PN532 Breakout Board "TIMEOUT! Didn't find PN53x board" erro

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maddilelli
 
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PN532 Breakout Board "TIMEOUT! Didn't find PN53x board" erro

Post by maddilelli »

Hey all, just purchased the PN532 breakout board to do some RFID chip reading. I wired everything up according to this tutorial:
https://learn.adafruit.com/adafruit-pn5 ... out-wiring
I then tried to run the "readmiFare" sketch from the PN532 examples library, to which the serial monitor output the following:

Code: Select all

Hello!
TIMEOUT!
TIMEOUT!
Didn't find PN53x board
Here are some pics of my soldering job (not the best, I'm a student and I'm limited to using the old soldering irons provided by my university)

ImageImageImage

And the SEL1 and SEL0 pins:

ImageImage

I have triple checked my wiring on the breadboard and it looks like I have everything hooked up correctly. My PN532's power LED indicator is on and glowing bright... Is this a soldering issue? Or maybe one of my jumpers is messed up? Here's the code from the example sketch:

Code: Select all

#include <Wire.h>
#include <SPI.h>
#include <Adafruit_PN532.h>

// If using the breakout with SPI, define the pins for SPI communication.
#define PN532_SCK  (2)
#define PN532_MOSI (3)
#define PN532_SS   (4)
#define PN532_MISO (5)

// If using the breakout or shield with I2C, define just the pins connected
// to the IRQ and reset lines.  Use the values below (2, 3) for the shield!
#define PN532_IRQ   (2)
#define PN532_RESET (3)  // Not connected by default on the NFC Shield

// Uncomment just _one_ line below depending on how your breakout or shield
// is connected to the Arduino:

// Use this line for a breakout with a software SPI connection (recommended):
Adafruit_PN532 nfc(PN532_SCK, PN532_MISO, PN532_MOSI, PN532_SS);

// Use this line for a breakout with a hardware SPI connection.  Note that
// the PN532 SCK, MOSI, and MISO pins need to be connected to the Arduino's
// hardware SPI SCK, MOSI, and MISO pins.  On an Arduino Uno these are
// SCK = 13, MOSI = 11, MISO = 12.  The SS line can be any digital IO pin.
//Adafruit_PN532 nfc(PN532_SS);

// Or use this line for a breakout or shield with an I2C connection:
//Adafruit_PN532 nfc(PN532_IRQ, PN532_RESET);

#if defined(ARDUINO_ARCH_SAMD)
// for Zero, output on USB Serial console, remove line below if using programming port to program the Zero!
// also change #define in Adafruit_PN532.cpp library file
   #define Serial SerialUSB
#endif

void setup(void) {
  #ifndef ESP8266
    while (!Serial); // for Leonardo/Micro/Zero
  #endif
  Serial.begin(115200);
  Serial.println("Hello!");

  nfc.begin();

  uint32_t versiondata = nfc.getFirmwareVersion();
  if (! versiondata) {
    Serial.print("Didn't find PN53x board");
    while (1); // halt
  }
  // Got ok data, print it out!
  Serial.print("Found chip PN5"); Serial.println((versiondata>>24) & 0xFF, HEX); 
  Serial.print("Firmware ver. "); Serial.print((versiondata>>16) & 0xFF, DEC); 
  Serial.print('.'); Serial.println((versiondata>>8) & 0xFF, DEC);
  
  // configure board to read RFID tags
  nfc.SAMConfig();
  
  Serial.println("Waiting for an ISO14443A Card ...");
}


void loop(void) {
  uint8_t success;
  uint8_t uid[] = { 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0 };  // Buffer to store the returned UID
  uint8_t uidLength;                        // Length of the UID (4 or 7 bytes depending on ISO14443A card type)
    
  // Wait for an ISO14443A type cards (Mifare, etc.).  When one is found
  // 'uid' will be populated with the UID, and uidLength will indicate
  // if the uid is 4 bytes (Mifare Classic) or 7 bytes (Mifare Ultralight)
  success = nfc.readPassiveTargetID(PN532_MIFARE_ISO14443A, uid, &uidLength);
  
  if (success) {
    // Display some basic information about the card
    Serial.println("Found an ISO14443A card");
    Serial.print("  UID Length: ");Serial.print(uidLength, DEC);Serial.println(" bytes");
    Serial.print("  UID Value: ");
    nfc.PrintHex(uid, uidLength);
    Serial.println("");
    
    if (uidLength == 4)
    {
      // We probably have a Mifare Classic card ... 
      Serial.println("Seems to be a Mifare Classic card (4 byte UID)");
	  
      // Now we need to try to authenticate it for read/write access
      // Try with the factory default KeyA: 0xFF 0xFF 0xFF 0xFF 0xFF 0xFF
      Serial.println("Trying to authenticate block 4 with default KEYA value");
      uint8_t keya[6] = { 0xFF, 0xFF, 0xFF, 0xFF, 0xFF, 0xFF };
	  
