Intermittent BT/WiFi adapter issues upon booting

MikeRL

I at first thought this was a Raspbian issue since I've installed RetroPie on top of Raspbian Stretch, but the guys over at #raspberrypi on freenode advised me to try the IRC for RetroPie. OFC the forums are much more active, so I instead will post here. This is a particularly nasty issue since it often requires constant reboots to fix things. Anyhow, the issue is as follows - sometimes, after booting up, Bluetooth and or WiFi adapters simply don't start up. If I go to a virtual terminal and type in pkill emulationstation and then startx, in Raspbian it shows as no bluetooth adapters found or no WiFi adapters found. I am uncertain how to reproduce, but the issue occurs frequently enough to get on my nerves something fierce. My system details are as follows:
Pi Model 3B+
Official CanaKit Power supply
RetroPie version is 4.4, updated 3 hours ago at the time of writing this. Last commit was 5dff90e and the script version is 4.4.8. I also recently updated all my OS packages and RetroPie packages.
Script installed on top of Raspbian Stretch
Logitech USB Keyboard and Mouse combo attached
8bitdo SN30 controller used
Some interesting logs that may provide info:
sudo dmesg output
iw list output
All of the above were taken after booting and finding no bt adapters.

quicksilver

@MikeRL can you test with a different power supply? The canakits are notorious for not providing enough/stable power. Might be worth a look as all sorts of weird things can happen if the pi doesn't get enough power.

MikeRL

Thanks. I'll try. Also, do you recommend any power supplies that work properly? Also, do you recommend any power supplies that work properly?

MikeRL

I think the issue is the power supply. Any recommended replacements?

mitu

@MikeRL said in Intermittent BT/WiFi adapter issues upon booting:

Any recommended replacements?

Get the official RPI power supply.

MikeRL

Is this one any good? https://www.pishop.us/product/wall-adapter-power-supply-micro-usb-2-4a-5-25v/
I ask because I have a Pi 3B+, and that one requires 5.1V, not 5V. I wonder if that's what my issue is stemming from. Or should I stick to the official one?

quicksilver

@MikeRL stick to the official one. It's too much of a crap shoot with other brands.

MikeRL

@quicksilver Thanks for the advice. Will do.

MikeRL

So I ordered two of the official power supplies in black off Amazon. Hopefully they work. I will find out starting tomorrow how things work.

MikeRL

Even with the official power supply. I'm still having problems getting networking adapters and bluetooth adapters to load.

quicksilver

@MikeRL do you have a spare sd card that you can put just the retropie image on and test? If that also has issues it may be worth trying to get the pi replaced under warranty.

MikeRL

I have spare SD cards, yes, but multiple Pis have done this. I have three total (one where I broke the video cable clamp accidentally) and they all exhibit this behavior. So maybe it's software related.

quicksilver

@MikeRL Have you tested just a straight image of retropie? Not installed on top of Raspbian. Im thinking its an issue specifically with your build.

MikeRL

I will test a straight image of RetroPie ASAP.

MikeRL

RetroPie image has the same issue...

quicksilver

@MikeRL I suspect a hardware issue then. I would see if you can get it replaced under warranty.

MikeRL

I'm going to try Ubuntu MATE when it stabilizes, and see if the issues persist. If so, I have several returns to make.

MikeRL

Alright, I've tried Ubuntu MATE 18.04 beta 1 extensively and the problem does not occur on Ubuntu at all. Must be a Raspbian issue. Definitely not my hardware. I hate to dig up a month old topic, but it is what it is. A Raspbian issue.