New to Raspberry Pi: system won't boot

[drivera]

Hi,

I've recently bought Raspberry Pi for my son as a present. After he connected all the components

miniUSB power supply 5V;

Raspberry Pi Type B Single Board Computer 512MB (Hynix memory chip);

Monitor (came with VGA cable);

HDMI to VGA Audio Video Converter 1080P (powered);

iZKA® - HDMI to HDMI Cable 24K Gold Connectors (converter to Pi) ;

4GB SD Card with Raspberry Pi OS installed

system didn't boot up.

(Board and SD card came from the same place, the RS Components)

We gathered some information on forums about what could've gone wrong and, given that all hardware was set up correctly (sorry, I am an absolute beginner), it must be the SD card.

I understand that we have to use the latest version of Raspbian and that is available for download.

The problem is that our laptop won't detect the SD card (we have a built-in reader), so we are not quite sure now what to do next.

Can it be helped at all?

Many thanks

[pjc123]

I notice on these forums that many users have trouble with these built-in readers, but report success when switching to external USB readers. One reason is that older readers can not read SD cards using newer technology. Others have trouble using programs like Win32DiskImager to read/write to the cards, but have success switching to other programs.

Also, there may be something here that can assist you:

http://elinux.org/RPi_Easy_SD_Card_Setup

[akhyarkamili]

Me too. I have a similar problem here, it won't boot. I plugged it for the first time, and only the LED turned on..

Any suggestion please? The SD Card is brand new, and it's fine when i wrote raspbian on it..

[FTrevorGowen]

Me too. I have a similar problem here, it won't boot. I plugged it for the first time, and only the LED turned on..

Any suggestion please? The SD Card is brand new, and it's fine when i wrote raspbian on it..

1) Does your Pi have the "Hynix" memory chip? If so you need the latest (Feb 2013 or later) version of Wheezy Raspbian
2) Is your SDHC card one of those listed in http://elinux.org/RPi_VerifiedPeripherals
3) Is your PSU labelled as "5V 1000mA" and/or also appears in the above list?

See also http://elinux.org/R-Pi_Troubleshooting
Trev.

[akhyarkamili]

1) Does your Pi have the "Hynix" memory chip? If so you need the latest (Feb 2013 or later) version of Wheezy Raspbian
2) Is your SDHC card one of those listed in http://elinux.org/RPi_VerifiedPeripherals
3) Is your PSU labelled as "5V 1000mA" and/or also appears in the above list?

See also http://elinux.org/R-Pi_Troubleshooting
Trev.

Many thanks for your response, Trev.

Yes, I use the Hynix memory chip. My SDHC Card is also listed, Transcend (It says OK). And i also use the Raspbian "Wheezy". But my PSU's electric current is 0.7 A. I thought it's the minimum requirements?

[FTrevorGowen]

1) Does your Pi have the "Hynix" memory chip? If so you need the latest (Feb 2013 or later) version of Wheezy Raspbian
2) Is your SDHC card one of those listed in http://elinux.org/RPi_VerifiedPeripherals
3) Is your PSU labelled as "5V 1000mA" and/or also appears in the above list?

See also http://elinux.org/R-Pi_Troubleshooting
Trev.

Many thanks for your response, Trev.

Yes, I use the Hynix memory chip. My SDHC Card is also listed, Transcend (It says OK). And i also use the Raspbian "Wheezy". But my PSU's electric current is 0.7 A. I thought it's the minimum requirements?

Whilst it's true that a Model B Pi may run from a "good 5V 0.7A PSU" (ie. one that is actually capable of supplying 0.7A at 5V), that implies "headless mode" which means no peripherals plugged into the USB port in this context. The extra 0.3A is for USB devices such as a keyboard, mouse, memory stick etc. Unfortunately also many USB 'phone chargers (which, strictly, are not the same as a true PSU), whilst described as "5V 1000mA" devices, do not provide 5V at that max. current, which is the charger's (almost) "short-circuit" current drawn by the "empty" battery, at a voltage of around 3V or less.** Hence the referral to the "verified peripherals" list. Model A Pi's have lower current requirements. My first, "B1 256Mb" Pi runs quite happily, headless + 16Gb flash drive, from a good, 5V 850mA PSU/Charger, my later, "B2 512Mb" run from 5V 1000mA devices.
Trev.
**Some "gory details" can be found in my webpages at http://www.cpmspectrepi.webspace.virgin ... plies.html .