Guru Meditation Error from ESP32-S3 Think Plus

Development Boards ESP32
1

Hi, I keep getting an endless list of the following when trying to upload the program to the ESP32-S3 Think Plus from my PC. Could you please tell me how to fix this?

Rebooting…

ESP-ROM:esp32s3-20210327

Build:Mar 27 2021

rst:0xc (RTC_SW_CPU_RST),boot:0x18 (SPI_FAST_FLASH_BOOT)

Saved PC:0x40378c0e

SPIWP:0xee

mode:DIO, clock div:1

load:0x3fce2820,len:0x116c

load:0x403c8700,len:0xc2c

load:0x403cb700,len:0x3108

entry 0x403c88b8

Guru Meditation Error: Core 1 panic’ed (LoadProhibited). Exception was unhandled.

Core 1 register dump:

PC : 0x4202fec3 PS : 0x00060330 A0 : 0x82003a0b A1 : 0x3fcebeb0

A2 : 0x00000000 A3 : 0x3fcebedc A4 : 0x00000001 A5 : 0x00000001

A6 : 0x00000000 A7 : 0x00000000 A8 : 0x803823b0 A9 : 0x3fcebea0

A10 : 0x00000002 A11 : 0xffffffff A12 : 0x00000004 A13 : 0x3c040140

A14 : 0x3fcebe64 A15 : 0x3fcecdc0 SAR : 0x00000018 EXCCAUSE: 0x0000001c

EXCVADDR: 0x0000000c LBEG : 0x40056fc5 LEND : 0x40056fe7 LCOUNT : 0xffffffff

Backtrace: 0x4202fec0:0x3fcebeb0 0x42003a08:0x3fcebed0 0x420039c1:0x3fcebf10 0x420027de:0x3fcebf30 0x42007f79:0x3fcebf80 0x4037c335:0x3fcebfa0

ELF file SHA256: fb551f7ed

Then I connected the board to a Mac and got this error:

Sketch uses 396627 bytes (30%) of program storage space. Maximum is 1310720 bytes.
Global variables use 22560 bytes (6%) of dynamic memory, leaving 305120 bytes for local variables. Maximum is 327680 bytes.
esptool v5.1.0
Serial port /dev/cu.usbmodem3101:
Connecting…
A fatal error occurred: Failed to connect to ESP32-S3: No serial data received.
For troubleshooting steps visit: Troubleshooting - ESP32 - — esptool latest documentation

Failed uploading: uploading error: exit status 2

2

Not sure if I am right or not. The first bunch of endless Rebooting seems to be caused by having rtc.start(); in the setup(). There is no problem having it on ESP32-S3 board from other company. Is there an equivalent one specifically for the ESP32-S3 Think Plus?

Tried the following code to find out the specific reset reason:

#include <rom/rtc.h>
void setup() {
  Serial.begin(115200);
  delay(1000);
  int reason = rtc_get_reset_reason(0); // For CPU 0
  Serial.print("Reset Reason: ");
  Serial.println(reason);
}

It returned 1 which means that there is a power issue. In an attempt to fix possible issues, I added a powered Thunderbolt 4 dock between Mac Mini M4 and the Sparkfun ESP32-S3 Think Plus. I am using an Apple Thunderbolt 4 (3m) cable. Also tried a PC but same problem. What shall I do next?

3

Usually this guru meditation error goes away by pressing the RST button continuously. Did you try that?

4

Do you mean keep pressing for a few seconds? I pressed the RST button and released. I also tried: 1. Pressed Boot. 2. While holding, pressed and released RST. 3. Release Boot.

Anyway, now I know whenever I have “rtc.start()” in the setup, continously Reboot results. How to solve this issue? It seems to be power related and I have tried different computers, added a powered hub, used the most expensive Thunderbolt 4 cable from Apple. The problem remains.

5

I’m guessing you’ve put it into bootloader mode Hardware Overview - SparkFun Thing Plus - ESP32-S3

Is a com port, or a disk drive appearing when you plug it in?

6

Yes, bootloader mode I guess.

It does not show up as a disk drive. Under Device Manager, it shows up under Port (COM & LPT) “USB Serial Device (COM33)”.

I need to get the time so I have to use rtc.start()? Whenever this command is in the program, I get this continuous rebooting problem. How can I resolve this issue?