Is my AX-12 nr 1 dead ?

[le fatumbi]

Hello there.

I just received my beginner's kit today
I am a beginner with bioloid (but I'm not new in automation and programming).

The first thing I made was to check the hardware.

I managed well with "robot terminal" to scan the bus and adjust Id's (AX marked 4 had Id 1...) so I was finaly able to see every AX and the AS, and to make some basic moves and basic sounds.

But now, my AX-12 Nr 1 does not want to speak anymore.

The red led stays fixly lighted when powered and it does not answer at all.
Terminal finds nothing when scanning, and I'm unable to give an Id.

I tried :

- check the bus cable, of course -> cable works well with another ax.
- 'reset' command from the terminal -> no change
- firmware update from the behaviour programmer
. Bioloid_Ver115.hex for cm-5 (that seems to be ok)
. DXL_AX12_REV0x16_20060518_LD.rom for AX

It was not included in the cd, I found it on tribotix' site. AX binary seemed to download well, but my AX does'nt go better.


- 'update' from the terminal -> terminal freezes (normal ?)

Thanks for your ideas.

[siempre.aprendiendo]

May be you want to post a message at Robotis Q&A too

[StuartL]

I wouldn't muck around too much. If it's new and it's misbehaving get a warranty replacement. From what I've seen Limor/Robotis are pretty cooperative when replacing the few failures that occur.

It sounds like the eeprom in the AX has become corrupt. I've had a few that this has happened to but I've always been able to get them to respond to some (sometimes random!) ID and reset their eeprom settings.

[le fatumbi]

It sounds like the eeprom in the AX has become corrupt.

That's what I think also and hope there is no real physical dammage.

If I understand well (my mother language is french), you think it can have lost it's bootloader ?
How can I check this ?
(I have tools to write specific tests in c for atm if necessary)

I'm trying of course to contact my reseller at the same time, but I'd prefere trying to avoid to wait a too long time to play with the thing ; ). I already waited 15 long days to receive the kit and I think they will ask me to replace the whole box.

That's why I search anything more I can do, and this forum seemed to be more active in this way than robotis' faq.

[StuartL]

I suggest you write a quick application to scan each and every ID for the AX. If you're lucky it'll respond on some ID you haven't yet scanned.

I'm not hopeful here, though. The LED staying on is a bad sign, it may well indicate that the bootloader/flash has indeed died. If this is the case you have two choices:

1) Get it returned/replaced (this is what I'd do, just push them HARD to replace the one servo, not the whole kit).

2) Take the servo apart, try to find a way to flash the AVR inside directly (may involve soldering, so voiding warranty) and put the bootloader from a working one on the dead one.

And, of course, this assumes that there's nothing wrong with the hardware...

If you can't get anything out of it on the bus just return it and push hard for a single servo replacement. The reseller could always break into a kit they have in stock and switch the servos out, returning that whole kit to Robotis instead.

[le fatumbi]

Hi, StuartL

After some basic com tests...
I finaly decided to trust robotis when scanning all devices at all speed...
I decided also to trust the utility provided by robotis to load the .rom file via CM5.

If it does not work, that realy means that AX12 lost it's bootloader, or more, and I don't intend even to open it.

So, this is over.

I thank you for your help.