[Pironman 5 Pro Max] Raspberry Pi 5 not booting — red LED only, no green LED, SD card and NVMe both tested

Accessories for Raspberry Pi and Arduino
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Hardware

  • Case: Pironman 5 Pro Max (newly assembled)
  • Board: Raspberry Pi 5
  • Previous case: Pironman 5 (original) — Pi was working correctly in that case until today

Problem
After transferring the Raspberry Pi 5 from the original Pironman 5 case to the newly assembled Pironman 5 Pro Max, the Pi does not boot. Only the red LED lights up. The green LED never comes on at any point during power-up.

What I have already tried

  1. Booted with the existing NVMe SSD (previously working OS) in slot 1 — red LED only, no boot
  2. Moved the NVMe SSD to slot 2 — same result
  3. Removed the NVMe SSD completely and booted from a freshly flashed SD card (Raspberry Pi OS 64-bit via Raspberry Pi Imager) — same result, red LED only
  4. Flashed the official EEPROM reset image (Misc utility images → Bootloader → SD Card Boot) to SD card, booted with SD card only and no NVMe — red LED only, no response
  5. Pressed the power button on the Pro Max case — no change, Pi does not start
  6. Tested with the Pironman 5 expansion board disconnected — same result in all cases above

Important context
Before transferring to the Pro Max, the pironman5 software (v1.2.18) was installed and running on this Pi in the original Pironman 5 case. That software includes a “safe shutdown” feature that configures the Raspberry Pi 5 EEPROM to require a button signal to power on, rather than powering on automatically when USB-C power is applied. It is possible that this EEPROM setting is still active and the Pro Max power button circuit is not sending the expected signal, which would explain why the Pi does not respond to either automatic power-up or button press.

Current status
The Pi is fully removed from the case and tested bare (no expansion board, no NVMe, SD card only, direct USB-C power to the Pi itself). Still only red LED, no boot.

Questions

  1. Is there a known issue with the EEPROM power-on configuration from the original Pironman 5 software conflicting with the Pro Max power button circuit?
  2. Is there a way to reset the EEPROM without the Pi booting at all?
  3. Could the Pro Max expansion board require a specific power-on signal that differs from the original Pironman 5?

Any help is appreciated. Happy to provide additional photos or run further tests.

IMG_4965
IMG_49653024×4032 2.25 MB

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I also noticed the related topic ‘Pironman 5 Pro Max Killed My Pi’. To clarify: I do not have the PiPower 5 UPS module installed. My setup has no UPS, no battery, and no smoke has occurred. The Pi appears physically undamaged — the only symptom is the solid red LED with no boot activity, even when tested completely bare outside the case with only an SD card and direct USB-C power.

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Thank you for your detailed post and for the thorough troubleshooting steps.We have forwarded your case to our engineering team for further analysis.Please bear with us – we will keep you updated.Thank you for your patience and understanding.