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the rainbow screen of death -help!

Posted: Fri Mar 01, 2019 12:21 pm
by papajsantos
Hey all, I need some help please!

I'm working on the BW variant 11, a RPi 3A+ and one of Helder's Retro PSU's, and I'm having issues with the screen.

I thought the screen was broken at first because it wasn't working with my old PSU, but now it's turning on! Which is one step forward.

The few steps backwards are that it doesn't boot past the Rainbow Screen :o

According to my research it could be a bricked Pi, a problem with power, or a problem with either the SD card or the image.

I've tried 2 sd cards and neither worked, one is from Sandisk and the other is off brand and possibly doesn't work :? I've also tried editing the config file and putting in "boot_delay=1" but I'm kind of crap at coding so I don't know if I'm doing it wrong.

From what I've heard people have had no problems with the Retro PSU.

so I'm a little nervous that it's my Pi as I've stripped it down a bit and I may have bricked it, but I don't know if I have :? does anyone know anything else I could try? I have to go for a trip in a few days and I'd love to fix this up before I go!

Thanks all!

Re: the rainbow screen of death -help!

Posted: Fri Mar 01, 2019 12:37 pm
by VeteranGamer
how much have you stripped it down.....


if you still have the HDMI and the Power USB
just connected it up to a TV and a USB power cord and see if it works...




.

Re: the rainbow screen of death -help!

Posted: Fri Mar 01, 2019 12:51 pm
by papajsantos
VeteranGamer wrote:
Fri Mar 01, 2019 12:37 pm
how much have you stripped it down.....
I've only ripped off the USB port and the two ribbon connectors and attempted to cut down the GPIO pins. Nothing to my knowledge is bridging at all.

I'll test it with HDMI in the morning, or well, later today, it's almost 7AM here and I've been working all night on it.

Re: the rainbow screen of death -help!

Posted: Fri Mar 01, 2019 1:44 pm
by infinitLoop
i think its most likely the image on your card, or the card itself. i had a lot of trouble getting older images working on the A+, even when the cards worked in 3Bs or zeros. If you are getting a rainbow screen, then the pi is sending a video signal, which is good - your screen isn't dead and neither is your pi. it's most likely that it can't locate the boot files, so update your image. when i've killed pis, then there is no signal to the screen, and it doesn't turn on at all, and when it has no card or doesn't recognize the card, same thing, no screen at all.

my advice is to just get a recent 3A+ approved NOOBs or raspian image, or something like that, that you are sure will work with the A+. Or just the latest retropie one. If you have another pi, run all the updates there, and then try it.

Re: the rainbow screen of death -help!

Posted: Fri Mar 01, 2019 3:03 pm
by papajsantos
infinitLoop wrote:
Fri Mar 01, 2019 1:44 pm
Or just the latest retropie one.
That's what I was using :oops:

Re: the rainbow screen of death -help!

Posted: Fri Mar 01, 2019 3:26 pm
by infinitLoop
papajsantos wrote:
Fri Mar 01, 2019 3:03 pm
infinitLoop wrote:
Fri Mar 01, 2019 1:44 pm
Or just the latest retropie one.
That's what I was using :oops:
maybe try tinkerboy's image that he tested on an a+?

https://www.tinkerboy.xyz/retropie-imag ... s-and-dpi/

Re: the rainbow screen of death -help!

Posted: Fri Mar 01, 2019 8:22 pm
by papajsantos
infinitLoop wrote:
Fri Mar 01, 2019 3:26 pm
maybe try tinkerboy's image that he tested on an a+?

https://www.tinkerboy.xyz/retropie-imag ... s-and-dpi/
Perfect! worked an absolute treat! Thanks my dude :)