Ice Tube Clock controller chip seems dead

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jayphantom
 
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Ice Tube Clock controller chip seems dead

Post by jayphantom »

Hello. I purchased an Ice Tube Clock kit from Makershed, http://www.makershed.com/Ice_Tube_Clock ... mkad16.htm

I followed the instructions provided on the adafruit site, and at first it was working, albeit with a bit of a missing digits problem. It beeped a couple of times and voltage was good on D3, 57.3 vdc. The third time I turned it on, it did not beep. I checked my solder joints, and tested voltage again, this time at D3 it was 8.17 vdc. It continued to not beep, and show low voltage on D3 from that point on. I also followed the troubleshooting guide and same issue. I think my controller chip is bad. Pictures included.

Thanks!
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adafruit_support_rick
 
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Re: Ice Tube Clock controller chip seems dead

Post by adafruit_support_rick »

I'm checking with someone who knows more about the ice-tube. But meanwhile, these solders look a bit dodgy in the picture. You might want to touch them up.
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russell 27
 
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Re: Ice Tube Clock controller chip seems dead

Post by russell 27 »

HEY jayPhantom

You ever get your clock squared away?

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jayphantom
 
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Re: Ice Tube Clock controller chip seems dead

Post by jayphantom »

Sorry Russell, was out of town. I'm gonna redo those joints tomorrow.

I'm pretty sure its the controller chip tho, because I was getting beep and good voltage prior to my diagnostics on the missing digits. Then it stopped giving good voltage all of a sudden, and no beep. I will repost pics of the board with touched up solder joints. Thanks for your time on this.

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russell 27
 
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Re: Ice Tube Clock controller chip seems dead

Post by russell 27 »

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I marked out the pins. Pin 11, 14, 19, 21 don't appear to have much connection. The arrow points to what looks like a bridge. Pin 11 and 14 connect to switch 1 and 2. Pin 19 connects clock out to Maxim chip, important but not your issue. Pin 21 is AREF +5 Vcc Rail connection. This may be part of the problem. Pin 20 is a ground, and pin 12 oscillates , IRFD110 (Q2), the MOSFET that switches the inductor to make boost voltage. You could also check for Vdd on pin 7 and ground on pin 8. You can never be 100 percent on a connection until tested with a meter, either voltage or continuity.

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jayphantom
 
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Re: Ice Tube Clock controller chip seems dead

Post by jayphantom »

I shored up the solder joints indicated, and retested. Same results as previously reported. Here are pictures. The joint you indicated as being joined, was not. It was a play of the light, and the PCB resin. Here are new pics.

Thank you all for your time on this,

Jason
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adafruit_support_bill
 
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Re: Ice Tube Clock controller chip seems dead

Post by adafruit_support_bill »

All the soldering related to the processor looks good. Let's try replacing the processor. If you contact [email protected] with a link to this thread we can get one out to you.

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jayphantom
 
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Re: Ice Tube Clock controller chip seems dead

Post by jayphantom »

So I replaced the chip, and ended up with my original problem. I took a video so you could see what happens better than I could explain it. Let me know what you think.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rr4NWlETAIc

Thanks,

J

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adafruit_support_bill
 
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Re: Ice Tube Clock controller chip seems dead

Post by adafruit_support_bill »

That looks like the 'fading digits' problem. Most likely due to a bad Q3 MOSFET. If you contact [email protected] with a link to this thread, we can get a new one out to you.

We tend to see more of these issues in the winter. We suspect that it may be due to the increased risk of static damage to the sensitive MOSFET device. Try to work with all parts on an anti-static surface and ground yourself to it before handling the MOSFET.

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jarchie
 
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Re: Ice Tube Clock controller chip seems dead

Post by jarchie »

I agree with Bill, but also think that the last digit is a bit dimmer than the others.

In a recent thread, both issues are discussed and resolved by replacing Q3 with a ZVP2110A from Digi-Key. Another other option is to replace Q3 with a PN2907 and resistor, which should also solve both problems.

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russell 27
 
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Re: Ice Tube Clock controller chip seems dead

Post by russell 27 »

One thing you should try; is jumpering the two outside pins of the MOSFET together. If your Tube does not light up fully, the problem lies else ware.
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jayphantom
 
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Re: Ice Tube Clock controller chip seems dead

Post by jayphantom »

Thank you both for your replies. I think I may have a PN2907 laying around. I will breadboard it. If that doesn't work then I will try the alternative mosfet.

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jarchie
 
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Re: Ice Tube Clock controller chip seems dead

Post by jarchie »

jayPhantom wrote:Thank you both for your replies. I think I may have a PN2907 laying around. I will breadboard it. If that doesn't work then I will try the alternative mosfet.
If a PN2907A+resistor doesn't work, the ZVP2110A probably won't either. The only advantage of the ZVP2110A over the PN2907A+resistor is that the ZVP2110A eliminates the need for a resistor.

Rather than trying the PN2907A straight off, I recommend doing as Russell suggests: jumper the outer pins of Q3 (more details here here). If jumpering the outer pins fixes the display, then replacing Q3 with a PN2907A+resistor or ZVP2110A should solve your problem. In my opinion, both solutions are equally good.

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