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[StarBook MkVI - AMD] State of EC pin unknown #126

Closed indeedhat closed 9 months ago

indeedhat commented 1 year ago

I updated my StarBook last night to the latest firmware (ami 1.8) and it is having a really bad time.

The biggest issue is that it no longer charges. I only have a usbc charger so i don't know if it will charge from the barel jack but it no longer charges via usb c. I have tried 2 seperate starlabs chargers, 3 different usb cables and a switch charger (don't know if the switch one worked before or not) no combination will charge the laptop.

EDIT: When i plug in a charger the blue power LED comes on for about a second then goes off, the orange charging LED never comes on and it doesn't actually charge.

I didn't realise that charging was broken until i was down to about 15% so the laptop is basically useless at this point.

When i still had charge to be playing with linux failed about 10 or so start up checks, not sure what they all were but one of them was starting the audio service, this was not a problem until the firmware update. I did run a full system update in case but this didn't fix the issue.

Lastly (or the last thing i noticed before running out of power) is that the machine is running very slowly. Its not to the point of being completely unusable but basically felt like using a laptop with a spinning hard drive in. Boot time went from maybe 20 seconds to just over 3 minutes (not sure on the pre issue time but i timed the post issue boot time). The system in general is pretty unresponsive.

Im not sure what if anything i can do with my machine without charge but if there is any chance of this effecting other machines then i suggest that the update be pulled until the issue is investigated.

Sean-StarLabs commented 1 year ago

That's strange, but all explained by one denominator. How did you flash it and what distro are you using?

indeedhat commented 1 year ago

I updated using a manjaro live cd by using fwpudmgr installed with the flashrom-starlabs package (this is how ive updated the firmware always in the past is i cant get the starlabs package on the distro im using)

indeedhat commented 1 year ago

thanks for the quick response by the way, i wasn't expecting a response until at least monday.

evansimo commented 1 year ago

Unfortunately, I'm having the exact same issues after updating. @Sean-StarLabs I've sent you an email describing the situation entirely, but to summarise in this post.

  1. StarBook MK VI AMD running Fedora 38 with latest updates and BIOS 1.7.0. Works as smooth as butter. Every BIOS update since 1.1.0 has been performed without any hiccups.
  2. I have the testing LVFS repo enabled. BIOS update 1.8.0 shows up on Software Centre. I initiate the update.
  3. Computer restarts, StarLabs logo shows up but update doesn't happen. Boots straight into Fedora. Update still showing up on Software Centre.
  4. I make the decision to do the update via the Terminal instead. fwupdmgr update does the trick. System reboots, BIOS is getting updated. Laptop remains plugged in via USB-C throughout the entire process. Update finished. A "click" sound is heard through the speakers immediately after reboot and the charging light goes off.
  5. Since then, symptoms are exactly like @indeedhat 's. Crippled performance, laptop not charging either via USB-C or barrel jack, plugging the power cable causes the blue power light to come on for 1 second then goes away. One extra thing for me is, the laptop doesn't switch on just by pressing the Power button. I have to press and hold for a few seconds.
  6. I decided to reset BIOS to the default settings. I'm not sure if it's even related but the machine is actually snappy again.
  7. I used the EFI to incrementally downgrade from 1.8.0 down to 1.5.0. No luck. Laptop still not charging whatever the BIOS version, and it's basically unusable.
Sean-StarLabs commented 1 year ago

@indeedhat It might need flashing with a hardware programmer, but if you try disconnecting the battery, and then just using the charger - that might get it started.

@esimopoulo 1-3 are fwupd or Fedora ones, if there's an issue, I'd be surprised if they weren't already working on it as the LVFS guys are Fedora guys.

Crippled performance, laptop not charging either via USB-C or barrel jack, plugging the power cable causes the blue power light to come on for 1 second then goes away.

@indeedhat only had a USB-C cable. What does the LED do when you connect the DC Jack?

I decided to reset BIOS to the default settings. I'm not sure if it's even related but the machine is actually snappy again. I used the EFI to incrementally downgrade from 1.8.0 down to 1.5.0. No luck. Laptop still not charging whatever the BIOS version, and it's basically unusable.

Unusable, as you can't charge it (assuming no. 6 is still the case)?

downgrade from 1.8.0 down to 1.5.0

The BIOS doesn't affect charging, that is down to the EC. Updating the BIOS will update the EC, but downgrading won't. There are a few ways to downgrade the EC, but it depends on what the chargers do when connected. Let me know on the above and I can advise from there.

pastyfiend commented 1 year ago

Hi all, have posted initially in #75 Sean as you know, but just to add here: exact same problem, but I do have a DC jack and it's charging normally with that, but nothing via USB. Also manjaro, used fwupdmgr.

evansimo commented 1 year ago

Hey @Sean-StarLabs thanks for the response. I did a proper test this time, negating one of my points from my earlier message and made some more observations as well.

