diddyborg red power issues

ok so i recently bought diddyborg red, built it yesterday loads of fun! but i seem to be having power issues, it boots, i can run test from picoborg reverse but i usually have an issue with spin, it will start and cut out, causing the pi to power down. ive checked all the wires because i noticed picking it up can cause it to power off.
it seems as if its flexing causing power issues? pushing a motor mount gives a click sound and power off
but i think that is unrelated?

i also seem to have an issue with the camera not always being detected...

pi model 3
pi nightvision camera
ultraborg with 1 ultrasound sensor

anyone think they might be able to help?

I put one of these together over the weekend and didn't have these issues, but I haven't tried it with a ps3 controller because I don't have one (or a bluetooth interface). We did successfully manage the ball tracking and Web-based controller though. With the pi powering down, it does sound like a wiring problem somewhere.

the powering down is totally random, it can be on touch. earlier i tapped a wheel and it did it. but most often it will be during code running, halfway through a 360 spin. can you do me a favor and apply a light ammount of pressure to the top with it powered on? could you send me a picture of your wiring for comparison??

piborg's picture

There are a few possible causes, unfortunately power problems can be hard to track down.

The most obvious potential problem is the power itself, namely the batteries.
We see this sort of problem when batteries are starting to get flat and cannot keep up with the motors.

I would suggest recharging all the batteries and see if that makes a difference.

piborg's picture

It could be a still be a wiring problem, it is hard to tell from the text alone.

Can you upload some photos of the various bits of wiring so we can take a look?

ok so about the wiring, in my haste to get it wired i didnt anticpate photos being needed... so ive wired in white, and white and back wire making the photo incredibly complicated sorry guys...
has anyone else ever expieranced problems with regards to pressure on the top or on the motors causing it to power off?
thank you all for your help!

on a side note, could it be using too much power?
with using ultraborg + 1 sensor, a camera as an addon and a bluetooth controller?

Images: 
piborg's picture

I believe that should all be okay.

Some Bluetooth dongles can use a fair amount of power from the 5V.
What dongle are you using?

Could you take a photo of the top side with the top plate removed as well?

attached is required photo.
im using on board bluetooth + wifi as its a pi3, i decided during build to mount the ultraborg on top of the pi using one of the short stacks(long stack causes height issues when putting top plate on) used for mounting the pi to the baseplate, almost certain there is enough clearance but could this be an issue?

Images: 
piborg's picture

Two thoughts spring to mind here:

  1. If any metal pin or part of the PCB contacts a metal part of the Raspberry Pi it could short out the power, causing a reset
  2. It may be that the BattBorg is struggling to deliver 5V through the two sets of 3-pin cables

If it is point #1 mounting the UltraBorg somewhere else should fix the issue.

If it is point #2 you probably want to replace the 3-pin cables with shorted ones.
If that is the problem disconnecting the UltraBorg and connecting the PicoBorg Reverse to the Raspberry Pi should solve the issue temporarily.

ok ill try to move it first and see how we get on... can you explain what you mean by shorted cable?
on further inspection, the only part of the pcb that contacts the pi are 4 unused pins that lightly touch the hdmi housing... i think we may have found our culprit... pushing on those 4 pins contacts the hdmi port and it powers off!!
UPDATE:
so i went away and slightly twisted the ultraborg, now it doesnt contact anything... shes as sturdy as an ox! havent had a chance to test code yet but im assuming the vibrations would cause contact causing power loss! is there an easy way to insulate the top of ports so i dont get contact issues in the future? i realize re-siting the ultraborg would be a better fix but due to space it would be difficult

piborg's picture

That would explain everything, those pins do have a power connection and I believe the outer case of the HDMI is connected to ground.

All you need is some material which does not conduct electricity, you could then stick this to the top of the HDMI connector or over the exposed UltraBorg pins so that it prevents contact.

Something like rubber or plastic would be ideal for this.
Alternatively some electrical tape or a piece of cardboard will probably suffice.

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