Device fails to start or update

2025-11-22 10:28

Hello everyone,

I have issues booting and updating my Omni Core 3576. Current behaviour is the following:

Booting behaviour in "regular" mode gets stuck at different stages: I always get to the Luckfox kernel screen, sometimes it just stops there, without any further interaction (power led on, act light off); sometimes it also freezes there, but with the act led flashing; once or twice I managed to actually get to a running window manager. Sadly I didn't see any patterns here, what leads to which behaviour (like a change of where it gets stuck based on the attached devices like mouse / keyboard or network).

When I try to update the image to the latest debian, update will always fail - I'm in maskmode (same behaviour with jumper and entering maskmode with reset button):

Code: Select all

10:35:02 	Upgrade Tool v2.3
10:35:02 	Current process in /Users/ssc/private/luckfox/upgrade_tool_v2.3_mac
10:35:02 	No found config.ini,in the /Users/ssc/private/luckfox/upgrade_tool_v2.3_mac/config.ini
10:35:02 	Command Line: ./upgrade_tool uf /Users/ssc/Downloads/Luckfox-RK3576-Debian12-Xfce-202505.img
10:35:02 	Current Device Location ID:2
10:35:02 	Download Boot Start
10:35:04 	Download Boot Success
10:35:04 	Wait For Maskrom Start
10:35:05 	Wait For Maskrom Success
10:35:05 	Test Device Start
10:35:05 	Error:RKU_Write failed,err=-1
10:35:05 	ERROR:TestDevice-->RKU_TestDeviceReady failed,RetCode(-3)
10:35:06 	Error:RKU_Write failed,err=-9
10:35:06 	ERROR:TestDevice-->RKU_TestDeviceReady failed,RetCode(-3)
10:35:07 	Error:RKU_Write failed,err=-9
10:35:07 	ERROR:TestDevice-->RKU_TestDeviceReady failed,RetCode(-3)
10:35:08 	Test Device Fail
10:35:08 	Command mode out

I've tried to update from linux, mac and windows with the same results. I've tried several cables.

I did also try to boot from several SD Cards - all with the same debian image.

I don't yet have the matching cable to connect to UART do provide output of the serial. Once I have this information I'm happy to attach them here.

As I'm running out of ideas, any proposals on how to get the device running?

Your help is very much appreciated & thanks in advance

2025-11-24 9:34

1. Please first provide the exact model of your development board.You can find this information in your purchase order.Also, please provide photos of your hardware connections.We need to know what display you are using — is it DSI or HDMI?If it is an HDMI display, what is the resolution?

2. The normal boot indication of the development board is that the ACT LED should be blinking.If the ACT LED does not blink, it means the system did not boot properly.

3. There are many possible reasons for a flashing failure.Based on the error you described, possible causes include:

USB hub / adapter on macOS causing communication instability

Device enters Maskrom but USB communication is unstable (power supply issue)

The board did not actually enter real Maskrom (false Maskrom state)

For further diagnosis, it is best to provide us with serial debugging logs and more detailed information.

Important Notes:

The power supply should be a Type-C 5V/3A adapter.We typically use the Raspberry Pi 4B power supply for testing.

If using a TF card (MicroSD card) as the system boot card, please use a Class 10, 16GB or larger card.