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First Boot

Guide for the first boot and initial configuration of Calculinux.

Booting for the First Time

After flashing your SD card and installing hardware:

  1. Insert SD card into Luckfox Lyra
  2. Connect USB-C power (5V/2A minimum)
  3. Wait for boot (30-60 seconds first time)

Remove external SD card on first boot

Leave the PicoCalc external SD card slot empty during the first boot. External cards with duplicate partition labels (such as OVERLAY_DATA, ROOT_A, or ROOT_B) can cause overlayfs to fail and leave the system read-only.

Once the first boot completes successfully, you’ll have a clean baseline so any read-only behavior after inserting an external card is easier to attribute to partition label conflicts.

See: - Common Issues - System Read-Only / Overlayfs Failure - Basic Troubleshooting - Advanced Storage Configuration

What to Expect

Boot Process:

  • Power LED lights up
  • Boot messages appear on display
  • System initialization
  • Login prompt appears

First Boot Timing:

  • First boot: 30-60 seconds
  • Subsequent boots: 15-30 seconds

Initial Login

Default Credentials

Username: root
Password: root

Change Password Immediately

The first thing you should do after logging in is change the root password: 

passwd

Initial Configuration

1. Change Root Password

passwd
# Enter new password twice

2. Set System Time

The system clock can be set manually or will sync automatically via NTP when network is available:

# Set manually if no network connection
date -s "2025-10-06 14:30:00"

# Verify current time
date

Automatic Time Sync

If you have an active network connection (USB networking or WiFi), ntpd runs automatically in the background and will sync the system time. No manual intervention is needed.

3. Check System Status

# Check system info
uname -a

# Check memory
free -h

# Check disk space
df -h

# Check running services
systemctl status

4. Filesystem Expansion (Automatic)

Automatic Expansion

The overlayfs partition is automatically expanded during the pre-init process on first boot. The system uses growpart to expand the overlay partition to fill available disk space, leaving 10% free. No manual intervention is required.

5. Update Package Database

opkg update

Basic System Check

Verify Hardware

# Check display device exists
ls -l /dev/fb0

# Test display with SDL2 test utility
sdl2-test
# Press SPACE or ENTER to cycle through test patterns
# Press ESC to exit

# Check keyboard
cat /proc/bus/input/devices

# Check CPU
cat /proc/cpuinfo

# Check USB WiFi adapter (if connected)
lsusb
ip link show

Supported Peripherals

Hardware Expansion

The PicoCalc and Luckfox Lyra do not include WiFi or many peripherals by default. Hardware can be added via USB, I2C, SPI, and GPIO headers.

Currently Tested:

Planned/Future Support:

  • I2C RTC modules (e.g., Adafruit DS3231)
  • LoRa radio modules (e.g., Waveshare Core1262-868M for Meshtastic)
  • Additional I2C/SPI peripherals

Peripheral Testing

Most peripheral support beyond WiFi, display, and keyboard has not been thoroughly tested yet. Community contributions for additional hardware support are welcome!

Check Logs

# Boot messages
dmesg | less

# System journal
journalctl -b

Network Configuration

You have two primary options for network connectivity:

  1. USB Networking - Direct connection to your computer (recommended for initial setup)
  2. WiFi - Requires USB WiFi adapter

USB Networking

USB networking is the easiest way to get started with Calculinux. Simply connect the Lyra's USB-C port to your computer, and the device will appear as a USB Ethernet adapter.

Quick USB Setup

  1. Connect Lyra's USB-C port to your computer
  2. Wait 10-15 seconds for the USB gadget to enumerate
  3. SSH to the PicoCalc:
ssh pico@192.168.7.2
# Password: calc

See the USB Networking Guide for complete setup instructions including:

  • Internet sharing configuration
  • USB serial console access
  • Advanced configuration options

Windows Users

The default configuration uses ECM (CDC-Ether) which works natively on Linux and macOS but not on Windows.

If you're using Windows, you need to switch the device to RNDIS mode - see the USB Networking Configuration section.

What you get with USB networking:

  • ✅ Fast, reliable connection
  • ✅ No additional hardware required
  • ✅ Works on Linux and macOS out-of-the-box
  • ✅ Windows support via RNDIS mode
  • ✅ Static IP (192.168.7.2) always available
  • ✅ DHCP support for internet sharing
  • ✅ USB serial console at 1500000 baud

WiFi Setup (USB Adapter Required)

WiFi Hardware Required

Neither the PicoCalc nor Luckfox Lyra include built-in WiFi. You need a USB WiFi adapter operating at 3.3V connected to the Lyra's USB header.

For a complete list of supported WiFi chipsets and tested adapters, see Networking & WiFi Compatibility.

Connecting to WiFi with iwctl

Calculinux uses iwd (iwd Wireless Daemon) for WiFi management. Use iwctl to configure wireless connections:

# Start iwctl interactive mode
iwctl

# Inside iwctl:
[iwd]# device list                          # List wireless devices
[iwd]# station wlan0 scan                   # Scan for networks
[iwd]# station wlan0 get-networks           # Show available networks
[iwd]# station wlan0 connect "SSID"         # Connect to network
# Enter passphrase when prompted
[iwd]# exit

# Or use iwctl non-interactively:
iwctl station wlan0 scan
iwctl station wlan0 get-networks
iwctl station wlan0 connect "YourSSID"

Verify Connection:

# Check connection status
iwctl station wlan0 show

# Check IP address
ip addr show wlan0

# Test connectivity
ping -c 3 8.8.8.8

Disconnect:

iwctl station wlan0 disconnect

Next Steps

After initial setup:

Troubleshooting First Boot

No Display or Boot Hangs

Most common first-boot issue: Wait 2-3 minutes. The first boot takes longer as the overlay partition is automatically expanded to use available disk space.

If problems persist after waiting, see Troubleshooting - Common Issues for:

  • Display initialization problems
  • SPI NAND interference
  • SD card issues
  • Login problems
  • Other boot issues

Getting Help