That capacitor you listed will work :)

Are you putting voltage back into the ez-b connectors?

Thanks for your quick response! Yes, I was using an off-the-shelf 7.2v rechargeable battery pack to hook up the EZ-B to power the Rover 5 I purchased from your site. I don't know if I was sloppy and allowed unintentional contact but the sequence went:

1. Saw a spark
2. Saw some smoke
3. Cap popped off the capacitor

This all happened in the matter of a second.

Side note: Huge fan of yours, keep up the great work!

Thank you :)

Glad to hear your board is still working after that. Looking forward to seeing what you build :)

Is there any place I can secure instructions on the best way to hook the EZ-B to the Rover 5? I looked at most of the videos but I can't find the information I need. Thanks for your help, Matt

Hello Matt, are you referring to an electrical hookup between EZ-B and the Rover? As I understand, the only connection is via the wireless stream between your PC/ARC and the Rover. There is no wiring required between the EZ-B and Rover.

Physically placing the EZ-B onto the Rover is so that you can hook up sensors and whatnot to the EZ-B and utilize them (via the Bluetooth link between EZ-B and your PC) in relationship to the Rovers environment.

And as far as a physical connection goes... duct tape works actually I would use plastic/metal standoffs and somehow affix them to the Rover (glue?). That way it is secure when driving, but easily removable. As for power, I suppose you could tap into the Rovers power? as long as it has enough voltage (6v-18v) or just attach the AA battery pack (or your 7.2v pack) to the Rover as well.

You know... it just dawned on me that you might be referring to the rover chassis in the EZ-Robot store, and NOT the Brookstone Rover as I was assuming blush I just looked and it is actually referred too as a "Rover 5" (I thought the "5" was a typo in your post) My bad :)

In that case... that is a whole different story You cannot power it's motors directly off the EZ-B ports, you need a H-Bridge controller for that. That might have been the cause of your original issue.

Check out this Tutorial for the the H-Bridge sold in the EZ Store
2.5 Amp Motor Controller

Yup gunner is right . Fyi those motors on rover draw up to 4 amps at stall .

Wow, I really appreciate the thorough information provided. Yes I was talking about the Rover 5 and after doing some pencil work and research I came to that same conclusion that I needed the h-bridge. Right now I have a kooky hookup through an Anduino board with a Motor Shield until my wife allows me to spend more money on my hobbies. I'm wearing her down and should have it soon Thanks again!

Just an update to my situation. I swapped out the capacitor for the 10v and everything is working super! I ordered my H-bridge last week and can't wait for it to arrive.

I just wanted to say what a great kit this is. I've been fiddling with micro controllers for a while but your package with the software is amazing. My wife was blown away when my 9 yr old and I set-up the camera and got it to track her movement, honestly she was a little freaked out at first. Keep up the great work. Matt

@Matt thank you for the kind words :)