I had the same problem.. its a known production issue, and its being fixed.. I suggest doing what I did to get moving fast..

Problem solved, I picked up Part #274-1568 Size L Coaxial DC Power Plug at Radio Shack.. Barrel sized was 5.0mm O.D. x 2.5mm solder-type terminal they didn't carrier the screw type.. But it works fine.. for those that end up in the same situation.. cost $3.49

It was nice to have Morbeious resppnd with a solution but I would really like to have an answer from the manufacturer.

@castlephelps - You will want to use the "Contact Us" page to contact the manufacture. The forums here, while the EZ-Robot staff does monitor and respond it is not meant as way to resolver customer issues.

Several customers recently have come right to the forum over using Contact Us to contact the EZ-Robot staff directly. Why is that? Why did you use the forum vs. Contact Us? I'm just wondering if the "Contact Us" is buried on the site perhaps?

Good point / I actually clicked on Contact Us then Technical Support then Ask a Question and VIOLA I'm back in the forums / what am I doing wrong?

@castlephelps, looks like EZ Robot lets use here on the forum to be the first place to stop to overcome a problem. Usually you can get a quick answer to your problem and find a solution. Isn't that what you really want anyway?

If you need assistance straight from EZ Robot about a manufacture problem like the hardware not working properly or having something replaced that arrived broken or missing, in the Contact Us section click on the blue panel that says Product Warranty and you'll find an email form that will be sent straight to the company. It a holiday weekend so give them a little time to respond. IN the meantime take a trip to Radio Shack if you have one close and pick up the part that was suggested by Morbeious for a few bucks.

On the Contact Us page, select warranty, not tech support. You are not asking a tech support question, you are asking them to take care of a manufacturing defect.

Tech support questions are directed to the forum because the community here can answer most questions and there are users all over the world, so you get faster response then asking just EZ-Robot staff, but we can't order replacement parts for you.

Alan

Got it - thank you!

I just want to add. I too found that I have the same problem. The power plug does not fit. I am very disappointed.
Before someone posts that the forum is for technical issues and to use the Contact Us page. I have already used the contact page and at the same consider this to be a technical issue. Had I seen a post about this issue earlier this week I would have had a chance to go to my local RadioShack already and not had been caught off guard. Thank @castlephelps for your post. At least I am no alone in this. So how do I verify that I didn't get the wrong controller?

When you say controller do you mean the EZB? There is only one version EZB being sent from EZ Robot. You have the right one.

@Tamcofarms,

I was not telling Castlephelps not to post the question here - nor would I imply you should not. I was explaining why he was re-directed here when he tried to use the Contact Us page and then selected tech support instead of warranty replacement as the contact reason. Posting here will get you community support like quick workarounds. Contact Us will get replacement parts shipped to you.

There have been several posts about this problem in the last couple of days which is why @Morbeious was able to recommend an inexpensive replacement part. EZ-Robots has acknowledged that this most recent batch of developer kits has the wrong size jack installed in the power base and are contacting the contract manufacturer to resolve it.

https://synthiam.com/Community/Questions/6946

https://synthiam.com/Community/Questions/6993

https://synthiam.com/Community/Questions/6972

In the mean time, you can use the contact-us page and they'll send you a replacement part, or you can do what @Morbeious did, and get a suitable replacement at Radioshack. Going the Radioshack route would certainly be faster, but the part they have requires soldering since they son't sell a screw on plug in the right size.

Alan

I think I'd be confused as new customer on "Technical Support" vs. "Product Warranty". It makes sense why there are so many posts about the issue now.

I agree with Justin. The forum certainly is a great place to get possible quick advice and answers. However to be called the technical support branch of EZ Robot under the "Contact Us" button seems a bit misleading. At least a short explanation of EZ Robot's version of what Tech Support is when they push that button would be a good idea.

