HDMI missing, SPI fail & continuos reboots

[Jack_A]

Hello,

I had my Rockpro64 V2.1 board running fine with Debian bookworm and U-Boot built from sources written to SPI. The board was run only occasionally so did not have a lot of stress so far (I believe less than 100 operating hours total). In normal usage the CPU temperature reported by the internal sensor was around 48°C.

Some days ago I had problems booting: the white led would not come on. I tried shorting 23-25 to bypass SPI and I was able to boot from the SD card I originally used to flash U-Boot. Even if the jumper was removed during boot, trying "sf probe" resulted in an error message saying "unrecognised jedec_spi_nor flash".

After this, every further attempt to reboot to reboot with the same SD card resulted in the following:

• HDMI completely dead
  
• white led comes on, no matter if the 23-25 jumper is installed or not (seems like the SPI is dead, so it skips to SD anyway)
  
• U-Boot boots fine as reported by serial terminal
  
• the following error is reported by U-boot:
  Loading Environment from SPIFlash... jedec_spi_nor flash@0: unrecognized JEDEC id bytes: 00, 00, 00*** Warning - spi_flash_probe_bus_cs() failed, using default environment

• after some minutes the board self-reboots
  
• after this, the board keeps rebooting over and over every few minutes
  

In the process above, I realised the heatsink (tall profile type) got very hot (over 80° measured by IR thermometer), even if the case was open and only U-boot was running (actually not doing anything).

I also tried flashing another fresh SD card with Debian bookworm files and booting from it, but the result is the same: no HDMI output, unrecognised SPI, overheating and reboots.

I suspect something has gone wrong with the hardware of the board and there is no chance of salvaging it, but I am trying anyway to ask here for possible further checks. Thanks in advance for any suggestion.

Log from fresh Debian boot attempt (disregard the errors for missing  Debian installer files, here I was just trying to bring up U-Boot to the HDMI screen):

Code:

