
Doombot
USA
Asked
— Edited
I've been away for a while, I updated ez builder, and Firmware to 16.6...all a sudden the servos stopped working. The board image is also showing the v4 now...did I miss something? *stress*
There is a firmware update to the V3 available which is required if you update ARC though.
EZ-Robots have said they will continue supporting the V3 for as long as possible. There will be a time when it needs to be left behind but that time hasnt come yet.
I would not want to have to swap out controllers every year.
I hope we have some definite answer on this.
I am on a project that does support Adriano now and now is the time for me to make a turn to something else if cannot be sure we will get support.
The V3 will never become obsolete or require swapping out with the latest hardware provided you don't want to take advantage of new controls that the V4 will bring (i.e. 2 way serial communication, greater resolution for servo positions etc.)
It would be short sighted to swap from EZ-B to Arduino based on the fact that support (i.e. updates and new features) will eventually stop for the V3. If your V3 does what it needs to do now then that wont be changing.
I am actively trying by posting on line in many different places more users with EZ...
But I get concerned when I see support ramping down on any product line when new products come out.
I do not want have to a lot of programing changes later.
Calm down... someone needs to ask these questions... it took a long time for these guys to get V4 out the door.
Does that mean it stopped production completely on V3?
You wont need to reprogram. ARC updates rarely require rewrites of projects and when they do there is warning given. Similar warning was given when Windows XP/Vista support was dropped and I am sure the same warning will be given in the future.
That said, many of us keep older copies of ARC. When support for something stops (i.e. Windows XP) these are offered unofficially for those who need them. The same will apply when the V3 is eventually dropped. Provided I am a member of the community there will always be backups of older versions available.
@Rich, @Richard R
I am aware of what all you guys are saying, I did the firmware update first, and that's when it stopped working. Its connecting, but the servos stopped working. My firmware is at 16.6....this is the latest right?
I'm quite sure the firmware update was successful...got all the way to recycling the board's power. The board works, and connects (faster btw) Any theories?
In fact, we have released a few firmware updates for the v3 recently.
Yes, the v3 has been discontinued for production in April 2013 (over one year ago). We spent the last year developing the v4 and decided to not sell the v3 during the development time of the v4. This is because we did not want people to buy a v3 and be disappointed when the v4 came out. We gave our community the opportunity to purchase and wait for the v4 - which, as you can see was a wait worth while!
As for your servos not working, I recommend checking the fuse. If it has been a while since you last used the EZ-B v3, maybe there was an accidental short in the wiring of DOOOOOOOOOOM BOT. Can you use a volt meter to verify there is power between the GND and +5 Digital Pins of the EZ-B v3?