# IC2 issue in the raspberry pi 5 **URL:** \ **Category:** Raspberry Pi\ **Created:** [October 14, 2025, 1:14am UTC](https://community.sparkfun.com/t/ic2-issue-in-the-raspberry-pi-5/67091 "2025-10-14T01:14:58Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 4\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Rishabh\_Mahajani](https://yyz1.discourse-cdn.com/sparkfun/user_avatar/community.sparkfun.com/rishabh_mahajani/32/8229_2.png) [@Rishabh\_Mahajani](https://community.sparkfun.com/u/Rishabh_Mahajani)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2025, 1:14am UTC](https://community.sparkfun.com/t/ic2-issue-in-the-raspberry-pi-5/67091/1 "2025-10-14T01:14:58Z")
I am currently seeing an issue where when I boot up my pi 5 I see a solid red light with 3 long green flashes followed by 3 green bursts. I am using the standard raspberry pi 5V power source while booting. I have tried to also run the bootloader recovery image which ran successfully but then when I try to boot up bookworm on the pi I get the same issue. According to the raspberry pi website this is an I2C error but I’m not sure how to resolve it. I would appreciate any help on this issue. ---
**Author:** ![TS-Russell](https://yyz1.discourse-cdn.com/sparkfun/user_avatar/community.sparkfun.com/ts-russell/32/6092_2.png) [@TS-Russell](https://community.sparkfun.com/u/TS-Russell)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2025, 4:49pm UTC](https://community.sparkfun.com/t/ic2-issue-in-the-raspberry-pi-5/67091/2 "2025-10-15T16:49:00Z")
I’ve found chatGPT to be pretty good at troubleshooting these kinds of issues now, here’s what responded with (I edited it a bit for clarity): A solid red light with **3 long green flashes followed by 3 short green bursts** on the Raspberry Pi 5 **does** correspond to an **I2C error** , specifically related to issues communicating with the onboard hardware via the I2C bus during early boot (firmware-level issue). This is usually not related to the SD card image being corrupt, but rather an issue with hardware configuration or the hardware itself. * * * ### ⚠ Raspberry Pi 5 Specific I2C Error Explanation According to Raspberry Pi boot diagnostics: - **3 long green flashes, followed by 3 short green flashes** = I2C error on the system EEPROM, often when: * * * ### ✅ Checklist to Resolve I2C Error (Raspberry Pi 5) #### 1. **Check for connected devices** - **Are you using HATs, GPIO accessories, or anything connected to the 40-pin GPIO header?** > A faulty or incompatible I2C device (or just a misconnection) can cause this exact boot failure. * * * #### 2. **Check power supply & USB devices** - Although you are using the official Pi 5V PSU (good), verify: * * * #### 3. **Try a different SD card image** - Redownload Raspberry Pi OS **Bookworm** using the official [Raspberry Pi Imager](https://www.raspberrypi.com/software/). * * * #### 4. **Try booting from USB (if possible)** - If your Pi 5 has updated bootloader EEPROM (sounds like you already did), try booting from a **USB SSD or flash drive** instead of SD card. * * * #### 5. **Re-run EEPROM Recovery** Since you’ve already run the EEPROM recovery image, ensure you’re using the latest version: - Download [Raspberry Pi 5 EEPROM recovery image](https://github.com/raspberrypi/rpi-eeprom/releases). - Use the official Raspberry Pi Imager to create the EEPROM recovery SD card. - Let it run fully and make sure the green LED **flashes rapidly** , confirming success. - Then try booting your OS image again. * * * #### 6. **Hardware fault?** If you’ve verified: - No GPIO pins are used - No peripherals are attached - Power supply is good - EEPROM recovery completed - Fresh image used …and you still get the **I2C error** , it’s possible there’s a **hardware issue** with the board (e.g., defective PMIC, broken I2C bus, or RP1 chip fault). * * * ### 🧪 Advanced: Check Boot Logs (if accessible) If you have access to the **UART serial debug output** , you could attach a USB-to-serial adapter to the Pi 5’s UART pins (GPIO14/15) and check the boot ROM messages — they often provide more details about the failure. * * * ### Summary | Step | Action | | --- | --- | | 1 | Disconnect all GPIO and USB devices | | 2 | Use only official PSU | | 3 | Try freshly flashed SD card (Bookworm) | | 4 | Try USB boot instead of SD | | 5 | Re-run EEPROM recovery with latest image | | 6 | Check via UART serial logs (if you can) | | 7 | Suspect hardware fault if all else fails | * * * Would you be able to confirm if you’re using anything on the GPIO pins? That’s the most common cause for I2C errors on boot. If nothing works after trying the aboive, it is very likely a hardware fault. The pi5 comes with a 1-year warranty ---
**Author:** ![Rishabh\_Mahajani](https://yyz1.discourse-cdn.com/sparkfun/user_avatar/community.sparkfun.com/rishabh_mahajani/32/8229_2.png) [@Rishabh\_Mahajani](https://community.sparkfun.com/u/Rishabh_Mahajani)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2025, 3:29pm UTC](https://community.sparkfun.com/t/ic2-issue-in-the-raspberry-pi-5/67091/3 "2025-10-16T15:29:10Z")
I have disconnected everything from the GPIO pins and tried with a fresh image after EEPROM recovery and I still see the same issue. ---
**Author:** ![TS-Russell](https://yyz1.discourse-cdn.com/sparkfun/user_avatar/community.sparkfun.com/ts-russell/32/6092_2.png) [@TS-Russell](https://community.sparkfun.com/u/TS-Russell)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2025, 8:00pm UTC](https://community.sparkfun.com/t/ic2-issue-in-the-raspberry-pi-5/67091/4 "2025-10-16T20:00:11Z")
Alrighty - was it purchased from us? If so, head over to [Return Policy - SparkFun Electronics](http://www.sparkfun.com/returns) (contact vendor similarly if purchased elsewhere) and we’ll get ya fixed up