HE'S DEAD (HELP PLZ)
HE'S DEAD (HELP PLZ)
by Sonic
Sun May 13, 2007 5:04 pm
This is a conversation I have had, between myself and RoboSavvy. This however has not solved the problem and I have no idea what to do. If someone can give me a shove in the right direction, as to what is wrong and how to solve it.
"I completed building the robot and charged the battery. Was working fine, apart from a slight buzzing sound, for approximately 30 minutes. Was not sure if this sound was normal. Then whilst downloading programs on to him, he switched himself off and cannot switch it back on. Have discharged and recharged the battery. Also have checked all connections and manual."
"The buzzing sound is very normal. it comes from the servos whenever there is any torque applied to them and they are trying to counterforce that torque vibrating at high frequency as they do so..
Did you try to switch on the RN1 while the charger is plugged into the board?
It does not provide enough current to make the robot dance but it does provide enough current to turn on the the robot and move a few servos."
"thank you for your quick reply. i was under the understanding that you should not operate RN1 while connected to the mains charger. however i gave this a try as suggested in your email to see if there was any sign of life. but had no servo movement or light"
"It is not recommended to connect to the mains and use the robot this way because it does not provide enough amps for the servos but it does provide a way to see if the leds light up. another test is to disconnect all the servos and see if you get any leds maybe try connecting one of the servos. It sounds like something happened to the controler board or power connectors.
If you have a multimeter on hand you can check if the battery voltage is ok and maybe try to see if different ports are being powered.
I dont recall anyone complaining of a similar thing but have you tried looking in the forum? maybe posting something about this will result with some useful ideas.
As a last resort, you can open a ticket with Hitec directly. They repair or replace parts but they will ask you to perform some tests to try to locate the problem."
I tried to disconnect the leads but still no joy.
"I completed building the robot and charged the battery. Was working fine, apart from a slight buzzing sound, for approximately 30 minutes. Was not sure if this sound was normal. Then whilst downloading programs on to him, he switched himself off and cannot switch it back on. Have discharged and recharged the battery. Also have checked all connections and manual."
"The buzzing sound is very normal. it comes from the servos whenever there is any torque applied to them and they are trying to counterforce that torque vibrating at high frequency as they do so..
Did you try to switch on the RN1 while the charger is plugged into the board?
It does not provide enough current to make the robot dance but it does provide enough current to turn on the the robot and move a few servos."
"thank you for your quick reply. i was under the understanding that you should not operate RN1 while connected to the mains charger. however i gave this a try as suggested in your email to see if there was any sign of life. but had no servo movement or light"
"It is not recommended to connect to the mains and use the robot this way because it does not provide enough amps for the servos but it does provide a way to see if the leds light up. another test is to disconnect all the servos and see if you get any leds maybe try connecting one of the servos. It sounds like something happened to the controler board or power connectors.
If you have a multimeter on hand you can check if the battery voltage is ok and maybe try to see if different ports are being powered.
I dont recall anyone complaining of a similar thing but have you tried looking in the forum? maybe posting something about this will result with some useful ideas.
As a last resort, you can open a ticket with Hitec directly. They repair or replace parts but they will ask you to perform some tests to try to locate the problem."
I tried to disconnect the leads but still no joy.
Always Remember He's alive
by i-Bot
Sun May 13, 2007 7:02 pm
I think the RoboSavvy advice is good. Do you have a multilmeter to measure voltage ?
The voltage on the battery can be read on the battery connector.
When switched on the battery voltage should be on the servo connectors. +ve on centre, gnd on outside.
The top connectors (AD0 to 7) should have +5V when switched on. Again +5 in middle and GND on outside
Suggest to disconnect servos and all other connections to C3024 during this check.
I this voltage check is OK, then connect serial cable and do get controller info, then try download.
Tell us how you get on.
The voltage on the battery can be read on the battery connector.
When switched on the battery voltage should be on the servo connectors. +ve on centre, gnd on outside.
The top connectors (AD0 to 7) should have +5V when switched on. Again +5 in middle and GND on outside
Suggest to disconnect servos and all other connections to C3024 during this check.
I this voltage check is OK, then connect serial cable and do get controller info, then try download.
Tell us how you get on.
by Sonic
Tue May 15, 2007 9:46 am
i have tested the battery which seems to hold the charge ok. 99% sure it is something to do with the control board which is a mr/c3024. . i have not got access to a test meter however looking at the board, visual inspection looks fine. also connection for battery and charger (battery charges through board). may have to change signature 
Always Remember He's alive
by Humanoido
Tue May 15, 2007 10:53 am
I agree, to troubleshoot this you'll need a VOM. They cost very little these days, are readily available, and considering the time and money you've invested into Robonova, would be a good thing to have. You'll first need to confirm the controller board is receiving power. If so, it's likely it will have to be returned under warranty unless you're interested in troubleshooting and repairing the controller, which would certainly void any warranty on it. I would suggest returning the entire robot, not just the controller, just to rule out any other delays. Yesterday I bought a full featured CHY meter with amps function so I can measure and troubleshoot servos. It came with batteries and cost only ten bucks. 
humanoido
humanoido
by Sonic
Tue May 15, 2007 7:33 pm
update - opened ticket with hitec and was sent this resply. emailed back and sending back battery, charger and board for testing. (hope this wont take long).
interesting reply about over writing programe. many thanks for all your help and suggestions. will let you know what happens and what the fault was when i get the bits back.
Dear Mr.Cook,
as far as I see from your Error report, shut down while you are uploading a program first time.
Do you still have a data connection between your PC running Robbasic and the control board or do you get any Error messages telling you, that you can't connect the control board?
If data connection is still working, you may have only overwritten the factory software that came pre-installed on the control board with simply no program at all or with one, that does not work as expected. The factory default source code is named "overall_template" and can be found on your cd or in the download area
http://www.robonova.de/store/support/in ... ds&_a=view
If no data communication is possible, you may have lost the firmware on the controller or there is a hardware problem. Both can only be fixed at factory
interesting reply about over writing programe. many thanks for all your help and suggestions. will let you know what happens and what the fault was when i get the bits back.
Dear Mr.Cook,
as far as I see from your Error report, shut down while you are uploading a program first time.
Do you still have a data connection between your PC running Robbasic and the control board or do you get any Error messages telling you, that you can't connect the control board?
If data connection is still working, you may have only overwritten the factory software that came pre-installed on the control board with simply no program at all or with one, that does not work as expected. The factory default source code is named "overall_template" and can be found on your cd or in the download area
http://www.robonova.de/store/support/in ... ds&_a=view
If no data communication is possible, you may have lost the firmware on the controller or there is a hardware problem. Both can only be fixed at factory
Always Remember He's alive