I really need help

MrAl · Feb 6, 2017

Mikebits said:
Alcohol Abuse

Hi,

Oh yes, very clever, he he, and with that i take it you mean abuse to the alcohol itself (ha ha).

MrAl · Feb 6, 2017

spec said:
Hi MA,

If I posted my opinion of the mechanical side of the USB standards the ETO mods would probably sensor it.

I have had no end of problems with USB, especially the 5V supply line which can get to quite a low voltage by the time it gets to the sink equipment.

But, in the case of the damaged laptop USB port, I was on the road and had an old USB cable in the laptop bag, so I just plugged it in. The signal was intermittent but if I held the connector at a certain angle it worked long enough for the purpose. But, when I pulled the plug out it ripped one on the printed circuit traces on the USB socket on the laptop. Luckily, being a Lenovo it is a simple and cheap job to simply change the little USB sub board- which I haven't done.

Now I always check the condition of any plugs before letting them anyway near any equipment.

The HDD was in the ultra bay on the same laptop. I put the laptop on the wooden floor in our lounge and got a bottle of beer from the freezer, put the bottle of beer on the floor near the laptop and over it went. Just the slightest amount of beer splashed on the laptop and just a drop got into the ultra bay and minute amount must have got into the HDD via the breather. I was not too happy for a few weeks because the ultra bay HDD had some important non-backed data.

I can't wait to do some controller programming- been meaning to do it for the last 37 years.

spec

Hi again,

Oh so you got bit by the non backed up data bug
That's nasty.

I've seen several sayings on this like:
The three rules for data storage are:
1. backup
2. backup
3. backup

And also, less annoying:
The more important the data is the more vital it is to back it up and the number of copies should be proportional to the importance of the data.

I dont know if that helps be a little more vigilant or not but it might. I think it helps me a little.

spec · Feb 6, 2017

MrAl said:
Hi again,

Oh so you got bit by the non backed up data bug
That's nasty.

I've seen several sayings on this like:
The three rules for data storage are:
1. backup
2. backup
3. backup

And also, less annoying:
The more important the data is the more vital it is to back it up and the number of copies should be proportional to the importance of the data.

I dont know if that helps be a little more vigilant or not but it might. I think it helps me a little.

Oh yes I know the theory. It is the practice that is the problem.

I used to think that the extremes of data backup, like having a backup in separate locations miles apart or even in a separate country, were ridiculous, then one day our house got destroyed in a gas explosion and literately every piece of electronic equipment was wrecked, not necessarily smashed but just stopped working for good. I don't know what the cause was: the fire flash, pressure wave, or some kind of electromagnetic effect.

But the upshot was that all current files and all carefully backed files were lost.

spec

spec · Feb 6, 2017

Mikebits said:
Gee, I did not even think of that.

The twin socket £3UK 2A USB wall warts from Asda (WallMart supermarkets in UK) are excellent and exceptionally well made. Similar functional units are even cheaper on eBay or Aliexpress.

I have a few scattered around the house, mainly for charging mobile phones. I also have one in my computer bag so I can charge the phone if away from home.

But they also make good power sources for breadboards and permanent projects. Just hack a USB cable in half and you have a 5V 2A stabilized supply line on the end of the two USB power wires that you can connect to what you like.

spec

MrAl · Feb 7, 2017

spec said:
Oh yes I know the theory. It is the practice that is the problem.

I used to think that the extremes of data backup, like having a backup in separate locations miles apart or even in a separate country, were ridiculous, then one day our house got destroyed in a gas explosion and literately every piece of electronic equipment was wrecked, not necessarily smashed but just stopped working for good. I don't know what the cause was: the fire flash, pressure wave, or some kind of electromagnetic effect.

But the upshot was that all current files and all carefully backed files were lost.

spec

Hi

Wow that's really nasty. I know some things survive but other things die when a feather drops on them by accident.
I have seen smoke damage too first hand. That stuff gets inside everything with a hole in it and leaves a black or brown tar.

I dont know if you were aware of the current USB stick technology, but these days you can get a 64GB USB thumb drive for 30 dollars or less that you can carry with you at all times, even when you leaven the house. That way you can have at least one backup if something drastic happens. Even 128GB thumb drives are not that expensive anymore. If you only have a few files that are ultra important it's cake.
But 64GB can hold a lot of files. If you like videos you can even transcode them down into MP4's and they store with MUCH less space.
Just some ideas if you have not already looked into this.

dr pepper · Feb 7, 2017

If you've blown the 3.3v reg, I dont think the 3.3v rail is used on a 5v atmega328 so you could just pull the reg and use the 'duino on projects that dont require the 3.3v line.
I have a 'duino where I overloaded and blew the 5v reg, the one that regulates the dc jack voltage, I just removed it and use the board on usb only, I think i had to link something out to make that work.

spec · Feb 7, 2017

MrAl said:
Hi

Wow that's really nasty. I know some things survive but other things die when a feather drops on them by accident.
I have seen smoke damage too first hand. That stuff gets inside everything with a hole in it and leaves a black or brown tar.

