Clock displays 45:85:85 after a few seconds

[rgsteele]

Hello,

I'm just getting started with Bruce and I'm hoping to get some help with an issue I'm seeing.

I've installed Bruce v1.13 on an M5Stack Core2. I navigate to WiFi and connect to my WiFi, and then I navigate to Config > Clock > NTP Timezone and select my timezone.

The display goes to the Clock display which displays the correct time, but after a few seconds it jumps to 45:85:85.

The following text is logged in the serial console. The ESP_ERR_INVALID_STATE error is logged at the exact moment the clock display jumps to an invalid time:

[11:53:46]Selected: Clock
[11:53:47]Current time: 11:53
[11:53:48]Current time: 11:53
[11:53:49]Current time: 11:53
[11:53:50]Current time: 11:53
[11:53:51]Current time: 11:53
[11:53:52]Current time: 11:53
[11:53:52][ 21889][E][esp32-hal-i2c-ng.c:275] i2cWrite(): i2c_master_transmit failed: [259] ESP_ERR_INVALID_STATE
[11:53:52][ 21948][E][esp32-hal-i2c-ng.c:321] i2cRead(): i2c_master_receive failed: [259] ESP_ERR_INVALID_STATE
[11:53:52][ 21957][E][Wire.cpp:527] requestFrom(): i2cRead returned Error 259
[11:53:53]Current time: 11:53
[11:53:54]Current time: 11:53
[11:53:55]Current time: 11:53
[11:53:56]Current time: 11:53
[11:53:57]Current time: 11:53
[11:53:58]Current time: 11:53
[11:53:59]Current time: 11:53
[11:54:00]Current time: 11:53
[11:54:01]Current time: 11:53
[11:54:02]Current time: 11:53
[11:54:03]Current time: 11:53

Is this a bug? Or is there something wrong with my Core2?

Thanks!

[emericklaw]

Please can you try the beta, some changes were made to the clock.

[rgsteele]

Hi @emericklaw, and thanks for the suggestion. I've just tried the beta (07ce9d2) and am still seeing issues.

Here's another serial console output, if it helps. On this run, the clock was showing 15:40:36 at time 16:01:36, but was incrementing correctly. I connected to my Wi-Fi, and the time started jumping around from the correct time (16:02:02) to 22:26:25, then back to the correct time, then to 06:06:06, etc.

There weren't any ESP_ERR_INVALID_STATE errors on this particular run, but I did see one or two on another run with the beta firmware.

