15:37 <BB-Flash> Looks like I bricked a BBB Wireless trying to flash the eMMC. I used a 10.3 4GB Flasher image and followed the instructions: Modified the uEnv.txt to enable the flash, update the packages. Used Balena etcher to prepare the SD card and then did a user boot with it. It booted up and the 4 LEDs had running lights and then all four of them went steady.

15:37 <BB-Flash> Waited for an hour or more and nothing happened and board just was hot. Now no matter if the microSD is in or not, the 4 LEDs just flash and then turn constant on. I am assuming something did not work well and it's kinda stuck...

15:51 <brook> Is there nothing you can do at the u-boot console? You should be able to force it to boot from the uSD.

15:55 <BB-Flash> My HDMI is also disabled for some GPIO functions

15:56 <brook> Do you have access to the serial console?

15:56 <BB-Flash> I know I have a console cable somewhere but can't find it right now

16:04 <zmatt> BB-Flash: uhh, the description of your steps sounds confusing

16:05 <BB-Flash> I just followed: https://beagleboard.org/getting-started

16:05 <zmatt> modifying /boot/uEnv.txt on the SD card is how you turn a non-flasher image into a flasher image... if you already started with a flasher image then there's nothing to be modified in /boot/uEnv.txt

16:07 <zmatt> I'm wondering if you modified /boot/uEnv.txt on eMMC instead, which would turn eMMC into a flasher (which would try to flash the sd card, or otherwise I think it ends up just hosing the contents of eMMC)

16:07 <BB-Flash> I think that's where I did not do it right. I booted up the BBBW without a microSD and then modified the uEnv.txt on that so yeah... my screwup

16:08 <BB-Flash> Yup, that was not clever at all

16:08 <zmatt> regardless of what happened, just write the flasher image onto SD card again, and to ensure the eMMC is bypassed hold the S2 button (the button closest to the SD card slot) during power-on... you can let go of the button once the power led turns on

16:08 <zmatt> that way the contents of eMMC is completely ignored and it will force the system to boot from SD card

16:09 <zmatt> which (if you downloaded a Flasher image) will automatically proceed to reflash eMMC

16:10 <BB-Flash> Is this the right flasher image? https://debian.beagleboard.org/images/bone-eMMC-flasher-debian-10.3-iot-armhf-2020-04-06-4gb.img.xz

16:10 <zmatt> yep that's fine

16:11 <BB-Flash> thanks, I tried it a few times, and it also got stuck on all 4 LEDs on, I can reflash and try again

16:13 <zmatt> specifically try the combination of: image freshly written to SD card + hold S2 button during power-on

16:13 <BB-Flash> yup, will do that

16:15 <BB-Flash> Flashed the microSD afresh and then inserted the card and then held down S2, plugged 5V/3A power supply in and waited for Power LED to come on and released S2. There is no activity on the USR LEDs

16:16 <BB-Flash> I am using a 32GB card, not sure if that is important. I have used this same card before and have not had issues with non-flasher images

16:16 <zmatt> that sounds like it is unable to boot from the sd card at all, which certainly explains the symptoms you've had

16:16 <zmatt> since the S2 button shouldn't have been needed

16:17 <zmatt> you used Etcher to write the sd card right?

16:17 <BB-Flash> yep

16:17 <zmatt> hmm okay so the sd card should be fine since Etcher verifies the contents after flashing

16:17 <zmatt> have you previously used the sd card on this particular beaglebone successfully?

16:18 <zmatt> sd card slot I mean

16:18 <BB-Flash> Yeah I have

16:18 <BB-Flash> I wanted to test not running off the microSD card

16:18 <zmatt> that's... puzzling

16:19 <zmatt> like, if the contents of the sd card is correct then the only reason for it to be unable to boot would be if there were something actually physically wrong with the sd card slot

16:20 <BB-Flash> If I don't hold down the S2 button, then it will fire up USR LEDs start running and then all of them become steady on

16:20 <zmatt> yeah that's the bootloader on eMMC trying to boot but failing miserably

16:20 <BB-Flash> I have left it like that to see if it power itself down after flash but it did not happen

16:20 <zmatt> presumably

16:21 <zmatt> it's not flashing, it's not even booting

16:21 <BB-Flash> Physically the slot seems fine, al the pins are good and making good contact with the SD card pins

16:21 <zmatt> it's just stuck in the bootloader, presumably because it can't boot the sd card (for the same reason it doesn't boot when holding the S2 button, whatever that reason may be) and it can't boot from eMMC because it got hosed

16:21 <zmatt> (by the attempted self-flash)

16:22 <zmatt> the big question remains, why isn't it booting from sd card

16:23 <zmatt> since we know both the card contents and the card slot should be fine, the next logical conclusion is ghosts. have you tried an exorcism?

16:23 <BB-Flash> bwahahahaa!

16:24 <BB-Flash> Yeah ghost in the machine is a possibiligy

16:25 <zmatt> I wish I had more constructive advice at this point... it's always annoying when something should just work but it stubbornly disagrees :P

16:26 <BB-Flash> yeah I understand, thanks anyway!

16:29 <brook> Wouldn't a serial console help see what is actually happening?

16:29 <zmatt> it might

16:30 <zmatt> probably not actually, if no led activity occurs while trying to boot the SD card with S2 button held, then almost certainly what you're seeing on the serial console is CCC

16:30 <zmatt> but I guess it's possible something else is happening

16:31 <zmatt> it certainly wouldn't hurt to check, if you have a 3.3V TTL serial cable

16:42 <Guest4494> The other day, zmatt told me how to check & control the power inputs on the BBB using i2cget & i2cset, e.g., i2cget -f -y 0 0x24 0x0a

16:43 <Guest4494> Is this documented somewhere where I can read more about it?

16:54 <zmatt> the tps65217 datasheet

17:00 <Guest4494> zmatt Thank you

21:30 <ds2> Mmmmmmm germlins in the board... don't think they react to exorisms

22:16 <set_> Ye here hills have eyes!

22:17 <set_> Well, we are not in October yet, so...

22:17 <set_> Ye here heat have rays!

22:45 <ds2> the hills here have flames :/