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FAQ

Quick Troubleshooting

OLED screen not working → OLED Screen Not Working?
RGB LEDs not working → RGB LEDs Not Working?
GPIO GPIO Fans not working → GPIO GPIO Fans Not Working?
CPU fan not spinning → CPU Fan Not Working?
Dashboard shows no data → The Dashboard Shows No Data
NVMe SSD not detected → NVMe PIP Module Not Working?

1. Hardware

Compatible Systems

Systems that passed testing on the Raspberry Pi 5:

Power Button

The power button extends the original Raspberry Pi 5 power button and behaves similarly.

Briefly press: Power on / wake OLED / switch OLED pages.
Hold for 2 seconds: Safe shutdown (requires 1. Configuring Shutdown to Deactivate GPIO Power).
Hold for 5 seconds: Force shutdown.

Copper Pipe Ends on the Tower Cooler

The flattened ends of the U-shaped copper heat pipes are part of the normal manufacturing process and are designed to allow the heat pipes to pass through the aluminum fins.

Raspberry Pi AI HAT+

The Raspberry Pi AI HAT+ is not compatible with the Pironman 5.

The Raspberry Pi AI Kit combines the Raspberry Pi M.2 HAT+ and the Hailo AI accelerator module.

You can detach the Hailo AI accelerator module from the Raspberry Pi AI Kit and insert it directly into the NVMe PIP module of the Pironman 5.

Can I use the Pironman5 Max’s vibration switch function?

From v1.3.6, OLED wake-up uses the power button. You must remove the vibration switch jumper to avoid occupying Raspberry Pi GPIO pins and prevent potential conflicts. Please check whether this jumper exists; if not, please ignore this notice.

2. Cooling and Fans

CPU Fan Not Working?

The CPU fan on the Pironman 5 is controlled by the Raspberry Pi system. The CPU fan speed depends on the Raspberry Pi 5 CPU temperature.

Default CPU fan curve:

< 50°C: Off (0%)
50°C+: Low speed (30%)
60°C+: Medium speed (50%)
67.5°C+: High speed (70%)
75°C+: Full speed (100%)

Check the current CPU temperature (example output: temp=48.7'C):

vcgencmd measure_temp

You can manually control the CPU fan using the following commands:

pinctrl FAN_PWM op dl   # Enable fan (low active)
pinctrl FAN_PWM op dh   # Disable fan (high active)
pinctrl FAN_PWM a0      # Auto mode

You can also adjust the CPU fan temperature thresholds by editing:

nano /boot/firmware/config.txt

Add:

dtparam=cooling_fan=on
dtparam=fan_temp0=40000
dtparam=fan_temp0_hyst=10000
dtparam=fan_temp0_speed=125

This configuration starts the CPU fan at 40°C with PWM speed level 125.

After saving the file, reboot the Raspberry Pi for the changes to take effect.

GPIO GPIO Fans Not Working?

First, check whether the FAN jumper cap on the IO Expander board is installed correctly.

Then set the GPIO Fans to Always On mode and check whether the fans start spinning.

sudo pironman5 -gm 0

You can also connect the GPIO GPIO Fans directly to the Raspberry Pi 5V and GND pins for testing.

If the fans spin normally when connected directly, the issue may be related to the IO Expander board. Please contact us for further support.

If the issue still persists, open the Dashboard Log page and check for error messages. You can also send us the following log file:

cat /var/log/pironman5/pironman5.log

3. OLED and RGB

OLED Screen Not Working?

If the OLED screen is not displaying or displaying incorrectly, follow these troubleshooting steps:

Ensure the FPC cable of the OLED screen is securely connected. It is recommended to reconnect the OLED screen and then power on the device.
Confirm that the Raspberry Pi is running a supported operating system.

