Hmmm, seriously no offense dude... but Multimeters are really basic instruments... Perhaps you need to take a basic course in electronics (or buy some books) before you blow anything else. One possible downside of the EZb platform is that it attracts a lot of unknowledgeable first timers. These things aren't cheap... True most of us learn the hard way (including me)... So again, I mean absolutely no disrespect, but leaning will save you a lot of $$$ down the road... Also, think of the advanced robots you will then be able to create with your advance knowledge...

I'm not even in high school yet(Grade 8), but I don't mind the referral. I've contacted ez-robot and I'm looking to see what they say.

I didn't do anything to the ez-b. It worked the last time I used it and then it sat for a while.

So far this is the first issue(or money looser, depending on what happens) so hopefully it stays that way.

YouTube is your friend for tutorials like this. I did a quick search and found quite a few for "How to Use a Multimeter". I hope that helps. Also, check other topics you want to learn in electronics. It's a sure bet they have made a clip on it.

Yep, youtube and google are your friends if you need to learn anything although always be aware that a lot of bad practice is posted on the internet.

Sparkfun do a lot of tutorials which I'm confident enough to say would be the right way to do things, have a look at their multimeter tutorial.

@rryerson I agree with you completely, but it is to be expected when something is designed and advertised to be as simple to use as the EZ-B. Although, the clear tutorials on here should be more than enough to guide anyone of any level in the right direction there will always be more things which require more experience. That's where we come in though

Luckily I've not blown anything up (ever actually, which is surprising), I have made my share of mistakes though including picking up a soldering iron the wrong way round... You learn to check everything properly after losing the use of your hand for a couple of weeks!..

To be fair, I have still yet to even see an ezb controller in person... Saying that, does the ezb3 have an onboard fuse/breaker? Did you check to see if it was/is tripped?

Those little V3s are Hard to kill. I would say try your fuse. If that don't work, try your regulators and fuse. Since you live in Canada. Just tell D.J. and he will let you bring it or send it in to the factory and they will probably repair it FREE!

note, this is just my opinion, not an actual fact yet. But, I would check with the factory. Once you do anything more than change the fuse, they won't touch it.

Good Luck!

:)

So, YouTube is becoming your SECOND best friend along with Google. I never looked at it with that POV. I have always relied on Google. Now I have another way of looking at it.

@Mel, just always be aware that there are some people out there who throw out very bad practice which could be dangerous so always take the time to look at more than one video, check comments and if in any doubt at all, ask (chances are someone here knows a method of doing whatever you want to be doing).

Rich, good advice.

I forgot to tell him that D.J. has a trouble-shooting tutorial in the tutorial section.

Regulators are good. fuse looks fine. Nothing seems abnormal on the ez-b. Going to have my Dad teach me how to use the multimeter.

Here are some pics:

One thing to check is the actual power source output with your meter to make sure the input voltage to the EZ-B is at or above 5 volts dc. Also a continuity check with the meter could be performed on the fuse to make sure it is not open.

Are you using the original battery pack that came with the unit? Those had some issues with the contacts where the batteries plugged into them.

I use 2 different batteries, one is the battery pack. posting a video and will be available soon. will post when ready.

Video. If it doesn't work let me know.

The video plays but I don't see where a meter was used to measure the output of that battery pack. How much voltage is stored in that pack ?

The blue LED should come on even if the bluetooth module's LED is shot. It would be very unlucky for both bluetooth module LED and EZ-B LED to go at the same time.

Personally, I would double check the fuse is OK by carrying out a continuity test on the fuse. If that checks out OK then follow the EZ-B diagnostics and report your findings. My guess would be on the fuse to be perfectly honest. This is all provided the battery is giving the correct voltage at the jack and is fully charged as you stated.

During diagnostics I tested it and theres no voltage going to the spots that dj tells you to check on the board in the diagnostic. Keep in mind that this worked last time I used it.

Unplugged the Bluetooth and plugged it in and still nothing.

Is there voltage on the underside of the board where the power connector is? If not, check your battery. If so, check your fuse.

Me and my Dad just tested the battery pack and IT IS FULLY CHARGED.

I HAVE DONE THE DIAGNOSTICS.

THE TEST PROVED THAT THERES NO VOLTAGE GOING TO THE BOARD.

Sorry to get capitalized but I'm a little off after the ez-b stopped working randomly without using it.

There is voltage on the connector/plug. fuse should be checked how? I put the probes on either side and turned the multimeter to 20v DC and it read what the plug read.

By no voltage going to the board, where on the board have you checked? Have you checked where the barrel jack connector is soldered to the board? Is there voltage? If not then your barrel jack is at fault. If there is, check the fuse, check the voltage at each side of the fuse on the soldered connections.

The V3 is hand soldered, every component on the board can be checked on the underside and replaced if needed. But in order to repair it we must be absolutely clear where the power stops.

