Unresponsive Pixelbook (eve)

Support
1

Hi all,

I have a pixelbook eve recently just went black screen when in use and fails to turn on.

It responds to the power/refresh button combo by flashing the power led but nothing on the screen.

I’m trying to find out if its recoverable in the least destructive way (firmware wise) what is actually failing but I’m not familiar with the output.

e.g. I was hoping that maybe the boot or power management had a failed update and could be recovered and it’s not a dead eMMC/RAM/screen etc

I’ve built a suzyq cable and I can see activity on two of the devices:

/dev/ttyUSB0

[676.886104 Committing NVMEM changes.]
[677.206356 AP off]
[677.207283 CC[2183.829727 Committing NVMEM changes.]
[2184.147830 AP off]
[2184.149269 CCD state: UARTEC USBEC]
[2185.626541 deferred_tpm_rst_isr]
[2185.627635 AP on]
[2185.628303 tpm_reset_request(0, 0)]
[2185.629158 tpm_reset_now(0)]
[2185.632549 tpm_init]
[2185.634059 tpm_manufactured: manufactured]
[2185.644397 tpm_reset_now: done]
[2185.645767 CCD state: UARTAP+TX UARTEC USBEC]
[2185.670162 PinWeaver: Loading Tree!]
[2185.685005 PinWeaver: Loaded Tree. restart_count = 5186]
board_update_fwmp_attributes: object at 0x100a not found
[2185.688072 Skipping commit]
[2185.932308 Skipping commit]
[2185.945316 Skipping commit]
[2185.965595 tpm_rst_asserted]
[2188.645679 Committing NVMEM changes.]
[2188.966526 AP off]
[2188.968029 CCD state: UARTEC USBEC]
[2189.746681 EC off]
[2189.748092 CCD state: USBEC]
[2190.010452 EC on]
[2190.011493 CCD state: UARTEC USBEC]
[2190.442012 deferred_tpm_rst_isr]
[2190.443164 AP on]
[2190.443809 tpm_reset_request(0, 0)]
[2190.444690 tpm_reset_now(0)]
[2190.448070 tpm_init]
[2190.449584 tpm_manufactured: manufactured]
[2190.459854 tpm_reset_now: done]
[2190.461231 CCD state: UARTAP+TX UARTEC USBEC]
[2190.485614 PinWeaver: Loading Tree!]
[2190.500423 PinWeaver: Loaded Tree. restart_count = 5186]
board_update_fwmp_attributes: object at 0x100a not found
[2190.503486 Skipping commit]
[2190.747524 Skipping commit]
[2190.760482 Skipping commit]
[2190.781070 tpm_rst_asserted]

/dev/ttyUSB2 (note the non-printable characters at the beginning that come out sometimes from this one)

