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My Raspberry Pi 3B is constantly crashing and rebooting, roughly every 10 min. Originally I thought it was only on Youtube. But it happens on many websites - hell I hope it doesn't crash before I can type this post!

How do I discover the cause? Is there a log file somewhere that would tell me if it's overheating or dipping in supply voltage, or some other useful info?

Thanks

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  • The first thing you should do is check dmesg for any errors(post them). Also, does the pi crash when it is doing heavy tasks and not crash when it is idle? Than it is probably a power issue.
    – Dr_Bunsen
    Mar 16, 2017 at 14:14
  • It was indeed a power supply problem, thank you. It did not have the amperage. dmesg command is useful too - I always wondered how anyone was meant to be able to read all those boot messages.
    – Benice
    Apr 9, 2017 at 8:16
  • great that you found the issue!
    – Dr_Bunsen
    Apr 11, 2017 at 8:56
  • Nice that you found it. Please post your solution or mark an answer as the solution in order to resolve this post and have people in the future find the answer quick.
    – Dr_Bunsen
    Jun 14, 2019 at 14:11

2 Answers 2

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The first thing you should do is check dmesg for any errors(post them).

Also, does the pi crash when it is doing heavy tasks and not crash when it is idle? Than it is probably a power issue.

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  • I've seen the suggestion to check dmesg before, but what good does it do if all dmesg shows is what happened since boot? If the pi crashed and I reboot it to get back in, then all the stuff in dmesg is useless, right?
    – nomadic_squirrel
    Mar 12, 2019 at 21:41
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This was indeed a power supply issue: unable to supply 2.5A reliably without dipping. A clue is the lightning bolt icon that appears in the top right of the screen.

As Dr_Bunsen suggested: It would crash when performing heavy tasks, the CPU draining more power and causing a voltage drop on the supply. Also, dmesg is useful for diagnosing problems, allowing you to actually read the boot up messages.

A new adapter rated at the recommended 2.5A solved the problem.

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