Pine A64+ won't boot?

[Hexydes]

I'm also having this problem. I have a Raspberry Pi 2 running without a hitch off of this microusb power supply, but my Pine64 just won't boot. The image looked like it installed to the card just fine, but can't boot at all. Just get a red LED (tried all combinations of peripherals, including none at all).

What is the voltage and amperage of the power supply? How long is the cable? How did you confirm that the image burned correctly?

Charger is listed as 5V 2.4a (total). It has two ports, so I don't know if it's supplying 2.4a when only one is in use or not. Cable is approximately 3ft in length.

Not sure how I would verify that the operating system was written properly. When using the image writer, it looked like it completed without a problem.

[Ghost]

I'm also having this problem. I have a Raspberry Pi 2 running without a hitch off of this microusb power supply, but my Pine64 just won't boot. The image looked like it installed to the card just fine, but can't boot at all. Just get a red LED (tried all combinations of peripherals, including none at all).

What is the voltage and amperage of the power supply? How long is the cable? How did you confirm that the image burned correctly?

Charger is listed as 5V 2.4a (total). It has two ports, so I don't know if it's supplying 2.4a when only one is in use or not. Cable is approximately 3ft in length.

Not sure how I would verify that the operating system was written properly. When using the image writer, it looked like it completed without a problem.

Ah, it sounds like you may be using one of those 'intelligent' chargers that changes amperage provision based upon what it senses the device to be. If it doesn't sense it as requiring a specific amperage, the default is only to provide 500mA (USB 2.0 standard). I would try a different power supply.

Also possible that the resistance presented by your USB cable is too high. Trying a different cable might also be beneficial. 

These two things you have probably already considered and maybe even have tried by now.

The third thing, verifying the OS burn: if you have a computer running Linux, you should be able to detect the various partitions on the card (I certainly could via Ubuntu). Windows, however, did not properly detect the OS, though it did show that a certain amount of the micro sd was in use, indicating that there was something on there.

You could also try reformatting the card again and then reinstalling the OS. Some formatting programs seem to be more effective at formatting than others. I used gparted on Ubuntu, but there is also SD Card Formatter for Windows you could use (https://www.sdcard.org/downloads/formatter_4/). 

Reformat and reinstall. Some users doing test-installs early on claimed that sometimes the install didn't seem to take first time but worked second time, so you could try that.

So - different charger, different micro USB, reformat and reinstall OS. Try these things by a process of elimination.

[Hexydes]

I'm also having this problem. I have a Raspberry Pi 2 running without a hitch off of this microusb power supply, but my Pine64 just won't boot. The image looked like it installed to the card just fine, but can't boot at all. Just get a red LED (tried all combinations of peripherals, including none at all).

What is the voltage and amperage of the power supply? How long is the cable? How did you confirm that the image burned correctly?

Charger is listed as 5V 2.4a (total). It has two ports, so I don't know if it's supplying 2.4a when only one is in use or not. Cable is approximately 3ft in length.

Not sure how I would verify that the operating system was written properly. When using the image writer, it looked like it completed without a problem.

Ah, it sounds like you may be using one of those 'intelligent' chargers that changes amperage provision based upon what it senses the device to be. If it doesn't sense it as requiring a specific amperage, the default is only to provide 500mA (USB 2.0 standard). I would try a different power supply.

Also possible that the resistance presented by your USB cable is too high. Trying a different cable might also be beneficial. 

These two things you have probably already considered and maybe even have tried by now.

The third thing, verifying the OS burn: if you have a computer running Linux, you should be able to detect the various partitions on the card (I certainly could via Ubuntu). Windows, however, did not properly detect the OS, though it did show that a certain amount of the micro sd was in use, indicating that there was something on there.

You could also try reformatting the card again and then reinstalling the OS. Some formatting programs seem to be more effective at formatting than others. I used gparted on Ubuntu, but there is also SD Card Formatter for Windows you could use (https://www.sdcard.org/downloads/formatter_4/). 

Reformat and reinstall. Some users doing test-installs early on claimed that sometimes the install didn't seem to take first time but worked second time, so you could try that.

So - different charger, different micro USB, reformat and reinstall OS. Try these things by a process of elimination.

Thanks for the thoughts! I'm running out of chargers to try here.   Most of them came from various Android smartphones, but I'll see what else I can dig up...trying not to pour too much money into this because, well, the point of the Pine64 was to be cheap.

I don't have access to a Linux OS, but I'll try re-formatting with the tool you linked (that's what I've always used for my Pi, but Pine64 listed some other tool that I've never used and frankly looked pretty junky). Will report back if anything works.

[Hexydes]

I dunno, still no luck here. I've tried a number of different chargers, just not getting anywhere. I don't think it's a problem with the card because the LED is immediately red, and it doesn't try to boot at all. I tried a different image-writer + the card formatter you linked. Both seemed to work without any problem, but LED remains red and nothing even tries to boot.

Not a great start...

[janjwerner]

@Hexydes
Can you try do use the linux image provided by @longsleep
see thread: http://forum.pine64.org/showthread.php?tid=376
I had some issues with phoenix card writer and android not booting.
Just one stop of diagnostics to figure out what is borked:
card / writing to card / board
cheers
Jan

[Hexydes]

@Hexydes
Can you try do use the linux image provided by @longsleep
see thread: http://forum.pine64.org/showthread.php?tid=376
I had some issues with phoenix card writer and android not booting.
Just one stop of diagnostics to figure out what is borked:
card / writing to card / board
cheers
Jan

Tried it, but no luck; same deal as before.

I definitely think it's a hardware issue, because I get NOTHING when I plug in the power. Just immediate red LED. The monitor is detecting a signal because it shows the input is live, but that's it. I never get any sort of a booting process.

I'm thinking either the Pine64 has to have a VERY specific power supply (I still have not tried exactly a 5v 2.5a supply), or the board is bad. I suppose I can try to order a power supply, but again...trying not to dive too deep into spending money here...

Thanks for the help so far everyone.

[falk.ben@gmail.com]

@Hexydes
Can you try do use the linux image provided by @longsleep
see thread: http://forum.pine64.org/showthread.php?tid=376
I had some issues with phoenix card writer and android not booting.
Just one stop of diagnostics to figure out what is borked:
card / writing to card / board
cheers
Jan

Tried it, but no luck; same deal as before.

I definitely think it's a hardware issue, because I get NOTHING when I plug in the power. Just immediate red LED. The monitor is detecting a signal because it shows the input is live, but that's it. I never get any sort of a booting process.

I'm thinking either the Pine64 has to have a VERY specific power supply (I still have not tried exactly a 5v 2.5a supply), or the board is bad. I suppose I can try to order a power supply, but again...trying not to dive too deep into spending money here...

Thanks for the help so far everyone.

I'm currently in the same situation.  Tried multiple cables, and two different power supplies - one 5V 2A and the other 5V 2.4A.  Just a solid red LED.  I'm hesitant to say it's dead yet, but I don't have any other options.

[tllim]

@Hexydes
Can you try do use the linux image provided by @longsleep
see thread: http://forum.pine64.org/showthread.php?tid=376
I had some issues with phoenix card writer and android not booting.
Just one stop of diagnostics to figure out what is borked:
card / writing to card / board
cheers
Jan

Tried it, but no luck; same deal as before.

I definitely think it's a hardware issue, because I get NOTHING when I plug in the power. Just immediate red LED. The monitor is detecting a signal because it shows the input is live, but that's it. I never get any sort of a booting process.

I'm thinking either the Pine64 has to have a VERY specific power supply (I still have not tried exactly a 5v 2.5a supply), or the board is bad. I suppose I can try to order a power supply, but again...trying not to dive too deep into spending money here...

Thanks for the help so far everyone.

I'm currently in the same situation.  Tried multiple cables, and two different power supplies - one 5V 2A and the other 5V 2.4A.  Just a solid red LED.  I'm hesitant to say it's dead yet, but I don't have any other options.

Try the janjwerner suggestion to check whether able to bring up Linux.

[falk.ben@gmail.com]

@Hexydes
Can you try do use the linux image provided by @longsleep
see thread: http://forum.pine64.org/showthread.php?tid=376
I had some issues with phoenix card writer and android not booting.
Just one stop of diagnostics to figure out what is borked:
card / writing to card / board
cheers
Jan

Tried it, but no luck; same deal as before.

I definitely think it's a hardware issue, because I get NOTHING when I plug in the power. Just immediate red LED. The monitor is detecting a signal because it shows the input is live, but that's it. I never get any sort of a booting process.

I'm thinking either the Pine64 has to have a VERY specific power supply (I still have not tried exactly a 5v 2.5a supply), or the board is bad. I suppose I can try to order a power supply, but again...trying not to dive too deep into spending money here...

Thanks for the help so far everyone.

I'm currently in the same situation.  Tried multiple cables, and two different power supplies - one 5V 2A and the other 5V 2.4A.  Just a solid red LED.  I'm hesitant to say it's dead yet, but I don't have any other options.

Try the janjwerner suggestion to check whether able to bring up Linux.

I think I'm actually using that already - followed these instructions step by step: https://github.com/umiddelb/z2d/tree/master/pine64

---

I just tried that Ubuntu image, and still no-go. I have one more USB power supply I can try, but I don't expect it will go any differently than the other two.

[g_t_j]

Have you tried any other ''verified and working'' micro SD card?

To my experience, there are tons of fake cards out there which ''offer'' at best unreliable and slow access to your data / OS. A the worst, they just don't work at all.

Just realised I had an 8GB counterfeit Sandisk Ultra in my collection which was slowing my Pi and giving me unexpected errors.