EZBv4 Disconnects on RGB Enable

Question

My EZBv4 disconnects immediately when I connect or enable the RGB LED. I already tried flipping the cable 180 but that didn't help.

I'm running ARC and I noticed the EZB temperature shown in ARC is higher when the RGB is connected. In the EZB status it shows 30 and 21 (not sure why there are two values) when the RGB is connected, and about 29 when the RGB is disconnected.

Any ideas?

Athena · Answer

It sounds like the RGB Eyes / RGB LED cable or device is causing a power or communication issue, and the fact that ARC disconnects immediately when it’s enabled points more toward a wiring, short, or device fault than a normal temperature issue. A few notes from what you described: - Flipping the cable 180 didn’t help, so it may not just be orientation. - The temperature changing by 1-2C is usually not enough to cause a disconnect. - The "30 and 21" you’re seeing is likely two different readings in the status area, usually something like: - CPU temperature - Battery voltage If you want, I can help you identify exactly what those numbers are from the screenshot. ## What to check first ### 1) Inspect the RGB cable and port - Look for bent pins, damaged wire insulation, or a loose connector. - Reseat both ends firmly. - Try a different port if the RGB hardware supports it. ### 2) Test with the RGB disconnected - If ARC stays connected with RGB unplugged, that strongly suggests: - the RGB module may be faulty, or - the cable is shorted, or - the port/device is drawing too much current. ### 3) Check for a short or overload A disconnect that happens the moment the RGB is enabled often means the EZ-B is hitting a fault condition. Even if the LED seems simple, a bad module or wiring can pull the board down. ### 4) Verify power supply stability If the EZ-B is already running near the limit, adding the RGB could be enough to trigger a brownout/disconnect. This is especially common if servos or other loads are also powered from the EZ-B. See the power/brownout info here: - Battery and Power Supply - EZB Disconnecting ## About the temperature reading A 1C increase is normal. The EZ-B v4 should not disconnect because of that small change. So I would focus on: - wiring - RGB module/cable condition - power supply capacity - whether the RGB hardware itself is defective ## Best next test Try this: 1. Disconnect all other peripherals 2. Connect only the EZ-B and RGB 3. Enable the RGB 4. See if it still disconnects If it still drops immediately, the RGB hardware or cable is the most likely culprit. ## If you want to dig deeper Install the Debug skill in ARC and capture the log right before the disconnect: - Debug Robot Skill That can help show whether ARC is losing the board due to communication, power, or a device response problem. If you can, tell me: - what exact RGB hardware this is, - which port it’s plugged into, - whether the disconnect happens only when enabled or also just when connected, - and whether the robot is powered by battery or a wall supply.

Nomad 6R · Answer

@athena can it be that the original number is change ( 0XA0 ) ? and that it disconnect the ezbv ?

Athena · Answer

Yes - if the RGB Eyes / RGB Animator I2C address was changed from the default 0xA0, ARC may be trying to talk to the wrong device address. That said, a wrong I2C address by itself usually should not disconnect the EZ-B v4. It would more commonly cause: - the RGB skill not to work - the skill to hang while waiting for the device - ARC to appear frozen or unresponsive if the I2C device never responds ## What I would do ### 1) Check the RGB Animator settings Open the skill’s kebab menu (three lines in the top-right of the skill) and verify: - I2C Address - the skill is set to the correct EZ-B board index - no other skill is using the same I2C device/address If the address was changed previously, set it back to: text 0xA0  ### 2) Test with only the RGB skill loaded Temporarily remove or disable other I2C-related skills and test again. A conflict on the I2C bus can cause issues. ### 3) If the address was changed and you’re not sure what it is You’ll need to rediscover the address on the I2C bus, then change it back in the skill. The RGB Animator docs mention this behavior: - RGB Animator skill https://synthiam.com/Support/Skills/I2c/RGB-Animator?id=16079 ### 4) If it still disconnects immediately Then the problem is more likely: - a shorted cable - a bad RGB board - power instability - or an I2C bus lockup ## Important note If this is the original EZ-Robot RGB Eyes / JD eyes hardware, the default address is indeed 0xA0. If it was modified, ARC will only work if the skill matches that new address. ## Quick question Did you change the RGB address manually at some point, or is this a brand-new setup that’s never been configured before? If you want, I can also walk you through how to verify the I2C address in ARC step by step.

DJ Sures · Answer

Yes, an invalid address or poor connected cable or broken solder joint to a plug on the cable will cause the ezb to disconnect when talking to i2c

Nomad 6R · Answer

thank you bolt .

Athena · Answer

You're welcome - glad we narrowed it down. That points very strongly to one of these: - Wrong I2C address - Loose/damaged cable - Broken solder joint or intermittent connection - A device on the I2C bus holding the line low If you want to verify it quickly in ARC, check the RGB Animator skill settings from the kebab menu and confirm the I2C address is still 0xA0. If it was changed, set it back and test again. If the address is correct and it still disconnects, then I’d inspect: 1. The cable ends 2. The connector pins 3. The solder joints on the RGB board 4. Whether the EZ-B stays connected with the RGB unplugged You can also use the Debug skill in ARC to capture the exact moment it disconnects. If you’d like, I can help you do a quick I2C isolation test in ARC to tell whether it’s the address or the hardware.

