Powerblock reboot loop on power on

Deker

Hi,

I've just set up my Pi with a Debian image that runs VICE, I had everything configured and tested and then attached the Powerblock and installed the drivers using the instructions below:

sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get upgrade -y
sudo apt-get install -y git cmake g++-4.9 doxygen

wget -O - https://raw.githubusercontent.com/petrockblog/PowerBlock/master/install.sh | sudo bash

I have a rocker switch connected to the PowerBlock and also the power for the Pi connected to it too, but now when I power it on the Pi starts powering on as normal but then gets to a certain point and reboots (it consistently reboots at the same point), I've removed the rocker switch and used a jumper to test that and the problem is exactly the same.

I've moved the power from the PowerBlock and put it directly into the Pi and then it works and boots as normal.

I switched the jumper back to the rocker switch (keeping the power on the Pi) and it still powers up and works however if I turn the switch off then the Pi powers down as it should.

Could anyone help me with try to resolve the problem? I'm a bit lost in the Linux\Pi world but happy to use WinSCP\Putty to check any settings?

Thanks

Derek

Deker

forgot to add it's a Pi 2 Model B V1.1
Genuine Pi power supply

petrockblog

Hi! Could you post an image of your hardware setup here?
Maybe the output of dmesg shows some PowerBlock related output that could help. If there is anything, could you post it here?
Also, it would be great if you could post a link to the exact Debian image that you are using. In that way I could try and reproduce the issue.

Deker

Hi,

Thanks for the reply, the set up is a Pi 2 with powerblock and USB connected wifi, keyboard (temporary) and Keyrah_V2

The image was one that I've been using for a while and came with the Pi when I bought it however earlier today I reformatted with retropie-buster-4.6-rpi2_rpi3.img.gz and got the exact same result

As mentioned in the original post, if I connect the power cable to the Pi then it will boot fine and even shutdown from the switch, but when I connect the power to the powerblock it goes into a reboot cycle on boot.

My Linux & Pi skills aren't very good as I'm pretty new to both but can try and get the info from dmes

petrockblog

Sorry for this delayed reply.
Thanks for the images! Just to confirm, the PowerBlock needs to have the USB micro connected to the PowerBlock PCB.
To rule out any software configuration issue, you could try and load this RetroPie 4.6 image that already comes with a readily installed PowerBlock driver: https://www.petrockblock.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/retropie-4.6-rpi2_rpi3-powerblock.img_.gz

In addition, I would suggest to remove any USB device except a keyboard to be sure not to get any interference from an USB device. The overall goal I have in mind with these actions is to find a stable status with a working PowerBlock.

Can you give me an impression until which point the boot sequence comes?