RobertBeatty
Member
I'm working on a custom PCB for a Teensy 3.6. It is a robot controller with various voltage regulators on board, a circuit for controlling Dynamixel servos, motor controllers, xbee connector, sensor connectors and so on. All the various features work fine, but several times now, I've killed the Teensy 3.6 and I can't figure out why. The Teensy just becomes unresponsive and has to be replaced.
What are the typical causes for killing a Teensy?
I've searched for and can't find any problems in these areas:
-I'm providing good 5V power to the VIN pin via a 5V 1A voltage regulator.
-I've checked all the pins with a multimeter. None are receiving high voltage (above 3.3V) (at least according to the design or when I'm measuring them).
-I've not measure the current draw on my pins, but in my design, I don't see anywhere that I'm pulling too much current through a single pin or the overall board. I'm powering the Xbee radio and a small current sensor through the 3.3V line on the Teensy, but that's it. All other components on the PCB are powered directly from the battery, not through the Teensy.
-I've confirmed that all the devices I have connected say they are 3.3V tolerant or work with 3.3V signals.
There is one area of possible concern that may or may not be the cause. I am controlling Dynamixel servos using half-duplex on Serial1 (using a modified version of KurtE's excellent BioloidSerial library). The Teensy is sending out a serial TTL signal at 3.3V. Other folks on this forum have indicated that they've had good luck with that (even though the Dynamixel servos indicate they want a 5V signal). I do know the servos are working fine (at least until the Teensy dies). Here is a possible theory. Most people use AX-12 servos. Maybe those work OK at 3.3V. I'm using XM-430 servos (the new X-series). Maybe those don't work OK. Maybe my XM-430 servos are sending back 5V signals and it's burning up the Serial1 pin and killing the Teensy. Is that feasible? (It's strange, though, because the servos are working fine)
I have various ideas for tests and diagnostics, including trying out the 5V-tolerant Teensy 3.5 to see if that resolves the issue, but at this point, I just want to see if there are any typical causes for killing Teensy boards that I'm not aware of and should be looking for. It may have nothing to do with the Dynamixel servos or anything else I'm looking at.
What are the typical causes for killing a Teensy?
I've searched for and can't find any problems in these areas:
-I'm providing good 5V power to the VIN pin via a 5V 1A voltage regulator.
-I've checked all the pins with a multimeter. None are receiving high voltage (above 3.3V) (at least according to the design or when I'm measuring them).
-I've not measure the current draw on my pins, but in my design, I don't see anywhere that I'm pulling too much current through a single pin or the overall board. I'm powering the Xbee radio and a small current sensor through the 3.3V line on the Teensy, but that's it. All other components on the PCB are powered directly from the battery, not through the Teensy.
-I've confirmed that all the devices I have connected say they are 3.3V tolerant or work with 3.3V signals.
There is one area of possible concern that may or may not be the cause. I am controlling Dynamixel servos using half-duplex on Serial1 (using a modified version of KurtE's excellent BioloidSerial library). The Teensy is sending out a serial TTL signal at 3.3V. Other folks on this forum have indicated that they've had good luck with that (even though the Dynamixel servos indicate they want a 5V signal). I do know the servos are working fine (at least until the Teensy dies). Here is a possible theory. Most people use AX-12 servos. Maybe those work OK at 3.3V. I'm using XM-430 servos (the new X-series). Maybe those don't work OK. Maybe my XM-430 servos are sending back 5V signals and it's burning up the Serial1 pin and killing the Teensy. Is that feasible? (It's strange, though, because the servos are working fine)
I have various ideas for tests and diagnostics, including trying out the 5V-tolerant Teensy 3.5 to see if that resolves the issue, but at this point, I just want to see if there are any typical causes for killing Teensy boards that I'm not aware of and should be looking for. It may have nothing to do with the Dynamixel servos or anything else I'm looking at.