�5R� 00 06 08 0a 1f 20 3f 40 42 44 50 52 7f 00 1b 1c 1e 22 23 24
  27 43 26 71 61 5a 5d 1b 1c 1e 21 22 23 24 27 43 26 71 5c 5a
  60 5d 00 98
(S3->S0)
  01 10 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 2a 34 92 00 02 7f 00 00
  03 23 48 49 4a 4d 50 15 52 55 20 2f 4f 5f 0a 14 6f 26 7f 00
  08 0a 1f 20 3f 40 42 44 50 52 7f 00 1b 1c 1e 21 22 23 24 27
  43 71 61 5a 5d 1b 1c 1e 21 22 23 24 27 43 26 71 5c 61 5a 60
  5d 00 98 <--new
[2026.904908 power state 1 = S5, in 0x003f]
[2026.905432 power state 5 = S5->S3, in 0x003f]
[2026.906670 chipset -> S3]
[2026.907138 power state 2 = S3, in 0x003f]
[2026.907757 power state 6 = S3->S0, in 0x003f]
[2026.924220 Lid Accel: MS Done Init type:0x0 range:2]
[2026.930776 Lid Accel ODR: 10000 - roundup 1 from config 1 [AP 0]]
[2026.931768 TCPC p1 Low Power Mode]
[2026.935817 Base Accel ODR: 400000 - roundup 0 from config 1 [AP 0]]
[2026.938464 Base Gyro: MS Done Init type:0x1 range:1000]
[2026.945835 Base Gyro ODR: 0 - roundup 0 from config 0 [AP 0]]
[2027.012486 Base Mag: MS Done Init type:0x2 range:2048]
[2027.019595 Base Mag ODR: 0 - roundup 0 from config 0 [AP 0]]
[2027.065858 Light: MS Done Init type:0x4 range:6000]
[2027.066425 Light ODR: 1000 - roundup 0 from config 1 [AP 0]]
[2027.067869 chipset -> S0]
[2027.074694 power state 3 = S0, in 0x003f]
[2027.090707 TCPC p1 Low Power Mode]
[2027.442801 power state 3 = S0, in 0x0039]
[2027.443319 power state 7 = S0->S3, in 0x0039]
[2027.444722 chipset -> S3]
[2027.445390 power state 2 = S3, in 0x0039]
[2027.445886 power state 8 = S3->S5, in 0x0039]
[2027.447100 chipset -> S5]
[2027.451362 Base Accel ODR: 400000 - roundup 0 from config 3 [AP 0]]
[2027.454415 power state 1 = S5, in 0x0039]
[2027.471354 TCPC p1 Low Power Mode]
[2027.490998 Base Accel ODR: 400000 - roundup 0 from config 3 [AP 0]]
[2027.496050 TCPC p1 Low Power Mode]
Port 80 writes:
  00 08 0a 1f 20 3f 40 42 44 50 52 7f 00 1b 1c 1e 21 22 23 24
  27 43 71 61 5a 5d 1b 1c 1e 21 22 23 24 27 43 26 71 5c 61 5a
  60 5d 00 98
(S3->S0)
  01 10 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 2a 34 00 02 7f 00 00 0f
  03 23 48 49 4a 4d 50 15 52 20 2f 4f 5f 0a 14 6f 26 7f 00 06
  08 0a 1f 20 3f 40 42 44 50 52 7f 00 1b 1c 1e 21 22 23 24 27
  43 26 71 61 5a 5d 1c 1e 21 22 23 24 27 43 26 71 5c 61 5a 60
  5d 00 98 <--new

Both cycle around consistently so I’m assuming it’s boot-looping/watchdog resetting or something.

I have gained access to the battery so can pull it but haven’t yet as I didn’t want to accidentally wipe any data at this point (if it’s still there).

Is there any way to determine what’s causing the boot fail at this point (ideally without installing a lot of tools on my PC)?

Thanks!

2

Looks like the CPU is booting. The only way to know for sure what is happening is to flash a firmware build with serial output enabled.

3

@WeirdTreeThing it’s booting but immediately shutting down

4

Wouldn’t you only get activity on port 80 if coreboot is doing something?

5

<edited to make clear, remove assumptions that could mislead future users, and provide testing results>

@dead_eve This exact problem just happened to me. Did you ever find a solution?

I believe the problem has to do with the charging circuitry in the Pixelbook. The last time this happened to me I thought I had a bricked device. Before throwing it out, I left it connected to a different charger. The next morning, it worked! I was fiddling with it, clicking and holding the power button, open/close screen, etc. And tried different AC adapters (newer power delivery capable (pd), older 1 amp, and the original Pixelbook power adapter)

The charger solution may be a red herring. When I did get it to work, I didn’t take the time to document it. So I am not positive which bit of fiddling fixed it.

My main take away is don’t give up! Keep fiddling with it and maybe it will work.

6

Testing update:

I tried charging overnight using a using a low power charger (1 amp). That did not solve the problem.

I will continue troubleshooting. If I get it figured out, I will post my results here.

7

@dead_eve , I have solved the problem for my Pixelbook. I have not connected to a suzyq cable to confirm the problem I was having was the same as yours. YMMV

I won’t confuse things by going through all the testing I did. But I will give a little background. And I am documenting it here for others searching for a solution.

Symptom:

Symptom: Pixelbook Eve has a black screen. The power led flashes once on and off for various reasons such as pressing power, holding power, plugging into charger. Note that you may not get the led flash. For me, mine eventually stopped giving me the flash.