Nomad 6R · Answer

@DJ @athena i made two short video's . the problem seems to be in the ezbv4 . test1 test rgb on a iotiny https://www.youtube.com/shorts/qBP-Z7-e2tM test2 test on the ezbv4 https://www.youtube.com/shorts/eZPSqpaMda0

Athena · Answer

Thanks for testing that - the videos are very helpful. If the same RGB hardware works on the IoTiny but causes the EZ-B v4 to disconnect, that strongly suggests the issue is with the EZ-B v4 I2C side, not the RGB board itself. ## What that usually means Most likely possibilities: - I2C bus on the EZ-B v4 is being pulled down or shorted - A damaged connector or solder joint on the v4 I2C pins - The v4’s lower I/O board is partially damaged - Power/ground instability on the v4 when the I2C device is connected Since the IoTiny behaves normally with the same RGB device, the RGB hardware is probably okay. ## What to test next ### 1) Try a different I2C device on the EZ-B v4 If you have another I2C sensor or module, test it on the v4. - If all I2C devices disconnect the v4, the v4 I2C interface is likely the problem. - If only the RGB device causes it, then the RGB cable or address is still suspect. ### 2) Check the v4 I2C wiring and port Inspect: - bent pins - loose connector - damaged cable - solder joint cracks - anything touching adjacent pins ### 3) Test the v4 with nothing else connected Disconnect everything except: - EZ-B v4 power - ARC connection - the RGB device If it still drops immediately, that’s a strong sign of a hardware fault on the v4 side. ### 4) Compare power sources If the IoTiny test was on a different supply than the v4, compare: - battery voltage - current capability - whether the v4 is under load when the RGB is attached ## Important observation On the EZ-B v4, a startup sound or normal connection doesn’t always mean the I2C side is healthy. A board can appear mostly fine and still fail when an I2C device talks to it. ## My conclusion Based on your tests, I’d lean toward: - EZ-B v4 I2C hardware issue - or a damaged/unstable connection on the v4’s I2C bus rather than the RGB unit itself. If you want, I can help you do a step-by-step isolation test in ARC to confirm whether: 1. the I2C bus is bad, or 2. the board is only failing with this one device If you’d like, I can also tell you how to check the EZ-B v4 status and logs so we can narrow it down further.

Nomad 6R · Answer

@athena yes i would love this test " If you’d like, I can also tell you how to check the EZ-B v4 status " .

Athena · Answer

Absolutely - here’s a simple EZ-B v4 health check you can do in ARC to help confirm whether the I2C side of the board is the problem. --- ## 1) Check the EZ-B v4 status in ARC 1. Connect to the EZ-B Connection skill. 2. Look at the status area for the board. 3. Note these values: - CPU temperature - input voltage / battery voltage - whether ARC reports the connection as stable or drops If you can, send a screenshot of the status area with the RGB connected and with it disconnected. --- ## 2) Use the Debug skill to watch the connection Add the Debug robot skill: - Project Add Robot Skill General Debug Then: 1. Clear the log 2. Connect the EZ-B v4 3. Enable the RGB skill 4. Watch the log right when it disconnects The Debug skill can help show if ARC is losing communication because of the device response or a connection fault. --- ## 3) Do a minimal hardware test For this test, disconnect everything except: - EZ-B v4 power - ARC connection - the RGB device Then try enabling the RGB again. ### Results: - If it disconnects immediately: likely the EZ-B v4 I2C hardware or the cable/device connection - If it stays connected: another peripheral or power load may be contributing --- ## 4) Compare with another I2C device if you have one If you have any other I2C sensor/module, plug it into the same EZ-B v4 and test it. - If every I2C device causes disconnects: the v4’s I2C side is likely damaged - If only the RGB device causes disconnects: the RGB cable/device or address may still be the issue --- ## 5) What the status numbers mean You mentioned seeing "30 and 21" in the status. That is usually showing two different board readings, commonly: - CPU temperature - battery/input voltage A slight change there is normal and would not usually explain an instant disconnect. --- ## 6) What I’d like you to test next Please try this exact sequence: 1. Power the EZ-B v4 with only one EZ-B board connected 2. Open ARC and connect 3. Open Debug 4. Plug in the RGB device 5. Enable the RGB skill 6. Tell me: - does it disconnect instantly? - does ARC freeze? - does the RGB light turn on briefly? - what do the status values show right before disconnect? --- ## Helpful ARC docs - EZ-B Disconnecting https://synthiam.com/Support/troubleshooting/EZB-Disconnecting - Debug Robot Skill https://synthiam.com/Support/Skills/General/Debug?id=19885 - RGB Animator skill https://synthiam.com/Support/Skills/I2c/RGB-Animator?id=16079 If you want, I can give you a very short step-by-step I2C isolation test next that takes less than 5 minutes and will tell us whether the issue is the EZ-B v4, the cable, or the RGB device.

Nomad 6R · Answer

@athena

arc doesn't freeze . i test with a 8x8 and same result . when power on ezbv the rgb lights up original , 4 blue dots and 1 white in the middle . no sound , it takes a second and then it disconnect from ARC .

If you want, I can give you a very short step-by-step I2C isolation test , please give me this test .

Athena · Answer

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Nomad 6R

Ezbv4 Disconnects On RGB Enable

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1) Check the EZ-B v4 status in ARC

2) Use the Debug skill to watch the connection

3) Do a minimal hardware test

Results:

4) Compare with another I2C device if you have one

5) What the status numbers mean

6) What I’d like you to test next

Helpful ARC docs