To answer your questions first:

@esimopoulo 1-3 are fwupd or Fedora ones, if there's an issue, I'd be surprised if they weren't already working on it as the LVFS guys are Fedora guys.

1-3 was performed using Fedora Software Centre. As described, no update happened at this stage. Step 4 onwards is when I switched to fwupd and managed to update.

Crippled performance, laptop not charging either via USB-C or barrel jack, plugging the power cable causes the blue power light to come on for 1 second then goes away.

@indeedhat only had a USB-C cable. What does the LED do when you connect the DC Jack?

So the latest is:

Unusable, as you can't charge it (assuming no. 6 is still the case)?

Correct. Laptop is snappy. However, it seems that the USB-C port is not working ok.

Fedora Software centre popped a new update for me (I was on 1.5.0, and 1.7.0 came up). Clicked Update, and it went through just fine. I'm now on 1.7.0, performance is normal, the only thing not properly working is the USB-C port.

I will continue to update if I find more niggles.

indeedhat commented 1 year ago

if you try disconnecting the battery, and then just using the charger - that might get it started.

Sadly no this didn't help, for completeness with no battery i get no lights and it does not turn on, after putting the battery back in the blue power LED comes on for about 3-4 seconds (slightly longer than before i removed the battery) then the behavior is the same as before.

It might need flashing with a hardware programmer

Is that just in general or is that just without a working battery/charger? if a fw fix becomes available and it does charge form the barrel jack then i can just take it into work and hook it up to one of the bench supplies to get it flashed (assuming i can find the correct size barrel jack)

Connecting monitor via a USB-C docking station doesn't work either. However, all peripherals I have connected on the docking station work fine (mouse, keyboard, webcam).

I forgot to mention this in my original report but one af the charging methods i tried was via a usb c dock and nothing was recognized, no usb, monitors, power or ethernet

This is a total tangent so feel free to ignore the rest of this message but i would just like to express my appreciation for Starlabs approach to support. Owning a Starbook has unfortunately not been without its frustrations (clearly), admittedly the main issue i have had has largely been out of star labs control (looking at you AMD).

It is refreshing to be able to speak to someone who isn't working from a script and who's solutions don't only amount to:

In this case it didn't work sure but there are not a lot of other companies that would give a suggestion like open up your machine and remove the battery as a possible interim measure to get you back up and running again.

Sean-StarLabs commented 1 year ago

Is that just in general or is that just without a working battery/charger?

Without a way to power it, either a working charger or power battery.

If you've got a way to power it, reverting would be possible. Just let me know if you want steps.

As for a fix, I don't think it'll take overly long to fix the USB-C port, but I'll update here tomorrow. In the meantime, please swivel :)

pastyfiend commented 1 year ago

Completely agree with @indeedhat - everything working perfectly all the time isn't realistic or probably even reasonable to expect, but the responsiveness of the customer support at StarLabs is really impressive - the best I think I've had from any company in tech or elsewhere.

indeedhat commented 1 year ago

@Sean-StarLabs yeah, could i get the steps to revert please.

Also what is the correct voltage/amperage for charging on the barrel jack?

evansimo commented 1 year ago

If you've got a way to power it, reverting would be possible. Just let me know if you want steps.

Might be worth posting it here for all affected peeps Sean?

Sean-StarLabs commented 1 year ago

This will be a specific solution for this firmware, so please don't try it in the future.

If you download these two: https://github.com/StarLabsLtd/firmware/raw/master/StarBook/MkVI-AMD/misc/ec.bin https://github.com/StarLabsLtd/firmware/raw/master/binaries/ifu.efi

  1. Copy the files to a FAT32 USB drive
  2. Connect the DC Jack (if the charging light isn't lit, this will fail spectacularly)
  3. Boot to the EFI Shell (similar to https://support.starlabs.systems/kb/firmware/efi-shell)
  4. Type in: 
    fs0:
ifu.efi ec.bin 128

After that, it'll be good.

Hoping to have a new update the start of next week to fix "easily"

indeedhat commented 1 year ago

Thanks Sean, much appreciated.

because im gonna be running from a bench PSU, is the barrel jack center positive or center negative?

Sean-StarLabs commented 1 year ago

Positive center.

indeedhat commented 1 year ago

That worked a treat, thanks Sean.

