receiver parts are inoperable and do not work Moderators: adafruit_support_bill, adafruit

[jwashington]

Hello,
I need to speak with someone about a shipment my company recently placed. We purchased 10 receivers.
Once they were received we realized that 5 are inoperable.

How can I go about getting replacements or a refund?

[adafruit_support_mike]

Could you post a link to the product page for the parts in question please?

Also, what tests did you do that led to the conclusion they don't work?

[jwashington]

https://www.adafruit.com/product/1096

Simple RF M4 Receiver- 315 MHz Momentary Type

There were actually 6 that we need a replacement for.
5 of them have heat issues, when placed on the board the IC immediately got too hot. When other receivers were placed on the same board they worked just fine so therefore these 5 are considered inoperable.

The 6th receiver only works at a short range when the distance was less than 10 feet. Others work at a longer range. We need a replacement for this one as well.

[adafruit_support_mike]

Overheating chips are usually associated with power issues.

What kind of circuit are you connecting the receivers to.. supply voltage, inputs, outputs, etc?

[jwashington]

After speaking with our engineers here is the additional information. Hopefully this can answer your questions and we can expedite this process.
1. (5) of the receivers had shorts, related to the IC on the board, because as soon as power was applied, the IC began heating up, to hot to touch and the power supply to the board shut down. When we removed the receiver and installed another similar part the problem was gone. These are powered by (4) AA batteries, supplying 6v to the total assembly.

2. (1) of the receivers would not function or respond if the transmitter was further then 10 feet from the unit. Change receiver and the unit functioned normally, up over 50 feet.

Please advise on whether or not a refund or replacement is the best option. Thank you.

[adafruit_support_mike]

We'll replace or refund if we can verify a hardware or production failure.

I have due diligence to perform though. A hardware failure rate of 50% is far higher than normal for those devices, and assuming we do confirm it, is a matter we'll have to take up with the manufacturer. The first thing they'll ask for is a description of the operating conditions, so I need to make sure the boards were connected and powered in a way consistent with the published specs.

I accept your statement that the chips overheated, but can think of a dozen ways to cook one by connecting it to voltages outside its safe working range. In my experience diagnosing failed hardware, about 90% of hot chips trace back to that cause. I need to rule that out for these boards.

Please have your engineers provide a photo showing a board connected the same way as the ones that failed, plus a description of the supply voltage and any signals connected to the board. 800x600 images usually work best.


WRT the board with low transmission distance, that's an issue we do know. I can authorize replacement or refund for that one without any further questions.

[jwashington]

In regards to your comment "WRT the board with low transmission distance, that's an issue we do know. I can authorize replacement or refund for that one without any further questions."... Please send and authorize a replacement as soon as possible. Can you provide an ETA?

[adafruit_support_mike]

Send a note to support@adafruit.com containing a link to this thread. The folks there will get you a replacement for that board.

[jwashington]

I have just emailed Support@adafruit.com the following message:
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Hello,

Mike at Adafruit support said to provide this link to you so that we can proceed with a replacement. Please provide an update for what I need to do next.

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