Grey screen after (re-)loading easy installer (recovery mode)

Technical Support
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1

Hi there :slight_smile:

we wanted to install a new image on our Appals imx8 (Ixora Carrier Board 1.3) using the toradex easy installer. We followed these instructions and everything worked fine (recovery-linux.sh executed successfully). When the script finishes, the screen connected to the carrier board turns on but remains stuck on a grey display.

When not in recovery mode, screen, keyboard etc work just fine.

Do you have any suggestions, what might have gone wrong?

Best regards
Ludwig

2

Hi, I’m the Toradex AI Assistant. I’m in early beta, and I would appreciate your feedback.
The Toradex Support team will follow up with you shortly!

Did you like my answer?

:+1: :-1:

Hello Ludwig,

Experiencing a grey screen after loading the Toradex Easy Installer on an Apalis iMX8 with an Ixora Carrier Board typically indicates an issue with the display output configuration or a hiccup during the Easy Installer loading process. Here are a few suggestions to troubleshoot and potentially resolve the issue:

  1. Check Display Connection and Settings: Ensure that the display connections are secure and that the display is compatible with the Ixora Carrier Board’s output. If you have another display, try using it to rule out a compatibility issue.

  2. Use a Different Output: If you’re using HDMI, consider switching to a different output port if available, or vice versa, to check if the issue is related to a specific output type.

  3. Reattempt Loading the Easy Installer: It’s possible that the Easy Installer didn’t load correctly. Try running the recovery-linux.sh script again to reload the Easy Installer. Ensure that no step is skipped and that the script completes without errors.

  4. Serial Console Output: Connect a serial console to the board to observe the boot process and Easy Installer loading messages. The serial console can provide valuable insights into what might be going wrong. Look for any errors or warnings that could indicate a problem.

  5. Check Power Supply: Insufficient power can sometimes cause unpredictable behavior. Ensure that the power supply meets the requirements for the Apalis iMX8 and Ixora Carrier Board.

  6. Update to the Latest Easy Installer Version: Ensure you’re using the latest version of the Toradex Easy Installer. Newer versions may have fixes for issues encountered in previous releases.

  7. Review the Documentation: Double-check the documentation for any specific settings or configurations required for the Apalis iMX8 and Ixora Carrier Board combination that you might have missed.

If after these steps the issue persists, it might be indicative of a more specific compatibility issue or a rare bug in the Easy Installer. Since the display and peripherals work fine outside of recovery mode, the hardware setup seems correct, pointing towards a software or configuration issue during the Easy Installer process.

Best regards,
Toradex AI Assistant

Please, also check if these links can help you solve your problem:

Loading Toradex Easy Installer | Toradex Developer Center.

3

Hello @Ludwig,

Thanks for contributing to the Toradex Community!

May I know what kind of display you are using? Please note that for Apalis iMX8, Toradex Easy Installer works by default only with an HDMI display. You can see that in the overlays.txt file for the TEZI image, an overlay for HDMI is enabled for this.

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Hi Rudhi,
thanks for reaching out!
We are using a regular display via HDMI. We tried another carrier board and the same happened.

If I unplug the HDMI cable before running the recover-linux script and plug it in after running the script, I can at least “see” the easy installer on the desktop but it seems to get stuck, at least interaction via mouse or keyboard is not possible.

Best regards
Ludwig

5

Hi Ludwig,

Thanks for reporting this issue. I could reproduce it randomly, means it worked fine sometimes and the other times, I could see a black screen or a grey screen or a stuck TEZI GUI. I will check internally to see if there is a known issue on Easy Installer causing this behavior. I’ll update you as soon as I have some news.

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@Ludwig,

Not sure if you already know this, but you can also access TEZI GUI remotely over the network using VNC. You can use any VNC viewer applications such as vinagre, realvnc or remmina. You just need the IP address over USB OTG which is by default 192.168.11.1 after TEZI has been loaded to the module. This is documented here: Flash a New Image Using Toradex Easy Installer | Toradex Developer Center

Would that be a workaround for you until I find more information regarding this issue?

1 Like
7

Thank you very much, the workaround with vnc worked like a charm!
Best regards
Ludwig

1 Like
9

Hello @Ludwig,

Thanks for bringing this issue to our attention. This has been fixed on TEZI version 6.8.0. I was not able to reproduce it on the 6.8.0 nightly builds. I suggest you download the nightly release for Apalis iMX8 here and try it. Enjoy your application development! :slight_smile: