TABLE OF CONTENTS


This guide is to help you find the cause of the most common things we see with our OS. These failures apply to any and all devices using the DAKboard OS including DIY, all DAKboard Shop items, and our Reseller devices that use our .  It will also supply you with basic troubleshooting and how to correct the issues when they happen.



DAKboard OS Setup:


When first setting up a DAKboard OS device some issues may occur. Below is a list of the most common ones and how to resolve them.


DAKboard Loops Back to Welcome Page:


Your DAKboard OS device will loop back to the Welcome page (the screen with the QR Codes) if one of three things happens. The first is if it cannot connect to your Home Network with the supplied credentials, the second is if the WiFi signal is too weak where you have set up the Display, and the final reason is if it cannot confirm a connection to the internet. 


If this happens, you should still be able to connect to the DAKboard Hotspot using the QR codes on your Display or by logging into the network DAKboard from a WiFi-enabled device (like a Smartphone, Tablet, or Laptop) using the password dakb5142. Once you connect to this network, open a browser on that same device and type http://10.0.0.5 (the address of the internal Settings page on your Display). From here, make sure that your Home Network's SSID/Name is selected, and the Password to your Home Network is entered correctly (NOTE: If you entered either of these items using Copy & Paste or Autofill, additional spaces may have been added to the SSID or password. Make sure to remove them as they will invalidate the credentials). Once you are sure you have the correct network selected and the password is good, click the save changes button at the bottom of the page and see if the DAKboard advances to the Registration page.

If not, try moving your DAKboard closer to your router and rebooting it to see if it can make the connection. Though other devices in your home may not have issues connecting with your network, the DAKboard may. This is because the mini-computers used can often be drowned out by other devices on your Home Network. You can overcome this with Mesh Networks, Range Extenders, or even connecting your DAKboard directly to your network using an Ethernet connection.

If you are still failing to advance to the registration Screen this may be because the DAKboard cannot confirm an internet connection. With DAKboard OS version 4.01 and above we check with several methods. As long as you have internet access this should connect without issue. For versions 3.54 and below, we confirm the connection by sending a ping to 8.8.8.8 (Google's DNS server). If you have ping disabled in your Home Network, then the DAKboard will fail to connect. If you manage your network, make sure that ping is enabled in your Router or on your Network Firewall. If your ISP manages your network, reach out to them and have them enable it for you.


DAKboard Goes to a Blank Screen:


This will happen if the Chromium browser is delayed starting post-connection to your home network. It will most often occur with the smaller CPUs, like the CPU Mini or the Raspberry Pi 3B or 3A. CPUs with less than 1GB of RAM can delay or fail to start the browser after the initial connection to your network. Rebooting these CPUs, will restart the browser service and allow it to load. If you continue to get a blank screen you can either try a Factory Reset of your device using the steps in our article Reset your Device to Factory Settings or you can reset your OS completely by upgrading it using the steps in our article Upgrading your DAKboard OS Device.



If you receive an error saying your Display was unable to link, the link code appears to not be working when you enter it into your display, or it fails to link with no error message, this may be a sign of a weak WiFi signal to your display or a delay in processing on the smaller CPUs. Try moving the CPU closer to your Router or Access point, or move your Mesh node or WiFi Extender closer to the DAKboard to improve this while completing your initial linking.


On Smaller CPUs, like the Mini, the Raspberry Pi 3B, or 3A, you may need to reboot the CPU and get a fresh link code. This is because the CPU received the link code but did not have the memory to store it. In these rare cases, the Link code will show that it was accepted but the communication of this information from our services to your CPU was lost. Rebooting the CPU will free up enough memory to allow the new link code to be stored.


