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Broken PropMod!!! — Parallax Forums

Broken PropMod!!!

VaatiVaati Posts: 712
edited 2009-08-15 20:20 in Propeller 1
My propmod is broken...· I'm using my adjustable power supply + a multimeter, and whenever I adjust it so the input it above 1.8 volts, the power section of the propmodule gets incredibly hot!· Has anyone had the same problem?· Also, does anyone know how to fix it??

Help!

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Quit buying all those fixed voltage regulators, and·get an Adjustable Power Supply·for your projects!· Includes an LED testing terminal!

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Comments

  • Mike GreenMike Green Posts: 23,101
    edited 2009-08-14 17:34
    There's a short somewhere. You're probably going to have to contact mctrivia and wait for him to return from vacation in a week.

    It's not like you can pull out a jumper wire to isolate different parts of the module to try to locate the problem. How do you think you broke it?
  • P!-RoP!-Ro Posts: 1,189
    edited 2009-08-14 17:35
    double check all connections. if it is just the power section, the rest of the propmod should be okay. double check with mctriv though, cuz i'm not that familiar with it. also--what happens if the supply is 3.3v and you connect it for a few seconds? does it still get hot?

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    PG
  • Agent420Agent420 Posts: 439
    edited 2009-08-14 17:36
    I'm guessing that you are trying this out of circuit, so there would be no potential influence of external circuitry?· In other words, powering just the PropMod alone?
  • VaatiVaati Posts: 712
    edited 2009-08-14 17:38
    I have no idea... Now that I think about it, I don't think it has worked at all... The one thing is, the casing for the inductor is falling off, but the only thing that gets hot is the boost regulator...

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    Quit buying all those fixed voltage regulators, and·get an Adjustable Power Supply·for your projects!· Includes an LED testing terminal!

    *-NEW-* SD Card Adapter·Now available!· Add extra memory to your next Propeller project with ease!
  • P!-RoP!-Ro Posts: 1,189
    edited 2009-08-14 17:38
    Sorry to repeat some of what you said mike, I didn't see your post.

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    PG
  • VaatiVaati Posts: 712
    edited 2009-08-14 17:40
    Agent,

    Oh, I don't really have a circuit, as it is on a breadboard... As it happens, I was testing it with a simple program to check if it worked, which just flashed an LED...

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    Quit buying all those fixed voltage regulators, and·get an Adjustable Power Supply·for your projects!· Includes an LED testing terminal!

    *-NEW-* SD Card Adapter·Now available!· Add extra memory to your next Propeller project with ease!
  • Agent420Agent420 Posts: 439
    edited 2009-08-14 17:43
    Vaati said...
    I have no idea... Now that I think about it, I don't think it has worked at all... The one thing is, the casing for the inductor is falling off, but the only thing that gets hot is the boost regulator...
    Sounds like the inductor was damaged?· Could be the winding is shorted.
  • P!-RoP!-Ro Posts: 1,189
    edited 2009-08-14 17:43
    how is your hook-up on it? btw--i'm postig slow since i'm on my phone

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    PG
  • VaatiVaati Posts: 712
    edited 2009-08-14 17:44
    Well, I'm looking at http://propmodule.com/?x=assembly_propmod-us for the pinout...

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    Quit buying all those fixed voltage regulators, and·get an Adjustable Power Supply·for your projects!· Includes an LED testing terminal!

    *-NEW-* SD Card Adapter·Now available!· Add extra memory to your next Propeller project with ease!
  • MicrocontrolledMicrocontrolled Posts: 2,461
    edited 2009-08-14 17:50
    Same thing happened to mine! Mine worked before, hooked it up to 9v with a 5v regulator hasn't worked since.

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    Computers are microcontrolled.

    Robots are microcontrolled.
    I am microcontrolled.

    But you·can·call me micro.

    If it's not Parallax then don't even bother.

    I have changed my avatar so that I will no longer be confused with others who use generic avatars (and I'm more of a Prop head then a BS2 nut, anyway)



  • VaatiVaati Posts: 712
    edited 2009-08-14 17:52
    That's exactly what I did... So, what do you think the problem is?

