A warning: using the wrong firmware will kill your pi zero :(


 
L

Lee Davison

New member
Hi all,

Just a warning if it helps anyone. Using the config tool on the heatermeter site, I set up my wifi but made a mistake. When I went back to correct the mistake I forgot to set the dropdown for the pi zero, and so flashed on the pi 2+ firm. The pi got super hot, and the act light no longer works. Plugging it in now even with no SD means it gets very hot and no life!

I don't know if there's some safety that can be put in place for this, but thought it was worth mentioning!

Thanks,

Lee
 
I do this all the time and haven't ever killed a Pi. If you don't have the right firmware it just doesn't boot at all because the hardware looks for a specific file on the SD card, it isn't there, and it just sits there outside all of our control. I wonder if newer Pi Zeros have something in their hardware that just overheats and kills it because it expects to boot.

Just tried it again on my same old hardware (a Zero from 2 or 3 years ago at least) and the green LED blinks twice then that's it. HDMI output is the rainbow screen, and nothing seems to be getting hotter than expected. I'm not sure what would cause what you've experienced.
 
Thanks for the reply!

This is kinda why I thought it might be worth posting - the Pi in question is a Pi Zero W. It might have been a coincidence, but it worked off of the HM power before that and then died without me moving it on the pins etc. I literally just powered down, changed the SD, then powered up again. Which pins on the HM might be worth me checking the voltages for power?
 
The only ones connected to the HeaterMeter board are 5V/GND/TX/RX and then the SPI pins MOSI/MISO/SCK/G25. I don't think there's any shorts there because it 5V is connected to anything it will kill the Pi immediately and never work (this would have happened on the first test). The other pins if they have any stray voltage on them it will be fine.
 
Got the new pi and I'm all up and working! Maybe just an unfortunate premature death? No idea. I'm not too keen to test the issue again though!

I just have to sort out my fan connections and air inlet now :D
 
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