DAKboard Hotspot Fails to Start or Connect:


This can happen when there is a lot of WiFi traffic in your home, or a device in your house is using the same WiFi band we use to launch the Hotspot. This will sometimes cause the Hotspot to fail to load. In these cases, you can use the Manual steps to access your Settings page and set up your device instead. We have listed them below for you in order:


  • Connect the USB mouse/keyboard to your CPU using one of its USB A ports (If you have a Mini you will need a Micro male to USB A female adapter)
  • Reboot the CPU by unplugging the power cable
  • Once fully booted up, If you have the latest OS you can use the Touchscreen/ On-Device Setup button at the bottom of the page to open the Settings page. Skip to step 6 if this is the case. Otherwise, press ALT+F4 on your keyboard and continue at step 4.
  • Click on the Raspberry icon in the top left of the screen
  • Select Help, then click on Device Configuration
  • Update/verify the network credentials
  • Click Save at the bottom of the page
  • Once the settings are saved, reboot by unplugging the power cable



DAKboard Shows a Loading Screen:


Depending on which model DAKboard you have and which version of the OS you are on this can present itself in several ways. We will cover the variations and how to correct the Display.



DAKboard Reboots After Reaching Loading or Rainbow Screen:


If your DAKboard OS device is only going to the DAKboard loading page, or a rainbow-colored screen and reboots repeatedly, this means that your DAKboard is not getting the response from your Monitor/TV via the HDMI. This can be a sign that either your HDMI connection from the CPU to the Monitor/TV is loose or your HDMI cable is bad.


If the connection is loose, you can correct this by simply unplugging the power to your DAKboard CPU, unplugging both the HDMI connection on the CPU and the Monitor/TV, then plugging the HDMI cable back in making sure the connection is sound on both ends. If you have a CPU v4, we recommend using the Primary output, the output closest to the power supply, for best results. Then simply plug the power back in and your device will start up. 


If this does not work, try connecting your CPU to a different Monitor/TV. If it continues to reboot on the new device, then your cable may be bad and will need to be replaced. 


DAKboard Hangs on the Orange Pi Logo:


This will only happen when using a DAKboard built on an Orange Pi 3LTS. When this happens it means that the OS has failed to load entirely. This could happen if your SD card is not fully seated if the OS has become corrupted, or if the SD card has been damaged and needs to be replaced.


If the SD card is not fully seated, try removing it and reseating it in the Micro SD card slot. With the Orange Pi 3LTS, you will know the SD card is seated fully when you hear a click and it does not pop back out. Reboot the CPU and it should load.


If after reseating the SD card it continues to fail, try upgrading the the OS to the latest release. You can remove your SD card, connect it to a Laptop or PC using a Micro SD card reader, and then follow the steps in our article Orange Pi - Download and Install DAKboard OS to upgrade your SD card. Reinstall the SD card and reboot your CPU, then follow the onscreen instructions or use our article Setup - DAKboard CPU/Micro SD Card to reconnect your Display to your account.


 If the SD card fails to install the OS or the Etcher program says it cannot write to the SD card, this means the card itself is damaged and needs replacing. We recommend replacing the SD card with a 16 GB micro SD card. Once you have the new card, follow the same steps above to install the OS.


DAKboard Hangs on the DAKboard Loading Page:


If you make it to the loading page and it does not boot loop or advance, this means that the Browser we use to show your Screen has failed to load. The only fix for this is to upgrade your DAKboard OS device. For the CPU v3 on the Orange Pi 3LTS, use the article we supplied above to complete this upgrade. For all other DAKboard OS devices, you can use the article Raspberry Pi - Download and Install the DAKboard OS. If you are not sure how to access your SD cards, check out our article Upgrading your DAKboard OS Device as this contains details and links to articles to show you how to replace them. 



DAKboard is Showing Code:


Sometimes the DAKboard OS will become corrupted. This can happen for several reasons and is very hard to predict or determine the cause of the failure, however, the solution is always the same. Upgrading the OS to the latest to get it back up and running. See our article Upgrading your DAKboard OS Device to see how to do this. These corruptions can show themselves in various ways. Here are the most common ones:


Kernel Panic:


When the DAKboard loads a stream of code that ends with the message Kernel Panic, this means that the base OS we used to build our OS upon has become corrupted. This usually happens if you try to update the base Kernel or if there was a sudden interruption of power to the CPU while it was writing to the SD card containing the OS. You will need to reinstall the OS to correct this. 


busybox v1.35:


If the DAKboard only loads to a line that states busybox v1.35, this is similar to a Kernel Panic. The cause of this failure is when the CPU was writing to the SD card containing the OS and was interrupted. This will cause it to overwrite some of our OS code which will prevent it from starting your CPU. You will need to reinstall the OS to correct this.


