Rhyana
Resolved by DJ Sures!
Product - Revolution:SIX
Product is in brand new condition. We took the plastic off the box this morning (it was supposed to be a Christmas gift for our son). We read through the online getting-started tutorial(s) and are now trying to setup the robot.
When we we turn on the power the servo motors twitch, as expected, but the EZ-B says "communication error" repeatedly.
When I apply downward pressure to the EZ-B I hear a start-up chime, and a blue light begins to flash. Then I can see the EZ-B WIFI connection from my computer and connect to it. I can correctly connect to the EZ-B from the builder software.
However, as soon as I release the downward pressure on the EZ-B the wifi connection disappears.
The EZ-B seems quite loose in the base plate. I can rotate it horizontally by a small amount, it's definitely not snug. Is this a QC issue? Again, product is in new condition. Two adults attempted to assemble this. Nothing was dropped or treated roughly.
Rhyan
http://www.ez-robot.com/Tutorials/Lesson/45?courseId=2
Alan
Now we're back to the original problem where constant downward pressure is required to make a wifi connection.
We haven't tried any other troubleshooting procedures.
Rhyan
Still sounds like a connection issue, although I suppose it could be an internal connection. Does it matter where you press? ie, if you press directly over the power connector is it more consistent then pressing in another spot? You could try gently jiggling the power connector where it comes through the EZ-B case to see if it is loose on the board, or if it is really just having a problem getting the pins to hold. Same for the connector in the SIX body. The connector should not move inside the body.
Alan
Pressure directly over the connector or in the center of the EZ-B seems to work the best (I don't notice any difference between those two spots). Pressure over the corners doesn't work.
The connector in the SIX body feels loose to me, or at least more loose than the connector on the EZ-B. I can get it to noticeably wiggle with gentle pressure.
Rhyan
Then try bending the pins/tabs on the female parts of the mini deans connector inwards, in order to get a better pinch of the pins. If it is all revolving around the power connector(mini deans on bottom of ez-b pcb) then the only other option then would be to inspect and look for bad solder joints, and the connector being loose on the board.
It should barely move, and should spring back to position if you do push it. If it is freely wiggling around, or up and down, I think it may be loose inside the body.
I am going to open up my adventure bot to see how it is attached before providing additional advice. This might be an easy fix with some glue or a screwdriver, or may be a warranty issue (I hope not, but EZ-Robot is really good about dealing with warranty returns if needed).
Alan
I would check to see if the 4 screws that hold the body together are all tight. If the top and bottom are not tight, the connector can move around. If they are tight, you could try opening the body and adding a bit of hot glue under the board to hold it in place better (and also inspect for any cracks in the support). You can also check that the fuse is tightly inserted, although I doubt that would be the issue because it would not respond to pressure from the top.
Note: you do not need to open the battery compartment when you open the body, and if you are careful you should be able to do it without removing the legs from the body.
If everything seems right inside, I would try again with tightening the connector pins as in the tutorial I liked to, and if they won't hold it tight, reach out to EZ Robot support through the Contact Us link (Likely someone will see this post and have other ideas to try before dealing with warranty).
Alan
Rhyan
If the blue led is always on, then that means it has power. The led requires power to glow, much like the lights in your home. So that's good news - it rules out any power related concerns. Additionally, the fitment of the dagacon shell vs roli or other shells isn't an issue. Each shell fits the ezb slightly tighter or looser by design.
If I release the pressure, the lower left led goes away and so does the wifi connection.
Rhyan
1) the connector that connects the top and bottom pcb within the ezb has vibrated loose. The ezb would need to be opened with 4 philips head screw driver and pressed by hand back together.
Or
2) the magnets within the ezb shell have vibrated loose and need to either be removed entirely or re-glued with a super glue. There's no reason they couldn't be entirely removed for convenience to get up and running quicker.
Rhyan
Today we took apart the ez-b shell as suggested. We see two magnets in the lower shell, neither of which are loose.
We tried pressing the top and bottom pcb boards together (they already seemed very tight) and re-assembling, but the issue was not resolved.
Then we took off the upper part of the ez-b shell, turned on the power and tried pressing on the top board to get the led light to blink (and chime). Pressing on the *upper right* corner of the board is the most effective. Pressing on the center works as well, but more force is required.
Attached are a few pictures of the upper-right corner of the the ez-b. The bottom plastic screw post has some damage, and there is a connector pin pointed horizontal. Is that normal? Or has the pin been bent?
Thanks,
Rhyan
R: No is not normal, looking to the last picture it seems you have 3 pins disconnected (A7,VCC,VCC,).
my EZB:
Communication error message is related to the serial communication between top and bottom part i.e. (4 pins in red) when you press you get lucky.
Thanks for your patience while we debug the issue. Please Contact Us and we will make it right. Reference the link to this thread in the Contact Us for warranty support.
Rhyan