• sweh
  • sweh
  • Blue Buddy
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  • Registered: 2011-03-19
  • Posts: 194

Topic: Boot screen on C1 fades to white

I had to powercycle one of my C1s yesterday... and it never came back :-(

I get the circle screen and then I get two wide bands across the screen and it slowly it fades to white.

I've made a video (20 seconds) of the boot sequence: https://sweh.spuddy.org/tmp/nonbooting_chumby.mp4

Any ideas?

  • From: Dallas, Tx
  • Registered: 2011-01-08
  • Posts: 1,261

Re: Boot screen on C1 fades to white

Looks like c1 power supply capacitor failures..

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cgbhG7JyT50

Cleaning up any loose bits and bytes.
  • sweh
  • sweh
  • Blue Buddy
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  • Registered: 2011-03-19
  • Posts: 194

Re: Boot screen on C1 fades to white

I tried powering it with a different power adapter (from the chumby that's still working) and got similar (but subtly different) results.  So it may be power adapter related and both are marginal...

So I tried it with a generic RadioShack power adapter set for 5V 2.5A (the barrel wasn't quite wide enough and wobbled a little, but it made contact) and got exactly the same results as in my original video.

So I don't think it's the external power adapter at fault...

  • 725
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  • Registered: 2021-09-07
  • Posts: 2

Re: Boot screen on C1 fades to white

I've got the same issue now after a power outage. Did anyone find a solution for this problem? Mine boots up the same way with the fading white screen.

  • Duane
  • Duane
  • Blue Octy
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  • From: San Diego, CA
  • Registered: 2006-08-24
  • Posts: 8,209

Re: Boot screen on C1 fades to white

The "fade to white" screen is a typical bad power supply symptom.

Duane's Website

  • 725
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  • Registered: 2021-09-07
  • Posts: 2

Re: Boot screen on C1 fades to white

Duane wrote:

The "fade to white" screen is a typical bad power supply symptom.

Thanks Duane! I will do some research to see what can be done to fix this.

  • Duane
  • Duane
  • Blue Octy
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  • From: San Diego, CA
  • Registered: 2006-08-24
  • Posts: 8,209

Re: Boot screen on C1 fades to white

This is the definitive thread on C1 power supply issues.

http://forum.chumby.com/viewtopic.php?id=8438

If you don't want to buy one, just find another some other 5V 2A power supply (very common nowadays for micro-USB powered devices like Raspberry Pis, etc), and graft the barrel connector from your existing power supply onto the new one.

It looks like the Chumby Store shows them out of stock, but I'll check to see what we have and adjust accordingly.

Duane's Website

  • Registered: 2011-11-30
  • Posts: 11

Re: Boot screen on C1 fades to white

I've got exactly the same problem.  No resemblance to the youtube video.  I will try a different power supply.  Will a USB supply (5.0-5.2v, 2.1A) work?

Cross-posting: Our Chumby One starts up with the screen with bubbles but then goes to a completely blank white screen and sticks there.  Any ideas to resurrect it?

  • sweh
  • sweh
  • Blue Buddy
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  • Registered: 2011-03-19
  • Posts: 194

Re: Boot screen on C1 fades to white

windhorn wrote:

Cross-posting: Our Chumby One starts up with the screen with bubbles but then goes to a completely blank white screen and sticks there.  Any ideas to resurrect it?

That's what the video in the first post shows.

Now, after all these years, I'm not 100% convinced it's a power supply issue.  Well... it _is_ a power supply issue, but I think the Chumby is causing it somehow.  I got a USB to pin cable so I can power the device from any USB wall wart.  They all do 5V 2.4A.  And they all power the device... but some time later (months, years) the chumby refuses to boot and I have to move to another PSU.

I don't know what it is, but I believe the Chumby's are PSU killers!

  • From: Dallas, Tx
  • Registered: 2011-01-08
  • Posts: 1,261

Re: Boot screen on C1 fades to white

Well, the original C1 power supplies were built during the 'bad old days' of capacitors.  I've fixed a few of those power supplies by changing the caps.

Cleaning up any loose bits and bytes.
  • From: Arizona
  • Registered: 2012-05-17
  • Posts: 294

Re: Boot screen on C1 fades to white

Switching power supplies are murder on caps!