Pine Phone Explorer Edition - Distrohop Boot Issues

[fssSGJ]

So I wanted to check out mobian on my PPP Explorer Edition, I just received.
I wiped the boot part on the internal eMMC(which I learned would not be necessary, but should work).

But now I can't get my SD image to work.

I tried the following images:

mobian-pinephonepro-phosh-20220116.img
mobian-pinephonepro-phosh-20220109.img
mobian-pinephonepro-phosh-20211225.img
Manjaro-ARM-plasma-mobile-pinephonepro-beta10.img.xz

On the serial console I receive from the Manjaro:

Code:

Starting kernel ...

[    0.234837] rockchip-usb2phy ff770000.syscon:usb2phy@e460: failed to create phy

On the Mobian ones:

Code:

[    1.494553] [drm] Initialized panfrost 1.2.0 20180908 for ff9a0000.gpu on minor 0
[    1.497884] ehci-platform fe3c0000.usb: EHCI Host Controller
[    1.498582] ehci-platform fe3c0000.usb: new USB bus registered, assigned bus number 1
[    1.499381] ehci-platform fe3c0000.usb: irq 33, io mem 0xfe3c0000
[    1.507094] ehci-platform fe3c0000.usb: USB 2.0 started, EHCI 1.00
[    1.507907] usb usb1: New USB device found, idVendor=1d6b, idProduct=0002, bcdDevice= 5.16
[    1.508632] usb usb1: New USB device strings: Mfr=3, Product=2, SerialNumber=1
[    1.509273] usb usb1: Product: EHCI Host Controller
[    1.509701] usb usb1: Manufacturer: Linux 5.16-rockchip ehci_hcd
[    1.510233] usb usb1: SerialNumber: fe3c0000.usb
[    1.511179] hub 1-0:1.0: USB hub found
[    1.511534] hub 1-0:1.0: 1 port detected
[    1.512643] ohci-platform fe3e0000.usb: Generic Platform OHCI controller
[    1.513439] ohci-platform fe3e0000.usb: new USB bus registered, assigned bus number 2
[    1.514220] ohci-platform fe3e0000.usb: irq 34, io mem 0xfe3e0000
[    1.570252] usb usb2: New USB device found, idVendor=1d6b, idProduct=0001, bcdDevice= 5.16
[    1.571001] usb usb2: New USB device strings: Mfr=3, Product=2, SerialNumber=1
[    1.571633] usb usb2: Product: Generic Platform OHCI controller
[    1.572157] usb usb2: Manufacturer: Linux 5.16-rockchip ohci_hcd
[    1.572683] usb usb2: SerialNumber: fe3e0000.usb
[    1.573629] hub 2-0:1.0: USB hub found
[    1.573992] hub 2-0:1.0: 1 port detected

After that it seems to take another attempt at starting and eventually stops.

Did anyone have the same problems?
Any advice on how to fix it or debug further?
Is it maybe some hardware damage? It always breaks at the same spot and it looks like USB 2 is the common denominator.


Before wipeing the eMMC I put on the wireless charging cover and put it on top of the Desktop PinePower(It has wireless charging)
If anything (next to shipping) damaged it, that might be that
But it still seemed to work, although not charging, while I still had the orig. OS on.

[bcnaz]

So,  it sounds like you did exactly what I plan to do ---> whenever my P.P.Pro does finally arrive.

What process or method did you use to flash your sd cards ?   ---> ( I have had very good results using Balena Etcher myself )

Welcome to the Pine64 Forum   

[projectcato]

Did you test the SD card slot beforehand? I'm still running the default OS on my Explorer (just showed up yesterday), and I'm not seeing the installed microsd showing up at all... The card doesn't seem to want to go quite all the way in.

I just tried to boot off a usb-c microsd reader, but I have no clue if that would have been expected to work at all...

Update: I removed a small sliver of plastic from the card tray and can now boot off an SD card with no issue. Pretty sure the "hold the power button" is a complete distraction: it just does it by default.

[fssSGJ]

Hey, turned out is was just me using an inappropriate power suppy.  
After using a full charged Battery and a suitable phone power supply, the boot process went fine.

[fssSGJ]

Did you test the SD card slot beforehand? I'm still running the default OS on my Explorer (just showed up yesterday), and I'm not seeing the installed microsd showing up at all... The card doesn't seem to want to go quite all the way in.

I just tried to boot off a usb-c microsd reader, but I have no clue if that would have been expected to work at all...

I think this would only work, if you have something on one of the 2 storages, which initalizes usb support and looks for additional boot instructions through the usb.There seems to be some command for usb boot tho, when you cancel autoboot through the serial console.
I'd expect it to work in a slave device mode tho, receiving data from a computer, rather than acting as host trying to read from an usb device.
I could very well be wrong tho.

[bcnaz]

Good to hear, thanks for sharing