The Xenon Death Flash: How a Camera Nearly Killed the Raspberry Pi 2

Summary

I’ve seen plenty of weird computer bugs in my time, but nothing quite like what Peter Onion discovered in February 2015. He was proudly photographing his brand new Raspberry Pi 2 when something bizarre happened—every time his camera flash went off, his Pi instantly powered down.At first, Peter thought it was just a coincidence. But after it happened three times in a row, he realized he’d stumbled onto something unprecedented. His post to the Raspberry Pi forums with the innocent title “Why is the PI2 camera-shy?” would soon reveal one of the strangest hardware vulnerabilities in modern computing history.Peter Onion wasn’t just any user—he was a veteran of the Raspberry Pi community and a regular at Raspberry Jams in Cambridge and Bletchley. When he reported that taking flash photos caused his Pi 2 to crash, the community took notice.What happened next was like watching a crowd-sourced CSI episode unfold in real time. Forum users immediately began experimenting with different cameras and light sources. User “jdb” made a crucial discovery: his Samsung Note2 with LED flash caused no problems, but his Samsung K Zoom with a xenon flash reliably crashed the Pi 2.This distinction between LED and xenon technology became the first major clue. The community had found their smoking gun—but they still needed to figure out why.The Hunt for the Vulnerable Component#The real detective work began when users started systematically testing which part of the Pi 2 was actually vulnerable. The initial assumption was that the main processor chip might be the culprit, but covering it with a blob of Blu-Tack (yes, really) didn’t solve the problem.Then someone tried flipping the Pi upside down. Suddenly, it was immune to flash photography. This proved the vulnerability was purely optical—light had to physically reach a specific component on the board.Through methodical testing, the community isolated the problem to the U16 chip—a small power supply regulator located between the USB connecto...