Regular freezes with Raspberry 2&3

[nonorius]

Hello all,

I am a bit desperate as I do not find any solution to my problem: after few minutes of game(2 to 20 minutes) my Raspberry is freezing (screen + ssh blocked : has to stop by unpluging the powe supply).
I tried almost everything I think:
=> change power supply (current : 3A)
=> change sd card (sandisk class 10 8 & 64 gb)
=> re-install several times Retropie 3.6 on my different cards
=> switch network from ethernet to wifi and vice & versa
=> it’s occuring on both my Raspberry pi 2 & 3 but more frequently on raspberry 3 it seems. mybe more playing supernes and megadrive (not sure)
=> I tried to put roms only on a usb key

Now to me it remains:
=> maybe configuration of the hdmi (where?)
=> bluetooth issue? I am using a ps3 pad via bluetooth.

In conclusion my two raspberry are not usable…
Do you know this issue?

Thanks in advance for your help!

[InsecureSpike]

i’m wondering on card compatibility with Jessie (i could be completely wrong)
also card size…

Pi 3 and 128GB MicroSD?

heres Wheezy compatibility list

http://elinux.org/RPi_SD_cards

[nonorius]

Hello,
Thanks for your answer.
My both cards seem to be compatible….
any idea about HDMI?

Thanks!

[senkun]

I would not rule out bad cards just yet. If the only sd cards you have tried are just the two Sandisks, I would say get another verified compatible card (8/16/32gb) of a different brand before anything else. Make sure to get a legit card from a trusted seller, and check it with either H2testw / FakeFlashTest / ChipGenius first to confirm.

[ssimplemind]

He guys, I was about to post the same problem for my Retropie configuration.

My config is:
– Raspberry Pi 3, initially with RetroPie 3.4, now upgraded to 3.6
– VRAM split is 256MB
– Sony, 16GB SDHC Class 10 SD Card
– official rPi 3 power source, 2.5A if I remember correctly
– one or two Playstation 3 controllers, connected by bluetooth
– I´ve had ROMs directly on my SD Card and also on my network storage

My problem is that the raspberry pi freezes in the middle of games. It happened to me in SNES, as well as N64 and PSX games. I specifically tested the SD Card before I bought it and it only has about a month of use, but the problems appeared on the first day.

My rPi freezes less frequently than @nonorius ´s. It can sometimes work for about 2-3 hours of playtime, while other times it works just for 5-10 minutes. I also kept it on for almost two days without any game running and nothing happened.

I´ve tried keeping an eye out for RAM usage (I had 512MB VRAM at first, 256MB now), keeping the top command running in an ssh session, but I had more than 100MB of RAM to spare when it happened.

I´m pretty new to linux and I´m not sure where to look, so I´d be grateful if you could point me to some application logs. Maybe I can find the error there. I tried running emulationstation --debug from the ssh session but I think it doesn´t work that way, because I can´t start any game.

Could it be because of the bluetooth controllers? Did anybody else experience this problem with them?

[nonorius]

Hello,

I have identified my sandisk 8GB class10 -the one I use currently- this is a SL08G indicated as OK in the link above.
@ssimplimind : last time I have been able to play 2 hours, but such long is very rare.

I have also tried to find logs in /var/log but nothing relevant.

Another idea around logs?

Thanks!

[herbfargus]

If you’re overclocking it can cause freezing.

[nonorius]

I , no OC on my side.

[InsecureSpike]

could try this

sudo nano /boot/config.txt

right at the bottom add

max_usb_current=1

[nonorius]

I made a new test and I think I start to understand the root cause.
I launched a snes game (magical quest 2) until first boss, no issue.
Once defeated, freeze …
like when needed to load something it occured an issue.
maybe the system is on hold when not accessing something during a given time (a level for instance) and meets an issue when attempting to wake up.

[nonorius]

@Insecurespike : thanks I try asap.

