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Yash Mulgaonkar edited this page Aug 6, 2026 · 10 revisions

Troubleshooting

Expand a topic below that matches what you are seeing.

1. Touch works in evtest / i2cdetect but taps do nothing in the app

On Raspberry Pi OS Bookworm with labwc/Wayland, Xwayland usually delivers mouse events for the panel, not SDL FINGER* events. If /etc/flightscnr.env has TOUCH_USE_FINGER_EVENTS=True, taps can be dropped on older builds:

sudo sed -i 's/^TOUCH_USE_FINGER_EVENTS=.*/TOUCH_USE_FINGER_EVENTS=False/' /etc/flightscnr.env
sudo systemctl restart flightscnr

Current builds also fall back to the mouse path automatically when no FINGER* events arrive (see issue #14).

2. Pinch-to-zoom does nothing

Tracked in issue #21.

Pinch only works when SDL delivers multi-touch as FINGERDOWN / FINGERMOTION / FINGERUP. That is independent of TOUCH_USE_FINGER_EVENTS (which only chooses the tap/swipe path). Under Xwayland, touch is often pointer-emulated as a single mouse cursor - mouse events cannot represent two fingers, so pinch is impossible on that path. Check:

sudo journalctl -u flightscnr -b | grep -E 'Touch:|pinch:|FINGER'
  • If you never see FINGER events detected / pinch: session ARMED, the display stack is not sending multi-touch to SDL.
  • Keep TOUCH_USE_FINGER_EVENTS=False for reliable taps under Xwayland; flipping it to True does not invent FINGER* events.
  • Change range without pinch: on-device Settings → Display → Radar Range (or the portal radar range control).
  • To pan/recenter the map without multi-touch: long-press then drag on the radar (~0.5 s still hold, then move; release after moving to save), or use Settings → Display → Click to Set Radar Center (pan, then tap center to save / tap rim to cancel).
  • Optional debug: set TOUCH_DEBUG=1 in /etc/flightscnr.env, restart, pinch on radar, and inspect journalctl -u flightscnr -f | grep touch.
3. Web portal stuck on “Update in progress…”

Tracked in issue #25.

After an interrupted portal update, /var/lib/flightscnr/update-status.json can stay at "state": "running". The Updates section then shows Update in progress… forever (including across reboots), and Update Now is blocked.

Clear the stale flag, then install the latest build (which includes the deferred-restart fix so this should not recur):

sudo rm -f /var/lib/flightscnr/update.lock /var/lib/flightscnr/update-status.json
cd ~/FlightScnr_Pi && bash install-pi.sh update

Adjust the path if your clone is not ~/FlightScnr_Pi. Refresh the portal Updates section afterward.

4. Blank Waveshare panel after boot
  • Confirm the correct overlay in config.txt / /boot/firmware/config.txt (see Software Setup).
  • On Pi 5 / Compute Module, try the DSI0 overlay line instead of DSI1.
  • Power off fully before reseating the DSI ribbon.
5. Web portal not reachable
  • Confirm the Pi is on the same LAN and try http://<hostname>.local (default hostname from Imager).
  • Check the service: sudo systemctl status flightscnr and sudo journalctl -u flightscnr -f.
  • Port defaults to 80; override with WEB_PORT in /etc/flightscnr.env.
6. ATC / chime has no sound
  • Confirm mpv is installed: sudo apt install mpv.
  • Prefer a USB speaker, or pair a Bluetooth speaker in the portal → Bluetooth Speaker, then Use Bluetooth.
  • By default the app requires a USB ALSA playback device (or the selected BT sink) so it does not open HDMI / 3.5 mm with nothing useful attached. Temporarily allow built-in sinks with FLIGHTSCNR_AUDIO_ALLOW_BUILTIN=1, or disable the gate with FLIGHTSCNR_REQUIRE_SPEAKER=0, in /etc/flightscnr.env (see .env.example).
  • If PipeWire leaves the USB gadget sink missing after reconnect, unplug/replug the speaker or relaunch the app from System.
  • Quiet hours (ATC) and off-hours schedule can block auto-start / chime; use Play / Preview to test.
  • Firmware 2026.8.5.2 routes the root-run service through the desktop user’s pipewire-pulse session. Update and rerun sudo bash install-pi.sh if audio works on the desktop but not in FlightScnr.
7. ATC keeps playing after disable or airport change

Fixed in firmware 2026.8.3.4. Update from the portal (or git pull + restart). On older builds, toggle Play/Stop on the ATC page or relaunch the app from System.

8. Radar aircraft positions freeze / hang

Fixed in firmware 2026.8.3.3 (AIS / overhead refresh could stall the radar redraw). Update to 2026.8.3.3 or newer. If you still see freezes on a current build, capture sudo journalctl -u flightscnr -f around the hang.

9. Bluetooth “Connection successful” steals the fullscreen UI

Firmware 2026.8.5.4 hardens popup suppression for Wayland wf-panel-pi: it writes an explicit Bluetooth-free widgets_right list and sets notify_enable=false. Re-run install/update and reboot or log in again. Older lxpanel desktops have their Bluetooth plugin removed. If a legacy panel config is unwritable, installation continues with a warning.

10. Safety disclaimer does not auto-continue
  • Don't show again must be checked on the physical display before tapping Accept.
  • A remembered boot shows Continuing in 8…1 and no Accept button.
  • Unchecking the box during that countdown clears the choice for the next boot.
  • Changing the disclaimer version invalidates old acceptance.
  • The portal can only clear acceptance. Uploading a settings backup also clears it and cannot restore consent.
11. Useful log commands 
sudo journalctl -u flightscnr -f
sudo journalctl -u flightscnr -b | grep -E 'Touch:|pinch:|FINGER'

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