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Broken Homework Board??? — Parallax Forums

Broken Homework Board???

logan996logan996 Posts: 281
edited 2010-09-29 10:34 in BASIC Stamp
I gave my little brother my old homework board in hopes of him becoming interested in ucontrollers, but right now we are having problems with it. It will drain a 9V in less than 30 seconds! the light will get bright and turn on like always but the battery will drain so fast that it is unreal! I am really confused and i really would like to keep this board so he can use it, so any help?? (did i short out a componet???)

Comments

  • RavenkallenRavenkallen Posts: 1,057
    edited 2010-09-27 17:45
    That sounds like a short...Did you disconnect everything from the board(Wires, resistors, motors...) Perhaps a picture will help?
  • logan996logan996 Posts: 281
    edited 2010-09-27 17:48
    thanks ravenkallen for the quick response. And yes everything is disconnected, and well i kinda got my cell phone taken away from me (stupid teenage mouth) so i really dont have any other access to a picture taker, but it really doesn't matter because there really isnt anything wrong with it visibly.
  • RavenkallenRavenkallen Posts: 1,057
    edited 2010-09-27 17:57
    Try pluging it back into power and see if you can find a spot on the board that gets really hot...The regulator might be burned out
  • logan996logan996 Posts: 281
    edited 2010-09-27 18:12
    ok, thanks ill try that. i mean if the regulator is burned out than that should be easy enough to fix even if it is smd because the pins are so far apart and so big.
  • RavenkallenRavenkallen Posts: 1,057
    edited 2010-09-27 19:16
    Does the power LED flicker at all?
  • RobotWorkshopRobotWorkshop Posts: 2,307
    edited 2010-09-28 14:22
    If the battery is being drained that fast then I would expect something to get hot. If not the voltage regulator then the small tantalum cap just below it. The one in the photo on the Parallax site is mustard colored but I've seen them in other colors as well. Tantalum caps tend to fail shorted and can act like very low ohm resistors as they go. You'll know since it will heat up!

    Robert
  • logan996logan996 Posts: 281
    edited 2010-09-29 03:49
    Yea, i havent had a chance ti yest it yet but i do think it is a problem with the tantlum cap or the regulator. Where would i be able to get a tantulm cap, does parallax supply them?
  • RavenkallenRavenkallen Posts: 1,057
    edited 2010-09-29 10:34
    Depending on the value of the capacitor, you may be able the substitute the tantalum for a electrolytic type
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