[RV280] Blank screen and incorrectly detected screen resolution with Mac Mini G4 and Radeon 9200

[Luke Yelavich]

 affects ubuntu/xserver-xorg-video-ati

When attempting to load X on a Mac Mini G4, with a Radeon 9200 chip, 32MB RAM, I get a blank screen, and my monitor's on-screen display indicates a resolution of 1280x768 at 60Hz. I am using a 22 inch wide-screen monitor, with a maximum of 1680x1050 at 60Hz. When running in failsafe mode, the radeon driver appears to get loaded, so at lower resolutions at least, things are working ok.

I am using the 2.6.28 ports kernel which I maintain, and so far as I can determine, there is nothing wrong with the configuration of the kernel regarding graphics/DRM, however I have attached the config here to be sure. I am also attaching dmesg, lspci, and my Xorg log.

[lspci]
0000:00:10.0 VGA compatible controller [0300]: ATI Technologies Inc RV280 [Radeon 9200] [1002:5962] (rev 01)
     Subsystem: ATI Technologies Inc RV280 [Radeon 9200] [1002:5962]

[Tormod Volden (tormodvolden)]

General instructions for debugging "black screen" issues from a live CD:

Please try a Jaunty live CD: http://cdimage.ubuntu.com/releases/jaunty/

At the CD boot menu, add "text" to the boot options: https://help.ubuntu.com/community/BootParameters

The CD will now boot but not start X. At the text prompt, enter this command:
 xinit -e 'sh -c "xrandr --verbose > xrandr.log" '
This will try to start X and log some information about the active screen resolution to the file xrandr.log before it stops X again. Copy the corresponding X log to the current directory:
 cp /var/log/Xorg.0.log .

Now edit xorg.conf to make X use the "vesa" (failsafe) driver:
 nano /etc/X11/xorg.conf
and change the Device section to look like this:

Section "Device"
        Identifier "Configured Video Device"
        Driver "vesa"
EndSection

Then start X which should give you a desktop session, although with low resolution:
 startx

From here, attach the xrandr.log and Xorg.0.log (which are in the Home Folder) to this bug report. If for some reason you can not log into launchpad from the live CD (network problems etc), you can also copy the files to a USB drive now and attach them from another computer or session later.

See also https://wiki.ubuntu.com/X/Troubleshooting/BlankScreen

[Luke Yelavich (themuso)]

Carried out the suggested steps, minus the vesa driver change, since PowerPC doesn't have that driver, and I have SSH access to the box to get the logs I need anyway.

 affects ubuntu/xserver-xorg-video-ati
 status new

[Tormod Volden (tormodvolden)]

The logs indicate that the correct mode of 1680x1050 at 60Hz is set up. Can you please try the MacModel options, as described by "man radeon"?

[Luke Yelavich (themuso)]

No go, still a blank screen when attempting with either mini-external or mini-internal, fresh logs attached.

[Tormod Volden (tormodvolden)]

There was a mac mini bug fix in upstream git today. Please test packages from my PPA https://edge.launchpad.net/~tormodvolden/+archive/ppa

[Luke Yelavich (themuso)]

Unfortunately that fix didn't help me. When I get time, I'll check out the freedesktop bug tracker, and file my bug upstream there.

[Tormod Volden (tormodvolden)]

There were macmini fixes in 1:6.12.1-0ubuntu2, did they help?

[Luke Yelavich (themuso)]

No, I hope to file a bug upstream over the weekend.

[Sébastien Bernard (sbernard)]

I tested the latest package a.k.a. 1:6.12.2.99+git20090429.7d9f643a-0ubuntu0tormod
The problem is gone.
Could you please push this fix as a critical update for ppc, since all mac mini ppc are broken withouth this fix ?

[Bryce Harrington (bryce)]

Hi Luke, any word on status of this bug for your mac?

[Luke Yelavich (themuso)]

I tried a PPA version from tormod a while back which had a fix for the driver. I've yet to put karmic on it, but I am sure karmic will work, so will mark fix released.

 affects ubuntu/xserver-xorg-video-ati
 status fixreleased