reComputer R1000 with balena
What is balena?
balena is an Internet of Things (IoT) platform designed to help developers build, deploy, and manage IoT applications across a fleet of devices. It supports a wide range of device architectures and includes features for containerized application deployment, making it possible to easily update your IoT software and HostOS, fix bugs and introduce new features on your IoT applications. balena provides a unified way to push code updates, manage device configurations and ensure devices run reliably and securely in the field, regardless of their location or network conditions.
Getting Start
Before you start this project, you may need to prepare your hardware and software in advance as described here.
Hardware Preparation
| reComputer R1000 |
|---|
 |
Software
- A balenaCloud account (sign up here) and get the first 10 devices free.
- balenaEtcher to flash the CM4 memory.
Hardware Configuration
Step 1: You need to set the switch on the side of the R1000 to boot mode, then power on the device
| Switch Position | Mode | Description | nRPI-BOOT |
|---|---|---|---|
 | Normal mode | Boot from eMMC | Low |
 | Flash mode | Boot from USB | High |
Step 2: Please use a USB Type-c cable to connect reComputer R1000 to your computer.
Image File Acquisition
Step 1: Go to balenaCloud, create a free account, and then create a fleet for your Raspberry pi 4 or CM4 device
Step 2: Click "Add device", select the version information and configuration information you want, and then download the balenaOS image file in the lower right corner.
It is recommended to download the balenaOS image file first and then burn it. If you directly click "Flash" in the lower right corner of the window to burn it, it may fail to burn.
Steps for Flashing balena OS
Step 1: Open the rpiboot software, and then the system will show the new disk
Step 2: Open the flash tool balenaEtcher, select the previously downloaded balena image file, then select the target disk, and finally click Burn.
Step 3: After the flashing is completed, set the reComputer R1000 DIP switch to normal mode, then power on again. After a while, you can see the new device has been added successfully on balenaCloud.
You can see that the online status of the device is Online (Heartbeat only). This is due to the firewall restrictions in my area. If you have the same problem, you can connect a VPN to the device so that it can be displayed normally Online.
Tech Support & Product Discussion
Thank you for choosing our products! We are here to provide you with different support to ensure that your experience with our products is as smooth as possible. We offer several communication channels to cater to different preferences and needs.