timeout)
[2022-03-16 00:25:07 kvmd-watchdog.service] --- File "/usr/lib/python3.10/site-packages/kvmd/apps/watchdog/init.py", line 65, in _reset_alarm
[2022-03-16 00:25:07 kvmd-watchdog.service] --- _write_int(rtc, "wakealarm", wake)
[2022-03-16 00:25:07 kvmd-watchdog.service] --- File "/usr/lib/python3.10/site-packages/kvmd/apps/watchdog/init.py", line 55, in _write_int
[2022-03-16 00:25:07 kvmd-watchdog.service] --- with open(_join_rtc(rtc, key), "w") as value_file:
[2022-03-16 00:25:07 kvmd-watchdog.service] --- PermissionError: [Errno 13] Permission denied: '/sys/class/rtc/rtc0/wakealarm'

PCI Express BliKVM?

Something I mentioned in the Skype group chat, but forgot to formally request / document here, is a request to consider making the same basic board as BliKVM, but as a PCI Express card.

Now, it would be a dummy card—it couldn't leech power off the 12v rail because when the PC is powered off, BliKVM would shut down too.

But it would basically slot into one of the PCIe slots on a PC motherboard, then internally, you can connect the front panel stuff (ATX power, reset, HDD, and activity).

Externally, it would have the following ports:

• OTG (to connect externally to one of the PC's USB ports)
• USB-C power input
• Ethernet
• HDMI input
• (if it fits) microSD — though this could be internal to save space if you want to make a compact height card
• (if it fits) a hole for WiFi antenna connector

The microSD might need to be internal on the board itself (maybe on the top edge) to save space on the back. It would be really neat to be able to slot in an IP KVM inside a PC directly, so I don't have to have an extra box with a jungle of cables hanging out the back.

Location of sources?

The repo's README states:

BliKVM is open hardware

Is this accurate? If so, where can users find sources for the hardware schematics? Under what license are the sources available?

Looks awesome :) - would PoE be a thing to do?

HAT or M.2 version

This looks interesting except I need a cellular link on my finished KVM.

Prefer the M.2 approach, but that further requires SIM card slot on the board.

Activity LED always solid green?

I noticed on my BliKVM, the ACT LED is always solid green; it doesn't seem to correctly indicate any status on the board. On other CM4 boards and the IO board, it seems to flash to indicate eMMC/microSD card access, but on the BliKVM it's always green when running the PiKVM image.

I noticed on the image it sets:

dtparam=act_led_gpio=13

Does that parameter need to be changed to make the LED work correctly?

Fan on/off option

Is there a way to enable or disable the fan ?

How can I control the remote desktop using mouse and keyboard?

Hi there. I purchased a BliKVM from Aliexpress. After setting up I can now see the screen of the remote machine from my laptop browser. However I'm not sure how to control the remote desktop form the browser. I wonder what cable I should use and how to connect it? Thanks!

PiKVM Version

Which version of the PiKVM is this based on? I love this thing it looks awesome.

Custom button pins

Would be great to have a couple of pins or pin pairs exposed for custom buttons - like for "clear CMOS" or "Quick Flash utility" headers - in future releases.

KVM Switches

Has anyone tested any KVM switches to extend the functionality across multiple computers? If so it might be nice if this was added to the documentation.

Alternatively, since this project uses the pikvm project as an upstream, is it safe to assume that the KVM switches listed in that projects documentation also work with this?

HDMI Backpower mitigation?

Does the CSI bridge have any type of hdmi backpower mitigation in place?

Getting WiFi working?

I was wondering if anyone else has gotten WiFi working following PiKVM's guide: https://docs.pikvm.org/wifi/

I noticed that dtoverlay=disable-bt is enabled in the PiKVM image /boot/config.txt file, but if I comment out that line and reboot, I can't get the Pi to boot at all anymore :/

Fan Speed Control

Hello,
First of all i want to Thank you for the best kvm solution ever.
but i faced a problem with fan sound it's annoying, will modifying config file like this will help to switch fan on while the temperature is high only, and off it while the temperature is normal?
here what i found when i googled about this issue:

$ sudo vi /boot/config.txt
# PoE Hat Fan Speed Control
dtoverlay=rpi-poe
dtparam=poe_fan_temp0=57000
dtparam=poe_fan_temp1=60000
dtparam=poe_fan_temp2=63000
dtparam=poe_fan_temp3=66000

thank you in advance.

