SYNA3602 touchpad completely undetected after update

Issues & Assistance
1

SYNA3602 touchpad completely undetected after November system update - works on MX Linux live USB but fails on Arch/CachyOS

Hello CachyOS community,

I’m documenting a persistent touchpad issue on my AVITA AM15A2IN laptop that requires resolution. The SYNA3602 touchpad was fully functional on Arch Linux, but stopped working entirely after a system update performed in November 2025. I will resolve this issue, but wanted to share technical details for community insight.

Hardware and current setup:

  • Laptop: AVITA AM15A2IN
  • Touchpad: SYNA3602 (identified from previous dmesg logs)
  • BIOS: EM_IDL819_S_SUB26_V1.0.5 (07/24/2023)
  • Current OS: CachyOS (kernel 6.18.2-2-cachyos) - I prefer to remain on CachyOS due to its Arch compatibility and performance benefits
  • Environment: Wayland only (GNOME and Hyprland), no Xorg

Issue timeline:

  1. Touchpad worked perfectly on clean Arch Linux installation
  2. In November 2025, I performed a routine system update (pacman -Syu)
  3. Immediately after the November update, the touchpad completely disappeared from system detection
  4. Both LTS kernel and latest kernels exhibit the same failure
  5. Complete Arch reinstall did not resolve the issue
  6. Migration to CachyOS also fails to detect the touchpad
  7. Both GNOME and Hyprland environments show identical behavior

Critical system logs show multiple failures:

[    8.220253] intel-hid INTC1070:00: failed to enable HID power button
[    8.220984] irq 27: nobody cared (try booting with the "irqpoll" option)
[    8.221050] Disabling IRQ #27
[    8.256627] ACPI BIOS Error (bug): Could not resolve symbol [\_SB.PC00.LPCB.HEC.TSR1], AE_NOT_FOUND
[    8.256637] ACPI Error: Aborting method \_SB.PC00.LPCB.H_EC.SEN1._TMP due to previous error (AE_NOT_FOUND)

Device detection status:
libinput list-devices shows no touchpad device at all. The system detects standard input devices (keyboard, power buttons, lid switch, Bluetooth mouse) but completely fails to recognize the touchpad hardware.

What works:
The touchpad functions perfectly when booted from an MX Linux live USB environment, confirming this is not a hardware failure but a software/driver issue specific to Arch-based systems.

Troubleshooting performed:

  • Tested kernel parameters: i2c_hid.acpi_quirks=1, module_blacklist=i2c_hid_acpi, acpi_osi=Linux with acpi_enforce_resources=lax and irqpoll
  • Blacklisted problematic modules (i2c_hid_acpi, intel_ishtp_hid) in modprobe configuration
  • Verified all firmware packages are properly installed

This appears to be a regression introduced specifically in the November 2025 update that affects touchpad detection for this hardware configuration. The contrast between working MX Linux live environment and failing installed Arch/CachyOS systems suggests differences in driver loading sequence, module dependencies, or ACPI handling.

also, I created a topic on this topic on archlinux bbs: SYNA3602 touchpad completely undetected after update. / Kernel & Hardware / Arch Linux Forums

2

https://pastebin.com/c4eDtrjz DMESG LOGS
https://pastebin.com/qWFfhirB JOURNALCTL LOGS

3

@correctmost
thank you, the problem is solved as in workaround.
SOLUTION:

  1. Open /usr/lib/initcpio/install/block
sudo nano /usr/lib/initcpio/install/block
  1. Find add_checked_modules ‘/drivers/mfd/’ and comment out it.
    # nvdimm
    add_checked_modules '/drivers/nvdimm/'

    # pci controller
    add_checked_modules '/drivers/pci/controller/'

    # low-level drivers for certain pci/usb controllers
    add_checked_modules '/drivers/mfd/' # <-- COMMENT THIS
    add_checked_modules '/drivers/clk/'
    add_checked_modules '/drivers/phy/'
}
  1. Rebuild mkinitcpio:
sudo mkinitcpio -P
  1. Reboot system