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Troubleshooting Guide for Rock 5B+ Development

Common issues and solutions for Rock 5B+ embedded development projects.

Introduction​

This guide covers common troubleshooting scenarios you might encounter when developing on the Rock 5B+ platform. From hardware setup issues to software configuration problems, we'll provide solutions to get your development back on track.

Hardware Issues​

1. Power Supply Problems​

Symptoms:

  • Board doesn't boot
  • Random shutdowns
  • Unstable performance

Solutions:

# Check power supply voltage
sudo cat /sys/class/power_supply/battery/voltage_now

# Monitor power consumption
sudo cat /sys/class/power_supply/battery/current_now

# Check for power warnings
dmesg | grep -i power

Prevention:

  • Use official 5V/3A USB-C power supply
  • Avoid cheap or underpowered adapters
  • Ensure stable power source

2. Thermal Issues​

Symptoms:

  • Performance throttling
  • System instability
  • High temperature warnings

Solutions:

# Check CPU temperature
cat /sys/class/thermal/thermal_zone*/temp

# Monitor thermal zones
watch -n 1 'cat /sys/class/thermal/thermal_zone*/temp'

# Check for thermal throttling
dmesg | grep -i thermal

Cooling Solutions:

  • Install heatsink or fan
  • Improve case ventilation
  • Use thermal pads for better heat transfer
  • Monitor temperature during heavy workloads

3. GPIO and Peripheral Issues​

Symptoms:

  • GPIO not responding
  • I2C/SPI communication failures
  • Sensor reading errors

Solutions:

# Check GPIO status
ls /sys/class/gpio/

# Test GPIO functionality
echo 18 > /sys/class/gpio/export
echo out > /sys/class/gpio/gpio18/direction
echo 1 > /sys/class/gpio/gpio18/value

# Check I2C devices
i2cdetect -y 1

# Check SPI devices
ls /dev/spi*

Software Issues​

1. Boot Problems​

Symptoms:

  • Boot loop
  • Kernel panic
  • Bootloader errors

Solutions:

# Check boot logs
dmesg | head -50

# Check system logs
journalctl -b

# Verify bootloader
sudo dd if=/dev/mmcblk0 bs=512 count=1 | hexdump -C

# Check partition table
sudo fdisk -l /dev/mmcblk0

Recovery Steps:

  1. Reflash bootloader
  2. Restore from backup
  3. Use recovery mode
  4. Check SD card integrity

2. Network Connectivity Issues​

Symptoms:

  • No internet connection
  • WiFi not working
  • Ethernet problems

Solutions:

# Check network interfaces
ip addr show

# Test connectivity
ping -c 4 8.8.8.8

# Check WiFi status
iwconfig

# Restart network services
sudo systemctl restart networking
sudo systemctl restart NetworkManager

WiFi Troubleshooting:

# Scan for networks
iwlist wlan0 scan

# Connect to WiFi
sudo wpa_supplicant -B -i wlan0 -c /etc/wpa_supplicant/wpa_supplicant.conf
sudo dhclient wlan0

# Check WiFi driver
lsmod | grep wifi

3. Development Environment Issues​

Symptoms:

  • Cross-compilation failures
  • Missing libraries
  • Build errors

Solutions:

# Update package lists
sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade

# Install development tools
sudo apt install -y build-essential cmake git
sudo apt install -y gcc-aarch64-linux-gnu g++-aarch64-linux-gnu

# Check toolchain
aarch64-linux-gnu-gcc --version

# Install missing libraries
sudo apt install -y libssl-dev libncurses-dev
sudo apt install -y libusb-1.0-0-dev libudev-dev

Cross-Compilation Issues​

1. Toolchain Problems​

Symptoms:

  • "Command not found" errors
  • Wrong architecture binaries
  • Linking failures

Solutions:

# Install ARM64 toolchain
sudo apt install -y gcc-aarch64-linux-gnu g++-aarch64-linux-gnu

# Set environment variables
export CC=aarch64-linux-gnu-gcc
export CXX=aarch64-linux-gnu-g++
export AR=aarch64-linux-gnu-ar
export STRIP=aarch64-linux-gnu-strip

# Verify toolchain
aarch64-linux-gnu-gcc --version
file $(which aarch64-linux-gnu-gcc)

2. Library Dependencies​

Symptoms:

  • Missing library errors
  • Version conflicts
  • Runtime linking issues

Solutions:

