Kernel panic after waking up: DCP PANIC - ASSERT!AppleDCPDPTXPowerController.cpp:538

Apple will not acknowledge the issue unless it gets publicly embarrassed. It is an issue that is so widespread that they have to recall almost all M2 machines. Apple is driven by profit, so it is not in their interest to give even a hint that they recognize the problem.

This is a known, widespread issue to many mac user communities, however sadly Apple has not acknowledged the problem. The display hardware is commonly faulty, which causes it, and Apple should do a recall.

There are many documented cases of this happening in recent months with m2 machines. Only solution is to prevent the machine from sleeping. Apple has yet to release a fix, nor have I seen acknowledgement of the issue.

Keith Collea wrote:

I'm seeing the Genius Bar tomorrow in Beijing, MacBook Air, M2

panic(cpu 1 caller 0xfffffe002f786ea8): DCP PANIC - ASSERT!AppleDCPDPTXPowerController.cpp:538 No device added after powering on the rails. HPD=0 - dcpav(27)

ASSERT!AppleDCPDPTXPowerController.cpp:538 No device added after powering on the rails. HPD=0

Is there any advice in case my Genius has no idea about this? Something I can tell the "Genius"?

DCP = Display Co-Processor

DP = Display Port (?)

TX = Transmit

I interpret this to mean that an external display (or something that has a port/option for a Display) is connected & the Mac provided power to that device, but there has been no acknowledgement of any device communicating. If you have a hub, dock, or an adapter which has or supports a display connection could be the source of the problem in addition to an external display. Or it could be the cable connecting the device to the Mac.

It is definitely something related to a Display. Unfortunately the M-series Macs are so new that many of us are still trying to understand them since there is very little information out there for us to understand the inner workings of the Apple hardware & macOS.

Keep in mind the first line of Apple techs won't understand a Kernel Panic or even know what a Kernel Panic actually is. They will run their service diagnostics which likely will not detect any issues (not unusual), then want to perform a clean install or even a DFU firmware Restore. Apple will only test the laptop in this state without any third party software installed. If they don't see the Kernel Panic after a clean install, they will send you home.

If you have the issue when you get home, then what has changed? Did you install third party software? Restore from a backup? Connect any external devices....even just a cable or adapter?

The more information you can provide to the tech who looks at the laptop, the better. Important details would include how often the Kernel Panics occur. Have you noticed any patterns to when the Kernel Panics occur? Such as waking from sleep, or when powering on the laptop after being completely powered off? Or after using or connect a certain device or combination of devices? Have you noticed the issue when using a particular app or a particular task?

Can you reproduce the Kernel Panic on demand or at least be able to significantly increasing your odds that you can get the laptop to Kernel Panic within a reasonable amount of time while the Apple tech is examining the laptop?

Intermittent issues are always hard to track down unless there is a way to reproduce the issue more often or on demand.

Good luck and let us know how it goes.

I haven't encountered this issue since I started quitting the Dropbox app before putting my MacBook to sleep. It's been ten days now (before my MacBook would restart twice a day after going to sleep). I thought of sharing this in case it may help someone else.

I'm from Brazil and I have the same problem. I contacted them and they sent me to technical assistance for analysis.

I've been having this issue for about a year and literally no clue what to do about it. I don't have time to be without my laptop whilst they wipe it and tell me it's all fine. This is what I'm getting, there seems to be no rhyme or reason for it. I do use an external monitor but it happens without it, too. I can go a week or two with it happening once or twice, then it'll happen four times in a morning, as it has today. I don't do anything differently. A Mac was a huge investment for me, so it's disappointing.

Contact Apple Support.

If this is a wider problem, it’ll get you into the queue.

If this is hardware problem specific to this Mac, it’ll get you a path to a fix.

If there’s any external hardware here, see if removing that temporarily might work around the panic.

Have any of you actually contacted Apple directly to open an official support case for the issue? Apple is not here on these forums so it is possible Apple has not been informed of the issue, plus they may not realize the extent of the issue if only a couple of people have officially reported problems to them. Just because people on the forums may be aware of a potential problem, does not mean that Apple themselves are aware. Plus Apple needs real cases of people having the issue in order to gather important details to help track down the problem.

Perhaps. Perhaps not. Why leave it to chance? If Apple support agents are trying to deal with this problem because users submit support tickets, then that will be more likely to get Apple's attention as those support agents are likely to report an uptick in those cases without any answer. Plus you can escalate your case to get someone to work on the issue for you. What if your specific case is nothing like the others being reported? You may be waiting for something that may not even help if Apple releases a fix.

Another similar option would be if you experience the issue related to a specific third party device or software, then contact that third party device provider where the issue occurs to ask for assistance. If the problem is not with their third party device or software, then they will need to contact Apple for assistance for resolving the problem. It would add pressure from other sources for Apple to resolve the problem.

Keep in mind it can take a lot of time & work to be able to reproduce a problem others are having or to interpret where the problem may be from submitted log reports. I have a very hard time trying to figure out an issue with a Mac directly in front of me these days where I'm trying to reproduce an issue on of my clients/co-workers are having with their device, then if I can reproduce the issue....the problem becomes trying to figure out what is causing the issue & how to fix it. This is under controlled conditions. Apple doesn't have any controlled conditions unless they are able to reproduce it on demand in their own testing.

It is not unusual for some fixes to take months once Apple (or any developer) is made aware of an issue.

zxmys wrote:

What perhaps are you talking about? I already told you we have notified Apple about the issue. There is no perhaps here.

So you know for a fact that an Apple engineer has reviewed the Kernel Panic log you submitted?

zxmys wrote:

What perhaps are you talking about? I already told you we have notified Apple about the issue. There is no perhaps here.

If you think clicking the button to send the Kernel Panic to Apple is the same thing as what HWTech detailed in the post, you are sadly mistaken. HWTech specifically described contacting Apple Support where you will get a Support Ticket. That will be followed up by an engineer who will make contact and specifically request the logs from your computer. You usually get a contact number or date to expect a response. That is what it means to notify Apple! This will take time on your part too and if you are unwilling to do that, then that is fine too, but your complaints will not be heard. Perhaps now you understand the difference the HWTech was trying to explain to you. This is far more direct than knowing people who took their computer to the Genius Bar.

Do you have a M2 Mac? Some users on that machine with the error were able to fix it with a Lid Angle Sensor replacement by Apple. If you do not want to take the computer to Apple for diagnostics, then you could prevent the Mac from sleeping in the Lock Screen settings.

If you have not updated to Sequoia, then that would be the first step as some users did find that the panic was resolved with a simple OS update.

I totally agree.. this are brand new Macs. Same happens to me, and I am an HONEST person I could not sell my mac knowing this is happening. The worst and funny is that APPLE broke our Macs, there is nothing to do, there is no solution but for what we all see to change the display, IDK, I was dissapointed now I am fckn ****** off,

I feel ripped off, no response at all I report absolutely every kernel panic. I don't even feel like buying another mac, the truth is that having this is a mess, in other occasions, mac was in charge of their mess, but this so long without saying anything... it is because the situation is serious and they scammed many people, that update broke everything, broke hardware there is no solution but being repaired BY APPLE.

Backup your mac and update to the latest operating system from a restart where you hold the power button down until you hear the dong twice, but go on YouTube first to see how to upgrade to the latest software from that kind of a restart.

That fixed my problem. I had the exact same issue.