Teensy 4.1 w/ Zephyr, VSCode, and PlatformIO HOWTO?

A few questions about your hardware setup. Somewhat all related to power.

Is the micro-USB connector the only source of power for Teensy on the proto board? I ask this because many people have (by mistake) connected a 5V power supply to the 5V pin while simultaneously being connected to USB port power. In your photo, there's a red wire connected to Teensy 5V pin. I'm guessing there's a load on this pin and not a power source?

What is the load on the 3.3V pin? Teensy 3.3V voltage regulator powers Teensy along with 250mA for loads.

Can you provide photo's showing the solder joints on both sides of Teensy, horizontal side-shot would be best. This might be an illusion, but It looks like the solder has balled up on all the pins instead of flowing into the pcb holes. Like I said, could be an illusion. And, a possible solder ball sitting between pin 0 and pin1 (could just be a reflection).

If Teensy is not installed on proto board, does the USB power issue raise its ugly head?
 
After reading through this entire thread again, one recommendation is to stop and begin again. Your first post begins with a rejection of the Arduino IDE. We all get why Arduino is a big let-down for professional programmers, which includes many (most?) of those commenting on this thread. I use it because Paul supports it, and it's easy to install and update. It takes less than 10 minutes to install 1.8.19 and TeensyDuino 1.56 and that way when you report an issue, lots of us, including Paul, can know for sure that we are using the same tools and those differences can be put aside. For simple one-file sketches I use the IDE editor, and for larger projects I use an external editor and only use the IDE to build.

Not to pile on, but I have over a dozen Teensy of all types 3.x and 4.x, and I've never had a problem with a USB connector.
 
If I am not wrong, in all this thread, I did't read anything about trying different USB port on the PC, or trying another PC.
 
ETMoody3 said:
Gently pry up the tiny tabs on any usb micro *plug* when they wear. I use the tip of a hobby knife.
These tabs accept the majority of the physical stress.
Click to expand...
Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! While this tip didn't exactly solve my problem, it was the catalyst that helped me to stumble onto what I'll call the 'combo solution':

I pulled up the spring pins with a scalpel, as you suggested -- it was still a little finicky -- but then I kinda picked the shield away from the plastic of the plug, and squeezed it in juuuust a bit, from the side, with pliers, making the shield overlap itself juuuust a little, like this:

IMG_2207.jpg


And now it's working pretty well! Although this is a solution I'd probably call "suboptimal", it's working pretty reliably, so my short term problem is solved, and I can get on with more stimulating work! Yay!

I wonder... If I were to take the pliers to the jack instead of the plug, do folks think that would work? I'm kinda nervous that I'd ruin the Teensy (certainly that risk is there), but if I could solve the issue on the jack side, hypothetically I could use a wider variety of cables, and have more reliable operation over the longer term. (I guess I do have three of them at the moment...)

Thanks again to all the folks who weighed in with concrete things to try. All my verbose walls-of-text and general grumping aside, I really do appreciate all your efforts!

-Ian
 
To circle back around for future visitors to this thread:

@BillFM Thank you for your help in diagnosing! I wanted to answer the inquiries you had so if someone else has similar problems, maybe it'll help.

BillFM said:
Is the micro-USB connector the only source of power for Teensy on the proto board?
Click to expand...

Yes. I will want to figure out the external supply 'story' soon, but for the purposes of this diagnosis, USB is the only power source. (and I have a 'turn off USB power' pigtail I made in the past, as described on the PJRC website, that'll get that process started when it's time...)

BillFM said:
I ask this because many people have (by mistake) connected a 5V power supply to the 5V pin while simultaneously being connected to USB port power. In your photo, there's a red wire connected to Teensy 5V pin. I'm guessing there's a load on this pin and not a power source?
Click to expand...

The 5V wire in that photo is carrying power to the "positive" rail of the proto-board. There is no supply or load there. It's just habit.

BillFM said:
What is the load on the 3.3V pin? Teensy 3.3V voltage regulator powers Teensy along with 250mA for loads.
Click to expand...

A 0.9" OLED display, or nothing. I've had the display working before. It's not drawing anywhere near 250mA.

BillFM said:
Can you provide photo's showing the solder joints on both sides of Teensy, horizontal side-shot would be best. This might be an illusion, but It looks like the solder has balled up on all the pins instead of flowing into the pcb holes. Like I said, could be an illusion. And, a possible solder ball sitting between pin 0 and pin1 (could just be a reflection).
Click to expand...

It's not my best soldering job ever, I must concede. I had it absolutely doused in flux, and I was already grouchy and in a hurry, so I didn't de-re-solder it but I doubt this would influence things when there's nothing but a teensy hanging off the end of a cable. But here they are; Feel free to judge my soldering (and please forgive the wisps of Q-tip from when I cleaned the flux off of it): 😸
IMG_2208.jpg

IMG_2209.jpg

BillFM said:
If Teensy is not installed on proto board, does the USB power issue raise its ugly head?
Click to expand...
Yes. On or off a protoboard didn't change the issue.

Thanks again to all!

-Ian
 
I am glad it is working better for you.

Over the years I have played with a lot of the different teeny boards. probably not as many of some who sell products using them. I have also played over the years with different boards and the like... I did my Master project using a Franklin ACE (6502 with Z80 board), while at work I was working on Datapoint systems... Don't want to say how many years ago that was...

