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Asked — Edited
Resolved Resolved by MovieMaker!

Ez-B V3 Pooched?

After realizing that wall-e was being neglected I decided to pull him out. I realized that I had an alternative battery so I unscrewed the battery pack from the adapter and screwed in the new pack. I plugged it in and...

It didn't turn on...

I played with the wiring.

Nothing...

I switched back to the original pack.

Still nothing.

I thought it might be an adapter problem. So I took my dads multi meter and discovered...
I don't know how to use a multi meter.
I turned the multimeter off and then inserted the probes into the jack on the adapter and found arcing. It was making sparks as current travelled through the multimeter.

This tells me that the adapter is getting current. So now I'm wondering that maybe my ez-b is pooched? Its not getting hot and nothing is abnormal on the board, so im left wondering.

1. How to perform a test to see the problem?

2. How to use a multimeter.

EDIT: I did the first part of the ez-b diagnostic check and it checked out. Now i'm at the part where it should plug in and flash the lights and it doesn't.

Part 2 shows that theres .01-.03v going through the ez-b. It sits at 0 when not touching.


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#45  
The battery has the polarities reversed compared to the connecter.

AKA red from battery was red but went to black on the connecting wire.

There was no puff of smoke. How do I test the regulators?
#46  
@Technopro All we need to know is if the + pos battery power went to the + pos input on the EZB board and the - negative battery lead went to the - neg on the EZB board... Looks like if you reverse these you kill the ezb board (as others have stated)... Use the multimeter to see the output voltage at the regulators... Set the multimeter to read DC voltage...
United Kingdom
#48  
It's mentioned at least twice above how to test the regulators.

Use your multimeter, on DC and measure between the pins of the regulator. I believe the centre pin is ground so between that and each pin either side on both regulators. Or use the main ground where the battery connects.

I'm not being funny and hope you don't take offence to this but if you are asking these questions I highly suggest you learn how to carry out basic functions with a multimeter before probing your EZ-B. There are literally hundreds of videos on youtube which explain it all in detail. There are text tutorials, I even linked you to a very comprehensive Spark Fun tutorial.

To minimise the risk of further damage to your EZ-B you really need to know the basics of using a multimeter. I would also recommend finding the datasheet on the regulators used on the EZ-B, there are at least two different topics which cover the regulators in the last month or so, one by Mel here and another by Pravnav.
#49  
With regulators to the back:

Left regulator(next to the barrel jack)- 0.40

Right regulator- 0.46
#50  
odds are ill be sending the ez-b in to get it checked cause i'm not comfortable with screwing with it and messing it up more than it already is.
#52  
You can get the fuse at any auto parts store, any department or grocery store with an automotive aisle, or any electronics store Radio Shack).

Alan
#53  
@Technopro Autozone, The Source (used to be Radio Shack) or Canadian Tire sell those fuses....
United Kingdom
#54  
In the mean time, to check if it is the fuse or not there is a risky way... This is bad practice and shouldn't be done without knowing what you are doing as it could cause further damage.

Set the meter to a current setting (amps)
Attach the one probe to one side of the fuse holder.
Attach the other probe to the other side of the fuse holder.
Apply the power to the EZ-B.
If it turns on and lights up then the fuse is the only thing gone.
Keep a constant eye on the meter and if the current rises to anything above 1A immediately disconnect the power or remove the meter.

Basically, doing this will bypass the fuse. It will result in no over current protection to the EZ-B or it's components and you will be relying on the meter to tell you the current draw of the EZ-B.

Disconnecting the battery or removing any of the multimeter probes will open the circuit and shut off the EZ-B in the even of a high current draw however chances are your reactions are a lot slower than the speed of which current flows and pops components.

Again, this is bad practice and should not be done if you are not comfortable doing so. I cannot accept responsibility if this causes further damage and chances are any warranty would be void after doing this. Do it at your own risk.
#56  
Hmmm, well I think if rather get a new fuse. I'll let you guys know.
#57  
The best and easiest way to check a fuse is by continuity. Just about any multi meter can do it. All you have to do is set the multimeter to the proper setting and touch each lead 2 both sides of the fuse. Most multimeters will beep or buzz if there is continuity. That means the fuse is good and there is a connection all the way through it. When a fuse blows there is a little strip of metal that melts between its two legs. When that happens you will not get continuity and the multi meter will not buzzed or will show zero. 0 in the world of multimeters is also called null. You can use this method on circuits of any kind or header pins to see if you have any breaks, bad joints, open or broken wires.
#58  
Also, you can look at the fuse and see if it is burned out. The little wire in the center will not be connected to both ends.
#59  
That's not always true. Sometimes it's very hard to see. I've had fuses that were connected and looked to be ok only two tests bad. It just happened to me 2 days ago. However I have to admit that it was a glass slow blo fuse and not the automotive type that is used on the EZB. Then again I did have a blown fuse on one of my ezb's and I had a very hard time seeing that it was blown. I ended up testing it like I describe above just to confirm it was bad. Also when testing fuses for continuity it is best to remove them from the circuit or you could get a false reading.
#61  
Haven't got a new fuse yet. Going out Friday so my get the fuse then. The fuse when you look closely is broken right on one of the bends.
#62  
@Technopro Looks like you found your problem... Occams Razor (when things go wrong, usually it is because of something simple)... In your case it looks like a blown fuse and not a duff board...
#63  
Got the fuses. put one in, and it works. Guess I need to look closer next time. Ill give it to the first person who mentioned the fuse. rryerson mentioned it first but in all fairness it was a guess because you said you hadn't even seen an ez-b before. Mel was second so ill give it to him.

THANKS FOR ALL THE HELP!
#64  
I just realized all the wires I have to plug back in. *stress*
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