Sound doesn't seem to work

[Vagabond]

I've copied the firmware file to /lib/firmware and I've tried blacklisting snd_hda_intel. If I blacklist the module, I have no sound device. If I don't blacklist the module, I get a sound device with no outputs or inputs (just 5 S/PDIF outputs). I've tried both the 4.14.8 and the 4.15.2 kernels and both show the same issue.

Can you provide more information on what kernel module should be loaded and how to debug this?

[mirrexagon]

I'm also having this problem. There seems to be some info (or at least experimentation) in this repo: https://github.com/markitoxs/pixelbook

From that repo and my own poking around, it looks to me like the kernel module we want might be snd_soc_kbl_rt5663_rt5514_max98927, but I've had no luck from just enabling the module. The repo suggests that snd_soc_skl is the one we want, but I get nothing from that either.

As an aside, also from that repo, it looks like the sound for both the speakers/audio jack and HDMI are handled by the one device, which might be why snd_hda_intel should be blacklisted.

I'm currently messing around with kernel configuration, which is mainly just copying stuff from the ChromeOS kernel config and hoping it works, no luck so far. I'm also using the ChromeOS kernel (chromeos-4.4 branch from https://chromium.googlesource.com/chromiumos/third_party/kernel) mainly so backlight control works, but that might be affecting what config/modules I need.

[mirrexagon]

If I blacklist snd_soc_skl, then manually load it at boot, I get this in dmesg:

[  437.124608] snd_soc_skl 0000:00:1f.3: bound 0000:00:02.0 (ops i915_exit [i915])
[  437.139729] HDMI HDA Codec ehdaudio0D2: Max dais supported: 3
[  437.139865] kbl_r5514_5663_max kbl_r5514_5663_max: ASoC: CPU DAI spi-PRP0001:00 not registered

I don't really know what this means, but it looks like maybe snd_soc_skl can interact with this device.

[mirrexagon]

With kernel 4.15.0, I do get the sound device appearing, but it doesn't seem to actually output any sound. I get the Kbl Audio Port: ASoC: no backend DAIs enabled for Kbl Audio Port that @EmbeddedAndroid has in the README. There's probably some stuff that needs to be done to configure the device.

[jszwedko]

I have a similar experience to @mirrexagon with 4.15.0.

ALSA info: http://www.alsa-project.org/db/?f=32401ea40f415a8620da778c6f9332affb4931b3

I did see

cat: '/sys/module/snd_soc_kbl_rt5663_rt5514_max98927/parameters/*': No such file or directory

When generating the ALSA info.

[nrmnrm]

so did anyone actually hear a sound from the pixelbook on native linux ever (ubuntu 18.04 in this case)?
as mentioned in https://github.com/markitoxs/pixelbook/blob/master/README.md i get to see the sound as
cat /proc/asound/cards
0 [kblr55145663max]: kbl_r5514_5663_ - kbl_r5514_5663_max
Google-Eve-1.0-Eve

Which also shows up as:

~  aplay -l
**** List of PLAYBACK Hardware Devices ****
card 0: kblr55145663max [kbl_r5514_5663_max], device 0: Audio () []
Subdevices: 1/1
Subdevice #0: subdevice #0
card 0: kblr55145663max [kbl_r5514_5663_max], device 3: Hdmi1 () []
Subdevices: 1/1
Subdevice #0: subdevice #0
card 0: kblr55145663max [kbl_r5514_5663_max], device 4: Hdmi2 (*) []
Subdevices: 1/1
Subdevice #0: subdevice #0
~ 

but thats about it, only a dummy interface appears in ubuntu sound settings

[astatide]

One of the pulls for the 4.20 kernel included some changes meant to help support the card, I think.

I pulled the firmware file from ChromeOS (9d71-GOOGLE-EVEMAX-0-tplg.bin), as well as the alsa topology. The firmware now seems to load (something it didn't do on 4.19), but it seems we're missing another firmware file.

I don't have ChromeOS installed here, as I'm dual booting Windows and Linux (I need software I can't get on Linux/Chrome), so I was wondering if anyone has this file?

dsp_lib_dsm_core_spt_release.bin

EDIT: I'm running Ubuntu 18.10, not Arch, and I compiled the upstream kernel sans any Ubuntu patches. It's possible I screwed up the compilation and missed some modules since I tried to limit what I compiled, but.

dmesg output:

[  +0.024348] snd_soc_skl 0000:00:1f.3: Direct firmware load for dsp_lib_dsm_core_spt_release.bin failed with error -2
[  +0.000209] snd_soc_skl 0000:00:1f.3: Request lib dsp_lib_dsm_core_spt_release.bin failed:-2
[  +0.000005] snd_soc_skl 0000:00:1f.3: Load Library failed : fffffffe
[  +0.000020] snd_soc_skl 0000:00:1f.3: Failed to boot first fw: -2
[  +0.000003] snd_soc_skl 0000:00:1f.3: ASoC: failed to probe component -2
[  +0.000035] kbl_r5514_5663_max kbl_r5514_5663_max: ASoC: failed to instantiate card -2
[  +0.000107] kbl_r5514_5663_max: probe of kbl_r5514_5663_max failed with error -2```

[nrmnrm]

Sounds promising. Maybe you can followup up on the comitter of that 4.20 change?

[fsantiago07044]

just my two cents; 2017 i5 pixelbook (EVE), with /u/MrChromebox replacement UEFI firmware installed (disabled WP) and running Ubuntu 18.10 now with upgraded kernel 4.20.13, and your aforementioned audio device changes on the front page / readme, still no sound. i did notice some addt'l info during boot up that i didn't see before the kernel upgrade but still nothing (dummy output). thanks for all your help.

[XVicarious]

I downloaded the 12105.100.0 image and pulled the topology from it. Appears to load an map fine, but once alsa tries to access them, things go south. If anyone is still looking into this as I am.

[omfgnuts]

any success, fellas?

[mgalgs]

Still busted on 5.4.17 (Manjaro)

[dsem]

I haven't exactly looked in to how he did it, but https://github.com/jmontleon/pixelbook-fedora has a working setup for sound (and backlight) on Fedora for the Pixelbook. Both are working for me after running his ansible playbook (on Fedora though).