Bootloader Changes?

[adimifus]

Does anyone happen to know what changes were made to the bootloader in release 20211112? For whatever reason, my de10 nano fails to boot after updating, but can be fixed by reverting [only] the bootloader to the one in release 20210917.

EDIT: I would clarify that this is different from the problem described in this thread:
viewtopic.php?f=29&t=3247

That pertains to the Mister menu.rbf not loading. The problem I'm having is the de10 nano doesn't boot AT ALL. No red/yellow/green LEDs, no network access (ssh, ftp, smb, etc.), no video output (different from BLACK/BLANK video output). The only thing that happens is the fan spins up and the blue power LED on the de10 nano lights up.

The method of updating doesn't matter (update.sh, update_all.sh, downloader.sh, release_20211112.zip). I've also tried numerous different SD cards, so that's not the problem, either.

[fatterdude2000]

I would also like to know. I have the exact same problem. If I use the newer bootloader my de10 fails to start after a power cycle.

[Flandango]

From the November 12 update:

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-Change reset type to "cold reset" while loading core from USB blaster or LXDE. So make sure bootloader is updated. (Official updater will take care of that).

Out of curiosity, and maybe help troubleshoot, what do you have plugged in to the DE10-Nano? Boards, usb devices, SDRAM. Using HDMI/vga/converters...

[adimifus]

From the November 12 update:

Code: Select all

-Change reset type to "cold reset" while loading core from USB blaster or LXDE. So make sure bootloader is updated. (Official updater will take care of that).

Out of curiosity, and maybe help troubleshoot, what do you have plugged in to the DE10-Nano? Boards, usb devices, SDRAM. Using HDMI/vga/converters...

Add on boards: IO board v6.0, USB hub v2.1, 128MB SDRAM, RTC v1.3
USB: Edimax EW-7822ULC, Raphnet dual SNES controller to USB adapter

I can confirm none of the USB devices are causing the problem, as it will won't boot with nothing plugged in. I haven't tried removing the boards yet.

[Flandango]

How is the USB hub attached? Bridge or Bracket?

[adimifus]

How is the USB hub attached? Bridge or Bracket?

Sorry I edited my post after you posted this. Disassembled my Mister to only the de10 nano (no add on boards or usb devices-- only sd card and power) and it won't boot after updating the bootloader to 20211112. Boots fine again after reverting to 20210917.

EDIT: I should add that I've tried multiple different SD cards. That doesn't change anything, either.

[Flandango]

Hmmm...wonder if there are different revisions of the DE10-nano that are significant enough to cause issues.

[adimifus]

Hmmm...wonder if there are different revisions of the DE10-nano that are significant enough to cause issues.

There's a few different revisions according to the Terasic website. My de10 nano is revision C, if that's helpful at all.

[Flandango]

Well just checked mine and it's also a revision C and it works fine. I even created a new SD Card from scratch and updated it and it works.
So there goes that theory.

[darksakul]

Try downloading and replacing the menu.rbf file

[DoubleA]

Try downloading and replacing the menu.rbf file

That doesn't help. It's definitely the bootloader.

[adimifus]

Try downloading and replacing the menu.rbf file

That doesn't help. It's definitely the bootloader.

Yep. I edited the initial post to clarify the specific problem.

Well just checked mine and it's also a revision C and it works fine. I even created a new SD Card from scratch and updated it and it works.
So there goes that theory.

What would be the best way to bring this to Sorgelig's attention?

[Flandango]

What would be the best way to bring this to Sorgelig's attention?

The best way to bring it up to him, in a meaningful way, is to see if we can identify the differences between the setups that work and the setups that don't work.
It's hard to troubleshoot something you can't reproduce on your own equipment. So the more information that is provided to Sorgelig the easier it is for him to troubleshoot/identify the problem and work around it.
From there, all that is really needed is to submit a git issue on the bootloader's repo.
Unfortunately, I myself can't reproduce the problem so I can't help with the troubleshooting.
If more people, who are experiencing this issue, can provide information such as Board Revisions, SD Card model/size, attached devices and what not, the maybe we can get somewhere.

[adimifus]

That all makes sense.


The specific symptoms after updating to 20211112 are:
Blue power LED (back left corner if LAN port is facing forwards) lights, all 8 green LEDs to the left of LAN port dimly lit, and no video signal via HDMI. USB devices and add-on boards make no difference.

If IO board and fan are installed, fan spins up normally. No video signal via VGA port. No red/yellow/green LED activity. Toslink LED does not light up.

If USB hub and wifi adapter are installed, wifi activity led does not light or blink.

SD cards tried:
Team Class 4 micro SDHC 8GB (I think this was the one included with the de10 nano?)
SanDisk Ultra Class 10 U1 A1 micro SDXC 128GB
SanDisk Ultra Class 10 U1 A1 micro SDXC 200GB

De10 nano is a revision C.

Simply reverting the bootloader to the one included with 20210917 fixes all above mentioned problems and everything works as it should.


Is there a way I can connect it to a PC to monitor what's going on during boot up that might help? Or possibly a command or program I could run via terminal or ssh that would provide more specific details about my de10 nano?

[Flandango]

There is a way to use the uart-to-usb port (serial port) along with terminal software to monitor the "console" as it's loading...but that's only if the bootloader even loads the kernel.
If you have a USB Mini cable (not the micro but it's predecessor), you can hook it up to your PC and use Putty to connect to it in Serial mode.
This wiki page has more info on serial port settings and how to connect to it with a linux os.

[DoubleA]

In my case, the mister boots and i can access the the filesystem with SSH. But no Video out. Thus i can grab all logfiles.
Which one is needed to troubleshoot this strange problem?

[Flandango]

In my case, the mister boots and i can access the the filesystem with SSH. But no Video out. Thus i can grab all logfiles.
Which one is needed to troubleshoot this strange problem?

Lets start with getting a DMESG dump, a listing of the /sys folder, the /sys/module/MiSTer_fb/parameters content (tar'd) and the /var/log/messages file.
The cd and cp commands are if you want to transfer the files to your PC via the SD card, otherwise you can create the two files in /tmp and scp them out.
If I identify any more files that can help I'll let you know.

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cd /media/fat/
dmesg > dmesg.txt
find /sys > sys.txt
tar czf Mister_fb.tgz /sys/module/MiSTer_fb/parameters/
cp /var/log/messages . 

And then check the contents of /var/log/CORENAME it should say MENU

[fatterdude2000]

In case it helps narrow it down, here is my setup:

digital io board 1.2
usb hub 2.1 with the bridge connector (i did remove all my usb devices for testing but still would not boot)
sdram 128MB
sandisk 256GB (also tried integral 256GB which was my original and working fine for months before latest update)

Currently I have the older bootloader working fine with latest unstable release of Mister file... so I could try PSX core (which works great btw)

How can I tell the DE10 revision number?

[fatterdude2000]

my board is revision C