Serious Problems With USB and Ethernet On the Raspberry Pi

First time accepted submitter rephlex writes "The USB controller used in the Broadcom BCM2835 (which is the SoC the Raspberry Pi uses) has buggy drivers which have been causing problems for many of its users. In addition to this, the Pi can only supply an unusually low amount of current to its USB devices, just 140 mA approximately, and using a powered hub to sidestep this limit exacerbates the issues caused by the USB drivers. Even Ethernet is affected as the Ethernet controller used on the Raspberry Pi is connected to the SoC via USB. This has resulted in packet loss and even total loss of network connectivity in certain situations. Attempts have been made in the past to fix the buggy USB drivers as there are other devices which use this problematic controller. None of these attempts seem to have achieved very much."

Comments

FIRST POST

[pscottdv]

Posted from my Raspberry Pi...

Re:FIRST POST

[Howard Beale]

I've used a Pi, and there's no way for it to respond quick enough on /. for you to post within 6 minutes of the story going live.

DIE BLASPHEMER!

[CajunArson]

Though hast profaned the name of the HOLY PI with thine blasphemous use of facts! We cast thee into the deepest pits of Hell amongst the Beagle Board and Panda Board demons!

All praised be THE PI!

We had our bitcoin article already this week...

[Anonymous Coward]

About fucking time!

Re:Fix for the USB

[Anonymous Coward]

Why don't they change the original design? Are they resistant to change?

Re:Use a better power source and quit complaining

[Anonymous Coward]

I power my Raspberry Pi using a micro USB connected to the USB port on the opposite side, you jump start it with an external 5V power supply for a second, and the power just goes round and round indefinitely, powering the PI and what ever other devices I have connected to the unpowered 6 port hub connected to the second port. At the moment it's populated exclusively with USB humping dogs.

Re:Slightly exaggerated I feel

[hairyfeet]

I'd say the bigger question is this....WTF did you expect out of a $35 device? Seriously? Its $35 fricking bucks people! Sure they could have used more robust and thus less likely to fuck up chips, but it wouldn't be $35 then would it?

It looks like people are buying a $35 device and then bitching when it doesn't run like a $200+ device...well duh, really? Hell its a miracle the damned thing works as good as it does considering the BOM, so if you don't like it? Plenty of $200+ Android devices out there that doesn't have those issues..sheesh, talk about a sense of entitlement, its fricking $35!