[RV516] screen goes blank for a second every few mins

[Alex Chekholko]

Binary package hint: xserver-xorg-video-radeon

Machine is stock Dell Optiplex 745, here's lspci -v for the video card

01:00.0 VGA compatible controller: ATI Technologies Inc RV516 [Radeon X1300/X1550 Series]
        Subsystem: Dell Device 0402
        Flags: bus master, fast devsel, latency 0, IRQ 16
        Memory at c0000000 (64-bit, prefetchable) [size=256M]
        Memory at dfde0000 (64-bit, non-prefetchable) [size=64K]
        I/O ports at dc00 [size=256]
        Expansion ROM at dfe00000 [disabled] [size=128K]
        Capabilities: [50] Power Management version 2
        Capabilities: [58] Express Endpoint, MSI 00
        Capabilities: [80] Message Signalled Interrupts: Mask- 64bit+ Queue=0/0 Enable-

01:00.1 Display controller: ATI Technologies Inc RV516 [Radeon X1300/X1550 Series] (Secondary)
        Subsystem: Dell Device 0403
        Flags: bus master, fast devsel, latency 0
        Memory at dfdf0000 (64-bit, non-prefetchable) [size=64K]
        Capabilities: [50] Power Management version 2
        Capabilities: [58] Express Endpoint, MSI 00

Ubuntu Jaunty 9.04, updated as of this afternoon.

Machine works fine, but the screen goes completely blank for a second or so, then comes back. This happens every few minutes, but doesn't seem to be a regular interval. No messages in the logs.

Monitor is IBM 20" LCD 1600x1200 connected via DVI. Monitor works fine, I just swapped desktops this morning.

alex@pgfi-chekh-d1:~$ lsb_release -rd
Description: Ubuntu 9.04
Release: 9.04

alex@pgfi-chekh-d1:~$ apt-cache policy xserver-xorg-video-radeon
xserver-xorg-video-radeon:
  Installed: 1:6.12.1-0ubuntu2
  Candidate: 1:6.12.1-0ubuntu2
  Version table:
 *** 1:6.12.1-0ubuntu2 0
        500 http://us.archive.ubuntu.com jaunty/main Packages
        100 /var/lib/dpkg/status

[Alex Chekholko (alex-chekholko)]

xorg.conf attached, I didn't modify anything there since install/update.

[Alex Chekholko (alex-chekholko)]

$ sudo lspci -nn |grep VGA
01:00.0 VGA compatible controller [0300]: ATI Technologies Inc RV516 [Radeon X1300/X1550 Series] [1002:7187]

$ xrandr
Screen 0: minimum 320 x 200, current 1600 x 1200, maximum 1600 x 1600
DVI-0 connected 1600x1200+0+0 (normal left inverted right x axis y axis) 400mm x 300mm
   1600x1200 60.0*+ 60.0
   1280x1024 76.0 75.0 70.0 60.0
   1152x864 75.0
   1024x768 85.0 75.0 70.1 60.0
   832x624 74.6
   800x600 72.2 75.0 60.3 56.2
   640x480 85.0 75.0 72.8 66.0 59.9
   720x400 70.1

$ sudo ddcprobe
vbe: VESA 3.0 detected.
oem: ATI ATOMBIOS
vendor: (C) 1988-2005, ATI Technologies Inc.
product: RV516 01.00
memory: 16384kb
mode: 640x400x256
mode: 640x480x256
mode: 800x600x256
mode: 1024x768x256
mode: 1280x1024x256
mode: 132x25 (text)
mode: 132x43 (text)
mode: 640x480x32k
mode: 640x480x64k
mode: 640x480x16m
mode: 800x600x32k
mode: 800x600x64k
mode: 800x600x16m
mode: 1024x768x32k
mode: 1024x768x64k
mode: 1024x768x16m
mode: 1280x1024x32k
mode: 1280x1024x64k
mode: 1280x1024x16m
mode: 320x200x32k
mode: 320x200x64k
mode: 320x200x16m
mode: 1600x1200x256
mode: 1600x1200x32k
mode: 1600x1200x64k
edid:
edid: 1 3
id: 2468
eisa: LEN2468
serial: 01010101
manufacture: 26 2006
input: analog signal.
screensize: 40 30
gamma: 2.200000
dpms: RGB, active off, suspend, standby
timing: 720x400@70 Hz (VGA 640x400, IBM)
timing: 720x400@88 Hz (XGA2)
timing: 640x480@60 Hz (VGA)
timing: 640x480@67 Hz (Mac II, Apple)
timing: 640x480@75 Hz (VESA)
timing: 800x600@60 Hz (VESA)
timing: 800x600@72 Hz (VESA)
timing: 800x600@75 Hz (VESA)
timing: 832x624@75 Hz (Mac II)
timing: 1024x768@87 Hz Interlaced (8514A)
timing: 1024x768@70 Hz (VESA)
timing: 1024x768@75 Hz (VESA)
timing: 1280x1024@75 (VESA)
ctiming: 640x480@66
ctiming: 640x480@85
ctiming: 1024x768@85
ctiming: 1280x1024@60
ctiming: 1280x1024@70
ctiming: 1280x1024@76
ctiming: 1600x1200@60
dtiming: 1600x1200@60
monitorrange: 30-83, 55-85
monitorserial: V128632
monitorname: LEN L201p

Also, I turned off the screensaver via the GUI, and in Power Management, it's set to sleep the screen in 40mins.

Possible complications: I'm running Flash in Firefox and I'm using synergyc on this machine. I'll try to reproduce this without synergy or Flash running and report back. It's just a matter of waiting a few minutes.

[Alex Chekholko (alex-chekholko)]

could be duplicate of bug # 310864 https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/310864

[Alex Chekholko (alex-chekholko)]

Today it got worse. Instead of going blank, the screen sometimes goes to "invalid refresh rate" instead and I have to switch to a tty and then back to X in order to get it back.

[Shaun Crampton (fasaxc)]

I see exactly the same problem (blank screen every few minutes, no log output, othrewise works fine) on my integrated Radeon HD 3300 so it doesn't just affect the listed chipset.

The problem does not occur with the proprietary fglrx driver.