Continuing battery and voltage issues

MNT Pocket Reform
1

Hi there!

On my Pocket Reform with RK3588, I am experiencing issues with batteries, and voltage. As suggested elsewhere in this community, I removed the batteries out of my Pocket Reform and fully charged them, in order to balance them. It seems like this did not solve my issue. Pocket Reform can’t run on battery power, it reboots with a screen burning in, also similar to how other reported here. When I use it plugged in to power, it usually works fine, but the battery indicator always shows random states, sometimes charging, sometimes discharging. And the OLED display also shows jumps in the voltage, between 0 and -1.40-ish numbers. Sometimes, on longer sessions, even when it’s plugged in to power, it shuts down too. I also realized that when rebooting, a burn in happens with the last messages staying on screen.

I tried to update the firmware to 20250724, but looks like I am still on 20250623.

These are the error messages I get:

Sep 08 10:31:12 eren-pocket-reform kernel: panel-mnt-pocket-reform fde30000.dsi.0: error -ENOENT: cannot get reset-gpios 0
Sep 08 10:31:12 eren-pocket-reform kernel: panel-mnt-pocket-reform fde30000.dsi.0: error -ENOENT: cannot get dcdc-en-gpio 0
Sep 08 10:31:12 eren-pocket-reform kernel: panel-mnt-pocket-reform fde30000.dsi.0: [mnt pocket reform display] read register 12a: 0x70
Sep 08 10:31:12 eren-pocket-reform systemd[1]: bpf-restrict-fs: Failed to load BPF object: No such process
Sep 08 10:31:12 eren-pocket-reform systemd-udevd[636]: /usr/lib/udev/rules.d/90-alsa-restore.rules:18 GOTO="alsa_restore_std" has no matching label, ignoring.
Sep 08 10:31:12 eren-pocket-reform systemd-udevd[636]: /usr/lib/udev/rules.d/90-alsa-restore.rules:22 GOTO="alsa_restore_std" has no matching label, ignoring.
Sep 08 10:31:12 eren-pocket-reform (udev-worker)[668]: 2-1.3: Failed to find and pin callout binary "/usr/lib/udev/mtp-probe": No such file or directory
Sep 08 10:31:13 eren-pocket-reform (udev-worker)[668]: 2-1.4: Failed to find and pin callout binary "/usr/lib/udev/mtp-probe": No such file or directory
Sep 08 10:31:13 eren-pocket-reform (udev-worker)[661]: 5-1: Failed to find and pin callout binary "/usr/lib/udev/mtp-probe": No such file or directory
Sep 08 10:31:13 eren-pocket-reform kernel: asoc-audio-graph-card analog-sound: ASoC: driver name too long 'rk3588-tlv320aic3100' -> 'rk3588-tlv320ai'
Sep 08 10:31:13 eren-pocket-reform kernel: power_supply BAT0: driver failed to report `voltage_now' property: -16
Sep 08 10:31:13 eren-pocket-reform kernel: power_supply BAT0: driver failed to report `voltage_now' property: -16
Sep 08 10:31:13 eren-pocket-reform kernel: power_supply BAT0: driver failed to report `voltage_now' property: -16
Sep 08 10:31:13 eren-pocket-reform kernel: power_supply BAT0: driver failed to report `voltage_now' property: -16
Sep 08 10:31:13 eren-pocket-reform kernel: power_supply BAT0: driver failed to report `voltage_now' property: -16
Sep 08 10:31:13 eren-pocket-reform kernel: power_supply BAT0: driver failed to report `voltage_now' property: -16
Sep 08 10:31:14 eren-pocket-reform kernel: power_supply BAT0: driver failed to report `voltage_now' property: -16
Sep 08 10:31:14 eren-pocket-reform kernel: power_supply BAT0: driver failed to report `voltage_now' property: -16
Sep 08 10:31:14 eren-pocket-reform kernel: power_supply BAT0: driver failed to report `voltage_now' property: -16
Sep 08 10:31:14 eren-pocket-reform kernel: power_supply BAT0: driver failed to report `voltage_now' property: -16
Sep 08 10:31:17 eren-pocket-reform kernel: tlv320aic31xx-codec 6-0018: aic31xx_wait_bits: Failed! 0x25 was 0x98 expected 0x0 (0, 0x8, 500000 us)
Sep 08 10:31:17 eren-pocket-reform kernel: tlv320aic31xx-codec 6-0018: ASoC: POST_PMD: DAC Right event failed: -1
Sep 08 10:31:17 eren-pocket-reform greetd[1327]: gkr-pam: unable to locate daemon control file
Sep 08 10:31:24 eren-pocket-reform kernel: power_supply BAT0: driver failed to report `voltage_now' property: -16
Sep 08 10:31:25 eren-pocket-reform kernel: power_supply BAT0: driver failed to report `voltage_now' property: -16
Sep 08 10:31:53 eren-pocket-reform (udev-worker)[2385]: 2-1.3: Failed to find and pin callout binary "/usr/lib/udev/mtp-probe": No such file or directory
Sep 08 10:31:54 eren-pocket-reform (udev-worker)[2385]: 2-1.3: Failed to find and pin callout binary "/usr/lib/udev/mtp-probe": No such file or directory