[nonorius]

I tried with max_usb_current=1
same behaviour…
It seems to happen more frequently with snes.

[InsecureSpike]

did you reboot?

have you done a binaries update?

[nonorius]

Hello,

Yes I did reboot.
what do you mean by binary update?

Thanks!

[sabrecheeky]

I am having similar issues, but mine is freezing within seconds mainly on PSP (both lr-PPSSPP and PPSSPP) and PS1 games on my new Pi3.

I had a nice set on my Pi2; NOOBS launcher with Ubuntu MATE, OpenELEC and RetroPie – a 10A 6 port (2.4A per port) USB power supply powering the Pi, Ethernet to Wifi adapter and 2.5in 500GB HDD. RetroPie (3.2 iirc) run great on that. All the games ran from the SD card, except the PSP and PS1 games from the HDD (all my own homemade rips which work great on the Pi2 and other machines).

I have tried to copy this set up on my new Pi3. Ubuntu runs like a dream, and OpenELEC similarly flawlessly, but this RetroPie issue has me stumped. I thought it might be the power supply so I bought an official (looking!) 2.5A supply – no fix. I changed over to an independently powered 3.5in HDD (3TB, one partition formatted to ext4 and mounted in fstab), still no luck. Tried a adding a heatsink too, no joy.

Reading other posts, perhaps there is a fair bit of variation in quality in the manufacturing of Pi3’s. I tried overloading (no overclocking, don’t do overclocking!) my Pi3 in Ubuntu to see if I could get it to freeze. I run all four cores at 100% (using ‘stress’) for half an hour with no ill effects, except a quite hot heat sink ><.

I’m not very technical, so any thoughts or ideas on where I’m going wrong would be greatly appreciated ^^

[nonorius]

Hello,

I was thinking too it was an issue with pi3 but it happens too with my pi2!
In fact I bought almost in the same time a pi2 and just after a pi3 ;-)

[sabrecheeky]

Perhaps something in Retropie 3.6 our setups don’t like. I’ll try a SNES game, see how I get on. I’ve tried Amiga, GBA and ZXspectrum games on my Pi3 with 3.6 and no issues.

[nonorius]

Thanks, to do a proper test, you need to play (or let play itself) a game during at least 30 minutes.

[sabrecheeky]

Played 30 minutes of SNES Yoshi’s island without a crash, then tried Devil Dice on PS1, and it lasted less than a minute ><. Don’t have Magical Quest so can’t check that. Picked Yoshi’s Island as it is quite demanding… I’ll try Star Fox/Wing.

[sabrecheeky]

Star Fox froze before I could even fire a shot! Oh dear…

[nonorius]

Thanks sabrecheeky!
At least, I am not alone ;-)
In fact it seems the time needed to crash is random.
By the way, several days ago I did a stress test too and same results : perfect with both pi 2 & 3.
So I think that the hardware of pi is not the cause.
Do you use an official ps3 controler like me (bluetooth)?
Bluetooth is one of my last suspects… if not it remains hdmi configuration or, Retropie itself.
Does someone else has the same issue?
Note that I have recompile the emulators for PI3, with no change unfortunately.
Thanks!

[sabrecheeky]

Yes, I’m using a PS3 controller over Bluetooth. It could be that, perhaps a clash with the inbuilt bluetooth on the Pi3 (I still use a usb Bluetooth receiver).

[nonorius]

No, I do not think so : I have the same issue with the pi2 with a bluetooth adapter.

[sabrecheeky]

I think you’ve found it! I unplugged my bluetooth adaptor, and set up my wireless keyboard as a controller, and all seems well… I even made it past the opening fmv of Crisis Core for the first time on my Pi3 ^^ Tried PS1 and SNES… Looking good.

So probably a problem with bluetooth and/or PS3 controllers then…

[nonorius]

Hello,
yes it seems better with keyboard only…but not playable.
now is it due to ps3 or bluetooth?
As I have the issue on pi2, I would say to the ps3 pad but not sure…
I am trying to understand how to play with the ps3 pad without bluetooth beign just usb wired.
Thanks anyway !

