Fail at the first hurdle

[Grumpy_Mike]

@Grumpy_Mike

At which point it just hangs, well for at least ten minutes so far

So this morning I managed to do something, I know not what, that seemed to kick it off again. This is what just happened

Do you want to procede and flash /private/var/folders/0r/5d65776n19q2wvp1wf4bjsxr0000gn/T/flasher-updater-1746828856/arduino-unoq-debian-image-20251006-395 on the board? (yes/no)
yes
Flashing with qdl
Waiting for EDL device
waiting for programmer...
flashed "xbl_a" successfully                                                    
flashed "xbl_b" successfully at 3094kB/s                                        
flashed "xbl_config_a" successfully
flashed "xbl_config_b" successfully
flashed "tz_a" successfully                                                     
flashed "tz_b" successfully
rpm_a                [##################################################] 100.00                                                                                flashed "rpm_a" successfully
flashed "rpm_b" successfully
flashed "hyp_a" successfully
flashed "hyp_b" successfully
flashed "boot_a" successfully
flashed "boot_b" successfully
flashed "keymaster_a" successfully
keymaster_b          [##################################################] 100.00                                                                                flashed "keymaster_b" successfully
flashed "abl_a" successfully
flashed "abl_b" successfully
flashed "imagefv_a" successfully
flashed "imagefv_b" successfully
flashed "uefisecapp_a" successfully
flashed "uefisecapp_b" successfully
flashed "misc_boot" successfully
flashed "devcfg_a" successfully
flashed "devcfg_b" successfully
flashed "featenabler_a" successfully
flashed "featenabler_b" successfully
flashed "qupfw_a" successfully
flashed "qupfw_b" successfully
flashed "apdp" successfully
flashed "storsec" successfully
flashed "multiimgoem_a" successfully
flashed "multiimgoem_b" successfully
flashed "efi" successfully at 41666kB/s                                         
flashed "rootfs" successfully at 26121kB/s                                      
userdata             [##################################################] 100.00                                                                                flashed "userdata" successfully at 23966kB/s
flashed "PrimaryGPT" successfully
flashed "BackupGPT" successfully
13 patches applied
partition 0 is now bootable

I am not sure what this means as when I remove the link on the jumper and plug it back in the board just sits there showing the heart display. The Arduino App Lab shows the waiting for board to be connected.

Does this give any one an inside to what could be wrong, and what "bootable means in this context?

EDIT
after restarting the iMac the display changes to the snake display but that never changes.

[manchuino]

Hi,

“partition 0 is now bootable” is the latest message the tool prints when the flashing procedure succeeds. When you see this message, it means the board is ready to use. Remove the jumper between pins 1 and 2, then unplug and replug the board into your Mac.

You might see something showing or not on the LED matrix; this depends on what is currently running on the MCU, which might be a booting animation or a different sketch. In any case, the board should appear in App Lab after a few seconds (the Linux system takes about 12 seconds to boot). If not, please double-check that the system has detected the board by browsing the USB section of the System Information app.

If the Uno Q doesn’t appear in System Information, please double-check the USB-C cable, the USB port on the Mac, or the USB hub.

[Grumpy_Mike]

@manchuino

If not, please double-check that the system has detected the board by browsing the USB section of the System Information app.

Thank you for your reply. While I am familiar with using this to look at the hardware, on this occasion I can not find it in the system information on this iMac which I am trying to use, and not a MacBook Pro.

On my old MacBook, I can see there is no port being being detected.

[ptillisch]

@Grumpy_Mike

on this occasion I can not find it in the system information on this iMac which I am trying to use

Try this:

1. Click the Apple logo on the left side of the menu bar at the top of the screen ("Apple menu").
2. Select "System Settings..." from the menu.
3. A "System Settings" window will open. Click "General" in the menu on the left side of the window.
   ⓘ You may need to scroll the menu down to see "General".
4. Click "About" on the panel at the right side of the "System Settings" window.
5. The "About" panel will open. Click the "System Report..." button at the bottom of the panel.
6. The "System Information" window will now open. Select Hardware > USB from the tree on the left side of the window.

The "USB Device Tree" panel will now open in the "System Information" window.