# Install ARM64 libraries
sudo apt install -y libc6-dev-arm64-cross
sudo apt install -y libssl-dev:arm64 libncurses-dev:arm64

# Use pkg-config for cross-compilation
export PKG_CONFIG_PATH=/usr/lib/aarch64-linux-gnu/pkgconfig
export PKG_CONFIG_LIBDIR=/usr/lib/aarch64-linux-gnu/pkgconfig

# Check library dependencies
aarch64-linux-gnu-objdump -p your_binary | grep NEEDED

GPU Development Issues​

1. OpenCL Problems​

Symptoms:

  • OpenCL devices not found
  • Kernel compilation errors
  • Performance issues

Solutions:

# Check OpenCL installation
clinfo

# Install OpenCL drivers
sudo apt install -y ocl-icd-opencl-dev
sudo apt install -y mesa-opencl-icd

# Test OpenCL
clinfo | grep -i mali

2. Vulkan Issues​

Symptoms:

  • Vulkan not supported
  • Driver errors
  • Application crashes

Solutions:

# Check Vulkan support
vulkaninfo

# Install Vulkan drivers
sudo apt install -y vulkan-tools vulkan-validationlayers-dev
sudo apt install -y mesa-vulkan-drivers

# Test Vulkan
vulkaninfo --summary

Debugging Techniques​

1. System Monitoring​

# Monitor system resources
htop
iotop
nethogs

# Check system information
lscpu
free -h
df -h

# Monitor processes
ps aux | grep your_process

2. Log Analysis​

# Check system logs
journalctl -f

# Check kernel messages
dmesg | tail -50

# Check application logs
tail -f /var/log/your_app.log

# Filter specific errors
dmesg | grep -i error
journalctl | grep -i fail

3. Performance Profiling​

# CPU profiling
perf top
perf record -g your_program
perf report

# Memory profiling
valgrind --tool=memcheck your_program
valgrind --tool=massif your_program

# GPU profiling
sudo apt install -y gpu-utils
gpu-monitor

Common Error Messages​

1. "Permission Denied"​

# Check file permissions
ls -la /path/to/file

# Fix permissions
sudo chmod +x /path/to/script
sudo chown user:user /path/to/file

2. "No Space Left on Device"​

# Check disk usage
df -h

# Clean up space
sudo apt autoremove
sudo apt autoclean
sudo rm -rf /tmp/*

# Check for large files
find / -size +100M -type f 2>/dev/null

3. "Device or Resource Busy"​

# Check what's using the device
lsof /dev/device_name

# Kill processes using the device
sudo kill -9 process_id

# Unmount if necessary
sudo umount /dev/device_name

Recovery Procedures​

1. System Recovery​

# Boot from SD card
# Access recovery mode
# Restore from backup

# Reflash system
sudo dd if=system_image.img of=/dev/mmcblk0 bs=4M status=progress

2. Data Recovery​

# Check filesystem
sudo fsck /dev/mmcblk0p2

# Recover deleted files
sudo apt install -y testdisk
testdisk

# Backup important data
sudo tar -czf backup.tar.gz /home/user/important_data

Prevention Strategies​

1. Regular Backups​

# Create system backup
sudo dd if=/dev/mmcblk0 of=backup.img bs=4M status=progress

# Backup configuration
sudo tar -czf config_backup.tar.gz /etc /home/user/.config

2. Monitoring Setup​

# Install monitoring tools
sudo apt install -y htop iotop nethogs

# Set up log rotation
sudo nano /etc/logrotate.d/your_app

# Configure automatic updates
sudo apt install -y unattended-upgrades

3. Development Best Practices​

  • Use version control (Git)
  • Test on multiple hardware configurations
  • Implement proper error handling
  • Use logging and debugging tools
  • Document configuration changes

Getting Help​

1. Community Resources​

2. Documentation​

3. Professional Support​

  • Contact Radxa support for hardware issues
  • Consult embedded systems experts
  • Use professional debugging services

Conclusion​

Troubleshooting embedded development issues requires systematic approach and good understanding of the platform. By following this guide and using the provided solutions, you can resolve most common issues and maintain a stable development environment.

Remember to:

  • Keep backups of working configurations
  • Document solutions for future reference
  • Stay updated with latest firmware and software
  • Join community forums for ongoing support

Resources​

Happy debugging! 🔧