<break> ␍␊ U-Boot TPL 2023.01+dfsg-2+deb12u3 (Jun 22 2026 - 08:38:07)␍␊ lpddr4_set_rate: change freq to 400MHz 0, 1␍␊ Channel 0: LPDDR4, 400MHz␍␊ BW=32 Col=10 Bk=8 CS0 Row=16/15 CS=1 Die BW=16 Size=2048MB␍␊ Channel 1: LPDDR4, 400MHz␍␊ BW=32 Col=10 Bk=8 CS0 Row=16/15 CS=1 Die BW=16 Size=2048MB␍␊ 256B stride␍␊ lpddr4_set_rate: change freq to 800MHz 1, 0␍␊ Trying to boot from BOOTROM␍␊ Returning to boot ROM...␍␊ ␍␊ U-Boot SPL 2023.01+dfsg-2+deb12u3 (Jun 22 2026 - 08:38:07 +0000)␍␊ Trying to boot from MMC2␍␊ <break> <break x 488> <break x 437> <break x 510> <break x 372> ␍␊ ␍␊ U-Boot 2023.01+dfsg-2+deb12u3 (Jun 22 2026 - 08:38:07 +0000)␍␊ ␍␊ SoC: Rockchip rk3399␍␊ Reset cause: POR␍␊ Model: Pine64 RockPro64 v2.1␍␊ DRAM:  3.9 GiB␍␊ Core:  305 devices, 33 uclasses, devicetree: separate␍␊ MMC:  mmc@fe310000: 3, mmc@fe320000: 1, mmc@fe330000: 0␍␊ Loading Environment from SPIFlash... jedec_spi_nor flash@0: unrecognized JEDEC id bytes: 00, 00, 00␍␊ *** Warning - spi_flash_probe_bus_cs() failed, using default environment␍␊ ␍␊ In:    serial␍␊ Out:  serial␍␊ Err:  serial␍␊ Model: Pine64 RockPro64 v2.1␍␊ Net:  eth0: ethernet@fe300000␍␊ starting USB...␍␊ Bus usb@fe380000: ehci_generic usb@fe380000: Failed to get clocks (ret=-19)␍␊ Port not available.␍␊ Bus usb@fe3a0000: USB OHCI 1.0␍␊ Bus usb@fe3c0000: ehci_generic usb@fe3c0000: Failed to get clocks (ret=-19)␍␊ Port not available.␍␊ Bus usb@fe3e0000: USB OHCI 1.0␍␊ Bus usb@fe800000: Register 2000140 NbrPorts 2␍␊ Starting the controller␍␊ USB XHCI 1.10␍␊ Bus usb@fe900000: Register 2000140 NbrPorts 2␍␊ Starting the controller␍␊ USB XHCI 1.10␍␊ scanning bus usb@fe3a0000 for devices... 2 USB Device(s) found␍␊ scanning bus usb@fe3e0000 for devices... 2 USB Device(s) found␍␊ scanning bus usb@fe800000 for devices... 1 USB Device(s) found␍␊ scanning bus usb@fe900000 for devices... 1 USB Device(s) found␍␊       scanning usb for storage devices... 0 Storage Device(s) found␍␊ Hit any key to stop autoboot:  2 <0x08><0x08><0x08> 1 <0x08><0x08><0x08> 0 ␍␊ switch to partitions #0, OK␍␊ mmc1 is current device␍␊ Scanning mmc 1:1...␍␊ Found U-Boot script /boot.scr␍␊ 1575 bytes read in 4 ms (383.8 KiB/s)␍␊ ## Executing script at 00500000␍␊ Mainline u-boot / new-style environment detected.␍␊ This installer medium does not contain a suitable device-tree file for␍␊ this system (rockchip/rk3399-rockpro64.dtb). Aborting boot process.␍␊ 6029824 bytes read in 270 ms (21.3 MiB/s)␍␊ Failed to load 'dtbs/rockchip/rk3399-rockpro64.dtb'␍␊ SCRIPT FAILED: continuing...␍␊ <0x1b>7<0x1b>[r<0x1b>[999;999H<0x1b>[6n<0x1b>8Card did not respond to voltage select! : -110␍␊ Card did not respond to voltage select! : -110␍␊ No EFI system partition␍␊ BootOrder not defined␍␊ EFI boot manager: Cannot load any image␍␊ Card did not respond to voltage select! : -110␍␊ ␍␊ Device 0: unknown device␍␊ scanning bus for devices...␍␊ SATA link 0 timeout.␍␊ SATA link 1 timeout.␍␊ SATA link 2 timeout.␍␊ SATA link 3 timeout.␍␊ AHCI 0001.0000 32 slots 4 ports 6 Gbps 0xf impl SATA mode␍␊ flags: 64bit ncq led only pmp fbss pio slum part sxs ␍␊ ␍␊ Device 0: unknown device␍␊ ␍␊ Device 0: unknown device␍␊ ethernet@fe300000 Waiting for PHY auto negotiation to complete......... TIMEOUT !␍␊ Could not initialize PHY ethernet@fe300000␍␊ missing environment variable: pxeuuid␍␊ Retrieving file: pxelinux.cfg/01-26-54-fa-9e-d3-1a␍␊ ethernet@fe300000 Waiting for PHY auto negotiation to complete......... TIMEOUT !␍␊ Could not initialize PHY ethernet@fe300000␍␊ Retrieving file: pxelinux.cfg/00000000␍␊ ethernet@fe300000 Waiting for PHY auto negotiation to complete......... TIMEOUT !␍␊ Could not initialize PHY ethernet@fe300000␍␊ Retrieving file: pxelinux.cfg/0000000␍␊ ethernet@fe300000 Waiting for PHY auto negotiation to complete......... TIMEOUT !␍␊ Could not initialize PHY ethernet@fe300000␍␊ Retrieving file: pxelinux.cfg/000000␍␊ ethernet@fe300000 Waiting for PHY auto negotiation to complete......... TIMEOUT !␍␊ Could not initialize PHY ethernet@fe300000␍␊ Retrieving file: pxelinux.cfg/00000␍␊ ethernet@fe300000 Waiting for PHY auto negotiation to complete......... TIMEOUT !␍␊ Could not initialize PHY ethernet@fe300000␍␊ Retrieving file: pxelinux.cfg/0000␍␊ ethernet@fe300000 Waiting for PHY auto negotiation to complete......... TIMEOUT !␍␊ Could not initialize PHY ethernet@fe300000␍␊ Retrieving file: pxelinux.cfg/000␍␊ ethernet@fe300000 Waiting for PHY auto negotiation to complete......... TIMEOUT !␍␊ Could not initialize PHY ethernet@fe300000␍␊ Retrieving file: pxelinux.cfg/00␍␊ ethernet@fe300000 Waiting for PHY auto negotiation to complete......... TIMEOUT !␍␊ Could not initialize PHY ethernet@fe300000␍␊ Retrieving file: pxelinux.cfg/0␍␊ ethernet@fe300000 Waiting for PHY auto negotiation to complete......... TIMEOUT !␍␊ Could not initialize PHY ethernet@fe300000␍␊ Retrieving file: pxelinux.cfg/default-arm-rk3399-rockpro64_rk3399␍␊ ethernet@fe300000 Waiting for PHY auto negotiation to complete......... TIMEOUT !␍␊ Could not initialize PHY ethernet@fe300000␍␊ Retrieving file: pxelinux.cfg/default-arm-rk3399␍␊ ethernet@fe300000 Waiting for PHY auto negotiation to complete......... TIMEOUT !␍␊ Could not initialize PHY ethernet@fe300000␍␊ Retrieving file: pxelinux.cfg/default-arm␍␊ ethernet@fe300000 Waiting for PHY auto negotiation to complete......... TIMEOUT !␍␊ Could not initialize PHY ethernet@fe300000␍␊ Retrieving file: pxelinux.cfg/default␍␊ ethernet@fe300000 Waiting for PHY auto negotiation to complete......... TIMEOUT !␍␊ Could not initialize PHY ethernet@fe300000␍␊ Config file not found␍␊ ethernet@fe300000 Waiting for PHY auto negotiation to complete......... TIMEOUT !␍␊ Could not initialize PHY ethernet@fe300000␍␊ ethernet@fe300000 Waiting for PHY auto negotiation to complete......... TIMEOUT !␍␊ Could not initialize PHY ethernet@fe300000␍␊ jedec_spi_nor flash@0: unrecognized JEDEC id bytes: 00, 00, 00␍␊ Failed to initialize SPI flash at 1:0 (error 0)␍␊ =>