[Grumpy_Mike]

thank you for that. However, I got no indication the USB hub knew anything about the Arduino Q board.
This is the screen dump I got

[Grumpy_Mike]

@manchuino

If the Uno Q doesn’t appear in System Information, please double-check the USB-C cable, the USB port on the Mac, or the USB hub.

Yes all checked. They are the same cables I used in the days when it worked.

[Grumpy_Mike]

I am beginning to think that my Q board is bricked. It just sits there showing the heart symbol. I can't see it as connected in the system hardware where I can see other stuff like a USB memory stick appear when I plug it in.

@J-M-L when looking for a USB hub (is this what you call a dongle ?) Should I be looking for a Mac Compatible one, or one that can be used with a PC or Mac? I am assuming it will be the PC or Mac type.

A longish search of eBay fails to show any hubs with a HDMI interface that fits that criteria.

[J-M-L]

@Grumpy_Mike

@J-M-L when looking for a USB hub (is this what you call a dongle ?) Should I be looking for a Mac Compatible one, or one that can be used with a PC or Mac? I am assuming it will be the PC or Mac type

It’s more than a hub and you can carry many signals through USB-C including power, traditional USB data, video, Ethernet and others. The dongle is in fact a smart device that presents itself to the host as offering multiple services, not just USB data, and manages several independent communication channels within the same physical link through USB-C alternate modes and Power Delivery protocols.

For example, for video, the dongle has to switch the traditional USB-C high-speed data lines into alternate modes such as DisplayPort or HDMI. This involves dynamically rerouting the physical lanes and signaling protocols so that the same wires carry video signals instead of standard USB data, while still coordinating with power delivery and other functions to ensure the host and device negotiate the correct modes and voltages. During this time, the standard USB data lines are repurposed for video, so regular data transfer does not work, which requires the dongle to manage switching with very tight and precise timing to ensure video transmission occurs without errors while power delivery and other services remain stable.

Apple tends to optimize what it sells for its own products and I think they will not take any risk as all big companies are being sued for anything those days. So for example for their USB-C Digital AV Multiport Adapter, the product description does only mention it is made for apple products (Mac, iPhone, iPad) and if the target USB-C device is not an Apple device and does not fully respect timings, strict USB Power Delivery negotiation sequences, or impedance matching required for stable communication, the adapter will drop back to the minimum requirement of 5V 500mA or may refuse the connection entirely.

Some other products are more lenient and tolerate minor deviations in timing, impedance, or PD negotiation, allowing them to work with a wider range of devices.

USB C and its services is very tightly define so a Mac or PC thingy should not matter but when planning to connect non-Apple equipment, I would tend to get something known to work reliably on the Mac and possibly made by companies like Anker, Satechi, or Belkin, which design their USB-C accessories with broader compatibility while maintaining good electrical and protocol compliance (and are less at risk for a 150 million damage suit if a dumb user does a mistake and fries its USB port or device).

When using really just a hub (usb data line only no other service) I have found that it works best to go down to the older usb 2 hubs as you skip this way all the protections implemented on the Mac for USB C and it works across a larger set of target devices.

[manchuino]

@Grumpy_Mike,

You can use any USB-C hub; if it is labeled for PC or Mac, it doesn't matter, as long as it is not an Apple product. It needs to have at least:

• Power Delivery (PD) support. It must have a USB-C INPUT for connecting an external USB-C PD power supply with at least 15W output.
• One or two USB-A ports for connecting a keyboard and a mouse (or a combo)
• One HDMI port to be connected to an external display

[Grumpy_Mike]

Thanks @manchuino and @J-M-L for those answers.

@J-M-L

I would tend to get something known to work reliably on the Mac and possibly made by companies like Anker, Satechi, or Belkin,

I looked at all three of these manufacturers and found nothing that had the features I was looking for, which were Power input, 4 USB A type connectors and a HDMI option.

If I understand you correctly then if the HDMI is in operation then the USB ports are not going to work. How is this compatable with getting the Arduino Q to work with the HDMI, as some examples in the Arduino App Lab work?

Before my board was (apparently) bricked when things were semi working, I found that adding the power supplementary input was the major factor in making it work.

[ernstvv]

I've seem to have the same issue. Connecting the UnoQ to a laptop does power up the board but it isn't detected by Windows or Linux.