For anyone else doing this:

evansimo commented 1 year ago

Thanks Sean, can confirm it worked for me too. Also, thanks @indeedhat my USB drive also showed up as FS1, I got an error trying to update the first time using FS0.

Also, separate question @Sean-StarLabs , I noticed you uploaded a new version of the 1.8.0 BIOS a couple of days ago. Assuming this includes the updated version of the EC software? Currently running 1.7.0. Would I be safe to update to 1.8.0 from that perspective?

Sean-StarLabs commented 1 year ago

a new version of the 1.8.0 BIOS

The answer is "probably" (I haven't tested that path), but long story short, you'll be better off with what you've got now.

pastyfiend commented 1 year ago

Hi Sean, any update on a new firmware version that we can update to in the usual way that will correct this? I haven't tried the EFI fix yet as holding out for the firmware, but if it's going to be a while I may have to bite the bullet and try it!

Sean-StarLabs commented 1 year ago

Almost there, but just ironing out a small few things (like fan, lights, etc) that have changed due to the new AGESA. They're taking a long time to test, so I think worst case, I'll have something in the testing remote at the end of the week.

pastyfiend commented 12 months ago

Great, thanks Sean.

Sean-StarLabs commented 12 months ago

1.12 now in the testing remote - the charging light has to bit lit, so if anyone wants me to split of an EC update to fix the charging first, just let me know (although, the above one would do it).

indeedhat commented 12 months ago

I've tried updating to 1.12 fwupdmgr does its thing but the system just sits on the starlabs bios logo on reboot and never starts the update, i left it for over an hour and it was still sat on the logo.

i tried changing the boot order to perfer bios updates just for the sake of it but still no dice.

To be clear the laptop is still running fine cutting the power has it starting up as normal with the 1.8 firmware

Sean-StarLabs commented 12 months ago

Was that on Manjaro? Which version of fwupd (fwupd --version)?

pastyfiend commented 12 months ago

Have a slightly different problem - the update installed fine, but I'm still not able to charge via USB-C (or indeed connect to external monitors through a dock etc.) Sorry Sean!

Sean-StarLabs commented 12 months ago

Reset the EC - press Power for 7.5 seconds. That'll get it working.

pastyfiend commented 12 months ago

Any trick to this Sean? E.g. when to do it (starting off/on etc.), barrel power in/out etc? Have tried several times but can't crack it.

Sean-StarLabs commented 12 months ago

  1. Ensure the laptop is turned off and connect the charger.

  2. Press and hold the Power key.

    • Ignore any activity on the screen, including messages or the screen turning on.

  3. Once the charging LED turns off and then back on, release the Power key.

pastyfiend commented 12 months ago

Thanks. Tried that several times, but no joy I'm afraid. Any thoughts on what I might be doing wrong?

Sean-StarLabs commented 12 months ago

Not sure - try it pressing Ctrl + Alt + Del along with power

pastyfiend commented 12 months ago

Afraid that hasn't worked either.

Sean-StarLabs commented 12 months ago

What is the output of

cat /sys/class/dmi/id/bios_version
cat /sys/class/dmi/id/ec_firmware_release
pastyfiend commented 12 months ago

cat /sys/class/dmi/id/bios_version 1.12.0

cat /sys/class/dmi/id/ec_firmware_release 2.3

Sean-StarLabs commented 12 months ago

Hmm, are you able to send a video of the attempted EC reset to support@starlabs.systems?

pastyfiend commented 12 months ago

Just to say now the EC reset is done, this is working perfectly. Thanks Sean

tsmithe commented 12 months ago

I have noticed that, since updating to 1.8 (and still with 1.12), I have more WiFi issues than previously... It's hard to be sure that this is related to the firmware (but I've tried various kernel versions), so I'm posting here. Often, the device won't detect any networks until I unload and reload the iwlwifi module; or, if it does successfully connect, then the speeds are very limited. In dmesg, I see a lot of error messages from iwlwifi (and seemingly its firmware), often related to net/mac80211/scan.c:440 __ieee80211_scan_completed+0x2f9/0x310 [mac80211] or iwl_trans_txq_send_hcmd+0x376/0x380 [iwlwifi]. Can anybody confirm or help debug this?

(Edit to add: for instance, just now, the device seemed to fail with the corresponding error message iwlwifi 0000:02:00.0: Unhandled alg: 0x703, after which the link speed dropped to ~600 kbps(!). Then the device reset itself and eventually re-associated, but still with a number of errors saying Scan failed! ret -5...)

indeedhat commented 12 months ago

Was that on Manjaro? Which version of fwupd (fwupd --version)?

