Starling unresponsive, No usb detection, unable to enter edl or fastboot

[Taylor814]

I’m currently working with a Starling drone using the VOXL2 (label: M0154, 2023) and have run into what appears to be a hard brick. The drone powers on (LEDs are active), but I’m unable to communicate with the device over USB in any mode — ADB, fastboot, or EDL. The green light comes on when powered and i believe this to be a crash state light.

problems:
VOXL2 does not appear in lsusb under any condition.

Board does not respond to adb devices or fastboot devices.

Attempted fastboot mode via holding BOOT button during USB connection — no detection.

Attempted EDL mode using test pad shorting (confirmed correct pads) with tweezers, jumper wire, and proper timing — no 05c6:9008 Qualcomm device ever appears in lsusb

attempted solutions:
Verified USB-C cable and port using a second working Starling — functional.

Tried multiple known-good USB-A to USB-C cables and direct motherboard ports.

Ensured no battery was connected during EDL attempts (USB power only).

Cleaned test pads and retried shorting with multiple durations and techniques.

Installed and tested modal-qdl with dver0j.mbn ready to flash — could not proceed because board never enters EDL mode

At this point, I believe the VOXL2 may be bricked beyond field recovery. I'd greatly appreciate guidance on the next steps — whether there's any additional recovery method I can attempt, or if I should begin the RMA process for factory reflashing.

Thanks so much for your help