I apologize for the tone of my post and I stand corrected as for not finding the original post about the manufacturer error. I have provided customer/technical service for over 20 years and at some point I hope to see a company be proactive about an issue like this. After all, the email addresses of all those who ordered these kits are on record. How hard would it have been to send a 'warning' email advising us of the issue? Just saying... Well off to Radio Shack a robot is begging to be built!

Quote:

I have provided customer/technical service for over 20 years and at some point I hope to see a company be proactive about an issue like this. After all, the email addresses of all those who ordered these kits are on record. How hard would it have been to send a 'warning' email advising us of the issue?

I don't disagree, and in fact, that is exactly what was done when the first Roli's shipped out with the wrong kind of servo bits for the shoulders once it was brought to their attention.

I also agree with Dave that a bit better explanation on the Contact Us page may be useful. It has been covered in forum posts, but to expect all new users to read everything on the forum is not realistic.

EZ-Robots is a new and small company, and are learning some of these kinds of things as they go. I am sure by this time next year they will be through their growing pains and things will go much smoother.

Alan

I agree @TAMCOFARMS. This stuff can be frustrating for the consumer. As a customer we don't really care if the problem is the fault of a shipping, packing or manufacturing error. All we care about is being able to contact the manufacture of the product as quick as possible and have a courteous take liability for the problem conversation with them. Then quickly have the problem fixed.

The truth of this matter is that EZ Robot is a small company that has a small staff that is able to respond this type of problem that comes from people around the world. Sadly they cant be available around the clock to us. I'm sure that's why they rely on the people in the forums to take some of that load off them.

Good luck on your trip to Radio Shack. The replacement part requires the wires to be soldered. I hope you can get that part of it done.

@TAMCOFARMS... By the way, you're looking for a 2.5mm barrel jack connector, not a 2.1mm...

If anyone cant solder and needs to get one of these with vary little wait you can go to Amazon. If you have Amazon Prime you can get it in two days free shipping. If not the wait could be a few days longer. Here is an Amazon link with many choices for 2.5mm barrel jacks with screw lugs. Your choice has to look like the picture below:

Amazon Adapter with screw lugs

Same thing happened to me, but this is what happens when I try to email them. I've tried for a few days now but still has the same error

I apologize about that error - it is the first time I've heard about it. I am looking into it right now and will have it fixed soon.

As for the connector, we are unable to send out an email because we are unsure who is affected by it. The issue with the incorrect connector was on a certain number of random units and we are only able to address those who Contact Us directly through the warranty Contact Us - as you have found. Of course, it was broken. I am fixing it now.

As for the forum being used for technical support - that is correct. I am a firm believer in sharing knowledge and not keeping it private. I have implemented a system which pays our community in ezcredit (robot dollars) to help each other. This is a replacement for a technical support salary and in turn, puts the knowledge freely available on our community forum.

For example, if you were to use the search feature then there would have been results to help you with the power adapter. I will also update the Contact Us page to instruct users on how to use the search feature.

If a search does not help the user, then posting on the forum is the next best thing - because it also provides our community the ability to earn robot dollars at the same time

Thanks for your feedback, it is helpful and provides insight toward improvements.

It's very exciting to recognize that we have thousands of robots out there, and only a few technical issues per day. I continue to modify the website to make information easily accessible. There are less and less posts per day with issues. Not many recognize this, but there are website updates daily. Sometimes two or three times a day. Little tweaks here and there to tutorials, textual information, search algorithms, and a lot more

Try the Contact Us again tomorrow and it'll be working

The Contact Us has been repaired. You may use the Warranty tab to contact us. Use the URL of this thread for reference - someone will help you Keep in mind that it may take a few days because of the weekend.

Awesome, thank you DJ

@dave-schulpius Soldering was not an issue - been at it for years. Would post a picture of the adapter I threw together, but couldn't find my store of shrink tubing so it is tape wound and ugly. But I did also add a screw terminal to it so I can switch between power sources rather easily.