Ice Tube Problems

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dbm
 
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Re: Ice Tube Problems

Post by dbm »

It sounds like the FET was shorted internally. To get it going again just put a jumper on like you had before ... That will get the display going again at least. If you wanted to put a new FET in I'm sure you could get it working even with a few pads missing.

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phild13
 
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Re: Ice Tube Problems

Post by phild13 »

Just to make things clear...
With Q3 jumped or otherwise shorted out, the clock will not keep time as designed and the battery will be quickly drained of all power. If it is decided to either jumper Q3 for a test, or to remove Q3 and install a permanent jumper, or Q3 is otherwise shorted, then it is suggested to remove and/or not use the battery. The processor won't loose it mind or program if no power is supplied or the battery is drained.

The clock circuit design and programming is such that the battery will continue to power the processor and it's crystal (it's clock) to keep a fairly accurate time, but to disconnect the power hungry VFD chip and tube. Once power is restored the clock will turn the VFD chip and the tube back on by enabling Q3 and the clock will then resume display of the time and will be fairly accurate. It will flash to let you know that power was lost and the time displayed may be incorrect.

The Q3 part is a FET and as such is very sensitive to static. The simple matter of shifting in your chair or sliding your shirt against the chair arm or table can generate voltages much higher than Q3 can withstand. While this voltage is low when compared to what people generally think of when static is mentioned (the zap you get when walking across carpet and touching an object). The amount of damage incurred depends upon the exact voltage level your finger or tool imparted into the leads of the FET, which lead most of the voltage went into and can and cause Q3 to only partially work or not work at all dependin upon the amount of damage actually done. There are several components such as the processor, the VFD chip, Q3, and Q2 in the clock that can be damaged by static and these compnents should be handled very carefully and a minimum amount.

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smilenjohn
 
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Re: Ice Tube Problems

Post by smilenjohn »

I managed to "Repair" the pads on my PCB. I ordered a replacement FET, but in the mean time I have it jumpered. As far as static goes, it IS certainly possible that I fried the component, but I do try and take the proper precautions. All of the equipment in my workstation is grounded, my work table is grounded, I use a static mat, and I have a static wrist band. But I understand "Stuff" still can happen. Anyways...... I am back to my original problem, all of the digits in my display stay lit, all the time. Any suggestions what to try next?

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phild13
 
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Re: Ice Tube Problems

Post by phild13 »

The metal standoff in the hole near the VFD chip is actually contacting one or more very thin pc traces on the main board. While the standoff may not be shorted to the pads nearby, there are traces that it is contacting and can short out or even sever simply by its size and shape. Remove the standoffs or change them to nylon ones and see if that helps any. Also while the standoffs are removed visually inspect under a magnifying glass (or take a closeup with your phone to inspect) the area near the hole in question for broken or traces that were shorted.

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smilenjohn
 
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Re: Ice Tube Problems

Post by smilenjohn »

I have removed the standoffs, and as best as I can tell the traces are not damaged. I tested the 6 pins in the corner by the mounting hole, they all have continuity from the 20 pin header to the VFD socket. I assume this means they are good.

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smilenjohn
 
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Re: Ice Tube Problems

Post by smilenjohn »

I have tried everything that has been suggested to me, and I’m still having the same issue. So I did the only thing I could think of and purchased every component included in the kit (Except the main PCB & a preprogrammed m168) and laid it out on a breadboard. The VFD driver was a bit tricky, but with a spin down tool and some jumpers, I was able to get it connected. The breadboard version did the same thing. All of the digits stay lit all the time. So I’ve concluded it must be the microcontroller, since it is the only component that I did not replace. With this in mind, I purchased a USBTinyISP and a couple blank ATmega168v. I know NOTHING about using the AVR programmer, but the tutorials offered at Adafruit are very………….. Inspiring? Anyways, they seem to make me think I can do things that I am completely clueless about. So I gave it a try, and it’s not working, or should I say “I’m doing something wrong”. I’ve attached a screen cap of the error I’m getting in avrdude. I’m attempting to use the code I got from GitHub for adding a GPS to the clock, since that was my plan anyways. I’m not sure if my command is the problem, or if maybe I’m not save the code in the correct way. I copied the code to a notepad and named it (iv.hex) then copied it to my root directory. I’ve tried several different ways, and none seem to work. I know I am in way over my head, but I’m hoping it’s a basic step that I am missing. Any ideas?
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smilenjohn
 
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Re: Ice Tube Problems

Post by smilenjohn »

Um........................... never mind. I figured it out!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I guess even a blind squirrel finds a nut every now and then!!!!! I simply had my hex file in the wrong directory. I loaded the code, and it works. It beeps a bit longer than it used to on power up, but I'm assuming that's just a difference in the code. I'm also having some trouble setting the time/date, but I haven't connected the GPS yet so I'll have to wait and see. Reconnecting the GPS should be easy. Just happy I no longer get a constant (*-88888888).

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dbm
 
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Re: Ice Tube Problems

Post by dbm »

:-)

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smilenjohn
 
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Re: Ice Tube Problems

Post by smilenjohn »

I received a new ATmega168 in the mail on Friday from Adafruit? It appears to be preprogrammed with the Ice Tube Clock code. I did not order it, and I’m certainly not complaining, I’m just curios why?

Either way Thanks
je

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phild13
 
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Re: Ice Tube Problems

Post by phild13 »

Probably sent because of:
.....So I did the only thing I could think of and purchased every component included in the kit (Except the main PCB & a preprogrammed m168) and laid it out on a breadboard.....
Glad to see you have it working.