Test the fuse by removing it from it's carrier, st the multimeter to ohms and put one lead to one side and the other lead to the other side, it should read >999 (or whatever an open circuit on your meter is displayed as) or a value, the value should be pretty low (may be even as low as 0).

Part 2 of diagnostic video, 2 spots on the bottom side of the board DJ checks. barrel jack has voltage.

LED has no voltage, and neither does the pins on the D ports or A ports.

It doesn't read anything when I do what you said; is this good?

Which part of what I said?

It's good in a way if it isn't reading continuity of the fuse as it means the fuse has blown, which is why it's not working.

Just to confirm, you removed the fuse from it's carrier You put the meter on an ohm setting You connected one probe to one side of the fuse (not the carrier) You connected the other probe to the other side of the fuse (again, not the carrier) You received no continuity reading on the multimeter?

Sorry, im mistaked. The I did the test on the fuse plugs. well I tested the fuse and got a 0.4 reading.

The fuse has blown.

Replace the fuse. I believe it's a 5A fuse, should be able to pick them up at any decent electronics stockist (radioshack etc)

Repeat: Sorry, im mistaken. I did the test on the fuse plugs. Well I tested the fuse and got a 0.4 reading.

Deleted. It's not relevant if the fuse isn't blown.

Have you tried removing the IC and refitting it? It may have come loose, @mel had a similar problem and refitting the IC helped solve some of the issues.

Ok so its not the fuse?

No, the fuse is fine if you get 0.4 ohms when testing it.

What do you think now? What should I test next? (sorry but I really want to draw a conclusion on this.)

Is it possible that the chip is dead? static maybe?

Remove and refit the main chip, see if that does anything.

Try and follow the power traces around the underside of the board and test for voltage, see where it stops. Did you check for voltage either side of the fuse on the underside of the board? And for voltage at the underside of the board where the barrel jack is?

I've not seen the diagnostics video to be honest so I don't know what DJ advises to test but if it's not part of it I would do it in this order.

Check for voltage at the barrel jack solder joints Check for voltage at both sides of the fuse Check the voltages at the regulators

Chances are that the problem lies in one of the above, either the component or the soldered joint.

P.S. I've never killed a chip with static and I am not exactly static concious. It's unlucky if static has killed the chip, and it does happen but that would be low down on my list of possibilities. Check the above, if that doesn't give any indications as to the problem then hopefully someone else has some ideas. Failing that, I would say you may need to use the Contact Us and see what EZ-Robots can suggest.

I could be wrong, but in your video it looked like the plug in the middle of the wire coming out of the battery had the red and black reversed on either side of the plug.

@Danger! Agreed, looks like the polarity might be reversed... 9 times out of 10 (with electronics), the centre pin of the barrel jack from the battery will be + (positive)... To the OP, check your polarity....

I just rewired it for the video(where it went wrong) but it still didn't work before.(when they were right.) Double checked and still same result.

Looks as though the chips screwed up.

hi .you have to check atleast tree things.1 if you got power 2 check you got negatif.3see that you didn screw, on the rubber off the wire and not on the wire itself.her in the video you can see how to do.

here a video how to test volt and excample a batterie.

If you had the power input wiring reversed to start with then you surly have blown something in the board. Perhaps the regulator. If you have reversed the wireing and tried to power the board again then you have done damage. I remember several people doing this on the EZB and causing damage. I could be wrong but EZB doesnt seem to have reverse voltage protection.

No the V3 doesn't have reverse polarity protection and it will cause the regulator to blow.

Check the voltage at the regulators and report what voltages you have. This is something which has been discussed recently a few times that I'm aware of (Pravnav and Mel had regulator problems).

I believe the centre pin is ground (check this with other members, posts and even staff before you do it, I am not 100% sure myself and don't want you blowing anything that was OK before hand).

Also, another thing to look at is the GREEN power connector. I got one in the mail and it was dead. There was voltage going in,but none coming out of it. I had to throw it away and buy another.

Black to black, red to red; all is well go ahead.

Red to black, black to red; a puff of smoke, the board is dead.

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?

@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...

How do I test the regulators?

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.

With regulators to the back:

Left regulator(next to the barrel jack)- 0.40

Right regulator- 0.46

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.

It appears after having my dad look at the ez-b that the fuse is broken. I hope he's right! Places to get a new fuse?

Edit: this the right one? m.ebay.com/itm/181021157867?nav=SEARCH&sbk=1

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

@Technopro Autozone, The Source (used to be Radio Shack) or Canadian Tire sell those fuses....

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.

@Rich, that is a nice little trick.

Hmmm, well I think if rather get a new fuse. I'll let you guys know.

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.

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.

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.

So, was it the fuse? Did you get it working yet?

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.

@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...

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!

I just realized all the wires I have to plug back in. stress