Solution:

This is going to sound weird. All I can say is this has worked twice for me in the past year when my Pixelbook went black screen and did not respond to the power button. I narrowed down the testing this time…

What I did:

  1. Fully charged the Pixelbook
  2. Placed Pixelbook in the freezer for 3 hours
  3. Took it out of the freezer. Opened the Pixelbook. I might have pressed the power button. In any case, it powered on!
  4. I put the Pixelbook under a blanket to let it warm up slowly AND prevent water condensation collecting and shorting it out.
  5. I tried to turn the Pixelbook on. Nothing happened.
  6. Plugged the Pixelbook in. Turned it on (still plugged in). This time it stayed on even if I closed the lid. I left it a few hours to fully charge.

Note that there may be a step in there that is not required. I am not sure. All I know is this has worked for me twice. It has worked all day today, surviving reboots and suspends.

What the Hell Was I Thinking?

It is fair to ask what made me think of putting the Pixelbook in the freezer. I was desperate the first time I tried it, 10 months ago. I had been trying to fix it for 2 weeks. Before I made it a donor, I thought I would work on it one more day.

My thinking was the problem has to be one of the following:

  • Perhaps a weak solder or flaky physical connection.
  • Something wrong with the power management chip or battery itself.

Before I opened it up, I thought freezing it might help. If the problem was a flaky physical connection, then freezing it might shift the connections around just enough to either permanently break the connection or it might shift them together. And if it was the BMS (Battery Management System) or battery then freezing could cause the BMS to read the battery as dead and do a deep cycle.

In any case, I am now the proud owner of a Jesus Pixelbook. Twice raised from the dead. Hallelujah!

-Tim

8

Hi I was wondering if there was any more thought on if coreboot is required - presumably that runs on the AP?If it is useful I’ve got the output of the version and ccd commands:

version

> version
Chip:    g cr50 B2-C
Board:   0
RO_A:    0.0.12/bf248b9d
RO_B:  * 0.0.13/c7c6eea6
RW_A:    Error
RW_B:  * 0.5.271/cr50_v4.11_mp.81-08ba0d4903
BID A:   00000000:00000000:00000000 Yes
BID B:   00000000:00000000:00000000 Yes
Build:   0.5.271/cr50_v4.11_mp.81-08ba0d4903
         tpm2:v4.11_mp.3-799903d
         pinweaver:v0.0.157-e9f7a8f
         2024-12-13 15:00:51 @chromeos-ci-firmware-us-central1-b-x32-1-
> [38.422283 Committing NVMEM changes.]

> [38.744049 AP off]
[38.745002 CCD state: UARTEC USBEC]

ccd

> ccd
State: Locked
Password: none
Flags: 0x000000
Capabilities: 0000000000000000
  UartGscRxAPTx   Y 0=Default (Always)
  UartGscTxAPRx   Y 0=Default (Always)
  UartGscRxECTx   Y 0=Default (Always)
  UartGscTxECRx   - 0=Default (IfOpened)
  FlashAP         - 0=Default (IfOpened)
  FlashEC         - 0=Default (IfOpened)
  OverrideWP      - 0=Default (IfOpened)
  RebootECAP      - 0=Default (IfOpened)
  GscFullConsole  - 0=Default (IfOpened)
  UnlockNoReboot  Y 0=Default (Always)
  UnlockNoShortPP Y 0=Default (Always)
  OpenNoTPMWipe   - 0=Default (IfOpened)
  OpenNoLongPP    - 0=Default (IfOpened)
  BatteryBypassPP Y 0=Default (Always)
  Unused          Y 0=Default (Always)
  I2C             - 0=Default (IfOpened)
  FlashRead       Y 0=Default (Always)
  OpenNoDevMode   - 0=Default (IfOpened)
  OpenFromUSB     - 0=Default (IfOpened)
  OverrideBatt    - 0=Default (IfOpened)
  APROCheckVC     - 0=Default (IfOpened)
[105.805183 Committing NVMEM changes.]
read_tpm_nvmem: object at 0x100a not found
[105.882911 Console unlock allowed]
TPM:
Capabilities are default.
Use 'ccd help' to print subcommands
>
9

Glad you got yours sorted! I highly suspect a hardware fault with mine.