Hardware debugging

B

bk40

Well-known member
I will start of with admitting that I am not the best at soldering anymore (ok maybe never was)

I have now 3 boards that have various issues.

Easier to identify is 1st. USB cable got ripped out and broke the micro usb off the board and likely ripped off the tracks. So right off or is there some where I can wire up another port away from these pads. (Home use only so happy to be ugly)

The other 2 I’ve been using with a usb midi controller and there are times when it was not externally powered. Now these 2 seem to reboot within a period of seconds even when running just the blink app.

Would think there would be something to tell me why. I do have crash report enabled.

I have new boards on way. With headers this time but don’t want to bin boards if I don’t have to
 
One thing that is always helpful is the temperature test. If you have a thermal camera, that's wonderful, use it! Anything that is too hot or too cold is suspect. All chips that are powered should warm up a little. If they don't then that's suspicious. Easier to find are super hot parts. Nothing should 80C. So, things that remove your fingerprints when you touch them are a bad sign. Without a thermal camera it's harder to find these things. One trick is to spray the board in isopropyl alcohol. Chips that near instantly are dry again are hot. If you'd like, touch them to be sure. Otherwise, take the word of IPA. Boards that reboot quickly could have bad chips on them.

I personally don't like small USB connectors on these sorts of boards because they are so easy to tear off and so hard to replace properly. USB-C is a little better seemingly. Everyone rips off micro-A ports. They're held on with wishes. If I can get away with it, I use USB-B ports on my custom boards - you know, the sort used on printers and modems. That big chunky connector. You won't rip those off the board.
 
I don’t have a thermal camera but will see if any heat is on the board.

Is there any diagnostics that can be run? Board tests?
 
Thanks. I had an oscilloscope so connected it to monitor the 3v and tonight they both behaved. Even when pushed and put in to the microdexed hardware.

Think I’ll just put them both to the side and run them on a burn test.

Both these boards have powered my launch key without external power so I worry that I’ve done something to that section.

I did end up with a test program but since it’s not failing I can’t prove it yet.

No doubt I’ll be back here.

Nice note that I managed to get pihut and DigiKey to deliver within 48 hours. And maybe bought 16mb ram chip
 
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