See Compatible Systems.
When the OLED screen is powered on for the first time, it may only display pixel blocks. You need to follow the instructions in 4. Set up or Install Software to complete the configuration before it can display proper information.
Use the following command to check if the OLED I2C address 0x3C is detected:
```
sudo i2cdetect -y 1
```
- If the I2C address 0x3C is detected, restart the Pironman 5 service:
```
sudo systemctl restart pironman5.service
```
- If the address is not detected, enable I2C:
```
sudo nano /boot/firmware/config.txt
```
  Add:
```
dtparam=i2c_arm=on
```
  Save the file and reboot the Raspberry Pi.
If the issue still persists, please send us the following log file:
```
cat /var/log/pironman5/pironman5.log
```

RGB LEDs Not Working?

The two pins on the IO Expander above J9 are used to connect the RGB LEDs to GPIO10. Ensure that the jumper cap on these two pins is properly installed.
Confirm that the Raspberry Pi is running a supported operating system.

See Compatible Systems.
Run the following command to enable SPI:
```
sudo raspi-config
```
Navigate to:

3 Interfacing Options → I3 SPI → YES

Then reboot the Raspberry Pi.
If the issue still persists, please send us the following log file:
```
cat /var/log/pironman5/pironman5.log
```

How to Customize the OLED Display?

If you want to customize the OLED display, such as adding custom 2–4 digit image displays, you can modify the OLED page files in one of the following ways.

Method 1: Modify the Installed Files Directly
1. List the OLED page files:
```
ls /opt/pironman5/venv/lib/python3.13/site-packages/pm_auto/addons/oled/pages/
```
2. Modify the desired Python files.
3. Restart the service to apply the changes:
```
sudo systemctl restart pironman5.service
```

Method 2: Clone and Reinstall ``pm_auto``

Clone the pm_auto repository:

git clone -b 1.4.x https://github.com/sunfounder/pm_auto/

After making changes, reinstall the modified package:

sudo /opt/pironman5/venv/bin/pip3 uninstall pm_auto -y && \
sudo /opt/pironman5/venv/bin/pip3 install ~/pm_auto --no-build-isolation && \
sudo chown -R pironman5:pironman5 /opt/pironman5

Restart the service:

sudo systemctl restart pironman5.service

Testing and Debugging

To view runtime logs:

journalctl -xefu pironman5.service

You can also stop the service and run it manually for faster testing:

sudo systemctl stop pironman5.service
sudo systemctl restart pironman5.service

4. Dashboard and Software

The Dashboard Shows No Data

If the Dashboard shows no data, first open the Dashboard Log page and check whether there are any error messages related to influxdb.

Common errors include:

database not found
failed to connect to influxdb
connection refused
timeout

You can try the following steps to resolve the issue.

Clear your browser cache, or reopen the Dashboard page using Incognito / Private mode.

Check whether the following services are running properly:

sudo systemctl status pironman5 --no-pager
sudo systemctl status influxdb --no-pager

Both services should display:

active (running)

If either service is not running properly, restart them:
```
sudo systemctl restart influxdb
sudo systemctl restart pironman5
```
Then wait about 30 seconds and refresh the Dashboard page.
Check whether the pironman5 database exists:
```
influx
```
Then run:
```
SHOW DATABASES;
```
You should see:
```
pironman5
_internal
```
If the database is missing or corrupted, you can try clearing the historical data from the Dashboard using:

Settings → Clear All Data
If the issue still persists after trying all the above steps, we recommend reinstalling the Raspberry Pi OS and Pironman 5 software.

How to Disable the Web Dashboard

Once you have completed the installation of the pironman5 module, you will be able to access the View and Control from Dashboard.