Loads to a Raspberry Pi Command Prompt or an Error Message:


This will happen when the base Kernel loads, but it was unable to access the loading scripts from the DAKboard User. This can happen if you make edits to the code if the browser fails to start, or if the DAKboard User is deleted. You will need to reinstall the OS to correct this. 


DAKboard Network Connection Issues:


Once you have your DAKboard OS device connected to your account you may have issues where your DAKboard goes offline, freezes, partially loads, loads to a blank screen, flickers, or fails to update. Below are the most common causes for these issues.


Weak WiFi Signal Strength:


The cause for most of the issues will be a weak WiFi signal strength. A good signal strength is between 0 and -67 dBm with values closer to 0 being better. If your signal strength is -50 dBm or higher, you will experience loading and network connection issues. If it is greater than -67 dBm, these issues will become more frequent or permanent until the strength can be improved. Be aware that other devices may have a strong signal strength when standing next to your Display, but that does not mean the DAKboard can use that signal strength. The only way to judge how good the signal strength is for the DAKboard OS device is by seeing what the DAKboard is reporting itself.


You can see what your DAKboard last reported as a WiFi signal strength by going to Displays & Devices, clicking the three dots to the right of the DAKboard OS device, clicking on Settings, and then mousing over the WiFi symbol to see the signal strength. DAKboard OS device reports this message to your account on bootup and successful connection to your account, and each time your Display is refreshed by our automation or when you manually refresh them. See the example below:



Using this knowledge will help you in the placement of your DAKboard OS device in your home, or the placement of your Mesh Nodes, or WiFi Extenders. 


NOTE: DAKboard OS devices version 3.50 and above support Mesh Nodes, Access Points, and WiFi Extenders. If you are running a version older than this on your Display we strongly recommend upgrading it to improve your network connections. Use our article Upgrading your DAKboard OS Device to see how to complete these upgrades.


No Internet Message After Reboot:


If you reboot your DAKboard OS device and receive a No Internet message, this does not necessarily mean that your internet is down, instead it may mean that your DAKboard cannot reach the internet through your network. This could indicate that there is an issue with your WiFi signal strength, preventing the DAKboard from connecting to your router, or there may be an issue with the DAKboard communicating with the router. 


For example, if your router and DAKboard just reset together due to a power outage or if you physically reset these devices, the DAKboard may have come back up before the router completed its connection to the internet. In this case, make sure your router is online and connected to the internet, then try rebooting your DAKboard OS device by unplugging it and plugging it back in. If you still get the No Internet message, check your last reported WiFi signal as described above. If your signal strength is less than you expected, try rebooting your router, Mesh Nodes, Access Points, or WiFi Extenders as they may also be having issues connecting. Once they are back online reboot the DAKboard again. If the issue persists, try moving your DAKboard closer to the router, or moving your Mesh Node, Access Point, or WiFi extender close to it.


Alternatively, you can connect your DAKboard via ethernet to bypass the need for WiFi altogether. If you don't want to run a long wire to your router, check and see if your Mesh Nodes or WiFi Extenders have an ethernet port you can connect to instead. You can also use Ethernet Over Power (EOP) devices as they use your home's electrical circuitry to make an artificial ethernet connection to your Display.


DAKboard Device is Offline Message:


If your DAKboard OS device is displaying the message DAKboard Device is Offline - Please check network connectivity! this means that your display has been offline for more than 6 hours. DAKboard sends an automatic refresh and connection check to your device once every 6 hours, if your DAKboard has failed to connect to our service during this entire time, the OS will add this message to your Screen to inform you that the display has been offline for more than 6 hours. For devices running OS older than version 3.50, you will need to unplug the power to the DAKboard OS device and plug it back in to try and connect to your account. When it powers back on, if you get the message No Internet, this would indicate an issue with your WiFi signal strength as described above.


OS version 3.50 and up will attempt to reconnect to your network once every 30 minutes. If it fails to connect it will launch the Hotspot called DAKboard to allow you a means to access the settings page. If you see this network up on a WiFI-Enabled device, you can connect to it using the password dakb5142 then navigate to the settings page by opening a browser and typing in http://10.0.0.5. From here you can check or update your WiFi credentials.



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