[sabrecheeky]

But at least we know what might be the problem so it can be fixed by those skilled in the mystic arts ^^.

I’m still worried though that the problem for me seemed to occur far more often in ‘demanding’ emulators. I certainly can say I had no problems with my bluetooth PS3 controller using Retropie versions 2.6 – 3.2 on my Pi2, aside from the odd disconnection (easily solved ingame by unplugging and replugging the usb bluetooth dongle).

[Anonymous]

https://github.com/raspberrypi/linux/issues/1360

Frequent random freezing with bluetooth controller connected – how do I go about debugging this?
byu/thomasloven inRetroPie

[sabrecheeky]

Thanks for the info, Bengus. For what it’s worth the workaround mentioned on that page to disable the built in bluetooth didn’t work for me, the pi could not detect the Dualshock over the usb bluetooth.

[InsecureSpike]

[quote=121676]Hello,

Yes I did reboot.
what do you mean by binary update?

Thanks!

[/quote]

go to the retropie config menu and select Retropie Set-Up.

then from the next menu select “update setup script” once that is done exit, then re enter, and select the first option, “update binaries”

[ssimplemind]

Hi guys, I second the opinion that the pi-bluetooth service or ps3 service are at fault. I connected one of the controllers through the USB cable and the emulators have run for 4 hours straight with no problems. I tested Mario Kart for n64, TOCA2, Final Fantasy VII, Tekken 3 and Carmageddon for PSX and there was no problem, even though in the past my system froze in each and every one of those games.

To finish the test I exited the emulators and tried to connect the second controller via Bluetooth. The controller didn´t even have time to pair and emulatorstation froze. I guess I´m stuck with wired controllers for now, but I´d still try to get to the root of the problem.

Could there be a communication problem between the PS3 wireless service and the bluetooth service? I have yet to find other posts on the internet complaining that bluetooth on the rPi froze the system.

[InsecureSpike]

guys have you updated your set-up since your initial installation?
via the binaries in the Retropie set-up menu?

[nerdythor]

I’ve had crash logs that end with bluetooth ending in failure states too. Has anyone had issues with bluetooth AND Berryboot?

The Standard image works fine for me in all respects, but my berryboot attempts have all ended in abject failure the second I paired up my PS3 controller. The entire system gets about 7 to 13 degrees F hotter when the controller’s(compared to 5 to 7) attached, it’ll play Super Mario World for 5 to 10 minutes and then freeze/hang. The regular SD image has zero issue playing Xenogears or Valkryie Profile(although some graphics do get blocky). It’s not a super pressing issue for the time being, but it’s kind of bizarre.

RetroPie 3.6 keeps freezing on BerryBoot

[sabrecheeky]

Yes, I got the new set-up script and did a full binaries update right off the bat. Do you think it is worth doing again, has there been an update?

I don’t know if it is related, but the old bug of not being able to map PS3 sixaxis controllers in mame4all seems to have reared its head again. Neither binary nor source update of mame4all fixed that for me ><.

[ssimplemind]

I did an update about 8 hours ago. As far as I can tell, the problem’s getting worse. I connected my sixaxis controller via bluetooth and in 10 minutes I encountered two freezes while trying to play Mario Kart 64. One while the game was loading and another after restarting, and playing for about 3 minutes.

On a completely unrelated note, the mupen-rice emulator, which is default, doesn’t display any video anymore, but 64plus is ok.

[sebhecht]

Hallo guys,

i have the same problem:
Retropie freezes after 5-10 min while I’m playing Mario Kart 64 with my PS3-Controller connected via Bluetooth (same with other games).

When using another Controller connected via USB I haven’t had any problems playing for hours.

I thing it’s definitly a Bluetooth problem

[Author]

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