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    Quit buying all those fixed voltage regulators, and·get an Adjustable Power Supply·for your projects!· Includes an LED testing terminal!

    *-NEW-* SD Card Adapter·Now available!· Add extra memory to your next Propeller project with ease!
  • P!-RoP!-Ro Posts: 1,189
    edited 2009-08-14 17:53
    i have the bottom right pins connected to 3.3 v on mine. bottom gnd, second up 3.3. idk how u hav it tho. if i was home right now i would test some of the board for resistance and give you the values to see if you indeed hav a short, but i cant do that until sunday night. if u still hav a prob at that time it might be better than waiting for mctriv to get back.

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    PG
  • CounterRotatingPropsCounterRotatingProps Posts: 1,132
    edited 2009-08-14 17:54
    Vaati -

    I was tempted to ask you how clean the power supply is - but since it's one of *yours* [noparse]:)[/noparse]) it's OK, right?

    You know that heat on a supply can also indicate too much A.C. ripple on the input D.C. making the regulator work harder.

    Just crossing the 't's and dotting the 'i's...

    - Howard

    [noparse][[/noparse]EDIT - oh sorry, I didn't see Microcontroller's report - looks like a board flaw?]

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  • VaatiVaati Posts: 712
    edited 2009-08-14 18:00
    AHA! I got a bunch of 3.3v regulators from TI and I just used one of those instead of the on-board regulator/power supply and it WORKS! So it was just the power supply... smile.gif

    Still, that's one of the main points that makes the propmod so awesome... An on-board boost converter...


    Thanks.

    PS: Microcontrolled, try using a 3.3v regulator and having the Vout connected to 3.3v on the module...

    ▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔
    Quit buying all those fixed voltage regulators, and·get an Adjustable Power Supply·for your projects!· Includes an LED testing terminal!

    *-NEW-* SD Card Adapter·Now available!· Add extra memory to your next Propeller project with ease!
  • MicrocontrolledMicrocontrolled Posts: 2,461
    edited 2009-08-14 18:02
    Thanks! I'll try that!

    ▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔
    Computers are microcontrolled.

    Robots are microcontrolled.
    I am microcontrolled.

    But you·can·call me micro.

    If it's not Parallax then don't even bother.

    I have changed my avatar so that I will no longer be confused with others who use generic avatars (and I'm more of a Prop head then a BS2 nut, anyway)



  • P!-RoP!-Ro Posts: 1,189
    edited 2009-08-14 18:08
    lol, i was starting to wonder if that was the problem since u guys used 5v and it didnt work vs me using 3.3. im glad it works

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    PG
  • MicrocontrolledMicrocontrolled Posts: 2,461
    edited 2009-08-14 20:07
    My problem is of a different manner. When I start it up (powering with the Demo Board) the power light on the Demo Board goes out. If I unplug the PropMod then it comes back on. ???????????????????????????

    ▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔
    Computers are microcontrolled.

    Robots are microcontrolled.
    I am microcontrolled.

    But you·can·call me micro.

    If it's not Parallax then don't even bother.

    I have changed my avatar so that I will no longer be confused with others who use generic avatars (and I'm more of a Prop head then a BS2 nut, anyway)



  • Mike GreenMike Green Posts: 23,101
    edited 2009-08-14 20:28
    microcontrolled,
    There's no mystery at all. The PropMod is sucking up all the spare electrons lurking in the Demo Board, so there are no extra electrons to jump up and down and make a glow from the speed of their jumping. You need to plug the hole in the hose from the PropMod.
  • MicrocontrolledMicrocontrolled Posts: 2,461
    edited 2009-08-14 20:37
    It does the same on the PE kit board.

    ▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔
    Computers are microcontrolled.

    Robots are microcontrolled.
    I am microcontrolled.

    But you·can·call me micro.

    If it's not Parallax then don't even bother.

    I have changed my avatar so that I will no longer be confused with others who use generic avatars (and I'm more of a Prop head then a BS2 nut, anyway)



  • VaatiVaati Posts: 712
    edited 2009-08-14 20:46
    Hmmm.... I'm running mine using a breadboard and just a 3.3v regulator with the Vout connected to the Vout of the propmod... Are you running it on a battery or wall wart?

    ▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔
    Quit buying all those fixed voltage regulators, and·get an Adjustable Power Supply·for your projects!· Includes an LED testing terminal!

    *-NEW-* SD Card Adapter·Now available!· Add extra memory to your next Propeller project with ease!
  • P!-RoP!-Ro Posts: 1,189
    edited 2009-08-14 20:51
    Double check the power supply. If too much current is being drawn the voltage will drop so low the 5v regulator will stop working and no electricity will flow through.

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    PG
  • Mike GreenMike Green Posts: 23,101
    edited 2009-08-14 20:59
    Why do you have two power supplies connected to each other? You really shouldn't do that. One device's 3.3V might be very slightly different from the other device's and now you've got one regulator pouring power into the other device trying to bring up the voltage that the other device is quite happy with. I don't know how the switching regulator will react without looking closely at the circuit used, but it's not meant to be used this way.
  • MicrocontrolledMicrocontrolled Posts: 2,461
    edited 2009-08-14 21:02
    I don't have tehm plugged in at the same time, I mean that I switched the power source.

    ▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔
    Computers are microcontrolled.

    Robots are microcontrolled.
    I am microcontrolled.

    But you·can·call me micro.

    If it's not Parallax then don't even bother.

    I have changed my avatar so that I will no longer be confused with others who use generic avatars (and I'm more of a Prop head then a BS2 nut, anyway)



  • P!-RoP!-Ro Posts: 1,189
    edited 2009-08-14 21:21
    Please explain your setup including the power supply.

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    PG
  • Brandon C.Brandon C. Posts: 106
    edited 2009-08-14 22:27
    Microcontrolled, I think what Mike is trying to say is that you don't have enough mA to power the two propeller chips?

    Brandon C.

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    No purchase necessary. See back panel for more details.

    Tired of the same old robot brains? not enough processing power? Get the Propeller Robot Module now!!

  • MicrocontrolledMicrocontrolled Posts: 2,461
    edited 2009-08-15 12:47
    Very simple: power barrel connector rigged correctly to a 5v regulator and the ground and the 5v connected to the PropMod. DC input, put together on a breadboard.

    It is a 700mA wall wart from Parallax, that should be good enough. The thing is that it doesn't find the PropMod when a scan is run.

    ▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔
    Computers are microcontrolled.

    Robots are microcontrolled.
    I am microcontrolled.

    But you·can·call me micro.

    If it's not Parallax then don't even bother.

    I have changed my avatar so that I will no longer be confused with others who use generic avatars (and I'm more of a Prop head then a BS2 nut, anyway)




    Post Edited (microcontrolled) : 8/15/2009 12:52:27 PM GMT
  • VaatiVaati Posts: 712
    edited 2009-08-15 13:55
    Hmm...· When you have it set up just like that, does the boost converter get extremely hot?

    ▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔
    Quit buying all those fixed voltage regulators, and·get an Adjustable Power Supply·for your projects!· Includes an LED testing terminal!

    *-NEW-* SD Card Adapter·Now available!· Add extra memory to your next Propeller project with ease!
  • Brandon C.Brandon C. Posts: 106
    edited 2009-08-15 14:10
    Well, between the 2 propeller chips, and probably a whole bunch of other stuff connected, that's not really much power.
    Can you turn on the PropMod by itself?

    Brandon C.

    ▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔
    No purchase necessary. See back panel for more details.

    Tired of the same old robot brains? not enough processing power? Get the Propeller Robot Module now!!

  • MicrocontrolledMicrocontrolled Posts: 2,461
    edited 2009-08-15 14:35
    Nothing else is connected to it in that setup. The regulator does NOT get hot.

    ▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔
    Computers are microcontrolled.

    Robots are microcontrolled.
    I am microcontrolled.

    But you·can·call me micro.

    If it's not Parallax then don't even bother.

    I have changed my avatar so that I will no longer be confused with others who use generic avatars (and I'm more of a Prop head then a BS2 nut, anyway)



  • P!-RoP!-Ro Posts: 1,189
    edited 2009-08-15 20:20
    try powering it w/ 3.3v and see what you get. it worked for vaati

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    PG
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