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    Please do not post a support request without first reading and following the advice in https://retropie.org.uk/forum/topic/3/read-this-first

    RPI4 freezes at boot after update

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    issueboot crashrpi4update
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    • P
      pamput
      last edited by pamput

      Has anyone used rpi-update to rollback the firmware/kernel?

      It seems you can run the updater as rpi-update <git-hash>
      If you check here you can find the hash of the previous release. Worth a try?

      @quicksilver could you check for me on what version you are atm?

      uname -a

      Thanks :)

      quicksilverQ 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
      • quicksilverQ
        quicksilver @pamput
        last edited by

        @pamput it says: Linux pi4 4.19.75-v71+ #1270 SMP The Sep 24 18:51:41 BST 2019 armv71 GNU/Linux

        1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
        • V
          VictimRLSH
          last edited by

          I have had problems updating even on the Pi 3B. On my controller mount I had to do a fresh install just to get the controller working again. Update will bork an Xbox 360 controller.

          If it ain't broke, I'm not gonna fix it...

          System Config: Retropie 4.4 with full desktop, RPi 3B, 256gb SD, 5v 2.1A 5,200 mAH USB battery. EasyMSX controller mounted with Pimoroni Hyperpixel 4 (non touch). Also running 4.6 on a 4gb Pi 4 serving as my primary desktop computer now.

          1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
          • roslofR
            roslof
            last edited by roslof

            BACKUP before messing with kernels

            I also ran a Raspbian upgrade and unexpectedly got the new DVFS kernel.

            Release for the older "safe" kernel:
            https://github.com/Hexxeh/rpi-firmware/commit/4b2c270e493a978c0427b1fa52ba5bef6436b88b

            I downgraded with:

            sudo rpi-update afbea38
            

            ...then rebooted. I'm now back to kernel 4.19.83-v7

            gpu_freq overclock seems to be working again.

            P 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 1
            • P
              pamput @quicksilver
              last edited by pamput

              @quicksilver said in RPI4 freezes at boot after update:

              Also why there is warning to users not to update unless they have been instructed to do so.

              Late reply, sorry: this is because rpi-update updates the firmware to the latest development version, which is not stable at best, breaking at worst. You can read more info here including a guide to rollback to a stable state.

              @roslof said in RPI4 freezes at boot after update:

              Release for the older "safe" kernel:
              https://github.com/Hexxeh/rpi-firmware/commit/4b2c270e493a978c0427b1fa52ba5bef6436b88b

              Is this the latest commit with the overclock still working? It's in between releases. What about the following commit?

              https://github.com/Hexxeh/rpi-firmware/commit/b9ecbe8d0e3177afed08c54fc938938100a0b73f

              1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
              • P
                pamput @roslof
                last edited by

                @roslof said in RPI4 freezes at boot after update:

                Release for the older "safe" kernel:

                I've tried your kernel and it breaks audio for me in several emulators: N64, Neo, etc.

                I'm going to try one that isn't an in between commit and see.

                1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                • P
                  pamput
                  last edited by

                  I've tried @quicksilver 's kernel and it works fine. No audio issues:

                  sudo rpi-update d9321aceacfc6619b4238c6c764203b1122f2f9b.

                  Probably there is a better sweet spot in between, but I can't be bothered for the moment. Will test this one out a bit first.

                  1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                  • P
                    pamput
                    last edited by pamput

                    I've done some additional testing and it seems this is a better kernel overall:

                    4.19.81
                    https://github.com/Hexxeh/rpi-firmware/commit/77444b020fe5b70f76d1921ae9c4cefd045d74bc

                    sudo rpi-update 77444b020fe5b70f76d1921ae9c4cefd045d74bc

                    It does support gpu overclocking, it doesn't have sound issues and doesn't have external HDD issues I've experienced with previous kernels.