I dont know if you were aware of the current USB stick technology, but these days you can get a 64GB USB thumb drive for 30 dollars or less that you can carry with you at all times, even when you leaven the house. That way you can have at least one backup if something drastic happens. Even 128GB thumb drives are not that expensive anymore. If you only have a few files that are ultra important it's cake.
But 64GB can hold a lot of files. If you like videos you can even transcode them down into MP4's and they store with MUCH less space.
Just some ideas if you have not already looked into this.

Thanks for the information, Yes I am aware of USB storage, but I tend to use micro flash cards, which are cheaper and smaller. I have a 1TB HDD on the laptop plus a SS HDD as the main store. And numerous HDDs in caddies scattered about the house.

But the main back up is an 8TB NAS.

Afraid the problem is not storage, even though I have about 2TB of data- it is me.

spec

MrAl · Feb 7, 2017

spec said:
Thanks for the information, Yes I am aware of USB storage, but I tend to use micro flash cards, which are cheaper and smaller. I have a 1TB HDD on the laptop plus a SS HDD as the main store. And numerous HDDs in caddies scattered about the house.

But the main back up is an 8TB NAS.

Afraid the problem is not storage, even though I have about 2TB of data- it is me.

spec

Hi,

Oh, ok

Well good luck with it in the future though.

MrAl · Feb 7, 2017

dr pepper said:
If you've blown the 3.3v reg, I dont think the 3.3v rail is used on a 5v atmega328 so you could just pull the reg and use the 'duino on projects that dont require the 3.3v line.
I have a 'duino where I overloaded and blew the 5v reg, the one that regulates the dc jack voltage, I just removed it and use the board on usb only, I think i had to link something out to make that work.

Hi,

Now that you mention it, we could use an external 5v regulator too. That would allow a little more flexibility as well.

dr pepper · Feb 8, 2017

Course you can.
Note there is a fet switch thingy on the board somewhere that switches power from the various sources, it on the schem.

earckens · Feb 8, 2017

oro said:
I am a noob in electronics.So I was messing with a transistor and an led on my arduino uno.I messed up .I fried the board and saw smoke coming out of the transistor next to the power plug .It won't work.Does anyone know the part and knows how to fix it? I'm on the literal verge of tears because it was a gift and I can't afford a new one.Thank you.

Thanks for all the responses.View attachment 104128
the transistor in the red circles is bumped and started sending up smoke.
Im in the US

Another edit , I have connected a 5 volt usb and the code I had on it still works.The problem is that I tried to upload new code and my computer does not recognize it .

Hi oro, I just read this thread as well as the responses here. Now for your specific problem: I had exactly the same problem as you have, albeit due to a different cause.
I sent 15V into the power supply socket and blew the regulator you mention. That is an AMS1117 5.0. I bought a set of them on Aliexpress to repair my board, cost me less then 1USD but it took 6 weeks to arrive. If you are good at soldering and have ever done SMD soldering I will send you one of my spare regulators so you can fix that. Make sure you have a 1mm tip soldering iron.
Nothing else on my UNO was blown, so chances are your board will be fine.
To check this you need to plug it into your USB and verify whether the device manager sees anything at all: describe to us what you see happening on that window (which Windows veersion do you run?).
If your pc does not recognise your board it may be that the device manager is not recognising the board because the driver is -for some reason- not installed properly (anymore?): reinstall the Arduino driver and retry.
As spec says: your USB ports are overcurrent protected; somethings wrong, just restart your pc and it will be fine.

Let us know what you find now?

PS: if needed, anyone here can assist you on your pc if you install Teamviewer

Erik

Mikebits · Feb 8, 2017

That is very nice thing you offer earckens. In this day and age nice people are hard to find

earckens · Feb 9, 2017

Mikebits said:
That is very nice thing you offer earckens. In this day and age nice people are hard to find

Hi Mikebits, when I read the title my first tought was somewhat ironic. But reading this chap's text broke my heart; I have kids myself and heck, we have the knowledge so sure why not do all I can to help. In fact I think his problem may very easily be solved.
So now waiting for his response on my proposals,
cheers,

Erik

earckens · Feb 9, 2017

spec said:
Hi Oro,

Sorry to hear about the mishap with your Arduino.

I am assuming that when you say transistor you are in fact referring to the voltage regulator chip U1 in the schematic below.