[16:01:17]ets Jul 29 2019 12:21:46
[16:01:17]
[16:01:17]rst:0x1 (POWERON_RESET),boot:0x17 (SPI_FAST_FLASH_BOOT)
[16:01:17]configsip: 0, SPIWP:0xee
[16:01:17]clk_drv:0x00,q_drv:0x00,d_drv:0x00,cs0_drv:0x00,hd_drv:0x00,wp_drv:0x00
[16:01:17]mode:DIO, clock div:2
[16:01:17]load:0x3fff0030,len:4744
[16:01:17]load:0x40078000,len:15712
[16:01:17]load:0x40080400,len:3164
[16:01:17]entry 0x4008059c
[16:01:19]E (1269) esp_ota_ops: not found otadata
[16:01:19][   321][E][esp32-hal-cpu.c:139] addApbChangeCallback(): duplicate func=0x4023a40c arg=0x3ffc0580
[16:01:20]SDCard in the same Bus as TFT, using TFT SPI instance
[16:01:20]SDCARD mounted successfully
[16:01:20]{
[16:01:20]  "EC:64:C9:9F:15:F0": {
[16:01:20]    "rot": 1,
[16:01:20]    "irTx": 32,
[16:01:20]    "irTxRepeats": 0,
[16:01:20]    "irRx": 33,
[16:01:20]    "rfTx": 32,
[16:01:20]    "rfRx": 33,
[16:01:20]    "rfModule": 0,
[16:01:20]    "rfFreq": 433.92,
[16:01:20]    "rfFxdFreq": 1,
[16:01:20]    "rfScanRange": 3,
[16:01:20]    "bleName": "Keyboard_15",
[16:01:20]    "rfidModule": 0,
[16:01:20]    "gpsBaudrate": 9600,
[16:01:20]    "iButton": 0,
[16:01:20]    "CC1101_Pins": {
[16:01:20]      "sck": 18,
[16:01:20]      "miso": 38,
[16:01:20]      "mosi": 23,
[16:01:20]      "cs": 33,
[16:01:20]      "io0": 32,
[16:01:20]      "io2": -1
[16:01:20]    },
[16:01:20]    "NRF24_Pins": {
[16:01:20]      "sck": 18,
[16:01:20]      "miso": 38,
[16:01:20]      "mosi": 23,
[16:01:20]      "cs": 33,
[16:01:20]      "io0": 32,
[16:01:20]      "io2": -1
[16:01:20]    },
[16:01:20]    "SDCard_Pins": {
[16:01:20]      "sck": 18,
[16:01:20]      "miso": 38,
[16:01:20]      "mosi": 23,
[16:01:20]      "cs": 4,
[16:01:20]      "io0": -1,
[16:01:20]      "io2": -1
[16:01:20]    },
[16:01:20]    "W5500_Pins": {
[16:01:20]      "sck": 18,
[16:01:20]      "miso": 38,
[16:01:20]      "mosi": 23,
[16:01:20]      "cs": 2,
[16:01:20]      "io0": 34,
[16:01:20]      "io2": 19
[16:01:20]    },
[16:01:20]    "LoRa_Pins": {
[16:01:20]      "sck": -1,
[16:01:20]      "miso": -1,
[16:01:20]      "mosi": -1,
[16:01:20]      "cs": -1,
[16:01:20]      "io0": -1,
[16:01:20]      "io2": -1
[16:01:20]    },
[16:01:20]    "i2c_bus": {
[16:01:20]      "sda": 32,
[16:01:20]      "scl": 33
[16:01:20]    },
[16:01:20]    "uart_bus": {
[16:01:20]      "rx": 33,
[16:01:20]      "tx": 32
[16:01:20]    },
[16:01:20]    "GPS_bus": {
[16:01:20]      "rx": 33,
[16:01:20]      "tx": 32
[16:01:20]    }
[16:01:20]  }
[16:01:20]}[   910][E][vfs_api.cpp:31] open():  does not start with /
[16:01:20][   915][E][theme.cpp:27] openThemeFile(): THEME: Theme file not found. Using default theme
[16:01:36]Selected: Clock
[16:01:36]Current time: 15:40:36
[16:01:37]Current time: 15:40:37
[16:01:38]Current time: 15:40:38
[16:01:39]Current time: 15:40:39
[16:01:40]Current time: 15:40:40
[16:01:41]Current time: 15:40:41
[16:01:42]Current time: 15:40:42
[16:01:43]Current time: 15:40:43
[16:01:44]Current time: 15:40:44
[16:01:48]Selected: WiFi
[16:01:49]Selected: Connect to Wifi
[16:01:53]Selected: #REDACTED(-38|WPA2/PSK|ch.11)
[16:01:57]{
[16:01:57]  "priColor": "a80f",
[16:01:57]  "secColor": "880f",
[16:01:57]  "bgColor": "0",
[16:01:57]  "themeFile": "",
[16:01:57]  "themeOnSd": 0,
[16:01:57]  "dimmerSet": 0,
[16:01:57]  "bright": 100,
[16:01:57]  "automaticTimeUpdateViaNTP": true,
[16:01:57]  "tmz": -8,
[16:01:57]  "dst": false,
[16:01:57]  "clock24hr": true,
[16:01:57]  "soundEnabled": 1,
[16:01:57]  "soundVolume": 100,
[16:01:57]  "wifiAtStartup": 0,
[16:01:57]  "instantBoot": 0,
[16:01:57]  "webUI": {
[16:01:57]    "user": "admin",
[16:01:57]    "pwd": "bruce"
[16:01:57]  },
[16:01:57]  "webUISessions": {},
[16:01:57]  "wifiAp": {
[16:01:57]    "ssid": "BruceNet",
[16:01:57]    "pwd": "brucenet"
[16:01:57]  },
[16:01:57]  "wifiMAC": "",
[16:01:57]  "evilWifiNames": [],
[16:01:57]  "evilWifiEndpoints": {
[16:01:57]    "getCredsEndpoint": "/creds",
[16:01:57]    "setSsidEndpoint": "/ssid",
[16:01:57]    "showEndpoints": true,
[16:01:57]    "allowSetSsid": true,
[16:01:57]    "allowGetCreds": true
[16:01:57]  },
[16:01:57]  "evilWifiPasswordMode": 0,
[16:01:57]  "wifi": {
[16:01:57]    "REDACTED": "REDACTED"
[16:01:57]  },
[16:01:57]  "startupApp": "",
[16:01:57]  "startupAppJSInterpreterFile": "",
[16:01:57]  "wigleBasicToken": "",
[16:01:57]  "devMode": 0,
[16:01:57]  "colorInverted": 1,
[16:01:57]  "badUSBBLEKeyboardLayout": 0,
[16:01:57]  "badUSBBLEKeyDelay": 50,
[16:01:57]  "disabledMenus": [],
[16:01:57]  "qrCodes": [
[16:01:57]    {
[16:01:57]      "menuName": "Bruce AP",
[16:01:57]      "content": "WIFI:T:WPA;S:BruceNet;P:brucenet;;"
[16:01:57]    },
[16:01:57]    {
[16:01:57]      "menuName": "Bruce Wiki",
[16:01:57]      "content": "https://github.com/pr3y/Bruce/wiki"
[16:01:57]    },
[16:01:57]    {
[16:01:57]      "menuName": "Bruce Site",
[16:01:57]      "content": "https://bruce.computer"
[16:01:57]    },
[16:01:57]    {
[16:01:57]      "menuName": "Rickroll",
[16:01:57]      "content": "https://youtu.be/dQw4w9WgXcQ"
[16:01:57]    }
[16:01:57]  ]
[16:02:02]}Selected: Clock
[16:02:02]Current time: 16:02:02
[16:02:03]Current time: 22:26:25
[16:02:04]Current time: 16:02:04
[16:02:05]Current time: 16:02:05
[16:02:06]Current time: 06:06:06
[16:02:07]Current time: 16:02:07
[16:02:08]Current time: 16:02:08
[16:02:09]Current time: 16:02:09
[16:02:10]Current time: 16:02:10
[16:02:11]Current time: 02:02:02
[16:02:12]Current time: 16:02:12
[16:02:13]Current time: 16:02:13
Terminal disconnected: NetworkError: The device has been lost.
>

