stuck on minty boost tutorial

Ideas and questions about MintyBoost kits

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loincom
 
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Re: stuck on minty boost tutorial

Post by loincom »

I previously asked how to incorporate the Traco unit.

May you sketch a diagram I can follow to complete this? Show me how it connects to the light, to the minty boost, and battery.

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adafruit_support_bill
 
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Re: stuck on minty boost tutorial

Post by adafruit_support_bill »

I previously asked how to incorporate the Traco unit.
The instructions are in this post:
Solder a jumper wire from the +5v pin of the USB connection to pin 1 of the module.
Solder a jumper wire from the GND pin of the USB connection to pin 2 of the module.
Connect your LED between the GND pin of the USB and pin 3 of the module.
May you sketch a diagram I can follow to complete this? Show me how it connects to the light, to the minty boost, and battery.
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loincom
 
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Re: stuck on minty boost tutorial

Post by loincom »

This has taken a turn for the worse. Not only does the light not work when attached to the TRACO unit, reverting to the basic wiring of the board directly to the LED is not working either. Current is steady, the current does reach the soldering to the LED light. However, no light.

Needless to say I am frustrated and disappointed. Feeling like I am going in circles.

See the attached jpeg for close ups of my soldering. Let me know your thoughts when you have the moment.

Best,
Joey
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adafruit_support_bill
 
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Re: stuck on minty boost tutorial

Post by adafruit_support_bill »

As I mentioned before, connecting the LED directly to the MintyBoost output without the Traco voltage converter will put too much current through the LED and damage it. It is probably burnt out.

If you contact [email protected] with a link to this thread we can send you a replacement LED.

But please test your voltages before you connect it (it should be 3.3v) and do not connect it without the Traco voltage converter in place.

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disco dan
 
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Re: stuck on minty boost tutorial

Post by disco dan »

These connections (circled) do not look like they are making a very good connection (if at all on a couple).
sdfasdfsadfs.JPG
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Take a look at this video I found on how to solder:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I_NU2ruzyc4

And this one on how to remove solder:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WeLgZjtK9vk

loincom
 
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Re: stuck on minty boost tutorial

Post by loincom »

Thank you for input, much appreciated.

loincom
 
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Re: stuck on minty boost tutorial

Post by loincom »

adafruit_support_bill wrote:As I mentioned before, connecting the LED directly to the MintyBoost output without the Traco voltage converter will put too much current through the LED and damage it. It is probably burnt out.

If you contact [email protected] with a link to this thread we can send you a replacement LED.

But please test your voltages before you connect it (it should be 3.3v) and do not connect it without the Traco voltage converter in place.
Thank you, I will reach out to support and keep you posted.

loincom
 
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Re: stuck on minty boost tutorial

Post by loincom »

Hello,

I am right back where I started. I've not soldered any of the lines, instead used alligator clips to hold the wires connected. With new AA batteries I get a reading of .966

I gently touch the wires connecting from the minty boost to the LED and no luck.

With the TRACO unit connected, I noticed the minty boost does not get hot. However the batteries do get warm.

Any ideas?

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adafruit_support_rick
 
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Re: stuck on minty boost tutorial

Post by adafruit_support_rick »

What voltage are you getting from the mintyboost, without the Traco or LED connected? It should be producing 5V.

If the mintyboost is producing 5V, then connect the Traco, but not the LED. What voltage is the Traco producing? It should be producing 3.3V.

loincom
 
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Re: stuck on minty boost tutorial

Post by loincom »

With the two AA batteries connected to the minty boost, the voltage fluctuates between 4.4 to 4.6. I am testing the wires that exit the top of the minty boost. The wires that would connect to the TRACO unit. The Minty Boost chip becomes extremely hot too.

Following the same steps above, testing from the TRACO unit I get a reading of .275

I am using a Craftsman Multimeter with the dial set to V AC/DC
http://www.pawnpros.com/uploads/2/8/3/5 ... 0_orig.jpg

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adafruit_support_rick
 
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Re: stuck on minty boost tutorial

Post by adafruit_support_rick »

Well, 4.4 to 4.6 is a little low, but perhaps the calibration of your multimeter is a little bit off.

0.275V from the Traco is nowhere near 3.3V, so that will be why your LED doesn't light up. Are you certain that you have the Traco properly connected to the MintyBoost? Post a picture of your connections if you're not sure.

loincom
 
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Re: stuck on minty boost tutorial

Post by loincom »

See attached.

Any advice would be appreciated
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adafruit_support_rick
 
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Re: stuck on minty boost tutorial

Post by adafruit_support_rick »

So, you're reading 0.275V between these two points?
traco_voltage.png
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loincom
 
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Re: stuck on minty boost tutorial

Post by loincom »

It is reading .385

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adafruit_support_rick
 
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Re: stuck on minty boost tutorial

Post by adafruit_support_rick »

Well, I guess you must have damaged your Traco somehow.
Your wiring looks a bit dodgy. It probably makes sense to double-check the voltages right at the Traco pins. If it still doesn't come out right, then the Traco is toast:
traco_voltage_2.png
traco_voltage_2.png (424.42 KiB) Viewed 1881 times
Looking back over the thread, I see that this is not your first damaged component on this project. You probably want to re-think the way you are handling these things. The bare wires and alligator clips invite short-circuits.
However, I'm not sure that something like the Traco could be damaged by short-circuits at the voltages involved here.

I can see some odd superficial damage to the Traco in your photo: I don't know if it's significant or what might have caused it. Perhaps you overheated it while you were soldering the wires? That's about the only thing I can think of to account for the device's failure.

Generally, you don't want to heat any pin for more than 2-3 seconds while soldering, and the tip-temperature of your iron should be between 700ºF and 800ºF. Review our Guide to Excellent Soldering for more tips and techniques.

To splice wires, twist the ends together before soldering. Use electrical tape or heat-shrink tubing to cover and insulate the bare wires (I prefer heat-shrink - just slide it over the joint and warm it up with a hair-dryer until it tightens).

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