Round 27: board_late_init pink band; WDT-off reset anomaly

RESEARCH.md

@@ -1036,3 +1036,33 @@ to the depthcharge menu. Decode:
 | black screen stays black, no reset, no gray | hang between video probe and main_loop (console tail / late board_r / initr_mmc...) |
 | black + gray band, frozen | main_loop reached, hang in preboot/cli_init/cli_loop — inspect further |
 | banner + prompt (white on black) | WORKING |
+
+## Round 27 — pink band in board_late_init; WDT-off reset anomaly needs timing
+
+Round 26 (`08ee5c1f…`): user reports "same as before": bands → black
+(clear) → menu. Ambiguity: the report may describe the R25 payload
+(WDT autostart ON, 60 s → reset explains it) or the R26 payload (WDT
+autostart OFF — then the reset source is NOT U-Boot's watchdog:
+coreboot's mtk_wdt_init DISABLES the WDT, depthcharge doesn't arm it,
+so a reset would need another mechanism). The black→menu GAP will
+discriminate: ~55-65 s ⇒ watchdog; a few seconds ⇒ something else.
+
+The missing light-gray band (main_loop entry, y=900) keeps the death
+window at [misc_init_r (yellow, AFTER console_init_r!) .. main_loop].
+Refined understanding of the observed order: the video probe runs
+INSIDE console_init_r (lazy stdio_probe_device via iomux), so the
+screen clears BEFORE misc_init_r's yellow paints — yellow on black is
+expected, and the pre-clear bands (green/orange/red + probe's
+magenta/gray/cyan/white) are erased by the clear. Board_r tail:
+console_init_r → console_announce_r (first vidconsole TEXT!) →
+arch/misc_init_r → interrupt/timer init → board_late_init →
+EVT_LAST_STAGE_INIT → initr_mem → run_main_loop. No text has ever
+been reported — the first vidconsole puts (console_announce banner or
+"In:/Out:/Err:") may itself be the crash point.
+
+### Round 27 payload (`948d5e2b…`, flashed, cmp+vbutil OK)
+
+- New **pink band (y=860)** in board_late_init (CONFIG_BOARD_LATE_INIT
+  enabled). Sequence of late checkpoints: yellow (misc_init_r) → pink
+  (board_late_init) → light-gray (main_loop).
+- WDT still off (autostart=n).