If you are interested and feel like tinkering, John (JArchie) has some customized firmware for the clock ( https://github.com/johngarchie/xmas-icetube/ ). The firmware requires the larger memory ATMEGA328P-PU-ND chip, but other than swapping processors the software is compatible with the Adafruit icetube clock. If you order a new processor, I suggest getting a blank one from DigiKey as it is much easier to program than a chip that already contains a bootloader such as the Adafruit version of the chip. Chips with bootloaders can be reprogrammed, but require additional external components to reprogram them.

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smilenjohn
 
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Re: Ice Tube Problems

Post by smilenjohn »

That xmas firmware looks awesome!! I would love to try it, unfortunately I’m a novice with very little experience. When I purchased all my replacement parts, I also purchased the USBtinyISP programmer, a couple different target boards (ATmagaxx8 & ATtiny2313) and a bunch of different microcontrollers (including the ATmega328P-PU-ND), just to “tinker” with. So I think I have all the “toys” I need, but this code looks completely different. I have no clue where to start. I’ve sifted through a ton of threads, but nobody gets down to the level of inexperience that I have. LOL. In the short time that I have been tinkering with the programmer (About two weeks) I seem to be having better luck using the target boards rather than connecting directly to the programming pins on the different projects that I’ve made. Anyways, I guess my question is, how do I load the xmas code, what exactly is the command I would use? When I loaded the GPS firmware, I used: avrdude -c usbtiny -p m168 -U flash:w:iv.hex It was fairly easy, but I had step by step instructions, and it told me the command to use, I only needed to change the file name. This code isn’t in a .hex file, and there are 29 different files with either .c or .h extensions. Is this something you can easily advise me, or do I need to buy a book and attempt to learn C & C++?

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MikeHg
 
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Re: Ice Tube Problems

Post by MikeHg »

Hi John,

I agree that it looks complicated. However, the guide included is very extensive and helpful. If you follow the instructions, flashing the chip should be quite easy. If everything is setup correctly on your computer it basically comes down to call the makefile. So just one line to flash the controller.

On my PC I had some trouble with the shell I was working with. However, the only thing I did was copy&paste the lines from the makefile to my "normal" cmd-shell and then it worked. I think with bug fixing it cost me around an hour. And I'm a newbie too. :)

Best regards,
Mike

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phild13
 
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Re: Ice Tube Problems

Post by phild13 »

Once the shell is setup properly and you understand how to correctly put the path in the command line with the commands, then it is as simple as make then make install-all or as I like to do:
make install-fuse
make install-flash
make install-eeprom

John's instructions on installing the firmware using the command make are very good. In fact it was his instructions that kinda walked me through actually doing the update. I use Cygwin and Cygwin's Perl package as he suggested
( http://www.cygwin.com/ ) and have not had any issues. Searching this clock forum for Cygwin will bring up additional posts with helpful information to get you going

You may also want to download Avrdudess to play with
( http://blog.zakkemble.co.uk/avrdudess-a ... ?avrdudess ) as it works well with Adafruit USBtinyISP and you can see how it builds different commands when talking to a chip. Something else helpful is the AVR fuse calculator
http://eleccelerator.com/fusecalc/fusec ... atmega328p to help you understand fuse settings.


If you have a 328 processor that has a bootloader programmed on it, you will have to use something that has an crystal or oscillator on it for initial reprogramming as bootloader chips are set up for the UNO. This is why I suggest getting a blank one.

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smilenjohn
 
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Re: Ice Tube Problems

Post by smilenjohn »

I'm sure that Johns instructions are great, for someone who knows what a make file is. Unfortunately, I’d never heard of one before this thread. I tried following the instructions to the best of my ability, it’s just that my abilities are quite limited (for now). I was getting a bunch of “No such file or directory) errors about something called perl. I found an article about it that suggested I install Active Perl. This seems to have taken care of that problem, but I’m still getting a couple of missing file errors (avr-gcc time.o & avr-gcc gps.o) and I’m getting a (make: *** [icetube.elf] Error 1). All of this is just in the first step. I’m assuming I’ve missed something in the “once the shell is setup properly” step, because I wasn’t real sure what was involved in that, so I just winged it. I am using a blank 328, but that’s where my confidence ends. Any idea what step or steps I’m missing?
On a side note, I did install the programs that were suggested, and avrdudess looks really cool, and I think I can probably figure out most of the basics, but Cygwin will not start, I get a popup that says ‘Windows is looking for mintty”. And I have no clue what that is.

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jarchie
 
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Re: Ice Tube Problems

Post by jarchie »

Sorry that you're having difficulty!
smilenjohn wrote:I'm sure that Johns instructions are great, for someone who knows what a make file is.
The purpose of a Makefile is so that you don't need to understand the nuts-and-bolts of compiling the code. The Makefile takes care of compilation for you with the "make" command. There's more information on what all the files are for in this post.
smilenjohn wrote:I found an article about it that suggested I install Active Perl.
ActivePerl should work, although I have not personally tried it. I suspect that Cygwin's Perl was not found either because Cygwin is no longer installed properly or because you forgot to check the Perl package when installing Cygwin.
smilenjohn wrote:This seems to have taken care of that problem, but I’m still getting a couple of missing file errors (avr-gcc time.o & avr-gcc gps.o) and I’m getting a (make: *** [icetube.elf] Error 1).
This error happens when attempting to compile in a non-unix shell, like the Windows terminal. Using the Cygwin BASH shell should do the trick.
smilenjohn wrote:All of this is just in the first step.
Once the first step works, I doubt you'll have trouble with the others. And the first step should work when Cygwin is installed and working properly.
smilenjohn wrote:...but Cygwin will not start, I get a popup that says ‘Windows is looking for mintty”. And I have no clue what that is.
The mintty program is required for setting up a unix-style shell under windows. I recommend that you try reinstalling Cygwin.

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