Hello Everyone,
TL;DR: The Pi does not boot and the 3.3V rail is at 3V. However, if I supply 3.3V directly to the 3.3V rail, the Pi boots right up.
Long:
I'm having a weird issue with my Pi Zero 2W. I bought it in 2020–2021 but never used it, and it was stored in the factory electrostatic bag since then.
Today, I was planning on deploying it to my 3D printer as I just received an I/O board (USB and Ethernet). However, after flashing a fresh OS to my micro SD card using Raspberry Pi Imager as usual, I noticed that the Pi would not boot—nothing on the screen and no ACT LED.
I tried removing the I/O board, thinking it could be the issue since it has a USB hub and Ethernet adapter onboard. However, I still had the same issue. Then I tried the SD card in another Pi Zero 2W I have, and it booted with no issues whatsoever.
Next, I looked online for tips, but nothing seemed to help. So I took my multimeter and tested the test pins for core voltage, 5V, 3.3V, 1.2V rail, etc., and noticed everything was good except for the 3.3V rail, which was down to 3.1V–3.0V. Just to be sure, I tried another USB power supply, but still had the same issue (note that my other Pi Zero 2W works with both PSUs).
After hours of research and testing the micro SD card, PSU, etc., in a desperate move, I tried using my bench power supply to send 3.3V to the 3.3V rail via the 3.3V GPIO pin, along with plugging in the USB power cable. Honestly, I didn’t expect much, but ooohhh boy—the Pi started booting, and I could see the screen light up.
Afterward, I tested what worked and what didn’t. The touch screen seemed to be working, and the Ethernet port on the I/O module as well—I was able to ping the Pi.
However, at any time if I disconnect the bench PSU, the Pi shuts off instantly. So based on that, my guess is that there is an issue with the power circuit on the Pi itself or possibly a short somewhere, but I’m not sure.
I would really appreciate your advice on how to fix this (besides adding a dedicated 3.3V PSU in my build![😅]()
).
TL;DR: The Pi does not boot and the 3.3V rail is at 3V. However, if I supply 3.3V directly to the 3.3V rail, the Pi boots right up.
Long:
I'm having a weird issue with my Pi Zero 2W. I bought it in 2020–2021 but never used it, and it was stored in the factory electrostatic bag since then.
Today, I was planning on deploying it to my 3D printer as I just received an I/O board (USB and Ethernet). However, after flashing a fresh OS to my micro SD card using Raspberry Pi Imager as usual, I noticed that the Pi would not boot—nothing on the screen and no ACT LED.
I tried removing the I/O board, thinking it could be the issue since it has a USB hub and Ethernet adapter onboard. However, I still had the same issue. Then I tried the SD card in another Pi Zero 2W I have, and it booted with no issues whatsoever.
Next, I looked online for tips, but nothing seemed to help. So I took my multimeter and tested the test pins for core voltage, 5V, 3.3V, 1.2V rail, etc., and noticed everything was good except for the 3.3V rail, which was down to 3.1V–3.0V. Just to be sure, I tried another USB power supply, but still had the same issue (note that my other Pi Zero 2W works with both PSUs).
After hours of research and testing the micro SD card, PSU, etc., in a desperate move, I tried using my bench power supply to send 3.3V to the 3.3V rail via the 3.3V GPIO pin, along with plugging in the USB power cable. Honestly, I didn’t expect much, but ooohhh boy—the Pi started booting, and I could see the screen light up.
Afterward, I tested what worked and what didn’t. The touch screen seemed to be working, and the Ethernet port on the I/O module as well—I was able to ping the Pi.
However, at any time if I disconnect the bench PSU, the Pi shuts off instantly. So based on that, my guess is that there is an issue with the power circuit on the Pi itself or possibly a short somewhere, but I’m not sure.
I would really appreciate your advice on how to fix this (besides adding a dedicated 3.3V PSU in my build
).Statistics: Posted by LDDM — Sat May 10, 2025 6:20 pm — Replies 0 — Views 83