	  // Start with block 4 (the first block of sector 1) since sector 0
	  // contains the manufacturer data and it's probably better just
	  // to leave it alone unless you know what you're doing
      success = nfc.mifareclassic_AuthenticateBlock(uid, uidLength, 4, 0, keya);
	  
      if (success)
      {
        Serial.println("Sector 1 (Blocks 4..7) has been authenticated");
        uint8_t data[16];
		
        // If you want to write something to block 4 to test with, uncomment
		// the following line and this text should be read back in a minute
        //memcpy(data, (const uint8_t[]){ 'a', 'd', 'a', 'f', 'r', 'u', 'i', 't', '.', 'c', 'o', 'm', 0, 0, 0, 0 }, sizeof data);
        // success = nfc.mifareclassic_WriteDataBlock (4, data);

        // Try to read the contents of block 4
        success = nfc.mifareclassic_ReadDataBlock(4, data);
		
        if (success)
        {
          // Data seems to have been read ... spit it out
          Serial.println("Reading Block 4:");
          nfc.PrintHexChar(data, 16);
          Serial.println("");
		  
          // Wait a bit before reading the card again
          delay(1000);
        }
        else
        {
          Serial.println("Ooops ... unable to read the requested block.  Try another key?");
        }
      }
      else
      {
        Serial.println("Ooops ... authentication failed: Try another key?");
      }
    }
    
    if (uidLength == 7)
    {
      // We probably have a Mifare Ultralight card ...
      Serial.println("Seems to be a Mifare Ultralight tag (7 byte UID)");
	  
      // Try to read the first general-purpose user page (#4)
      Serial.println("Reading page 4");
      uint8_t data[32];
      success = nfc.mifareultralight_ReadPage (4, data);
      if (success)
      {
        // Data seems to have been read ... spit it out
        nfc.PrintHexChar(data, 4);
        Serial.println("");
		
        // Wait a bit before reading the card again
        delay(1000);
      }
      else
      {
        Serial.println("Ooops ... unable to read the requested page!?");
      }
    }
  }
}

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adafruit_support_bill
 
Posts: 88154
Joined: Sat Feb 07, 2009 10:11 am

Re: PN532 Breakout Board "TIMEOUT! Didn't find PN53x board"

Post by adafruit_support_bill »

Looks like you have some 'cold joints' in your soldering. This guide has some tips on fixing those:

http://learn.adafruit.com/adafruit-guid ... n-problems

User avatar
maddilelli
 
Posts: 3
Joined: Tue Oct 09, 2018 5:46 pm

Re: PN532 Breakout Board "TIMEOUT! Didn't find PN53x board"

Post by maddilelli »

Thanks for the link, Bill. I tried re-soldering with no luck... Are these joints still bad? Pics below.

Image Image

And the front:

Image Image

I'm having a really hard time getting them to be that perfect cone shape, my leads aren't very long anymore... Should I just start over?

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adafruit_support_bill
 
Posts: 88154
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Re: PN532 Breakout Board "TIMEOUT! Didn't find PN53x board"

Post by adafruit_support_bill »

Those look a little better. But you still have some where the solder is balled-up around the pin and has not flowed onto the solder pad.

What kind of iron are you using? It is easier to make good solder joints if your iron is clean and hot. If it is a lower powered iron (25W or less) you may need to give it some time to re-heat between joints. It is also a good idea to wipe the tip clean on a slightly damp sponge or paper-towel after every couple of joints.

Image

User avatar
maddilelli
 
Posts: 3
Joined: Tue Oct 09, 2018 5:46 pm

Re: PN532 Breakout Board "TIMEOUT! Didn't find PN53x board"

Post by maddilelli »

I'm actually using the same iron shown in the Adafruit video, it's definitely been abused by students over the years though, the tip is a little dirty so it's hard to get the solder to stick sometimes. I use the damp sponge between pins of course but maybe the tip needs some deep cleaning? Also I feel like the soldering iron has melted off some of the pin so it's really short now, is this okay?

User avatar
adafruit_support_bill
 
Posts: 88154
Joined: Sat Feb 07, 2009 10:11 am

Re: PN532 Breakout Board "TIMEOUT! Didn't find PN53x board"

Post by adafruit_support_bill »

I'm actually using the same iron shown in the Adafruit video, it's definitely been abused by students over the years though, the tip is a little dirty so it's hard to get the solder to stick sometimes. I use the damp sponge between pins of course but maybe the tip needs some deep cleaning?
There are 'tip tinner' compounds that can help rejuvenate an older tip: https://www.amazon.com/MG-Chemicals-SAC ... ref=sr_1_4

We also carry replacement tips for the Hakko for when they reach the end of their useful life: https://www.adafruit.com/product/1250
Also I feel like the soldering iron has melted off some of the pin so it's really short now, is this okay?
More likely, the pin is just pushed down a bit. That in itself should not be a problem. But it hints at maybe a technique issue.

The tip of the iron should be placed so that it is on the solder pad and up against the side of the pin. That way, both pin and pad should get hot enough for the solder to flow. If you just heat the pin, you end up with solder balled up around the pin and poor electrical connection to the board.

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