Sorry Sean by the time i noticed the email about this reply i had already overwritten the usb drive with a newer version of manjaro so i cant say for sure. With a more recent manjaro live usb it did the update just fine. The iso i was using was 22.1 i think so pretty damn old.

So far everything seems to be working fine for me on 1.12, ill keep a close eye out for issues over the next couple of days but its looking promising. Thanks :)

I have noticed that, since updating to 1.8 (and still with 1.12), I have more WiFi issues than previously... It's hard to be sure that this is related to the firmware (but I've tried various kernel versions), so I'm posting here. Often, the device won't detect any networks until I unload and reload the iwlwifi module; or, if it does successfully connect, then the speeds are very limited. In dmesg, I see a lot of error messages from iwlwifi (and seemingly its firmware), often related to net/mac80211/scan.c:440 __ieee80211_scan_completed+0x2f9/0x310 [mac80211] or iwl_trans_txq_send_hcmd+0x376/0x380 [iwlwifi]. Can anybody confirm or help debug this?

(Edit to add: for instance, just now, the device seemed to fail with the corresponding error message iwlwifi 0000:02:00.0: Unhandled alg: 0x703, after which the link speed dropped to ~600 kbps(!). Then the device reset itself and eventually re-associated, but still with a number of errors saying Scan failed! ret -5...)

I've had no issues with the wifi on any of the firmware versions, i have just checked my dmesg logs and im not seeing any similar logs to you.

tsmithe commented 12 months ago

That's interesting @indeedhat; I wonder what the difference is on my system. What kernel version are you using?

indeedhat commented 12 months ago

Sadly im back to having issues again @Sean-StarLabs.

I did a bunch of testing including multiple restarts last night and everything seemed fine. Tonight it no longer charges and the usbc port is not working for external displays. It does however still worc kint my mouse/keyboard so its not totally dead.

I seem to remember this was reported by someone earlier in the issue but i have to press and hold the power button fora second or so for it to turn on, any less and the charging light comes on for a second or two the the speakers pop and it turns off.

Ill leave it as is until i hear back in case you want anything verifying on my end then ill go back to 1.8 again.

That's interesting @indeedhat; I wonder what the difference is on my system. What kernel version are you using?

im using 6.5.5

Sean-StarLabs commented 12 months ago

@tsmithe I'd look at the ucode version (grep dmesg for ucode) - that's the biggest influence on the wireless. Oversimplifying it, the firmware pretty much just turns it on.

@indeedhat When you left it overnight, was it on charge? If so, which charger? I don't need anything verifying, thanks

indeedhat commented 12 months ago

it was fully charged when i went to bed so i unplugged it, i was using usbc for charging and thats whats not working now. I assume that like last time the barrel jack will be working but i wont know for sure until tomorrow

tsmithe commented 12 months ago

Hi Sean, the reported ucode version is 72.daa05125.0 ty-a0-gf-a0-72.ucode. How does that seem? (I will also check that the antenna cables are tightly connected...)

Sean-StarLabs commented 12 months ago

How does that seem?

New

Try rolling it back to that previous version (you can just rename them). I'm using 72.a764baac.0 and zero issues there.

tsmithe commented 12 months ago

Hmm, it looks like 72.a764baac.0 is actually newer than the one in Debian stable (but it's in Debian unstable)... I'll try it and see... (sorry to clog up this bug report; maybe I should just send a support request e-mail if things stay this way!)

indeedhat commented 12 months ago

Before reverting to 1.8 i decided to do an EC reset on the off chance. That seems to have gotten everything working again, fingers crossed it sticks.

indeedhat commented 12 months ago

After leaving the laptop off charge over night again it once again didn't charge via usb c and monitors didn't work. EC reset fixed the issue again but if it does the same tonight then ill have to revert back to 1.8

Sean-StarLabs commented 12 months ago

It will - just testing a fix, will aim for Monday

indeedhat commented 11 months ago

sounds good, in the meantime so long as i don't leave it unplugged for an extended period of time then it seems to keep working fine, i can deal with that until the fix comes through.

dthuerck commented 11 months ago

Hi,

I did the update to 1.13.0 yesterday. So far, haven't had any issues with charging via USB-C. However, one issue persists: In order to boot up the laptop, I need to press the "on" button for at least 1-2 secs. If pressed for a shorter amount of time, the power light shortly flashes and I can hear a loud "pop", but the machine does not continue to boot.

Edit: after some more experiments, here are things that I observed:

For now, I'll try to revert back to 1.7.0.

Happy to help with this issue if there's any way for me to do so.

indeedhat commented 11 months ago

I just attempted the update myself but the 1.13 update no longer seems to be in the repos