Technical Support Needed – Raspberry Pi 5 Boot Loop Issue

Development Boards Raspberry Pi
1

Hello SparkFun Technical Support Team,

I’m facing a boot issue with my Raspberry Pi 5 8GB. Initially, everything worked fine, but now it won’t boot up properly. Here’s what happens:

Symptoms:

  • With no MicroSD card or USB drive, the Pi displays diagnostics, and the green LED is solid.

  • Adding a boot medium causes video loss and triggers a solid red LED.

    • Troubleshooting Steps Taken:

    Software:

  • Flashed both Raspberry Pi OS (Full/Lite) and Ubuntu Desktop 23.10 for the Pi 5.

  • Used the Raspberry Pi Imager for the “SD Card Boot” and “USB Boot” images under Misc utility images for the Pi 5 family.

    • Hardware:

  • Tried three different MicroSD cards.

  • Attempted boots from both the MicroSD and USB ports.

  • Switched power supplies to confirm no power issues.

  • Swapped MicroHDMI cables and ports.

    • BIOS Information:

    Without MicroSD/USB:

    Raspberry Pi 5 - 8GB
bootloader: 3d0e0ba5 2023/10/30 update-ts: 1699652677

boot: mode USB-MSD 4 order f41 retry 0/128 restart 2/-1
SD: card not detected 00035344534331323880f51fcc8a012c
part: 0 mbr [0x0c0000000 0xc0000000 0xe0000000 0xe0000000]
power supply: USB-C 900 mA CC1 PMIC: reset normal 0x0 usb_over_current=0
net: down ip: 0.0.0.0 sn: 0.0.0.0 gw: 0.0.0.0
tftp: 0.0.0.0 0 0 0:0:0:0
display: DISP0: EDID-none #0 DISP1: DVI HPD=1 EDID=ok #4

Failed to Open device: 'sdcard' (cmd 371a0010 status 1fff0001)
Boot mode: USB-MSD (04) order f
USB2[2] 002206e3 connected
USB2[2] 002206e1 connected
USB2 root HUB port 2 init
HID [01:00] 2.00 000000:02 register HID
USB MSD stopped. Timeout: 25 seconds
Boot mode: RESTART (0f) order 0
Boot mode: SD (01) order f4
Failed to open device: 'sdcard' (cmd 371a0010 status 1fff0001)
Boot mode: USB-MSD (04) order f
USB2[2] 002206e1 connected
USB2[2] 002206e3 connected enabled
USB2 root HUB port 2 init
HID [01:00] 2.00 000000:02 register HID

    With MicroSD/USB and EEPROM image:

    Raspberry Pi 5 - 8GB
bootloader: 3d0e0ba5 2023/10/30 update-ts: 1699652677

boot: mode USB-MSD 4 order f41 retry 0/128 restart 25/-1
SD: card detected 00035344534331323880f51fcc8a012c
part: 0 mbr [0x0c0000000 0xc0000000 0xe0000000 0xe0000000]
power supply: USB-C 900 mA CC1 PMIC: reset normal 0x0 usb_over_current=0
net: down ip: 0.0.0.0 sn: 0.0.0.0 gw: 0.0.0.0
tftp: 0.0.0.0 0 0 0:0:0:0
display: DISP0: HPD-0 EDID-none #0 DISP1: DVI HPD=1 EDID=ok #4

USB MSD stopped. Timeout: 25 seconds
Boot mode: RESTART (0f) order 0
Boot mode: SD (01) order f4
Trying partition: 0
type: 32 lba: 2048 'mkfs.fat' · NO NAME
Trying partition: 0
type: 32 lba: 2048 'mkfs.fat' · NO NAME
Trying partition: 0
type: 32 lba: 2048 'mkfs.fat' · NO NAME
Trying partition: 0
type: 32 lba: 2048 'mkfs.fat' · NO NAME
Boot mode: USB-MSD (04) order f
USB2[2] 002206e1 connected
USB2[2] 002206e3 connected enabled
USB2 root HUB port 2 init
HID [01:00] 2.00 000000:02 register HID

    The Pi worked well for 4-5 days before this issue. I’ve included the BIOS details above for both scenarios. Any insights or guidance would be greatly appreciated as I’ve exhausted all the usual troubleshooting steps.

    Thank you for your time and assistance!

    Update on Raspberry Pi 5 Boot Issue:

    There’s a new development in the boot behavior of my Raspberry Pi 5. The device now enters a loop where:

    The LED starts green for about 1 second.

    It then turns red for 1 second.

    Subsequently, it goes off and restarts this cycle repeatedly.

    This looping occurs only when a bootable medium with compatible OS (either a USB or MicroSD) is present. Without a bootable medium, the LED remains solid green. I’m increasingly concerned this might be a hardware issue, given the persistence of the problem and its evolution over time. Any further assistance or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

    Thank you again for your continued support.

    Original Post: https://forums.raspberrypi.com/viewtopic.php?t=359658

    2

    Does the behavior change if you un-plug the HDMI and try to boot it without a monitor? What all is plugged into it? Unplug all peripherals and whatnot too

    3

    Hi,

    I should mention that I currently have two Raspberry Pi 4 models, one with 4GB and another with 8GB of RAM. In my inventory, I have two different HDMI cables (the ones each of them is currently using), two power supplies (one 15W official and one ARGON), various MicroSD cards (I’ve tested more than three different brands and capacities), and USB drives (tested with more than two of different brands and capacities). All of these components work perfectly with the mentioned Raspberry Pi 4 models.

    However, when I try to use the same setup with the Raspberry Pi 5, I encounter issues. Despite trying various combinations of HDMI cables, power supplies, MicroSD cards, and USB drives that are proven to work with my Raspberry Pi 4s, the Raspberry Pi 5 still shows the same problem with the lights cycling and failing to boot. The only thing connected is a Logitech Bolt adapter (For my mouse and keyboard) and the MicroSD.

    It seems like the problem might be deeper than just a peripheral or boot medium issue. Any further advice or suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

    4

    It sounds like it might be defective; I’d look into filing for a return from the vendor

    5

    Thanks for the advice. I filled out the RMA form at SparkFun on November 20th. Before reaching this point, I followed your suggestions and created posts on both SparkFun and Raspberry Pi forums seeking help. Despite those efforts, I haven’t found a solution yet.

    I’ve noticed that it’s taking longer than usual to get a response to my emails. I’m still waiting to hear back from the SparkFun support team. Really appreciate all the help and suggestions so far.