Alsa broken on v17 rpi2

nitrogen_widget1 · May 9, 2016, 12:16pm

Hi,
Since I updated to v17 my apps are giving me alsa errors and it doesn’t look like i have a sound card anymore.
Also, boot up shows audio isn’t initializing.
I’ve re-run the sound config & made sure Alsa was installed via the software installer.
Same with apt-get.

Any ideas?

Thanks.

Fourdee · May 9, 2016, 12:38pm

Hi Nitrogen,

Are you using the inbuilt RPi soundcard?

Also, please run the following:

apt-get install -y alsa-utils

Then paste results of:

aplay -l
cat /etc/asound.conf
cat /DietPi/config.txt | grep 'dtoverlay'

nitrogen_widget1 · May 9, 2016, 10:40pm

yes.
Onboard sound.

Alsa tool allready installed.

root@DietPi:~# aplay -l
aplay: device_list:268: no soundcards found…

cat /etc/asound.conf
cat: /etc/asound.conf: No such file or directory

root@DietPi:~# cat /DietPi/config.txt | grep ‘dtoverlay’
dtoverlay=rpi-bcm2835
root@DietPi:~#
root@DietPi:~# Fourdee
bash: Fourdee: command not found
root@DietPi:~# Site Admin
bash: Site: command not found
root@DietPi:~#
root@DietPi:~# Posts: 684
bash: Posts:: command not found
root@DietPi:~# Joined: Tue Feb 06, 2007 12:36 pm
bash: Joined:: command not found

nitrogen_widget1 · May 10, 2016, 11:01am

got it.
searched for the “no soundcard…” message aplay gave me and found if I added:
dtparam=audio=on to /boot/config.txt and rebooted everything worked.

Thanks for getting me that far.

Fourdee · May 10, 2016, 11:39am

I’ve not seen “dtparam=audio=on” option before, must be a new one. There’s so many undocumented options that can be used in config.txt, wish the RPi guys would list them “all”.

Thanks for letting us know

If you have some spare time, could you run the following and paste result for me please:

uname -a

I just want to see if a recent kernel update has caused this on the RPi. Will also see if i can replicate this on my RPi 2.

Thanks Nitrogen.

k-plan · May 10, 2016, 3:13pm

Hi,

Would interested me too.

As far as I know, it is new on: =>> 4.4 kernel

dom » Sat Jan 30:

DirkS:
Isn’t
dtparam=audio
in config.txt the ‘modern’ way of getting the module loaded?
Yes, absolutely. Using /etc/modules is deprecated and no longer supported on 4.4 kernel.
dtparam=audio will be a default setting in config.txt in future raspbian images.

You can do a Kernel and Firmware update and test it:

BRANCH=next rpi-update

or

Fourdee · May 11, 2016, 3:01pm

k-plan:

Hi,
Fourdee:
If you have some spare time, could you run the following and paste result for me please:
uname -a
Would interested me too.

Fourdee:

I’ve not seen “dtparam=audio=on” option before, must be a new one.

As far as I know, it is new on: =>> 4.4 kernel
dom » Sat Jan 30:
DirkS:
Isn’t
dtparam=audio
in config.txt the ‘modern’ way of getting the module loaded?
Yes, absolutely. Using /etc/modules is deprecated and no longer supported on 4.4 kernel.
dtparam=audio will be a default setting in config.txt in future raspbian images.
Fourdee:

Will also see if i can replicate this on my RPi 2.

You can do a Kernel and Firmware update and test it:
BRANCH=next rpi-update
or

K-Plan, legend as always, great find

I’ll integrate this new option into DietPi, as well as keeping /etc/modules code in there: https://github.com/Fourdee/DietPi/issues/327

nitrogen_widget1 · May 12, 2016, 10:13am

root@DietPi:~# uname -a
Linux DietPi 4.4.9-v7+ #884 SMP Fri May 6 17:28:59 BST 2016 armv7l GNU/Linux
root@DietPi:~#

Fourdee · May 12, 2016, 10:46am

There she is 4.4 Thanks for confirming Nitrogen.

As of v118, DietPi will also update the dtparam=audio setting accordingly, when changing soundcards.

k-plan · May 12, 2016, 8:09pm

Hi Nitrogen,

Thanks for your acknowledgement and assistance.

cu
k-plan