brown-out issues
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Posts: 46,084
so every once in a while my robot decides to brownout? - I think.
Here is the situation: The stamp (BS2) is running the code fine
(blinking two LEDs and then all of the sudden - nothing - the
blinking stops (which is not how I programmed it) and yet the VDC to
the stamp is 6 VDC or better. The code seems to be fine. The robot
includes two other ICs that are H-bridges which are used to control
four electromagnets that sit below all of the circuitry. The
magnets draw .17 Amps @ 6 VDC. The ICs are powered in parallel to
the stamp and each have 47uF capacitors to ground.
I know I may have left some critical details out and that this
problem is really weird - but any help would be much appreciated.
Many thanks,
Paul
Here is the situation: The stamp (BS2) is running the code fine
(blinking two LEDs and then all of the sudden - nothing - the
blinking stops (which is not how I programmed it) and yet the VDC to
the stamp is 6 VDC or better. The code seems to be fine. The robot
includes two other ICs that are H-bridges which are used to control
four electromagnets that sit below all of the circuitry. The
magnets draw .17 Amps @ 6 VDC. The ICs are powered in parallel to
the stamp and each have 47uF capacitors to ground.
I know I may have left some critical details out and that this
problem is really weird - but any help would be much appreciated.
Many thanks,
Paul
Comments
including the Stamp with an 1 amp low dropout regulator, it worked fine
running two motors, a servo and three sensors, but when I added a small DIP
relay to kill the power to the MotorMind B module, the Stamp would reset
every time the relay fired. I added a 1000 uF cap across the 5-volt line and
it works fine now.
Original Message
> so every once in a while my robot decides to brownout? - I think.
>
> Here is the situation: The stamp (BS2) is running the code fine
> (blinking two LEDs and then all of the sudden - nothing - the
> blinking stops (which is not how I programmed it) and yet the VDC to
> the stamp is 6 VDC or better. The code seems to be fine. The robot
> includes two other ICs that are H-bridges which are used to control
> four electromagnets that sit below all of the circuitry. The
> magnets draw .17 Amps @ 6 VDC. The ICs are powered in parallel to
> the stamp and each have 47uF capacitors to ground.
through some motor or other coil type device
causes the voltage to drop, resetting the
Stamp.
6 volts is very close to the Stamp's minimum
regulation (5.5 volts).
47 uF is pretty good for decoupling the
'other chips' -- but 160 mA is a lot of
current. Does the Stamp have its own
decoupling capacitor? Is the Stamp on
the 'far-end' of the power supply from
the coils? (It's better if the Stamp is
closer to the supply than the coils).
--- In basicstamps@yahoogroups.com, "justforgoyourmove" <pjw24@c...>
wrote:
> so every once in a while my robot decides to brownout? - I think.
>
> Here is the situation: The stamp (BS2) is running the code fine
> (blinking two LEDs and then all of the sudden - nothing - the
> blinking stops (which is not how I programmed it) and yet the VDC
to
> the stamp is 6 VDC or better. The code seems to be fine. The
robot
> includes two other ICs that are H-bridges which are used to control
> four electromagnets that sit below all of the circuitry. The
> magnets draw .17 Amps @ 6 VDC. The ICs are powered in parallel to
> the stamp and each have 47uF capacitors to ground.
>
> I know I may have left some critical details out and that this
> problem is really weird - but any help would be much appreciated.
>
> Many thanks,
>
> Paul
as it turns out the bots were picking up static electricity because
they were constantly sliding on a plastic surface and by grounding
them to each other the problem was solved
regards
paul
--- In basicstamps@yahoogroups.com, "Allan Lane" <allan.lane@h...>
wrote:
> Standard cause of this problem: a current surge
> through some motor or other coil type device
> causes the voltage to drop, resetting the
> Stamp.
>
> 6 volts is very close to the Stamp's minimum
> regulation (5.5 volts).
>
> 47 uF is pretty good for decoupling the
> 'other chips' -- but 160 mA is a lot of
> current. Does the Stamp have its own
> decoupling capacitor? Is the Stamp on
> the 'far-end' of the power supply from
> the coils? (It's better if the Stamp is
> closer to the supply than the coils).
>
> --- In basicstamps@yahoogroups.com, "justforgoyourmove"
<pjw24@c...>
> wrote:
> > so every once in a while my robot decides to brownout? - I think.
> >
> > Here is the situation: The stamp (BS2) is running the code fine
> > (blinking two LEDs and then all of the sudden - nothing - the
> > blinking stops (which is not how I programmed it) and yet the
VDC
> to
> > the stamp is 6 VDC or better. The code seems to be fine. The
> robot
> > includes two other ICs that are H-bridges which are used to
control
> > four electromagnets that sit below all of the circuitry. The
> > magnets draw .17 Amps @ 6 VDC. The ICs are powered in parallel
to
> > the stamp and each have 47uF capacitors to ground.
> >
> > I know I may have left some critical details out and that this
> > problem is really weird - but any help would be much appreciated.
> >
> > Many thanks,
> >
> > Paul