                    Enjoy!

                    roslofR 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 1
                    • roslofR
                      roslof
                      last edited by roslof

                      Is this the latest commit with the overclock still working? It's in between releases. What about the following commit?

                      https://github.com/Hexxeh/rpi-firmware/commit/b9ecbe8d0e3177afed08c54fc938938100a0b73f

                      The version that I posted wasn't the latest pre-DVFS version. It was tagged as the latest "safe" version they released, which preceded the latest DVFS safe version they included with a standard Raspbian update. Also, I'm not having any audio issues. Wondering why others are. Great that other kernels exist, that could be better for some.

                      Another note: The Raspberry Pi group who worked on the Kernel were fully aware that this change broke GPU overclocking, but blessed it anyway. They were more focused on reducing heat with DVFS, despite overclocking. I get it... More people having heat problems than retrogamers wanting to overclock.

                      You can read more about the history in this thread from November 2019:
                      https://www.raspberrypi.org/forums/viewtopic.php?f=29&t=257394&start=25#p1570599

                      P 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                      • roslofR
                        roslof @pamput
                        last edited by

                        @pamput said in RPI4 freezes at boot after update:

                        It does support gpu overclocking, it doesn't have sound issues and doesn't have external HDD issues I've experienced with previous kernels.

                        The version you posted is actually a bit older than the one I posted. I'd love to learn more about your audio issues. I'm not having them. Would you mind sharing:

                        RetroArch/ Settings/ Audio/ Output / Audio
                        Are you using alsa, alsathread, tinyalsa or sdl2?

                        RetroArch/ Settings/ Audio/ Resampler/ Audio Resampler
                        Are you using sinc, CC or nearest?

                        Also, are the N64, Neo, etc. emulators you are using libretro (lr_) based?

                        P 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                        • P
                          pamput @roslof
                          last edited by

                          @roslof said in RPI4 freezes at boot after update:

                          RetroArch/ Settings/ Audio/ Output / Audio
                          Are you using alsa, alsathread, tinyalsa or sdl2?

                          Alsa

                          RetroArch/ Settings/ Audio/ Resampler/ Audio Resampler
                          Are you using sinc, CC or nearest?

                          sinc

                          Also, are the N64, Neo, etc. emulators you are using libretro (lr_) based?

                          Mostly lr-*, I definitely had problems with lr-fbneo, lr-mupen64-next and lr-pcsx-rearmed. I also tested it with all not lr-* N64 emulators, and had the same problem. In general it felt like every emulator using CD like tracks was having issues. I did try nes and snes and didn't have any issue (both lr).

                          Are you on rpi4 also?

                          roslofR 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                          • P
                            pamput @roslof
                            last edited by pamput

                            @roslof said in RPI4 freezes at boot after update:

                            Another note: The Raspberry Pi group who worked on the Kernel were fully aware that this change broke GPU overclocking, but blessed it anyway. They were more focused on reducing heat with DVFS, despite overclocking. I get it... More people having heat problems than retrogamers wanting to overclock.

                            Yeah, I understand the sentiment. Maybe from a development perspective I'd disable the parameter by ignoring it instead of releasing a kernel that hangs if the param is in the config.txt. Maybe also add a message in the logs explaining what is happening. Not necessary the end of the world though, I know I'm just neat picking.

                            1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                            • V
                              VictimRLSH
                              last edited by

                              Different users have different needs. I lean towards portable builds so having less heat and power usage to deal with is preferable to a slight performance increase, especially considering the pi 4 is such a huge performance increase over the 3B+. I am sure a high performance fork would have a demand as well.

                              System Config: Retropie 4.4 with full desktop, RPi 3B, 256gb SD, 5v 2.1A 5,200 mAH USB battery. EasyMSX controller mounted with Pimoroni Hyperpixel 4 (non touch). Also running 4.6 on a 4gb Pi 4 serving as my primary desktop computer now.

                              1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                              • roslofR
                                roslof @pamput
                                last edited by

                                @pamput said in RPI4 freezes at boot after update:

                                @roslof said in RPI4 freezes at boot after update:

                                RetroArch/ Settings/ Audio/ Output / Audio
                                Are you using alsa, alsathread, tinyalsa or sdl2?