One thing that helped me was to limit how often I need to plug and unplug the boards. So Instead I have a powered USB Hub that I purchased 5 years ago:

That has buttons to turn on or off each of the ports. Which has worked well for me. Another member had a problem with one of these and purchased a different brand later:

I purchased one of these as well, which I have setup on my secondary (Ubuntu) machine. I cannot say they are the best, but I have been mostly using some ALKIN USB cables, that I purchased 4 years. I have not had any problems with them. I mainly purchased them as if you can have up to 7 things plugged in, it helps to have colored wires to figure out which one is which:
1724673722084.png

Although right now I have 4 white USB 3 cables plugged in, as well as 3 of these USB 2...

Good luck!
 
I always backup the USB connector when plugging in the USB cable. By that I mean, laying the board on a flat surface and placing a finger on the backside of the female connector on the board then plugging in the cable with the other hand making sure the cable connector is parallel with the female connector. This helps avoid bending the outer edges of the female connector which causes the a loose fit and movement of the cable. Backing up the female USB connector also helps avoid peeling the connector off of the board by accident.
Just a quick tip;)
 
impcc said:
I wonder... If I were to take the pliers to the jack instead of the plug, do folks think that would work? I'm kinda nervous that I'd ruin the Teensy (certainly that risk is there), but if I could solve the issue on the jack side, hypothetically I could use a wider variety of cables, and have more reliable operation over the longer term. (I guess I do have three of them at the moment...)

Thanks again to all the folks who weighed in with concrete things to try. All my verbose walls-of-text and general grumping aside, I really do appreciate all your efforts!

-Ian
Click to expand...

The jack isn't designed to deform to accept stress. The plug is designed to deform to accept stress. ( mini usb was the other way around )
This is a design change that attempted to reduce the failure of embedded jacks.

I hate to be reductive, but what I would do in your specific use case is replace the card you're using, and plug it in the first time with a new cable or better yet a panel -mount jack so you are only inserting and removing from the teensy once, and making subsequent connections to the panel jack.

Every Teensy I embed in a device uses a panel mounted usb jack for routine connection.


Glad to be of any help. I know I get frustrated as all hell with "undocumented features". It's all good.
 
ETMoody3 said:
Every Teensy I embed in a device uses a panel mounted usb jack for routine connection.
Click to expand...
That's the plan. I just haven't gotten that far yet. I have the panel mount pigtails to disconnect power (as mentioned in the power convo) but I'm just trying to get up and running.

FWIW, I did take one of my other Teensies and squish the jack down a little, and it dramatically improved the reliability of the connection.

-Ian
 
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BillFM said:
I just looked at my Teensy's. Wow! Almost no solder on the micro USB connector shield. Barely a trace of solder on pcb top side. Bottom side holes are void of any solder. Thanks for the heads up @ETMoody3. My T3.5's have much more solder from factory vs T4.x.
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These are peg&paste connectors - they have large pads on the top to hold enough solder paste so it can wick down into the plated holes by capilliary action - the fact the top pad is bare of solder means this has happened successfully and the peg is solidly soldered into the hole! Pegs do not normally go all the way through the PCB and there is no point using more solder than is needed to surround the pegs in the holes - the pad size in the connector footprint will have been tailored to the requirement of the pegs.
 
I agree, capillary action will draw the solder down the hole..., if there's enough solder paste in the first place.
On my Teensy 4.x's, looking at solder side, all 4 pegs are clearly visible in the holes.
PCB thickness is 63thous.
Depth of hole to solder (from back-side) 50thous.
63-50=13thous of solder in hole.
Plated holes are pretty weak in the first place. Solder should have encased full length of pegs.

My Teensy 3.5's have full hole of solder.

Luckily, these connectors don't get ripped off the pcb too often (has been mentioned before in forum).
 
What I do amounts to re-flowing the solder.

I'm looking at the bottom of a Pico 2 that just came in today and the solder in those holes looks like it could stand re-flow.

I've made the easy mistake of adding too much solder and it flows right into the jack to predictable result. Less is more.
 

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Its a common mistake to use too much solder with SMT - less is indeed more. For flux on the otherhand more is better, so long as you later remove it...

Google seems very broken, only throws up a handful of matches for "peg and paste" for some reason. Perhaps there's an official term that's more commonly used?

BillFM said:
Plated holes are pretty weak in the first place.
Click to expand...
Compared to an M3 bolt perhaps, but far stronger than just a pad. The actual drilled hole is rough and thus the plating keys into the fibreglass strongly - once the hole has enough solder to surround the peg its plenty strong for normal use I feel. If you drop the thing it may break, but that's a life lesson rather than a failure of the connector I posit!

I managed to break a USB C connector a while back by dropping a heavy jar onto it, but the unit it plugged into still works and I bet it has only a peg and paste socket internally. First and only time I've broken any USB connector.
 
Hi y'all! I wanted to come back and let everybody know: Those CNC Tech cords discussed here? They work BEAUTIFULLY! No glitches, no flakiness, no problems at all. And yes, they are pretty tight in the jack -- I wouldn't want to plug and unplug them all the time -- but they're rock solid for me so far.

They took a while to get here, but they're working great, so I concur with that advice. YAY!

Ian
 
Good to hear the new cable worked out for you. Yeah..., tight!!! Just don't trip over it. You're gonna fall before that cable lets go. Also good to know CNC Tech has not lost the magic.
 
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