JST connection not working on CP

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EMICS
 
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JST connection not working on CP

Post by EMICS »

I purchased 6 circuit playgrounds from RadioShack. I was working with one and everything worked perfectly using microusb however when I decided to use the 2200 mAh Li-Po battery I purchased from you guys it didn't respond.

I tested it on another and it worked fine. Out of the 6 that I purchased only 3 works using JST and the others don't. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks!

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adafruit_support_carter
 
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Re: JST connection not working on CP

Post by adafruit_support_carter »

What sketch is loaded on the Circuit Playgrounds?

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EMICS
 
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Re: JST connection not working on CP

Post by EMICS »

I uploaded "demo", "color_sense" and "mic_meter" on them to see if it was a coding issue. I used the same code on the new ones and they still worked and the not working ones still didn't work when connected to the battery.

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Re: JST connection not working on CP

Post by adafruit_support_carter »

Let's use the simple blink example to trouble shoot. Should find it here:

Files -> Examples -> Adafruit CircuitPlayground -> Hello_CircuitPlayground -> Hello_Blink

This will blink the little red LED next to the USB connector. Load this on a working and problematic board. If I'm understanding your situation, both will work when connected via USB (i.e. right after programming), but if connected via battery the problematic boards will not blink. Correct?

If so, post a photo of a working and problematic CP side by side. Both running the blink code and powered via battery.

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EMICS
 
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Re: JST connection not working on CP

Post by EMICS »

I have attached the photo as requested. I'm using a 1200mAh battery for the not working battery. I will immediately post a second photo with the batteries swapped.
IMG_3835.JPG
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EMICS
 
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Re: JST connection not working on CP

Post by EMICS »

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Re: JST connection not working on CP

Post by adafruit_support_carter »

Thanks for the photos. And just to make sure - both of those worked fine when powered via USB?

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EMICS
 
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Re: JST connection not working on CP

Post by EMICS »

Yeah they work fine using MicroUSB. Attached is a photo. The blinking wasn't synchronized but they both work with MicroUSB . It's the same for 3 of the 6 that I purchased from RadioShack.
IMG_3837.JPG
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Re: JST connection not working on CP

Post by adafruit_support_carter »

So sounding pretty much like you've suggested. Bad JST connectors. The fact that not even the PWR LED is coming on also backs this. Can you take some close up photos of the soldering on the JST pins (see below) for the bad boards?
jst_pins.png
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EMICS
 
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Re: JST connection not working on CP

Post by EMICS »

I appreciate your help. I had to leave the house. I will post the photos when I get back home.

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EMICS
 
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Re: JST connection not working on CP

Post by EMICS »

Here are the photos as requested.
FullSizeRender(3).jpg
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FullSizeRender(1).jpg
FullSizeRender(1).jpg (266.01 KiB) Viewed 767 times
FullSizeRender(2).jpg
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Re: JST connection not working on CP

Post by adafruit_support_carter »

Those solder connections look OK. I'd say return them to RS for replacements.

If you want to test further, then next thing would be to check the voltage regulator. Pretty easy if you have a multimeter. Removed the USB connection and attach a battery. Then check the voltage between GND and VBATT as well as GND and 3.3V.

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stillgar
 
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Re: JST connection not working on CP

Post by stillgar »

Hi,
I had a similar problem with a Circuit Playground bought at Radio Shack. It worked fine on USB but not on JST. It turns out (a buddy at work showed me) the negative side of the JST connector was not properly soldered to the board. It can't really be seen in the photo, but the plastic tweeker tells all. Also, the megademo sketch worked great after installing the sleepydog library from the library manager.

Question: should I try and heat up the lead with my pencil point soldering iron I use to solder neopixel stuff, or try a heat gun and reflow the joint?
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Re: JST connection not working on CP

Post by stillgar »

To clarify the previous post, the first picture shows pressing a plastic tweeker on the pin, making it contact the pad.

Also, I am asking the best intermediate skill level fix for this. It seems a hassle to return it if it can be easily fixed.

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Re: JST connection not working on CP

Post by adafruit_support_carter »

I'd try the soldering iron first. The hot air may be too blunt and start reflowing other parts in that same area.

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