Afraid to say that your Arduino may be a write-off, but there is also a good chance that the voltage regulator chip, failed short-circuit to ground and saved the rest of the board.

Arduinos can operate from a non-regulated supply of about 6 to 14V: I would guess that you exceeded 14V and that blew the voltage regulator chip. On the other hand if you connected more than 5V to one of the GPIO pins on the Arduino that is liable to write the processor off but you may be lucky.

Arduinos can also operate from a regulated 5V supply line from a USB power source. You could try this and your Arduino may still work. But the chances are that you will have to remove the damaged regulator chip and then see if the Arduino will run from a 5V USB source.

If you don't have the proper equipment and you are good with your hands you can simply cut out the damaged voltage regulator chip with a small craft knife, but you must be very careful not to damage the printed circuit board that the regulator chip is soldered to.

Alternatively, you can smash the case of the regulator with a small pair of pliers. It does not matter if there are bits of the regulator still attached to the printed circuit board so long as there is a gap between the three or four legs of the voltage regulator chip.

If you are thinking of replacing the regulator chip, it is normally part number: NCP1117ST50-3G but there are many similar regulator chips used, so look for the 1117 50 bit in the part number (the 50 means 5V regulated output). AMS1170-50 is a common part number. 1117 50 voltage regulator chips are available on the net for around $1US with free post and packing; make sure you get the 5V version and not the 3.3V version which is more commonly available. But you will need to get someone with the right equipment to remove the old voltage regulator chip and fit the new voltage regulator chip.

But, as the other members have stated, Arduinos are so cheap, depending also on the specific Arduino that you have, that it is hardly worth repairing a damaged Arduino.

**broken link removed**

VOLTAGE REGULATOR SUPPLIER LINK

https://www.ebay.com.sg/itm/AMS1117...hash=item33c37bb61b:m:m9PR62n_w7NsGJVbfGndKpA

VOLTAGE REGULATOR DATASHEET

Fully agree with with everything here!

earckens · Feb 9, 2017

dr pepper said:
I have a 'duino where I overloaded and blew the 5v reg, the one that regulates the dc jack voltage, I just removed it and use the board on usb only, I think i had to link something out to make that work.

No you don't. Either USB supplies the board Vcc, or the jack plug; you can also have both USB and the jack plugged in with a 6 to 12V supply: that way you get a stable 5V supply through the 5V regulator and data can be transmitted through the USB connection.
You only have to adapt your board if you change the 5V regulator to a 3.3V one, then you have to remove the fuse near the USB on the Arduino and replace it with a diode. But this scenario is only necessary when you use 3.3V actuators with the Arduino (because the analog and digital outputs going to 5V might destroy 3.3V actuators). Thus rare.
The current 3.3V regulator is there to provide voltage to for example GSM modules or Wifi modules operating at 3.3V.

dr pepper · Feb 9, 2017

Ok I get that.
Maybe I blew something on the board at the time, might even have a been a track!

The thing with nice folks these days is that they get abused and turn into not so nice folks.

CBB9 · Feb 28, 2017

oro said:
I am a noob in electronics.So I was messing with a transistor and an led on my arduino uno.I messed up .I fried the board and saw smoke coming out of the transistor next to the power plug .It won't work.Does anyone know the part and knows how to fix it? I'm on the literal verge of tears because it was a gift and I can't afford a new one.Thank you.

Thanks for all the responses.View attachment 104128
the transistor in the red circles is bumped and started sending up smoke.
Im in the US

Another edit , I have connected a 5 volt usb and the code I had on it still works.The problem is that I tried to upload new code and my computer does not recognize it .

I use clones myself. There is little to no difference besides board color (sometimes) and identification. I suggest avoiding the clones with the CH340 chip though.

Good (I have four of these exact ones): https://www.amazon.com/IEIK-Board-ATmega328P-Cable-Arduino/dp/B00P2FX9WY
Bad (I have one of these, learned my lesson): https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01FS3QPGQ
Note, these can be found on Amazon, eBay, and other sites for cheaper than the options I provided above if you are willing to wait for international shipping
This instructable has good images to help you identify the difference as well as instruction on how to go about using the chinese clones, but its not worth the hassle IMHO for a $2 savings: https://www.instructables.com/id/How-to-fix-bad-Chinese-Arduino-clones/

I'll also note that one can program an Arduino from an Android phone using an OTG adapter cable (https://www.amazon.com/UGREEN-Adapter-Samsung-Android-Function/dp/B00LN3LQKQ) and the free ArduinoDroid app in the PlayStore (https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=name.antonsmirnov.android.arduinodroid2&hl=en)

I really need help

MrAl

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