Video Pauses - LE Reboots - Very Random

    The symptom I am about to describe happens on two different boxes, and from version LE11 through LE12. The boxes are RPI5 and RockPro64.

    Because I see this on two pieces of hardware, and from v11 to 12, I have never felt it is LE. I always felt it was HW related, which is why I bought the pi.

    The issue is simple. For no apparent reason, the system reboots gracefully. When I thought it was thermal I was running the RockPro64. It's been replaced by a pi, and I see the exact same behavior. The pi is not over heating. The pi has the rpi 27w white PS. It's not power (the pi has a m.2, but the rockpro64 did not and exhibited the same problem).

    So I thought I would turn on logging and see if I could detect any clues as to what makes it reboot. I saw a DBus error. What I detected is that I am clueless at looking at these logs. lol Any help?

    hastebin

    Thanks

    Measure the voltage on the output your SBC is plugged into. Sounds like a voltage drop on your internal wiring. Big enough to cause your SBC to reboot. Move your SBC to a different circuit and test again. Alternatively if you intend running an SBC 24/7 use a UPS.

    I am in an apartment. I have one outlet for the whole entertainment system. There is a triple tap on that outlet and two multi-outlet adapters (I used to have 7 external drives), TV, PC, and usually a couple SBCs.

    What I will do is run a quality extension cord to another outlet around the corner and have just the Pi running from that. That will eliminate all the multi-taps, although I think it is on the same breaker.

    Getting a UPS is a great idea. I need one for the NAS too.

    Guess its time to find help moving this big ol' TV so I can get behind there and eliminate what is no longer needed.

    Getting old s uck s.

    Thanks Chewitt and petediscrete

    It will be 30 days or more before I can get a UPS, but the UPS is just a band aid. It's not solving the power problem. The same with a bench power supply I could use. It masks the real issue.

    My second issue is that everything else in the apartment can handle this "power problem". The only devices that cannot handle it run off of wall warts. RPi5/m.2 is 5v & RockPro64 is 12v.

    There is one exception. There is a RPi4 running in the bedroom each day that NEVER has this issue. Not even once. (connected to the same NAS)

    I cannot continually monitor the power waiting for a voltage sag. So what I have done is isolate the pi by using an extension cord. I have now tried 3 additional outlets. Each outlet had just the extensioncord/Pi5 plugged into it.

    One outlet dropped out within 15 minutes. The other two took a lot longer; 3 to 4 UHD movies played back to back before the interruption.

    I know for sure the very last outlet I tried was on a different breaker than the entertainment system. I changed almost every outlet and a few switches that were worn out in this apt. already. So I suspect worn out breakers. The brand of breaker in the circuit breaker box have been out of business for decades. Time to change them anyway (secretly). The apt is 30+ yo.

    I'll report back then.

    I may try the extension cord method with the RockPro64 if I get time.

    I found this in the PVR thread. Might this help?


    That information is very important, because you need this:

    bootloader config / EEPROM:
    PSU_MAX_CURRENT=5000

    config.txt
    usb_max_current_enable=1

    You don't have an undervoltage warning in the log, so I don't think that's it. Your log is incomplete. Use our log server instead.

    Please provide a full debug log.

    How to post a log (wiki)

    1. Enable debugging in Settings>System Settings>Logging
    2. Restart Kodi
    3. Replicate the problem
    4. Generate a log URL (do not post/upload logs to the forum)

    use "Settings > LibreELEC > System > Paste system logs" or run "pastekodi" over SSH, then post the URL link

    WarpLover ,

    these settings should only needed, if the Power Delivery negotiation between RPi5 and the power supply isn't possible or disturbed. Do you use a case like the Argon ONE or another gadget like RemotePi board for your RPi5?

    Do you have "Sync playback to display" activated at video settings? If yes, disable it.

    Code
    2024-05-31 16:17:23.086 T:2183    debug <general>: CVideoReferenceClock: detected 1 vblanks, missed 2, refreshrate might have changed
2024-05-31 16:17:27.686 T:1084     info <general>: Skipped 1 duplicate messages..
2024-05-31 16:17:27.686 T:1084  warning <general>: ActiveAE - large audio sync error: -89434.192416
2024-05-31 16:17:27.686 T:1084  warning <general>: ActiveAE - large audio sync error: -89434.941712

    That seems to be describing what happened at the end of a movie I watched. Played fine until the end, then the audio seemed to have trouble keeping up. It is a setting I recently turned on. Back to default now.

