Banana Pi M5: The last images don't boot anymore from SD card

[atone]

@Igor I tested the XFCE, CLI and Minimal Bullseye images from https://armbian.com/bananapi-m5 (2022-11-30).

 

I tried to build myself one from master (current and edge  - bullseye/desktop/xfce), same outcome: it shows the Splashscreen and then stops here:

 

 

I don't have a USB-to-TTL adapter, so I can't provide more debug informations.

 

The only images that still boot (reliably!) from the SD card are the ones archived here https://imola.armbian.com/archive/bananapim5/archive/ that still used the Kernel 5.19.16.

 

The switch to 6.0.x occurred two weeks ago: https://github.com/armbian/build/commit/ce61bd7827d42c63bc1f763dad5c7e4717e1f75b

 

I tried to checkout the previous commit (20d388b) and to build an image from it, but it failed:

 

 

So I can't confirm, but I'm under the impression that all the images since the switch to Kernel 6.0.x don't boot anymore from the SD card.

[Igor]

3 minutes ago, atone said:

I tried to checkout the previous commit (20d388b) and to build an image from it, but it failed:

It is difficult to go back but staying on the same kernel branch. Which patches might not work properly. I could point you what to fix, but its pointless going that way. Lets try to stabilise M5 on K6.1 / latest (best working) u-boot. Which is the cause of this:

 

5 minutes ago, atone said:

it shows the Splashscreen and then stops here:

 

SD card / eMMC initialisation is failing. This problem we are fighting with Amlogic for years.

[atone]

Would a USB-to-TTL adapter be useful? I could buy one.

[SteeMan]

38 minutes ago, atone said:

Would a USB-to-TTL adapter be useful? I could buy one.

They are inexpensive and a necessary tool to have around if you work with sbc's. I would recommend you own one.

[Igor]

Bulk is recommended 😎

 

 

[atone]

😂

[SoSie]

I confirm archive version boot on sdcard without problem, @igor using the same technique I described here
There is simply a regression on armbian latest image 30nov imho as pointed by @atone

[SoSie]

The big question is how to flush /boot/ kernel and u-boot updates made by debian after apt upgrade on the U-BOOT partition (BPI declares aarch64 whereas debian packages arm64)  ?
 

root@bananapim5:/usr/src# ls /boot/
armbianEnv.txt			Image
armbian_first_run.txt.template	initrd.img-5.19.16-meson64
boot.bmp			System.map-5.19.16-meson64
boot.cmd			uImage
boot.scr			uInitrd
config-5.19.16-meson64		uInitrd-5.19.16-meson64
dtb				vmlinuz-5.19.16-meson64
dtb-5.19.16-meson64
root@bananapim5:/usr/src# uname -a
Linux bananapim5 4.9.312-BPI-M5 #1 SMP PREEMPT Tue Sep 6 13:22:04 HKT 2022 aarch64 GNU/Linux

 

Edited January 8, 2023 by SoSie

[Igor]

23 hours ago, SoSie said:

There is simply a regression on armbian latest image

Some people had troubles, indeed. Images were replaced today and they have been tested. Try. (download might be slow / not synced to all servers yet / use torrent or retry if you are going to try within next couple of hours)

[atone]

Thanks @Igor and the whole Armbian team! 💪

[SoSie]

YES, I have tested the archive version on the sdcard directly the xfce image , it rocks,
I wished to have found this working image earlier that uses kernel 5.19.16-meson64 that brings two huge differences:
         1) screen autodetection is perfect (device name is correct and freq is not 0!)
         2) enough lighweight to be able to run kodi debian which is

                         a)very reactive
                         b)saturates no processors , when playing mp4 -1024p, 25fps, H264, 128kbit AAC),,load is  200% and well balanced on the 4 cores  (I have tested with ubuntu 22.10, raspian,... processor were busy at 70-90% EVEN DOING NOTHING!)
SO WELL DONE @Igor and the whole Armbian team !!!

  for the upgrade of the U-BOOT partition, this is no more required
            unless we want multiboot...what about a bananaPINN  with auto-install to sdcard, whith armbian chooser, installer  direct in flash (let's dream for 2023)?

