Venus GX Menu blank

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stanhausc asked Jul 30, '21

Venus GX Menu blank

Hi, I was changing a submenu in the qml files (/opt/victronenergy/gui/qml/PageSttings) it worked, however, on a reboot the splash screen was blank, I don't have access to anything anymore.

I tried a factory reset:

A GX device factory reset is performed by inserting a USB stick or SD card with the specific reset file on it.
Factory reset requires Venus firmware version 2.12 or higher. It does not require any buttons or a screen to perform.
How to reset a GX device to factory default settings:
1. download the venus-data.tgz file
2. copy the venus-data.tgz file onto a blank, freshly formatted FAT32 usb-drive/sdcard (don't unpack or unzip that file, don't
rename it).
3. boot with the usb-drive/sdcard inserted and wait until the GX Device has fully started up.
4. remove the usb-drive/sdcard from the GX device
5. power cycle the device, or as an alternative and when available, use the Reboot function in the Settings -> General menu.
This will reset the settings on the GX device to their factory defaults.

But I still don't have access, and with the factory reset I don't have the superuser anymore, and I can't access through Putty.

any idea how to solve?

thank you!

MPPT Controllers Venus GX - VGX

blank-menu.png (7.7 KiB)

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Answer 1 · 2021-07-30T17:18:51Z

Kevin Windrem answered · Jul 30, 2021 at 05:18 PM

A blank screen almost always indicates a syntax error in one of the qml files, probably the one you modified. Always make a backup of any files you modify so you can restore them should a problem like this occur.

The log will generally tell you where the problem is:

tail -100 /var/log/gui/current | tai64nlocal

But unfortunately, without the ability to log in you may be stuck. I don't know if there is a way to force a firmware update. You could try putting a memory card in the system with the appropriate .swu file on it from here then rebooting.

http://updates.victronenergy.com/feeds/venus/release/images/beaglebone/

I don't know if the firmware update will occur without user input.

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stanhausc commented · Jul 30, 2021 at 10:19 PM

Thanks @Kevin Windrem, the file I edited is PageSettings, I added the following:

}
MbSubMenu {
description: qsTr("TesteInterface")
subpage: Component { PageTesteInterface {} }
}

And also the add PageTesteInterface file, however, when the screen went blank, and before performing the factory reset, I deleted this same file, and I backed up the PageSettings file, and it still didn't solve the problem, what I'm trying is exactly who commented, a way to force a firmware update, if I can, post here.

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Answer 2 · 2021-08-01T11:21:08Z

Mark answered · Aug 01, 2021 at 11:21 AM

I also think you have accidentally corrupted one of the QML files, as I have had the same 'white screen of death' multiple times while playing around. Maybe your backup file somehow has the same issue or you also modified one of the other files.

Anyway, to get out of this state, try to boot into the alternative/backup FW image using:

/opt/victronenergy/swupdate-scripts/set-version.sh 2

Then you can either copy files (or even the whole folder) from the working image (to repair the damaged image) or just replace/overwrite the whole damaged image.

Edit: Sorry I just properly read your post and saw that you have lost Superuser access, so this won't work...

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Answer 3 · 2021-08-02T08:13:03Z

mvader (Victron Energy) answered · Aug 02, 2021 at 08:13 AM

Hi @stanhausc , the factory reset you tried will only reset settings. Not fix broken code.

If I were you, I'd get myself a USB to TTL serial cable from ADA Fruit, and then use the corresponding instructions in the root access document to use that to get access to the console.

That works always.

And then once in there, use the instructions in our command line manuals for firmware updating, or the "boot into backup firmware" trick as told by Kevin above. Note that the 2 might need to be a 1; depends which partition is currently in use.

The alternative is to run an installer image, but then you need to so some additional work afterwards to restore wifi access, since the installer image will wipe those factory-created files.

Success!

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jeroen ♦ commented · Aug 02, 2021 at 08:59 PM

"And then once in there, use the instructions in our command line manuals for firmware updating, or the "boot into backup firmware" trick as told by Kevin above. Note that the 2 might need to be a 1; depends which partition is currently in use."

It should always be 2. But I guess you are always better of by running:

/opt/victronenergy/swupdate-scripts/check-updates.sh -update -force

Since that will get you always back in a known state.

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stanhausc commented · Aug 12, 2021 at 02:55 PM

Thanks, @mvader (Victron Energy), I bought the USB to TTL cable.

And it is configured as follows:

Blue cable: TX on USB and RX on Venus GX.

Yellow cable: ground

Cape Verde: RX on USB and TX on Venus GX.

Source: https://www.victronenergy.com/live/ccgx:root_access

However, I still can't connect:

Error: The system cannot find the specified file

However, I still can't connect, I looked for information for some time, and I couldn't solve it, so I wanted to ask for your help once again.

Any idea why this error is happening? Wrong speed maybe (9600)? Should I install another drive?

Thanks for your time!

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Answer 4 · 2021-08-02T15:30:46Z

Kevin Windrem answered · Aug 02, 2021 at 03:30 PM

I had forgotten all GX devices had console ports (except the CCGX). So that's the way to go.

Other pointers:

When problems like you encountered (white screen), you should NOT restore to factory settings since as you found out that prevents further access. This even occurs if ssh keys are set up because the root home directory is in the /data partition!!!!! This sort of problem is hardly ever due to issues in the /data partition.

Troubles with the GUI are most always reported in its log:

/var/log/gui/current

I think all services also have logs that could point you to issues in those areas.

When working on Venus code, always have a working backup in the second root partition that you can fall back on should you brick the unit. As Mark explains above, you can use the console/ssh connection to switch to the other partition.

The suggestion in the root access document to work on code on a Raspberry PI is a good one also. You can gain access to most devices in the system with USB adapters. You need one MK3 USB and one VE.Direct USB and possibly one USB CANbus interface. More if you want to access all devices at the same time. The Raspberry PI is a good choice since if you brick it, you can simply remove the OS SD card and flash a fresh image.

Good luck.

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jeroen ♦ commented · Aug 02, 2021 at 08:41 PM

"I had forgotten all GX devices had console ports (except the CCGX)".

The CCGX has one as well, it is just a bit harder to use.

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