Raspberry Pi 4 Red Light

[MasterRoby3]

Some time ago I bought a Raspberry Pi4 4GB to make my home server; I set everything properly (it was working just fine).
Then, one day, the power went out and after I switched the Raspberry back on it started to randomly switch itself off without apparent reason.
Today, trying to make it work properly again, I re-flashed the sd card with the new version of Raspian Buster but when I connected it to the psu just the red led switched on.

I read everything on the thread "The Boot Problems Sticky" (https://www.raspberrypi.org/forums/view ... 84#p437084), so I tried to reinstall the bootloader following this instructions https://www.raspberrypi.org/documentati ... teeprom.md, but also with the sd with the recovery image I had the same results.

Any ideas?

Thanks for the attention

[B.Goode]

Welcome to the Raspberry Pi forums.

Some time ago I bought a Raspberry Pi4 4GB to make my home server; I set everything properly (it was working just fine).
Then, one day, the power went out and after I switched the Raspberry back on it started to randomly switch itself off without apparent reason.
Today, trying to make it work properly again, I re-flashed the sd card with the new version of Raspian Buster but when I connected it to the psu just the red led switched on.

I read everything on the thread "The Boot Problems Sticky" (https://www.raspberrypi.org/forums/view ... 84#p437084), so I tried to reinstall the bootloader following this instructions https://www.raspberrypi.org/documentati ... teeprom.md, but also with the sd with the recovery image I had the same results.

Any ideas?

Thanks for the attention

The guide you have referenced has the distilled experience of over 7 years of discussion in these forums. There is no reason to think that any vital information is being deliberately withheld.

Maybe your power supply was damaged in the power failure incident.

[MasterRoby3]

The problem in not the psu for sure because I tried with two other psu and the result was the same: red light.


I don't know what to think... It can be that the Respberry is dead? I know that is very unlikely, as I read here on the forum, but I don't know what to do...

P.S. The first psu that I tried was the Raspberry original psu, so I never powered my Raspberry with a faulty psu.

[Burngate]

If the red LED is on, it's unlikely to be the PSU.

Have you tested pin 1 for 3v3?

[MasterRoby3]

Nope, I don't currently have a meter at home. The only thing that I know for sure is that the 5V power on pin 2 is working because the little fan that I have to cool down the Raspberry spins when I connect the power cable (fan is connected to 5V power on pin 2 and to GND on pin 6).

Edit: Tomorrow I should be able to gather a meter and test the 3v3 pin; i will write here what I find out

[MasterRoby3]

Ok, I tested the 3v3 pin and it's dead. Now, what can be the most probable cause? Static current? Conductive surface? I really don't know...

Do you have some advice about how to avoid that to happen again? Because I really need a raspberry so I thing I'm gonna buy a new one...

[Kendek]

Ok, I tested the 3v3 pin and it's dead. Now, what can be the most probable cause? Static current? Conductive surface? I really don't know...

Probably the 5V has shorted to 3.3V. Just avoid this, because it's deadly for the Pi.

[Burngate]

Probably the 5V has shorted to 3.3V. Just avoid this, because it's deadly for the Pi.

If that was what happened, it would die immediately.

From the first post:

... one day, the power went out and after I switched the Raspberry back on it started to randomly switch itself off without apparent reason.

So the dying took some time.
Also it doesn't seem to have been caused by by the way it was being used, rather by what went on as the power was going out (or coming back)

We'll probably never know the exact circumstances, so we'll never be able to offer advice as to how to avoid it recurring - other than to retire to a mountain top and contemplate the heavens.

[jamesh]

Sounds like the power brownout killed the Pi, unusual, but not impossible.

[MasterRoby3]

Ok, thanks for the quick responses. Just one more thing: I used to protect the raspberry a sort of cover (image below) with a fan connected to the 5v pin and the gnd pin... As you can see the thing has not lateral coverage: do you think that is enough or it's better to buy something more protective?

Thanks in advance

case.PNG (232.78 KiB) Viewed 478 times

[mahjongg]

That its open at the sides is good for cooling, its bad that you can touch the GPIO's, as they form a liability for static electricity discharges, or shorts.

I would leave it as it is, and just keep your hands, and metal objects, away from the GPIO header.