XO Self Test

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HowTo [ID# 270728]  +/-

These are hardware self-test routines available on XO laptops. Additional troubleshooting guides are available.

Hardware Diagnostics

Open Firmware includes hardware diagnostics routines for most major components of the laptop. It is triggered using a cheat code: by pressing down the left hand side of the "Rocker switch" to the left of the screen while booting a laptop.

The following components of the laptop are tested sequentially by the hardware diagnostics:

• Battery - The current status of the main battery is read from it and printed out
• Manufacturing data - The manufacturing data of the laptop is printed out
• Memory - The SDRAM on the motherboard is quickly tested.
• Processor - The Processor is exercised. Press any key to skip to the next test.
• USB - The USB ports are exercised (for use with an oscilloscope).
• Audio - A stereo sweep is output over the speakers (headphones, if plugged in). Then audio is recorded using the microphone, and output (at low volume) over the speakers.
• Camera - Video is displayed on the screen from the camera for twenty seconds
• SD Storage - Any SD storage is quickly (and non-destructively) tested
• NAND Flash - The motherboard's internal NAND Flash storage is quickly (and non-destructively) tested.
• Display - The display is only marginally tested with color bars, then the drawing capabilities of the CPU are displayed for a while. Press any key to skip to the next test.
• Wireless networking - The firmware is loaded, the network co-processor booted and communicated with.
• RTC - The Real Time Clock, which includes parameter RAM, is tested
• Timer - various timers are tested
• Touchpad - Press any key to exit.
• Keyboard - Press ESC to exit.
• lid and ebook switch - (XO-1.5 and XO-1.75 only) - when you see "Activate lid switch" you should close the lid and then open it, then rotate the display and close with display up, then return the lid to normal position.
• accelerometer - (XO-1.75 only) - try not to move the laptop during this test.

If using firmware later than Q2D08, you can pause between individual tests by holding down the "rotate" button on the left hand side of the screen (below the "Rocker switch").

If the hardware test fails to perform as expected, reflash the XO and try again.

Developer Self-Test Diagnostics

These are only available on laptops which have been unlocked with a developer key, and allow entry into Open Firmware.

**  ok test /display
   - extended display test for burn-in.  Runs for 1 minute

** ok test /audio::rom:\splash
   - extended audio selftest will play a .wav file
   - rom:\splash is a sound that is in the ROM

   ok test /audio
   - normal audio selftest

   ok test /audio::u:\fanfare.wav
   ok test /audio::sd:\mysound.wav
   - Examples showing .wav files from USB (u:) and SD (sd:)

** ok test /nandflash::help
   - Shows a list of extended selftests for burn-in

   Examples:

   ok test /nandflash::erase
   - Erases the NAND FLASH

   ok test /nandflash::fill,aa
   - Fills NAND FLASH with 0xaa bytes

   ok test /nandflash::fill
   - Fills NAND FLASH with 00 bytes

   ok test /nandflash::full
   - Complete test of every block

   ok test /nandflash::full,8,2
   - Complete test of every third block starting at block 8 (skip 2)

   ok test /nandflash::full;erase
   - Complete test, then erase

** ok test /cpu
   - CPU burn-in test, like k6burn.  Runs for 60 seconds

   ok test /cpu:1000
   - Burn-in CPU for 0x1000 seconds

** ok test /mouse
   - The touchpad test has a new feature.  If you type 's' during the
     touchpad test, the system will suspend to RAM.  Pressing the power
     button will wake up the system, and the touchpad test will resume.

** ok test /camera
   - Camera/video test.  Includes workaround for camera chip image quality
     issue in RGB565 mode.

** ok test /wlan
   - Wireless LAN test

** ok test /flash
   - Rudimentary SPI FLASH selftest

** ok test /keyboard
   - Keyboard test shows which keys are pressed

** ok test /usb
   - Puts fisheye patterns on unused ports

** ok memtest
   - memtest86 for burn-in testing of memory