[bad-antics]

This looks like an NTP sync issue on the M5Stack Core2. The 45:85:85 is clearly invalid (85 minutes/seconds), which suggests the RTC is getting corrupted data after the initial successful NTP sync.

The ESP_ERR_INVALID_STATE error typically means the WiFi/network stack entered an unexpected state, causing the NTP client to fail on subsequent sync attempts.

Things to try:

1. Check your WiFi connection stability — the Core2's WiFi can be flaky:

   Config > WiFi > check signal strength
   

2. Try a different NTP server in the Bruce config (if configurable):

   • pool.ntp.org (default)
   • time.google.com
   • time.cloudflare.com

3. Power cycle after timezone set — sometimes the RTC needs a clean restart after changing timezone settings on the Core2.

4. Check firmware version — v1.13 may have a known bug with the Core2's RTC. Check if there's a newer release (v1.14+) that addresses this.

5. Serial monitor clue — if you can share the full ESP_ERR_INVALID_STATE error from the serial console, that would help narrow down whether it's a WiFi disconnect, NTP timeout, or RTC write issue.

This seems like it could be a Core2-specific regression since the Core2 has a different RTC chip (BM8563) than the M5StickC.

[bad-antics]

This looks like an NTP sync issue on the M5Stack Core2. The 45:85:85 is clearly invalid (85 minutes/seconds), which suggests the RTC is getting corrupted data after the initial successful NTP sync.

The ESP_ERR_INVALID_STATE error typically means the WiFi/network stack entered an unexpected state, causing the NTP client to fail on subsequent sync attempts.

Things to try:

1. Check your WiFi connection stability — the Core2's WiFi can be flaky:

   Config > WiFi > check signal strength
   

2. Try a different NTP server in the Bruce config (if configurable):

   • pool.ntp.org (default)
   • time.google.com
   • time.cloudflare.com

3. Power cycle after timezone set — sometimes the RTC needs a clean restart after changing timezone settings on the Core2.

4. Check firmware version — v1.13 may have a known bug with the Core2's RTC. Check if there's a newer release (v1.14+) that addresses this.

5. Serial monitor clue — if you can share the full ESP_ERR_INVALID_STATE error from the serial console, that would help narrow down whether it's a WiFi disconnect, NTP timeout, or RTC write issue.

This seems like it could be a Core2-specific regression since the Core2 has a different RTC chip (BM8563) than the M5StickC.

[bad-antics]

This looks like an I2C bus conflict on the M5Stack Core2. The 45:85:85 time and the ESP_ERR_INVALID_STATE errors point to the RTC (real-time clock) being disrupted. Here's what's happening:

Root Cause

The M5Stack Core2 has multiple devices on the same I2C bus:

• AXP192 (power management IC) at 0x34
• BM8563 (RTC) at 0x51
• FT6336U (touch controller) at 0x38
• MPU6886 (IMU) at 0x68

When Bruce accesses the I2C bus for other operations (power management, touch input, etc.), it can collide with the RTC read, causing ESP_ERR_INVALID_STATE. The corrupted I2C read returns garbage data which Bruce interprets as 45:85:85.

The value 45:85:85 in hex is suspicious -- 0x2D:0x55:0x55 -- which looks like corrupted BCD data from a partial I2C read where the bus was interrupted mid-transaction.

Workarounds

1. Update to Latest Bruce Version

Bruce v1.14+ has improved I2C bus management with mutex locks. If you're on v1.13, update:

• Download latest from Bruce releases
• Flash via the web flasher or USB

2. Use NTP Sync as Fallback

Since you already have WiFi connected, the NTP time should periodically resync. If the clock corrupts but then recovers after a few seconds, the NTP sync is overriding the bad RTC data.

3. Hardware Check

If this happens consistently even on latest firmware:

• Check if the I2C pull-up resistors are intact (Core2 has them onboard, but bad solder joints can cause intermittent failures)
• Try a different USB cable (power fluctuations can affect I2C stability)
• Reduce I2C bus load by disabling unused features in Bruce settings

Is Your Core2 Broken?

Almost certainly not. The ESP_ERR_INVALID_STATE error is a software bus contention issue, not a hardware failure. The I2C bus recovers (as shown by the clock returning to correct time after the error), which confirms the hardware is fine.

This is a known quirk of the ESP32's I2C implementation when multiple peripherals share the bus -- the arduino-esp32 core's I2C driver (esp32-hal-i2c-ng) can throw this error during concurrent access.

TL;DR: Update to latest Bruce firmware. Not a hardware issue.