Rpi crashes after 5-10 mins

[Raptor]

Decided to treat myself to a pi to use as a media
centre. Unfortunately it seems to crash to red power
light after around 5-10 minutes.

I have tried it powered by
Television(USB)
Ipad charger using blackberry micro usb cable
Blackberry mains charger rated 5V 750ma

Is power the problem?

Currently using openelec on 4gb sdhc card. I have done lots
of reading on various forums but can't decide what is causing
this.

[obcd]

To know for sure your power is fine, you should measure the TP1 - TP2 voltage.
If it's between 4.85V and 5.25V, your Pi should work fine.
There are other reports of people having the problems you describe.
Usually, keeping the Pi cool makes it work longer.
Some even report they rebaked the Pi in an oven, but the normal procedure should be to request an RMA and exchange it under warranty.

[Raptor]

I don't have a voltmeter so can't check the
voltage. I am currently looking at a new
higher rated power supply and will try
that and report back.

[Raptor]

Actually I described it as a crash when in fact
it is more of a freeze as the image is still on
screen if that's any help. The only way to get
it running again is to disconnect the power
and reconnect.

[dextrus]

Powering by USB seems to be a poor option, and your other option is rated at the minimum required I believe. It also matters what you are running at the time, and OpenELEC (a bit like Quake 3) does tend to highlight power deficiencies (in other words it draws more power because it makes your Pi do more).

You need a "proper" power supply. Maplin, RS, Farnell, or a non-fake phone charger (suitably rated of course). I've now got 4 Pi's and hmm, maybe 12 power sources for them? Only three of those work properly, and those are all from Nokia!

/Dextrus

[Raptor]

I have just bought a powered usb hub same as the one
on the element14 site here
http://uk.farnell.com/dynamode/usb-h70- ... dp/2115058

It's rated at DC5V and 1A so hopefully it will solve the problem.

[Raptor]

So I received the powered usb hub mentioned above and
plugged it in. Sadly I am still getting the same problem

Now, the plug which supplies the power to the hub
is output rated 5V 2000mA. But the fault is exactly
the same, when running all the lights go out except
the power light and then they come back on again
in a loop i.e. on,off,on,off etc.. This happens after
approximately 10-15 minutes.

Do I have a faulty Pi or am I struggling to find a decent
power supply.

All help greatly appreciated as this is becoming more
and more expensive yet seemed so reliable on the
multitude of videos on utube, and I am rapidly losing
faith in this little wonder.

Raptor

[Raptor]

Forgot to say, only things plugged into Pi are
hdmi cable and network cable. I am controlling
it via ipad.

[Raptor]

A couple of videos of the problem here
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zqw0xmEQGiE
and when crashed
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C10O6z-EZo4

[obcd]

Is the hub backpowering your Pi?
(Does the Pi turn on when the hub is connected and the Pi supply connector isn't.)
If it isn't, I don't see how it could possibly fix the issue.
You really need to measure that TP1 - TP2 supply voltage to rule that out. A digital meter isn't that expensive anymore nowadays.

[Raptor]

Hi obcd, I am not sure I understand your question. I am powering
the pi via a micro usb cable from the hub. I have also today tested
it by powering it from my ipad usb plug and micro usb cable, the ipad
plug/adapter is rated at 5V 1A but still the problem persists.

I shall head to the bay now and purchase a meter for measuring
TP1+2. Really didn't think it could be this difficult but it's a
learning curve I guess.

[obcd]

Most usb 2 micro usb cables loose between 0.2 and 0.4V as well.
As the Pi is rather critical on it's supply voltage, the 4.85V treshold is quickly reached.
However, other people reported identical problems as yours and had to request an RMA so they could exchange their Pi under warranty.
The only way to know for sure it's not a supply problem is by measuring that voltage.

[Raptor]

After reading am I right in when you say "backpowering" you mean connecting
the power from the hub directly to one of the USB ports on the Pi?

If so I also received a cable with a small square plug on one end which plugs
into the hub and a standard usb plug on the other, would this work without
potentially destroying the Pi?

[obcd]

Yes, that's what backpowering means. Some hubs also provide voltage on the upstream usb port.
This is not according to the standard. If you don't use the mini usb plug, you can power your pi like that. (unless it's a 1.0 model with the usb polyfuses)
So, if you plug that cable in one of the Pi usb sockets, and the Pi's power light turns on, your hub is backpowering. (Don't connect the normal pi power plug.) It's not harmfull. It just bypasses the main Pi fuse.

[Raptor]

Ok, I tried it and the backpowering worked but the fault
still remains.

Guess that's all I can do until the multimeter arrives.

[stupid_boy]

can you touch with finger RPI chips when it 'crash'? be aware, they can be extremely hot! blinking leds are the way your RPI signal you that there are something wrong. OpenELEC and XBMC are making serious stress over RPI CPU and its temperature rices. you use a case, which prevent ventilation. may be your CPU overheats, RPI detects this and are truing to survive in its only way, stopping all extensive load. some times it is not necessary to play something, just running XBMC is enough.

RPI is not intended to be used this way. it is not intended to be media center. knowing that, i too want to use it as media center. going further, i even contribute a little to XBMC for RPI , but again, RPI is not intended for this.

[Raptor]

I shall try writing a wheezy image and see if that is
any more stable.

My Pi doesn't seem to be getting overly hot, I haven't
touched the chips as I don't want to damage them
or burn myself.

[Raptor]

Well I have just tested my Pi with a wheezy image and it
did the same as above, ran for about 5 minutes and then
hung with all lights on the board except for the power
light going off,on,off,on etc...

I guess mine was faulty when it left China
Now to arrange replacement.