Sep 08 10:31:57 eren-pocket-reform (udev-worker)[2385]: 2-1.3: Failed to find and pin callout binary "/usr/lib/udev/mtp-probe": No such file or directory
Sep 08 10:31:58 eren-pocket-reform (udev-worker)[2385]: 2-1.3: Failed to find and pin callout binary "/usr/lib/udev/mtp-probe": No such file or directory
Sep 08 10:32:44 eren-pocket-reform kernel: power_supply BAT0: driver failed to report `voltage_now' property: -16
Sep 08 10:32:45 eren-pocket-reform kernel: power_supply BAT0: driver failed to report `voltage_now' property: -16
Sep 08 10:32:45 eren-pocket-reform kernel: power_supply BAT0: driver failed to report `voltage_now' property: -16
Sep 08 10:32:45 eren-pocket-reform kernel: power_supply BAT0: driver failed to report `voltage_now' property: -16
Sep 08 10:32:45 eren-pocket-reform kernel: power_supply BAT0: driver failed to report `voltage_now' property: -16
Sep 08 10:32:45 eren-pocket-reform kernel: power_supply BAT0: driver failed to report `voltage_now' property: -16
Sep 08 10:32:45 eren-pocket-reform kernel: power_supply BAT0: driver failed to report `voltage_now' property: -16
Sep 08 10:32:45 eren-pocket-reform kernel: power_supply BAT0: driver failed to report `voltage_now' property: -16
Sep 08 10:32:45 eren-pocket-reform kernel: power_supply BAT0: driver failed to report `voltage_now' property: -16
Sep 08 10:32:45 eren-pocket-reform kernel: power_supply BAT0: driver failed to report `voltage_now' property: -16
Sep 08 10:33:15 eren-pocket-reform kernel: power_supply BAT0: driver failed to report `voltage_now' property: -16
Sep 08 10:33:15 eren-pocket-reform kernel: power_supply BAT0: driver failed to report `voltage_now' property: -16
Sep 08 10:33:15 eren-pocket-reform kernel: power_supply BAT0: driver failed to report `voltage_now' property: -16
Sep 08 10:33:15 eren-pocket-reform kernel: power_supply BAT0: driver failed to report `voltage_now' property: -16
Sep 08 10:33:15 eren-pocket-reform kernel: power_supply BAT0: driver failed to report `voltage_now' property: -16
Sep 08 10:33:15 eren-pocket-reform kernel: power_supply BAT0: driver failed to report `voltage_now' property: -16
Sep 08 10:33:15 eren-pocket-reform kernel: power_supply BAT0: driver failed to report `voltage_now' property: -16
Sep 08 10:33:15 eren-pocket-reform kernel: power_supply BAT0: driver failed to report `voltage_now' property: -16
Sep 08 10:33:15 eren-pocket-reform kernel: power_supply BAT0: driver failed to report `voltage_now' property: -16
Sep 08 10:33:16 eren-pocket-reform kernel: power_supply BAT0: driver failed to report `voltage_now' property: -16
Sep 08 10:33:45 eren-pocket-reform kernel: power_supply BAT0: driver failed to report `voltage_now' property: -16
Sep 08 10:33:46 eren-pocket-reform kernel: power_supply BAT0: driver failed to report `voltage_now' property: -16
Sep 08 10:33:46 eren-pocket-reform kernel: power_supply BAT0: driver failed to report `voltage_now' property: -16

Any help is appreciated!

1 Like
2

Hi, can you try using gnome-firmware and update System Controller and Keyboard to the newest version 20251001, and also update reform-tools via apt?

3

This seems to have fixed the issues! Battery charging/discharging state is also now displayed correctly. Thanks a lot @minute! :partying_face: EDIT: actually the problems persist, seemingly below 60% battery. :sob:

1 Like
4

About the charging/discharging state: it is reported maybe not exactly correct. Both swaybar and oled battery status reads charging, even on battery power (oled displays constant -0.05A on battery). But the abrupt shutdowns seem to have stopped. EDIT: Plugging and unplugging the charger cable made the Oled display stuck at -1.xxxA even on battery power. And the abrupt shutdowns started to happen again. ANOTHER EDIT: after a couple of reboots, the battery state and voltage seem to be reported correctly now. But I am not sure how often the wrong reporting happens, will continue using and observe!

5

I’d like to try this, but gnome-firmware under the “Problems” section says: “System power too low to perform upgrade”

@blipblub How did you get it to upgrade?

6

I was able to use gnome-firmware without issues.

After the update, it got less unstable overall, but still experiencing random reboots (with screen burn in) when the battery is below 70% charge.