Radioberry stopped working on Pi 5 after 2 months (No RX/TX, Software loads fine) – Need troubleshooting help

[Λάζος Τσαφταρίδης]

Hello everyone,

I recently had a sudden hardware failure with my Radioberry setup. After 2 months of flawless operation, the board simply stopped working (no RX/TX, software shows no errors).

I have removed the board, and I noticed it was getting abnormally hot even with active cooling, which clearly indicates a short circuit on the board itself (likely the AD9866 or a regulator). I have decided to order a new unit rather than trying to repair the damaged one.

My concern now is preventing this from happening again. Since I didn't perform any unusual operations or configuration changes, I'm worried about potential "hidden" causes.

• Are there specific preventive measures (ESD protection, isolation, etc.) that you recommend for a long-term Radioberry setup on a Pi 5?

• Is it common for the AD9866 to fail after a period of time, or could this be related to RF feedback or power fluctuations?

Any tips on protecting the new board would be greatly appreciated.

[Samuel Lourenço]

I had to use heatsinks on both the FPGA and the AD9866. Two heatsinks from the customary kit for the RPi 4 should be enough.

Kind regards, Samuel Lourenço

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[Λάζος Τσαφταρίδης]

Thanks for the feedback! . There are heatsinks and a small blower to 

[qrp73]

Based on the symptoms, my first suspicion would not be ESD or RF feedback, but a hardware issue related to the AD9866 soldering.

Unfortunately, poor solder joints on the AD9866 are not unheard of with these boards. A marginal connection may work perfectly for weeks or even months, then gradually degrade due to thermal cycling and eventually fail. The fact that the board became unusually hot before failing is consistent with a hardware fault developing over time.

If the FPGA still loads its firmware correctly and the software can communicate with the board, but RX/TX no longer works, the most likely causes are:

Loss of the AD9866 clock signal due to a failed solder joint or damaged component in the clock path.
A soldering issue on one of the AD9866 power pins.
A soldering issue on the digital interface between the FPGA and the AD9866.

Any of these faults could leave the FPGA operational while making the ADC/DAC section completely non-functional.

In my opinion, this type of failure is much more likely than normal wear-out of the AD9866 itself. These devices are generally quite reliable when operated within specifications.