Include copyright notice for third-party code

./src/blikvm.sh seems to be derived from TinyPilot's copyrighted code here:

https://github.com/tiny-pilot/tinypilot/blob/609b36faf2352cb0922111b2fc9f13bd73824855/quick-install

TinyPilot's code is released under the MIT license, so you're welcome to include it, but the license requires preserving the copyright notice and license.

You can get back into compliance with the license this by copying the text from TinyPilot's license as a header at the top of the file or by including TinyPilot's license in a file called NOTICE at the root of the repo.

No update since end 2022?

How can I update pikvm on my pcie Version?
The image is from November 2022 and when trying to follow the steps on the pikvm website with the update script, the system fails to come up again.
I am very disappointed in this device and having to rely on 3rd party modifications to run pikvm.
Whenever a device has network access, there should be the possibility to run up to date software on it.

Mutiple board versions confusion

The current board version is confusing. I've found v2.1, v2.2 and v3 from this website, which one is the updated one.
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005003262886521.html

Where is the official sale website? Thanks

Rackmount friendly and port placement [SUGGESTION]

Just a suggestion for the next revision:

Can you put all the ports on one side and make sure the case is 1U high?

If all the ports are on one side and the case stays 1U, we can mount a number of these on a 1U bracket on the hot side of the rack. When mounted in a fully populated rack, there will be no way to access the rear of the device easily, and it does not make sense to unmount the entire device just to rewire a connection. This is because the space in the rack above and below will be taken up with other equipment, and the device is so small that reaching inside a 22" rack from the back to unplug/plug-in cables would be virtually impossible.

If you make these rack friendly (and preimaged), you'll probably get a large number of orders from anyone with a co-lo server. (I know I would order 5 if they were rack friendly)

For anyone curious, the reason you would mount it on the hot side is because the video connections and PCI brackets for most servers are on the hot side (rear).

Request for clarity in documentation - USB OTG for control?

I'm assuming (but would like to know if my assumption is correct) that to control a PC's USB interface, you would plug a USB-C to USB-A cable from the USB-C 'OTG' port on the BliKVM into a USB-A port on the PC you're controlling?

It wasn't 100% clear in the documentation, but that seems the logical place, and the current description kind of says that but not explicitly:

2.4. USB-C OTG

This port is doing the emulation of a USB keyboard, mouse, Virtual CD-ROM or USB Flash Drive, USB-Ethernet, USB-Serial port and a lot of other Linux-supported features. This interface cannot provide external power.

Documentation - Compute Modules with eMMC can't boot from SD

Hi, I think it is worth noting somewhere on the documentation that using a CM4 with eMMC requires flashing the image with your instructions at https://github.com/ThomasVon2021/pikvm-CM4-Board/wiki to boot. I was a little confused by the no-boot with red and green lights lit up until I joined your Skype and scrolled up to find this information.

Thanks!

bluetooth problem

翻之前的issues记录，看到geerlingguy提过一个问题：“Getting WiFi working? #16“

其中这一段：I noticed that dtoverlay=disable-bt is enabled in the PiKVM image /boot/config.txt file, but if I comment out that line and reboot, I can't get the Pi to boot at all anymore :/

刚才手贱试了一下，注释掉dtoverlay=disable-bt，确实起不来了，目前距离几十公里。。。

在正式版本的config.txt里面是可以这样的：miniuart给gpio14/15，高速uart给蓝牙

请问有谁试过应该怎样启用蓝牙吗？由于这版硬件gpio引出的比较少，有些小设备想连接blikvm需要用到蓝牙？

Bought BLIKVM and CM4 with MMC but it won' boot?

Hi

Trying to get my BLIKVM to work. Flashing works fine. Tried with both Balena Etcher (with piboot) and Raspberry Pi Imager. After setting the jumper back and boot nothing happens. Tried with v3-hdmi-rpi4-latest and v2-hdmi-rpi4-latest. How can I troubelshoot this?

//Anders

Can I use BLIKVM to flash eMMC?

My CM4 has 16GB of eMMC storage, so I would like to use that instead of an SD card.

Can I use the BLIKVM board to flash the eMMC storage using rpiboot, or will I need a Compute Module 4 IO Board as describe here?