I did connect an HUB with HDMI etc to it and the board seems to function as I've got a desktop and was able to configure WiFi etc. Now after configuring WiFi the App Lab does detect the board over WiFi, but still not using USB. No device is shown connected to USB. I've tried different cables, different laptops and both Windows and Linux.

[Grumpy_Mike]

Hi @ernstvv welcome to the forum.

Have you tried looking at the USB data I got in Post #22 what do you see?

[J-M-L]

@Grumpy_Mike

If I understand you correctly then if the HDMI is in operation then the USB ports are not going to work. How is this compatable with getting the Arduino Q to work with the HDMI, as some examples in the Arduino App Lab work?

Sorry I've spoken too fast and was not precise enough there. It does work and it relies on how the USB-C link is multiplexed and how much bandwidth is reserved for each function. When HDMI or DisplayPort Alt Mode is active, some of the SuperSpeed lanes that would normally carry USB 3.x data are reassigned to carry video signals. However, the USB 2.0 differential pair (D+ and D–) remains active at all times and continues to handle low-speed and full-speed devices such as keyboards, mice, or serial devices like an Arduino ➜ only the high-speed USB 3.x part is disabled or reduced.

In more details, a full USB 3.x connection uses nine data-related wires plus power and ground (four SuperSpeed differential pairs (two transmit and two receive, eight wires total), one legacy USB 2.0 differential pair (two wires, D+ and D–), plus VBUS and GND. The connector has up to twenty-four pins, but many are duplicates or reversals to support plug flipping, alternate modes, and power delivery.

@Grumpy_Mike

I looked at all three of these manufacturers and found nothing that had the features I was looking for, which were Power input, 4 USB A type connectors and a HDMI option.

This somewhat explains why it's hard to find one with 4 USB A connectors - supporting power input (PD pass-through), HDMI (via alternate mode) and multiple USB-A ports places lots of demands on the hub chip architecture, which means compromises in one area (for example fewer USB-A ports) are common).

I use 2 - a dongle and a hub (a USB C dongle from satechi and a simple USB hub from belkin)

[ernstvv]

Thanks for the welcome

It looks like none of the laptops or OSses are detecting anything. They just power the board but no new devices are reported. Not even an error message. There is not a trace of logging on my Linux laptop, where normally there should be displayed something even when a device is not responding correctly. I will do some more tests soon and add my findings.

The wierd thing is that connection an USB-C hub with HDMI output does work as this will output the video of the board to the monitor and accept key strokes. So the connector seems to be working fine, only not when connecting it to an PC.

[Grumpy_Mike]

OK I think I know what bricked my Q, so I have orided a new one today. I should get it tomorrow so I can check out my theory.

[J-M-L]

@Grumpy_Mike

so I have orided a new one today. I should get it tomorrow

How do you do that ? Last I looked it was back ordered for a few weeks

[Grumpy_Mike]

@J-M-L

How do you do that ?

I used a UK distributor who had stock and no customs declarations to deal with

[gjb]

Just received it, when powered on it did the heart straight away plus a blinking green led. The arduino app cant see anything. Flashing the firmware gives this.

Download progress: 89.06 %
Download progress: 90.06 %
Download progress: 91.06 %
Download progress: 92.06 %
Download progress: 93.06 %
Download progress: 94.06 %
Download progress: 95.06 %
Download progress: 96.06 %
Download progress: 97.06 %
Download progress: 98.06 %
Download progress: 99.06 %
Download of Debian image completed
Unzipping Debian image
arduino-unoq-debian-image-20251024-412/
arduino-unoq-debian-image-20251024-412/disk-sdcard.img.home
arduino-unoq-debian-image-20251024-412/disk-sdcard.img.root
error flashing the board: could not download and extract the image: error extracting the image: could not extract archive: Create file /tmp/flasher-updater-3728861003/arduino-unoq-debian-image-20251024-412/disk-sdcard.img.root: write /tmp/flasher-updater-3728861003/arduino-unoq-debian-image-20251024-412/disk-sdcard.img.root: no space left on device

I am trying now the same procedure in windows, at least there the board is detected and I will report back.

[programming_electronics_academy]

Not sure if this will be helpful for people looking at this thread or not, but I made a video of using the arduino-flasher-cli to update the image on an Arduino Q - mostly designed for folks not too familiar with using a CLI.

arduino-flasher-cli #ArduinoQ #ArduinoAppLab