                                Alsa

                                RetroArch/ Settings/ Audio/ Resampler/ Audio Resampler
                                Are you using sinc, CC or nearest?

                                sinc

                                Also, are the N64, Neo, etc. emulators you are using libretro (lr_) based?

                                Mostly lr-*, I definitely had problems with lr-fbneo, lr-mupen64-next and lr-pcsx-rearmed. I also tested it with all not lr-* N64 emulators, and had the same problem. In general it felt like every emulator using CD like tracks was having issues. I did try nes and snes and didn't have any issue (both lr).

                                Are you on rpi4 also?

                                Yes, I am. Also set for "alsa" and "sinc" like you. Would you give an example of a ROM or CD that is having the issue? So far, everything is fine with me on the "safe" version. Hoping I can help figure out what's happening.

                                1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                                • quicksilverQ
                                  quicksilver
                                  last edited by quicksilver

                                  https://github.com/raspberrypi/firmware/issues/1290

                                  Looks like they are working to get at least partial GPU overclocking restored. With the test firmware listed at the bottom of the page I linked you can try it out. Core_freq is still locked but you can set v3d frequency higher than 600mhz now. I am not convinced that v3d is really a bottleneck but glad to see they are working on it.

                                  WODAKW 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                                  • WODAKW
                                    WODAK @quicksilver
                                    last edited by

                                    @quicksilver said in RPI4 freezes at boot after update:

                                    https://github.com/raspberrypi/firmware/issues/1290

                                    Looks like they are working to get at least partial GPU overclocking restored. With the test firmware listed at the bottom of the page I linked you can try it out. Core_freq is still locked but you can set v3d frequency higher than 600mhz now. I am not convinced that v3d is really a bottleneck but glad to see they are working on it.

                                    great news m8!

                                    Just tryed to overclock gpu to 750...

                                    over_voltage=6
                                    arm_freq=2100
                                    gpu_freq=750
                                    
                                    

                                    Now I've got

                                    pi@retropie:~ $ vcgencmd measure_clock arm
                                    frequency(48)=2100515584
                                    
                                    pi@retropie:~ $ vcgencmd measure_clock core
                                    frequency(1)=500000992
                                    
                                    pi@retropie:~ $ vcgencmd measure_clock v3d
                                    frequency(46)=750001472
                                    
                                    

                                    Looks like they got rid of some of the limitations :)

                                    1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                                    • roslofR
                                      roslof
                                      last edited by roslof

                                      Seems to work well. Interestingly enough, performance may be slightly worse with the test kernel, than the pre-DVFS kernel.

                                      Example: For the Dreamcast Soul Calibur full intro, I was getting steady 60fps with the old kernel, and with the same OC boot.txt settings, getting 57-60fps with the new test kernel. Not at all a complaint, just an observation. The performance is definitely there, compared to stock.

                                      Great stuff!

                                      quicksilverQ 2 Replies Last reply Reply Quote 0
                                      • quicksilverQ
                                        quicksilver @roslof
                                        last edited by

                                        @roslof core frequency is locked at 500mhz with the new firmware whereas it was possible to set it as high as 600mhz with the old firmware. This is the only difference.

                                        WODAKW 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                                        • WODAKW
                                          WODAK @quicksilver
                                          last edited by

                                          @quicksilver Not to forget what popcornmix said:

                                          quoted:

                                          " Note: you can get core_freq=550MHz with hdmi_enable_4kp60=1 (on a Pi4).
                                          Use "vcgencmd measure_clock v3d" to be sure the v3d is clocked as requested"

                                          Didn't try that yet :)

                                          quicksilverQ 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                                          • quicksilverQ
                                            quicksilver @WODAK
                                            last edited by

                                            @WODAK I suspect that that the performance hit for running at 4k will offset any gains given by the small 50mhz bump to core frequency. But report back once you've tested it out :)

                                            dankcushionsD WODAKW 2 Replies Last reply Reply Quote 0
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