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Hardware Setup guide for the Raspberry Pi 4
| Hardware Model | Raspberry Pi 4 |
| Document Version | 1.00,Feb 2022 |
| Author | Stuart Winter <mozes@slackware> |
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Video Tutorial
This tutorial is also available in video form.
Installation Guide
This hardware setup guide is the companion to the Raspberry PI 4 installation guides.
Hardware
This hardware list is what has been recommended by the Slackware community as a good starting point for setting up a Raspberry Pi. There are a plethora of peripherals available for the Raspberry Pi which you can use with Slackware.
SD cards: Some SD cards are known to have issues on the Raspberry Pi4. Please use one of the brands provided in the hardware table below.
Please purchase the hardware from any vendor: Slackware ARM has no affiliation with The PiHut, but it is a useful one-stop-shop for RPis and accessories, and this author can attest to good service within the UK.
| Item | Specification/Type | Required? | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Raspberry Pi 4 Model B | 4GB and 8GB RAM models have been tested | Yes | This is the bare board | |
| 'Ice Tower' CPU heat sink & cooling fan | A heat sink or CPU is required | This has been recommended as a suitable fan for high-CPU workloads. | ||
| Power supply | Official Raspberry Pi PSU | Yes | It's best to use the official PSU as others can cause instability over time. | |
| Inline power switch | - | Optional but recommended | The Raspberry Pi 4 does not have reset nor power buttons on the board. Reports from the Slackware community suggest that the power socket on the Rpi will become damaged over time from wear. This inline power switch prevents damage to the RPi. | |
| Micro to full-size HDMI adapter | - | Optional | Depends on your local setup and whether you wish to connect an HDMI monitor to the RPi. | |
| Real Time Clock (RTC) | Adafruit PiRTC - Precise DS3231 | Optional | This RTC been recommended by the Slackware community. | |
| Battery for RTC | Lithium 3volt CR1220 | Optional | Depends on whether you use the RTC module. This enables the RTC to maintain the time whilst the RPi is powered down. | |
| Dupont wires | Female to male | Optional | This is to wire in the RTC module, as the large sized CPU heat sink prevents the RTC module from connecting directly to the GPIO. These wires are also useful for connecting other peripherals to the RPi's GPIO. | |
| SATA storage / SSD | Minimum useful size: 30GB | Required | Will contain the Operating System. You can install to other storage, but this documentation covers this particular configuration only. The Kingston-SA400S37-240G has thoroughly proved itself in the Slackware ARM build infrastructure - most build machines use these, but any SSD or spinning hard disk should work | |
| USB to SATA adapter | - | Required | Many models will work, but this one has been tested on many of this author's ARM hardware. | |
| USB to Serial adapter | PL2303 chip. Other models may work, but this one has been tested. If your model has the option to set voltages, ensure 3volts is set! | Optional | A USB to Serial/UART adapter is recommended if you want to access the console remotely, but is unnecessary if you only plan on using an HDMI monitor. This document covers installing using an HDMI monitor - you can find information about connecting the Serial/UART adapter at the foot of this document | |
| Micro SD Card | 16GB minimum capacity, Class 10 (fast speed) | Required | Initially used to boot the Slackware Installer, and subsequently transformed into Slackware's /boot partition. | |
| USB keyboard and mouse | Standard peripherals | Required | A USB keyboard and mouse are required for this Slackware installation guide but are not required for the running of the OS. Slackware can also be installed headless (without a keyboard or monitor) over the Serial/UART or SSH (but this isn't documented). |
Recommended/ tested SD cards and other storage peripherals
In addition to the examples of tested hardware, here follows other storage devices and peripherals that have been tested by the Slackware community.
| Type | Details |
|---|---|
| Micro SD card | Gigastone 32GB |
| Micro SD card | Kingston 64GB microSDHC Canvas Select Plus |
| Micro SD card | Kingston SDCG3 |
| Micro SD card | SanDisk 16GB |
| USB to SATA adapter (alternative to the one in the table above) | SKL Tech |
Alternatives to SSD
If you prefer to use NVME storage, these have been tested:
| NVME Storage Module | Kingston A2000 SSD 250G & 500GB models |
| USB to NVME M.2 adapter & enclosure | LEMORELE M.2 NVMe SSD Enclosure USB C External PCIe B+M/M-Key SSD Caddy 10Gbp UASP USB 3.1 Gen 2 M2 |
Notes on storage setup
The setup documented here (2.5“ SSD connected to a USB-to-Serial adapter for power and data) has proven stable for this author.
Hardware Setup
In this section we'll prepare the physical aspects of the Raspberry Pi4 to receive Slackware Linux.
Note that this is just one of a vast array of hardware configurations for the Raspberry Pi4. If you have a different configuration that's already working, you can skip to the 'Software and Network Environment Setup ' section
Attach the base board
Attach the base board to the RPi4 using the brass spacers. Ensure that each brass spacer is screwed into the base board, as shown.
The base board comes with the 'Ice Tower' CPU cooling pack (as mentioned within the Hardware Requirements table). Other RPi “open” case designs would connect the RPi in a similar manner (e.g., the bottom element of Micro Connectors' Acrylic Stackable Raspberry Pi case)
Screw four spacers to the top to secure the board to the platform
Attach the thermal tape to the CPU
Lay one of the pieces of thermal tape atop the CPU as shown:
Attach the heat sink brackets
Pay close attention to the positioning of the brackets, otherwise it won't sit on the board properly.
Use the symbols on the brackets for orientation
Secure the board to the platform
Only apply 3 nuts as shown. The fourth brass-coloured 'spacer' will be used to seat the RTC (Real Time Clock). If you do not have an RTC, secure this with a fourth nut.
Attach CPU fan power wires
RTC (Real Time Clock): Insert battery
RTC (Real Time Clock): Wiring
RTC (Real Time Clock): Attach to Raspberry Pi
Add all other peripherals required to install Slackware
- Connect the storage - ensure that it's connected to a blue USB 3.0 port
- Connect the Ethernet cable (optional - required if you want to set the date via NTP before commencing installation)
- Connect the HDMI cable
- Connect the USB keyboard and mouse
The basic hardware setup is complete.