[BPI-R3] Failed to start WA firmware

Banana Pi Router design BPI-R4(MT7988)
1

On BananaPi R3:

[    8.373889] mt798x-wmac 18000000.wifi: HW/SW Version: 0x8a108a10, Build Time: 20221012174743a
[    8.527895] mt798x-wmac 18000000.wifi: WM Firmware Version: ____000000, Build Time: 20221012174805
[    8.601128] mt798x-wmac 18000000.wifi: WA Firmware Version: DEV_000000, Build Time: 20221012174937
[   28.684083] mt798x-wmac 18000000.wifi: Message 00000002 (seq 9) timeout
[   28.690695] mt798x-wmac 18000000.wifi: Failed to start WA firmware
[   28.697007] mt798x-wmac: probe of 18000000.wifi failed with error -110

But on BananaPi R3 MINI just this and no error:

[    7.002250] mt798x-wmac 18000000.wifi: HW/SW Version: 0x8a108a10, Build Time: 20221012174648a
[    7.035963] mt798x-wmac 18000000.wifi: WM Firmware Version: ____000000, Build Time: 20221012174725
[    7.082090] mt798x-wmac 18000000.wifi: WA Firmware Version: DEV_000000, Build Time: 20221012174937
[    7.187101] mt798x-wmac 18000000.wifi: Load eeprom: /lib/firmware/mediatek/mt798x-wmac_rf.bin
[    7.196020] mt798x-wmac 18000000.wifi: Open eeprom file failed: /lib/firmware/mediatek/mt798x-wmac_rf.bin
[    7.248068] mt798x-wmac 18000000.wifi: eeprom load fail, use default bin

Same package version of firmware (linux-firmware-20231211)

Same linux 6.6.10 (also 6.7-rc4)

Edit:

Wrong UART?

1 Like
2

Do you use ftdi or cp2104 uart? cp2102 and others have this strange behaviour

1 Like
3

It is a ch341-uart (idVendor=1a86, idProduct=7523, bcdDevice= 2.64)

I guess I must have changed it at some point, I had wifi working…

Anyway, I ordered some ft232 so I’ll change it…

4

I was facing this problem with a ch341. Unplugging the uart cables from the board and rebooting solved it.

5

I had the same problem with “black” cp serial cable, the “blue” ftdi cable avoids this issue.

6

Hi @frank-w,

I am running BPI-R3 v1.1 with latest build generated from BPI-Router-Images repo (commit 4c5f1a26d935b90829060b29a570e0826837c580), but I am getting a similar Wi-Fi error. I have tried with and without UART console attached during the boot process, and I have tried both the chr341 and an FTDI FT232R, all with the same outcome. I am booting off of an SD Card.

Error is below. Any ideas? Thanks so much!

[   12.957030] mt798x-wmac 18000000.wifi: HW/SW Version: 0x8a108a10, Build Time: 20221012174743a
[   13.061720] mt798x-wmac 18000000.wifi: WM Firmware Version: ____000000, Build Time: 20221012174805
[   13.130998] mt798x-wmac 18000000.wifi: WA Firmware Version: DEV_000000, Build Time: 20221012174937
[   13.276791] mt798x-wmac 18000000.wifi: eeprom load fail, use default bin
root@bpi-r3:~# uname -a
Linux bpi-r3 6.6.36-bpi-r3-main #7 SMP Sat Jun 29 15:15:02 UTC 2024 aarch64 GNU/Linux
7

Eeprom load fail can be ignored…you should see both wifi interfaces and should start hostapd.

5ghz may need setting regulatory-domain and enabling hostapd2 service (to be started on boot),but first try starting it manually

8

@frank-w You are right, it is working! I got confused because originally I had the UART problem described in this thread, and even though I fixed that issue, I had erroneously assumed that the “eeprom load failed” was the symptom. Sorry about that, and thank you very much for the assistance!

9

Topic and first post shows different error :slight_smile: it is the WA firmware that is failed due to timeout