    But that is not when it crashed. It was during the next show, a TV show and it was playing fine when it rebooted.

    I searched the log for fail, volt, and under. There's no sign of a power issue using those keywords.

    I am about to build another RPi5 system for a gift once the parts arrive. It will be in a Argon ONE v3 nvme case. I sure hope that is not going to have gremlins.

    Argon cases have a bit of a reputation here, but forums inherently attract more people with problems than people without them, so I wouldn’t read too much into the comment.

    Quote from WarpLover

    I am about to build another RPi5 system for a gift once the parts arrive. It will be in a Argon ONE v3 nvme case. I sure hope that is not going to have gremlins.

    Sorry for that, but this wording in combination with that case I immediately remember: "... Don't get them wet. Do not feed (install) them after midnight. ..." ;)

    WarpLover ,
    I don't know if you want to use the Argon ONE V3 for LibreELEC or some other use case. But if you want to start directly with LE you should ensure manually that the settings, which you grabbed from the PVR thread, are there. Normally this will already happens if you follow the instructions from the manual. However, the steps described in the manual to run the scripts are intended for PiOS etc. and only partially work with LE.

    To avoid sleepless nights I would start with a installation at SD card as first attempt, because the NVMe support is very sensitive regarding flexible pcb, NVMe model, bootloader version ...

    Most buyers with NVMe issues seem to think it's just an issue with this case, but in my opinion external PCIe on RPi5 in general is a ride on a razor's edge with so many factors that can negatively affect it. The other concerns (reputation) regarding quality assurance/support are just an additional factor.

    But: If you get a properly manufactured, I think the person that will get the gift will be very happy.

    Regarding your original issue:

    "Reboot" implies a reboot of the operating system, triggered by a normal shutdown, reset, power fail and so on. Your current situation looks like that only KODI was crashed and restarted after that. Indeed this looks like a reboot, because LibreELEC is very fast at startup. But it makes a huge difference for troubleshooting.
    You can simple check that after such event, if you connect to the console via SSH and use 'uptime' to see how long the operating system is up.

    I know that KODI with the current versions of LE12/13 crashes if the played video stream has some defective frames and additional software deinterlacing is on. If the hardware acceleration for deinterlacing is in use, there is a pixelation at this points, but KODI doesn't crash.
    Because you reported the issue with 2 systems, maybe you triggers the issue with the content you play or a installed add-on/skin.

    Edited 4 times, last by HarryH (June 1, 2024 at 4:33 PM).

    I will certainly follow the instructions for the Argon box. I am giving it to someone who is less technical than I am. Being able to turn on and off with a remote control was a must to keep it simple. So I am going to pound on it with testing before I send it off to him.

    I ordered a quality flexible pcie cable - I think it's the one Jeff Geerling showed. I could try to replace the current cable. I already have that on hand. And then there is the "crappy" pcie connector on the Pi and on the X1003. I hate them. I really don't want to touch them much.

    I could eliminate the m.2 board and see what happens with just an SD card. The SD card experiment would eliminate all those pcie pieces from the picture. Those connectors could be a potential culprit.

    Would there be any value in replacing the Rpi5 with the RockPro64, turn on logging, and run it until it reboots? And would those results shed any light on what is going on with the Pi? (as a reminder, the rock sbc randomly reboots in the same way, which is why I bought the pi).

    You guys are a gold mine and we lowly users totally appreciate what you do for us!

    PS Speaking of Gremlins, isn't it always after midnight?

    Edited once, last by WarpLover (June 1, 2024 at 5:00 PM).

    Quote from WarpLover

    Would there be any value in replacing the Rpi5 with the RockPro64, turn on logging, and run it until it reboots? And would those results shed any light on what is going on with the Pi? (as a reminder, the rock sbc randomly reboots in the same way, which is why I bought the pi).

    I think you could make that as a cross check and confirm if it really made a reboot or "only" crash of KODI. The latter one could be ends with some needed changes in KODI it self to fix that.
    First you could try to start with a fresh installation of LE (for example on a new SD card) without additional add-ons (back to the roots) and try to reproduce the issue. In some thread I have read last days, it rumours that a weather add-on triggered some issues in the background.

    PS: You are right, it's always after midnight. :D