Edited January 10, 2023 by SoSie

[SoSie]

What @atone obtained , i got it too from Armbian_22.08.7_Bananapim5_bullseye_edge_5.19.16_minimal.img and after upgrading 5.19.16  (22.08.6) to 6.0.10 (22.11.30) with
 

sudo apt upgrade linux-dtb-edge-meson64
sudo apt upgrade linux-image-edge-meson64
sudo apt upgrade linux-u-boot-bananapim5-edge

 

as it removes 5.19.6 boot without asking your opinion, there is no way to go back except manually and externaly. the linux-* packages seems to be virtual, there is nothing in /var/cache/apt/archives

FAILSAFE MODE:
=============
What I did to come back in case some are stuck is to mount  the partition armbi_root within the image decompacted
 

losetup --partscan loop25 Armbian_22.08.7_Bananapim5_bullseye_edge_5.19.16_minimal.img

At this point loop25p1 should be available to be mounted somewhere, ideally in /media/$USER/armbi_root.
Now do (USER matches the current user USER=`whoami`)

 

cp -a /media/$USER/armbi_root/boot/* <usb_card_root>/boot

IMPORTANT: check the UUID in <usb_card_root>/boot/ArmbianEnv.txt matches  the UUID declared in <usb_card_root>/etc/fstab,
if not fix  modify <usb_card_root>/boot/ArmbianEnv.txt !

don't forget to copy the modules..

cp -a /media/$USER/armbi_root/usr/lib/modules/* <usb_card_root>/usr/lib/modules
umount <usb_card_root>

Now let go back to the past in apt world too..
 

apt install linux-image-edge-meson64=22.08.6 linux-dtb-edge-meson64=22.08.6 linux-u-boot-bananapim5-edge=22.08.6

 

 

PUT & PRAY!!!!

 

CONCLUSION:
-The nice Armbian logo went away, even after apt going back (sorry i don't know how to restore it) but it boots back with the 5.19.16 kernel

-REALLY HAVING NO FAILSAFE KERNEL IS A MESS! So..Yes multiboot would imho not be an option.

 

Edited January 11, 2023 by SoSie

[atone]

On 1/9/2023 at 10:28 PM, Igor said:

Images were replaced today and they have been tested.

@SoSie, as @Igor has said, new images are available on https://www.armbian.com/bananapi-m5/ since 2023-01-09. They work flawlessly.

[SoSie]

@atone, @igor and the armbian team thanks for all yours efforts and answers, will check the new release.
UPDATE with 6.1.14:

  -boot works 😃

  -looses video signal on my 7'' screen  after armbian logo  -> console* -> back graphical

              *with error failed to start Access point and authentication for wifi and Ethernet :  this is normal I don't have the wifi module)
 SO DOES NOT PASS THE TESTS, é_è so I stay with version 22.08.6

Edited January 11, 2023 by SoSie

[atone]

@SoSie can you please tell which exact image has this issue? thx

[SoSie]

@atone, I have just tested Bullseye XFCE desktop  with the Kernel 6.1.14, Release date: Jan 9, 2023.
Maybe it is just an Xorg issue as it boots correctly and display correct on my 23'' but not on 7' (no signal)
so for now I freeezed the packages with apt-mark hold to prevent upgrades

Edited January 12, 2023 by SoSie

[atone]

1 hour ago, SoSie said:

it boots correctly and display correct on my 23'' but not on 7'

@SoSie can you please tell the native resolution of each monitors? thx

[SoSie]

Well @atone
  the 7" is  1024x600 59.8Hz
  the 23" is 1920x1080 60Hz

the 7" can play 1k videos with not problem so
   ie h264  mp4 1920x1080 ones ONLY reduced to 1024x600.
I tried with lower mp4 it does not work.
I thinks it is a limitation of video decoder, I don't have this with my RPI3B.

Edited January 13, 2023 by SoSie

[R.]

SD card images don’t work flawlessly.

Actually none of them boot at all. I cleared off my emmc my Banana Pi M5 needs to have a real bootable SD image.

 

At the moment only the Ubuntu images provided by BPI work. 

[berni51]

Have the same problem! One of my 2 M5 only boots the half-official ArchLinux image. Nothing else boots, and I tried all images I could find (Debian, Ubuntu, Armbian, OpenBSD - nothing). Absolutely no idea whats wrong with my M5. Connecting a serial works and I see, that no boot image was found. But it exists, really.

B.