Inkplate 10 disconnects from Linux with input/output error on flash

TECHNICAL SUPPORT Inkplate
1

Customer:

I’m connecting an Inkplate 10 to a Linux machine and it briefly appears at /dev/ttyUSB0, but then disappears. When I try to flash it using platformio, the connection sometimes succeeds if the device was just plugged in, but then fails with an input/output error. I’ve tried several USB A to USB C cables that work with other devices, and tried them in both directions. What could be causing this?

Attachment omitted in migration: image.png

Attachment omitted in migration: image.png

Originally submitted via email support on 29 April 2022. Migrated to the forum for community visibility.

2

Customer:

I fixed this by adding an RTC battery and removing the brltty package. The device was disconnecting instantly after connecting, followed by a message about BRLTTY 6.4 Linux Screen Driver Keyboard appearing in the input devices.

3

Soldered Support:

Can you try connecting the Inkplate to another PC (Windows or Mac) and uploading code from there? Does your Inkplate work when connected to USB - does the display refresh?

This symptoms suggest a problem with the USB-UART communication IC or a power issue, which is why your Inkplate disappears from the device list.