If you do not need this feature and want to reduce CPU and RAM usage, you can disable the dashboard during installation by adding the --disable-dashboard flag.

cd ~/pironman5
sudo python3 install.py --disable-dashboard

If you have already installed pironman5, you can remove the Dashboard module and influxdb:

/opt/pironman5/env/bin/pip3 uninstall pm-dashboard influxdb
sudo apt purge influxdb
sudo systemctl restart pironman5

How to Uninstall and Reinstall the Pironman 5 Software

Uninstall the current pironman5 software:

cd ~/pironman5
sudo python3 install.py --uninstall

Reboot the Raspberry Pi as prompted, then remove the pironman5 directory:
```
cd ~/
sudo rm -rf pironman5
```

Run the following command to reinstall the software for your Pironman 5 model:

curl -sSL "https://raw.githubusercontent.com/sunfounder/sunfounder-installer-scripts/main/pironman5/install.sh" | sudo bash

How to Control Components Using the `pironman5` Command

You can refer to the following tutorial to control the components of the Pironman 5 series using the pironman5 command.

Control with Commands

5. Boot and Storage

If I set up OMV, can I still use the Pironman5’s function?

Yes, OpenMediaVault is set up on the Raspberry Pi system. Please follow the steps of Setting Up on Raspberry Pi OS/Ubuntu/Kali Linux/Homebridge to continue the configuration.

PI5 Fails to Boot (Red LED)?

This issue may be caused by a system update, changes to the boot order, or a corrupted bootloader. You can try the following steps to resolve the problem:

Check USB-HDMI Adapter Connection
- Please carefully check whether the USB-HDMI adapter is securely connected to the PI5.
- Try unplugging and reconnecting the USB-HDMI adapter.
- Then reconnect the power supply and check if the PI5 boots successfully.
Test PI5 Outside the Case
- If reconnecting the adapter does not solve the problem:
- Remove the PI5 from the Pironman 5 series case.
- Power the PI5 directly with the power adapter (without the case).
- Check if it can boot normally.
Restore the Bootloader
- If the PI5 still cannot boot, the bootloader may be corrupted. You can follow this guide: 2. Update the Bootloader and choose whether to boot from SD card or NVMe/USB.
- Insert the prepared SD card into the PI5, power it on, and wait at least 10 seconds. Once the recovery is complete, remove and reformat the SD card.
- Then use Raspberry Pi Imager to flash the latest Raspberry Pi OS and try booting again.

NVMe PIP Module Not Working?

Ensure the FPC cable connecting the NVMe PIP module to the Raspberry Pi 5 is securely attached.
Confirm that your SSD is properly secured to the NVMe PIP module.
Check the status of the NVMe PIP Module’s LEDs:

After confirming all connections, power on the Pironman 5 MAX and observe the two indicators on the NVMe PIP Module:
- PWR LED: Should be lit.
- STA LED: Should blink to indicate normal operation.
- If the PWR LED is on but the STA LED is not blinking, it indicates the NVMe SSD is not recognized by the Raspberry Pi.
- If the PWR LED is off, short the “Force Enable” pins on the module. If the PWR LED lights up, it could indicate a loose FPC cable or unsupported system configuration for NVMe.
Confirm that your NVMe SSD has a properly installed operating system. Refer to: 3. Installing the Operating System.
If the issue still persists, please send us the following log file:
```
cat /var/log/pironman5/pironman5.log
```

How to Change the Raspberry Pi Boot Order Using Commands

If you are already logged into your Raspberry Pi, you can change the boot order using commands.

3. Configure boot from the SSD

How to Modify the Boot Order with Raspberry Pi Imager

In addition to modifying the BOOT_ORDER in the EEPROM configuration, you can also use Raspberry Pi Imager to change the boot order.

2. Update the Bootloader

How to Copy the System from the SD Card to an NVMe SSD

If you do not have an NVMe-to-USB adapter, you can first install the system onto a Micro SD card, then copy the system to the NVMe SSD after booting successfully.

Copy OS from Micro SD to NVMe SSD

6. Advanced Usage

How to Remove the Protective Film

Two acrylic panels are included in the package, both covered with yellow/transparent protective film on both sides to prevent scratches.

The protective film may be difficult to remove. Use a screwdriver to gently lift one corner, then carefully peel off the entire film.