ASUS Tinker Board dies on boot

Troubleshooting
1

Hello all,
This is my first time trying out DietPi and I ran into a problem booting my old Tinker Board (not S model). I did not see any mention of my problem anywhere, so I thought I would share the issue for others. That said, this might be a well know issue and I just missed the notes specific to my board.

Problem:
Created a new SD image with DietPi_v6.25_ASUSTB-ARMv7-Buster.img. On first boot the image starts loading but the Tinker Board powers off before any video is generated. There are no power, network, or disk activity lights.

Troubleshooting Steps:

  • Wipe SD card and re-write DietPi image (multiple SD cards tested): same failure
  • Wipe and reload Volumio image: board boots up fine
  • Replace USB adapter and USB cables multiple times: DietPi image continues to fail to boot

Solution:
Can only boot the DietPi image by bypassing the USB power port. Using the GPIO ports (2&4: + 5.10V) (6: Power Ground) @ 1.80A I was able to boot the DietPi image.

I have not fully mapped the required voltage and amperage requirements. The board was not stable at 5V, 1.2A but seems rock solid at 5.1V, 1.8A.

I am running a REV. 1.2 Tinker Board.

I hope this information helps anyone else that might run into this issue. Please let me know if you would like any additional details and I will get you what I can.

– CodeSlinger

2

Always love replying to myself… :wink:
Some more troubleshooting and an assumption:

  • Tried a Third USB power supply and a 4th USB cable and had a working system
  • Would only boot with no USB ports in use and HDMI port disconnected
    • Connecting a USB DAC or HDMI cable would cause the board to shutdown
  • Tried with a dumb, unregulated USB battery: Worked, including USB and HDMI

So at this point I can only assume the Tinker Board and USB power adapter/cable are agreeing on a supply current and if the Tinker Board draws more it shuts itself down. And luckily, I am right at the edge of it’s power draw.

Next steps for me: Review the Tinker Board USB ports capabilities and see if there is a power supply/cable combination that will keep the board stable. If not, I will bypass the USB and power the board through the GPIO pins.

– CodeSlinger