Failed to connect to ESP32: Timed out waiting for packet header

[aj5r1gg]

Trying to flash a new RNode and all appears to be going well and then a fatal error.

The error is as follows:

Installer Ready

Ok, that should be all the information we need. Please confirm the following summary before proceeding. In the next step, the device will be flashed and provisioned, so make sure that you are satisfied with your choices.

Serial port     : /dev/ttyS0
Device type     : RNode 820 - 1020 MHz
Platform        : ESP32
Device MCU      : Espressif Systems ESP32
Firmware file   : rnode_firmware_ng21.zip

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Is the above correct? [y/N] y

[15:04:01] Checking firmware file availability...
[15:04:02] The latest firmware for this board is version 1.67
[15:04:02] Using existing firmware file: rnode_firmware_ng21.zip for version 1.67
[15:04:02] Verifying firmware integrity...
[15:04:02] Decompressing firmware...
[15:04:02] Firmware decompressed
[15:04:02] Flashing RNode firmware to device on /dev/ttyS0
esptool.py v3.1
Serial port /dev/ttyS0
Connecting........_____....._____....._____....._____....._____....._____....._____

A fatal error occurred: Failed to connect to ESP32: Timed out waiting for packet header
[15:04:26] Error from flasher (2) while writing.
[15:04:26] Some boards have trouble flashing at high speeds, and you can
[15:04:26] try flashing with a lower baud rate, as in this example:
[15:04:26] rnodeconf --autoinstall --baud-flash 115200

I have tried setting the baud flash at 115200, even at 57600, to no avail.

How can I make this work?

[faragher]

I'd expect the time-out to be an issue of incorrect port, but I'd guess that would have been detected previously. Do you have multiple machines and boards you can test this out with? Is it an issue with all the hardware available?

The error itself seems to be coming from esptool, so it's possible rnodeconf isn't aware of the type of error.

I'll be honest, between this and the AutoInterface error, I'm quickly out of my depth. I haven't done any real work with the firmware or the interfaces.

[aj5r1gg]

Thanks @faragher for always responding. And, my apologies, I should have mentioned that I tried four different USB ports.

[faragher]

Did the autoinstall find the device name? Is in the same name when you plug it into each port? I had an issue today where it didn't release the port when the device was removed and reinserted. Otherwise, if the device name is correct, changing the speed doesn't help, and the hardware itself isn't somehow locked, I am very confused.

[markqvist]

Are you sure that /dev/ttyS0 is the right port? That looks like one of the console ports on your machine, not an external port. Depending on what type of board you are trying to flash, you should get ports that looke something like /dev/ttyUSB0 or '/dev/ttyACM0', if you are on Linux.

You can also look at the output from sudo dmesg -w when plugging in the device to the USB port, which will show you hardware events happening in realtime, and will often print the port the new device is attached to.

[aj5r1gg]

Thank you @faragher for your response. There were no results when I entered tail -f /var/log/dmesg | grep USB. And when I entered tail -f /var/log/dmesg there were a dozen or so results but nothing related to USB.

[faragher]

Okay, now I am very confused. If the RNode powers up with a USB power bank, we can assume the cable and connector are functioning. USB ports should provide power without any connectivity (even if at a low current). At this point I'm throwing anything at the wall, but do other devices work in those USB ports?

I am entirely at a loss as to why you can't get power to the RNode.

[aj5r1gg]

I can stick any other device, such as webcam or flashdrive, into any USB port and they work fine.

[faragher]

I don't even know where to go from here. There's some talk about Ryzen chipsets having USB ports not working, but I'm not even sure how ports that power some USB devices would suddenly not power another. I'm sorry, I have no idea what's going on or where to go from here.

[aj5r1gg]

That's cool. Thank you for your assistance. We'll work it out, somehow.