Using RISC OS on the Raspberry Pi

Introduction

This section of the wiki contains information to assist users who wish to run RISC OS on the Raspberry Pi.

If you are new to RISC OS you may wish to read the Introduction to RISC OS and the RISC OS Beginners FAQ.

Raspberry Pi models supported

RISC OS can be used on the following Raspberry Pi models:

• Pi Zero (including the Pi Zero W and Pi Zero 2 W)
• Pi 1 (models A, B, A+, B+)
• Pi 2
• Pi 3 (models B, A+, B+)
• Pi 4
• Pi 400

Note that the Raspberry Pi 5 and the Raspberry Pi Pico are not supported.

Known issues:

1. RISC OS can only run in a single core: the other cores in the four-core Raspberry models are currently unused.
2. The onboard WiFi chip (in the Pi Zero W, Pi Zero 2 W, Pi 3 and Pi 4) is not currently supported. One of the open bounties should address this issue.
3. The USB3 ports on the Pi 4 will only work at USB2 speeds.
4. On the Pi Zero 2 W, the GPIO pins may be inaccessible at RISC OS 5.28. A fix for this issue is described here.

RISC OS builds available for the Raspberry Pi

• The most straightforward to use is RISC OS Pi. This archive contains an SD card image which needs to be written to a microSD card using a utility such as Win32DiskImager or Etcher. Once this has been done, you can plug the card into your Raspberry Pi and switch on.
• If you prefer, you can use Raspberry Pi Imager (Windows/macOS/Linux) to install the RISC OS Pi image. This downloads the software and writes it to the SD card in a single process.

The remaining builds are for the more experienced user. Installation instructions (including an indication of other software you will need to download) are given on the linked pages.

• RPi ROM stable – The RISC OS 5.28 ROM, for people who prefer to “roll their own”.
• Beta RPi ROM – The latest development build, for the more adventurous user.

Setup and configuration information

• Hardware compatibility list – peripherals seen to work with the Raspberry Pi
• Installing RISC OS – How to create your own SD card image.
• Boot-up issues – What to do if your first boot of RISC OS doesn’t work.
• Dual-format SD card – Why the SD card needs to be in a special format
• Raspberry Pi Firmware – The other files you need to get RISC OS to load on the Raspberry Pi
• config.txt (Raspberry Pi) – Settings needed for the Raspberry Pi bootloader
• cmdline.txt (Raspberry Pi) – Parameters passed to the RISC OS ROM on boot
• CMOS RAM on the Raspberry Pi
• Monitor setup – How to fix common problems (e.g. monitor will only display a low-resolution screen)
• Compute Module eMMC Modification – How to modify a Compute module so its onboard eMMC is counted as a harddisc
• Upgrading your Raspberry Pi to the latest development beta of RISC OS

Hints and tips

• RISC OS Pi Welcome guide
• RISC OS Upgrade – How to upgrade to the latest stable release of RISC OS
• RISC OS bugs specific to the Raspberry Pi
• Raspberry Pi questions and answers – Topics include “Can I boot the Pi from USB?” and “Why are configuration changes lost when I shut down?”
• Community support forum – Help and advice from other RISC OS users

Technical information from other websites

• Temperature (etc.) warnings
• LED warning flash codes
• Raspberry Pi schematics and hardware
• BCM2835 peripherals datasheet and errata
• BCM2711 cut down datasheet