Shop OBEX P1 Docs P2 Docs Learn Events
BS2px — Parallax Forums

BS2px

BuddieBuddie Posts: 29
edited 2007-12-13 01:33 in BASIC Stamp
Hey,

What could be the problem if the v-reg on the stamp gets too hot? I am only using a nine-volt battery.

Thanks

Comments

  • Bruce BatesBruce Bates Posts: 3,045
    edited 2007-12-12 22:06
    Buddie -

    Only two reasons I can think of:

    1. Too great a load on the v-reg output.

    2. A short in your wiring.

    Regards,

    Bruce Bates

    ▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔
  • BuddieBuddie Posts: 29
    edited 2007-12-12 22:13
    If there is a short in my stamp, is it just dead?
  • Mike GreenMike Green Posts: 23,101
    edited 2007-12-12 23:11
    Buddie,
    It is unlikely that you have a short in your Stamp. Most likely it is something external attached to it.

    If you actually have a short in your Stamp, it is possible it would still work unless you happened to use the I/O pin with the short.
  • BuddieBuddie Posts: 29
    edited 2007-12-12 23:56
    Well, the funny thing is, I don't have it connected to anything... it gets really hot just connected to power. It won't communicate with the computer.
  • Mike GreenMike Green Posts: 23,101
    edited 2007-12-13 00:14
    How do you have your Stamp connected? If you're using a socket on a breadboard, perhaps there's a short there. Perhaps there's some kind of short involving the PC interface. It may in fact be that the Stamp has a short somewhere on the module. There's no way to tell with the information you've given.
  • BuddieBuddie Posts: 29
    edited 2007-12-13 00:17
    I've got the stamp on a board of education. I have another bs2 that works fine on the same board.
  • Mike GreenMike Green Posts: 23,101
    edited 2007-12-13 00:23
    Then there's probably a short within the Stamp module. I suggest you call Parallax tech support tomorrow. They may be able to repair it or replace it cheaply.
  • Phil Pilgrim (PhiPi)Phil Pilgrim (PhiPi) Posts: 23,514
    edited 2007-12-13 00:34
    This is a longshot. Awhile back someone posted about a BASIC Stamp module with the "notch" on the wrong end. I don't remember which Stamp it was and can't find the posting. But the poster had mistaken a miscellaneous bit of copper at the pin 12/13 end of the chip, for the "notch" printed on the silkscreen layer at the pin 1/24 end but, apparently, missing from his module. If your module matches this description, perhaps you've simply plugged it in backwards. Take a look at the product page for the BS2px and double check the orientation, if this could be the case.

    -Phil
  • Bruce BatesBruce Bates Posts: 3,045
    edited 2007-12-13 00:39
    Buddie -

    We'll all be more than willing to assist you, but you're giving us the barest minimum of information to work with. You have to let us "see", exactly what you see, since we're obviously not there at your workbench. Here are a few questions that may help us to get on the right road:

    1. Under ordinary circumstances, any PBASIC Stamp must be "plugged" into some sort of circuit board. This board may be of many different types, from one of your own design, to one purchased from Parallax, or even a circuit board from another vendor. Into what sort of board is your Stamp connected?

    2. Which Stamp are you using? The expected answer would be something like this -
    BS-1, BS-2, BS-2SX, BS-2P40, BS-2PX (not all PBASIC Stamps have been listed).

    3. How hot is "hot"? The answer we're looking for is something like the following -

    a. Warm to the touch.

    b. Warm enough for me to think there is a problem.

    c. Hot enough that I feel that I might burn my finger if I keep it on the regulator.

    d. So hot that I burned or nearly burned my finger when I held it on there for a short period of time.

    e. So hot I see smoke or heat waves coming from the v-reg chip.

    Regulators will get warm to hot, even under ordinary circumstances, and are expected to do so. This is all part of how they regulate the voltage passing through them. So, the problem here is a matter of relativity - how hot is "hot", and that's what I'm trying to determine by this question.

    4. Are you sure you have inserted the Stamp properly, if you are using a Parallax Carrier Board? It's often easy to insert the Stamp one set of pins too far left, or too far right, and thus cause voltages to appear on pins that they shouldn't. Also, please check the PBASIC Manual (free download from the Parallax web site) to ensure you have the proper chip orientation. By this I mean that you need to know that Pin 1 is inserted where Pin 1 is supposed to go, and NOT the pin socket that is diagonal to it.

    More information, including schematics or pictures would be a big help in assisting you.

    Regards,

    Bruce Bates

    ▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔
  • BuddieBuddie Posts: 29
    edited 2007-12-13 01:33
    The stamp is in a board of education from Parallax. I know that it is connected in the right direction. The v-reg gets very hot, enough to burn my finger if I don't shut off the power. The stamp is a BS2px and it is not connected to anything right now, I am just trying to get it to work again.
Sign In or Register to comment.