Banana Pi BPI-R4 heatsink and Case design

Please pick the actual commits from vanilla kernel sources using git format-patch and place them in target/linux/mediatek/patches-6.1/ instead, each prefixed with the kernel version the patch was first included (like existing patches). Adding things to files-6.1 is done only for downstream/out-of-tree stuff and never for backports.

As I told Frank, I didn’t even check if there’s a mainline version before porting the driver… I’ll do it properly when I have time, if it won’t be done by someone else.

Btw. Sent out the infracfg reset patch out yesterday supporting both reset banks causing the lvts constant in dts changed a bit.

@sinovoip please provide correct drawing of sim tray drawing in SIM-NanoSIM-ZL-KT08-061500.pdf(Attach 2) (have width 13.1mm) contradicts to dxf file (Attach 3) (14,98mm) of a board and contradict SIM-NanoSIM-ZL-SM08-061500.pdf (Attach 1) (also about 15mm)

Attach 1

Attach 2

Attach 3

@sinovoip please consider that the sfp+ ports can become very hot (at least when using sfp±to-rj45-adapters). i had a couple of disconnects and thought those are because of openwrt. i put one 140mm FAN on top of the r4 (covering everything) and now i have no disconnects at all. when i touched the adapter it was warm but not hot.

There is a lot of time to use in good way before wifi module will be ready. Maybe we can make some nice project of vertical standing case , barrel or similiar to dynalink wrx-36? Then we can place inside as much antennas as we want to, just like others did. For me this would be perfect scenario, this is main reason why i still have my dynalink - because of nice and clean design . With white colour this device will compose with all type of placements on view.

Can you please share a 3d model of the case? someone please? the board is not useful without the case

I found a “starter case” with fansink for R4 on aliexpress:

Case with and without fan:

https://de.aliexpress.com/item/1005006541585546.html

Fansink alone:

https://de.aliexpress.com/item/1005006544838058.html

Cons:

  • The acrylic case has no holes for wifi antennas or 5G cellular modem (DIY).
  • The thermal pads beneath the fansink (DDR4 and eMMC) are looking thick.

Pros:

  • 3 pin PWM fan matching with R4
  • fansink will be be easily installed via push pins
  • price okay?
3 Likes

Any update on availability? Also will there be optional support for extra 4/5G antennas? I’m using RM-520N-GL which has 4 antennas.

thats a nice start, but we need a 3d printed case with antenna holes

imho both can be easily fixed :slight_smile: holes can be drilled and we can also use thinner thermal pads…maybe someone can measure the needed height to each chip…for me it looks like all chips have same height except the soc is ~0.5mm higher in the middle. so using there 0.5mm for it and 1mm for the others may work.

good that they leave space on bottom for wifi-card and nvme (maybe including heatsink), access to these needs bottom cover to be removed.

I have no R4, but checked the chip packages. The pictures are really good to see. For Samsung DDR4 RAM and eMMC Package the heights should be correct.

This is the overview:

In case something is wrong, please write back!

With the CPU height (MT7988AV) I had problems:

What is sure → 21 x 21 mm. It has an BGA with 916 possible balls, but only 819 are being used. The ball pitch is 0,65mm. All this I took from the schematics.

Gemini AI estimated that the chip height is natural 1 mm, but metal heat spreader adds additional 0,5 mm.

=> 1,5 mm in summary

→ so frank, you are as good as the AI (No, YOU are better :slightly_smiling_face:)

May be the thermal pads they are using are very soft … :+1:. Hopefully they are well heat conductive too.

I found an abbreviation for the metal on the top or for the whole package: HFCMIP

= High-Frequency Chip-on-Board Module Integrated Package?

or

= Heat Flux Cavity Micro-Integrated Package?

→ not sure what is right …

3 Likes

Hi where can i get a sample unit of this Case?

I just bought a raspberry pi 4 for my dad that went very high in cpu stress without cooling (it was even throttled, means 85°C and above). Then i used the case i bought from Produkte | Joy-IT and its crazy but its passive cooled and did not get over 40°C in stress. Something like that would be awesome for the R4! They have some holes and vents in the case (e.g. for better air flow). Even wifi works!

5 Likes

can you show inside? are there also connections from cpu->case like the product above in mentioned has? from the outside it looks great! is there any ETA/roadmap when this will be available?

I would love to have a cooler/case like this for the R4 Produkte | Joy-IT - basically a full aluminum or copper heatsink - with the appropriate cavities on the bottom to fit on the various chips that need to be cooled. Plus, thermal pads between the chips and the heatsink.

The same for the backside and the Wifi NIC, that would be perfect in my eyes.

Until such heatsink becomes available, this is my current free airflow setup. :slight_smile: Mounted to a perforated plate used in my distribution cabinet. Unfortunately the hole spacing didn’t match, so I had to improvise.

Is that module a Zyxel PM7010-R0 by any chance? I would put some heatsinks on the SFP cages as well.

LuLeey LL-XS2510 GPON module.

Thanks for the advice. Got some spare heatsinks from the sets I ordered. Wanted to setup proper temperature monitoring in LuCi first to see if it is necessary.

Case landed on ali for preorder, took one , premiere is planned for 30 april or something.

https://a.aliexpress.com/_EGbMEVt