Featured Articles
Announcing Pi
Technical Specifications
Raspberry Pi FAQs
Win a Pi
Raspberry Pi Wishlist
Actions
Forum Thread Details
  • State Suggested Answer
  • Replies 8 replies
  • Answers 2 answers
  • Subscribers 685 subscribers
  • Views 709 views
  • Users 0 members are here
Related

My first assembly doesn't work

Former Member

What does experience say about handling of the Raspberry Pi hardware?

I've done a lot of work on computers but Raspberry Pi is new to me.

 

I just finished assembly of a Raspberry Pi kit for use with my TV, but on startup, both green and red lights are on, and no signal goes to the TV.. I asembled the kit on my desk at home and made no particular precautions, so I cannot say for certain that I myself am not the cause, but it is my experience that electronics of this kind are not overly sensitive to a little handling.

 

Sometims I place one of the side panels of my computer on the desk while working on electronics, is that what I should have done this time as well? Would it hen be reasonable to make a complaint and get a replacement?

  • 0

    Rolf have you got the RPi working in the past or is this the first boot of the computer?

     

    What electronics project have you started on it if any?  I think you have only  just booted it however!

     

    By default the RPi will boot and use the HDMI not composite video, if you can it's much better to use the HDMI otherwise you need to edit the config and change it to use composite video if that's how it's connected to the TV.

    http://elinux.org/RPiconfig

  • 0 in reply to Problemchild

    I got the kit in the mail today, assembled it and connected to the tv via HDMI cable. Both green and red signals light up.

    I have no kbd/mouse connected, only a Logitech USB plug for wireless use.

     

    The instructions say:

     

    When you are happy that you have plugged in all the cables and microSD card required, finally plug in the microUSB power supply. This action will turn on and boot your Raspberry Pi.

     

    From how the TV responds it is clear that it detects a cable connection, but there are no signals on the cable. The TV issues a warning if I unplug the cable.

     

    I am an absolute stranger to the RPi, but I wonder if the micro SD card must be programmed before anything more can happen, but I have no facilites for programming microSD cards. If that is an absolute requirement, I might have some acquaintances that could do that for me.

  • 0 in reply to Former Member

    The PI is certainly tollerant of handling in my experiance, I have been using them for quite a while and have many. none of them have died at all and I take no special handling precausings other than holding them on the edges of the board and not on the flat surfaces but thats an almost automatic thing with me,

     

    You should not operate the PI sitting on a metal panel from your PC, too much risk of shorting out tracks / pins and causing a problem

     

    The SD card, did you get one with the OS pre installed, if not then you need to download and install Noobs or a direct OS like Raspian onto the card before using it. See here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qLo-0Tmmlrc

    there are plenty of other videos showing how to do the install and also a great set of tutorials / guidence on the forum right here under the PI topic http://www.element14.com/community/community/raspberry-pi?ICID=menubar_topics_rpi

  • 0 in reply to Robert Peter Oakes

    I think that is right.I only had advice on what to buy but nothing about how to make it work. I have now discovered Raspian but have trouble finding an USB - microSD reader/writer here in Norway. WRT the use of a metal surface, I use that only during assembly, before applying any power.

     

    I am thankful for the replies and expect that things will look brighter as soon as I''ve got an OS installed.

     

    UPDATE: I got a tip about where to get a USB reader/writer - it is just ten minutes by car from here. Seems I didn't find the right search term.

     

    2nd. update Friday Nov.6.:

     

    Hooray!

     

    I had a lot of trouble with the microSD but I found a card reader and after some initial problems I was able to make it ready and I soon had the unit working. At first I had it connected to the living room TV, but when it dawned on me that I might as well do the job on my computer it all went very smoothly. Everything is working now, the only obstacle left is to find the Internet. I see no signs indiacting that I am not connected, but haven't been able to connct to any website. There seems to be a duckduck something default, but that doesn't connect either. I am 100% certain the network cable is OK.

  • 0 in reply to Former Member

    There is just one problem left - it is impossible to find a way of entering @ from the keyboard. I have tried to type 64 using Alt, AltGr or several other key combinations but nothing has worked.  As you can see here, that is no problem on a Windows pc.

     

    I loaded NOOBS the SD chip with NOOB and intstallation then ran smoothly.

    I hope this last obstacle also may be overcome.

     

    The keyboard is Logitech K520.

     

    Any solution available?

  • 0 in reply to Former Member

    Rolf, you would prefer to use American Keyboard over UK right?

     

    If so:  go to prompt, SUDO NANO /etc/default/keyboard

     

    Change XKBLAYOUT="uk"  to XKBLAYOUT="us"

     

    Save and restart.

  • 0 in reply to jkutzsch

    I'll look into SUDO NANO /etc/default/keyboard as soon as I hav posted this reply. I trust that is what I need.

     

    What I missed when asking my question was to say that I am using a Norwegian keyboard layout, and that suits me fine  also for typing English text. I just ignore the æøå keys thenimage

     

    Thank you very much for the tip!@

  • 0 in reply to Former Member

    All right. It all works now. One somewhat annoying quirk that when looking at pictures in a series, eacht time I select the next picture, it is a two-step operation: the picture appears, but then it will blink and reappear again to settle.

     

    Another feature I miss from pc/Windows is the ability to resize images with the plus and minus keys. Maybe it is available, I just haven't found it. It is impressive what can be done with such a small box but it is not quite the alternative to a pc I was hoping it might be.