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Table of Contents
FAQ | Frequently Asked Questions
Terminology
| BBB | BeagleBone Black, an embedded computer used as the Plan board for many experiments |
| CLion | IDE used for STM32 projects |
| CMake | CMake is a cross-platform free and open-source software tool for managing the build process of software using a compiler-independent method. |
| DLL | Dynamically Linked Library: a type of library used on Windows. .so is the Linux equivalent. |
| Ex | Shorter name for Execute |
| FFC | Flat Flexible Cable |
| FlexSEA | Flexible Scalable Electronics Architecture |
| GUI | Graphical User Interface |
| I²t | The I²t value of a fuse is a measure of the energy which is required to open the fuse element and to interrupt the current. This behavior can be replicated by software. |
| MiniProg | CY8CKIT-002 PSoC MiniProg3 Program and Debug Kit, used to program devices built with PSoC |
| Mn | Shorter name for Manage |
| PicoBlade, Pico-Clasp | Connectors manufactured and sold by Molex |
| Plan Stack | Other names: fx_plan_stack, “the stack”, etc. It refers to the code codebase used by the GUI and the scripts. It supports communication, datalogging, debug logs, etc. |
| Prog Adapt | Custom programming adapters required to link MiniProg and ST-Link gigantic connector to FlexSEA board tiny FFC connectors |
| Re | Shorter name for Regulate |
| Regulate | On FlexSEA-Rigid, the functionality of Safety-CoP and FlexSEA-Batt have been unified under the name “Regulate” |
| ST-Link | ST-LINK/V2 in-circuit debugger/programmer for STM8 and STM32, used to program Manage |
Troubleshooting
Board will not turn-on: RED LED flash
If your power source voltage is below the Low Voltage Protection cutoff, the circuit will not turn on. For software development (no motor) you may use USB to power the circuit.
Unexpected Shutdown
- The Low Voltage Protection will turn off your circuit if the power source's voltage drops below the programmed threshold. Charge your battery and re-start.
- The Battery I²t current limit will turn off your circuit if the limit has been reached. Let the circuit cool-down and restart.
- Unusual: blown fuse. Do not power-up before finding the cause of this failure.
Lost motor power but LEDs are ON
Motor stopped responding during an experiment? The motor I²t current limit will disable the motor if the limit has been reached. Power cycling will fix this. Please allow time for the circuit and the motor to cool down.
How do I connect this programmer to my board?
Most FlexSEA circuits require the use of a Programming Adapter
Programmer doesn't detect the microcontroller.
The FFC cables can be finicky, especially the 0.5mm version. Make sure that they are in the correct orientation, properly inserted, have all their contacts, etc. If needed, change the cable.
MiniProg is not detected or not responding
Unplug both ends: USB and ribbon cable. Close the Creator sub-window if necessary. Connect USB, then the ribbon cable.
Eclipse can't use the STLink
Make sure that the STM32 ST-Link Utility isn't connected to your programmer.
Strange behavior after programming a microcontroller
The I2C bus can lock-up during programming. Always power cycle after programming. Please note that having a USB cable connected will prevent a full power cycle! Always disconnect USB when you want to power cycle.
Circuit turned off after programming
To prevent undetected I2C lock-ups, in recent firmware releases we automatically reset the boards after Mn is programmed.
I programmed the board, but my LEDs are not blinking.
- Start by reviewing the RGB LED Convention page.
- Make sure that you are in Release and not Debug mode.
- Make sure that you are running the correct version of code for your hardware. A project compiled for FlexSEA-Execute 0.1 won't light 0.2's LEDs.
- Do you have test code enabled?
GUI Plotting: Data seems to be taking discrete steps.
Take a look at the Commands and Offsets page.
Brushless motor will not spin
- Is your circuit powered? USB doesn't count.
- Check if Regulate is reporting the right voltage. The motor control functions use that voltage to calculate the PWM duty-cycle.
- Make sure that your encoder is functional
- Are you using a motor with a different pole count than what's programmed?
- Did you run the Find Poles routine?
- If you changes the motor or the encoder you need to run it again.
- If you moved the encoder you need to run it again.
- All Actuator Packages ship with the poles mapped.
- If the motor is “bistable” this can indicate a bad phase (power electronics), or a bad pole map. Start by checking all the points above.
Motor is loud and/or inefficient
- Using Plan GUI plot the motor encoder angle with ±5 ticks and no active controller. The 'diff' column should indicate less than 8 ticks.
- Noise above that is typically caused by a wrong gap (too small or too big) between the sensor and the magnet.
- Manually spin the motor while plotting the encoder. Do you see non-linearity? This is usually caused by a magnet that's not concentric or planar.
Bluetooth Problems
Take a look at the Troubleshooting section of the Using Bluetooth page.
Direct Support
Not finding the answer you are looking for? Please contact us at technical@dephy.com.
faq.txt · Last modified: 2020/07/16 18:05 by bbaig
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