Alexmos Problem - What blew it up?

[PilotMan]

OK... here we are all excited :highly_amused: about the Alexmos controller. Built my gimbal mechanism out of square stock aluminum tubing. Did all my motor rewinding.... (Uhhhhggggg) Install it and there are problems from the get go. Ends up that the wires to the sensor board can only be 20 - 25 cm...... Fine......FIXED 200 hours later........

Now its working good. Got it tuned, camera mounted. All the details are coming together and this thing will be in the air soon........

I go to hook up my pitch servo line (as per the drawings online with GND, 5V, & Signal) from my Naza AP..... all seems to be working. Needs some tuning, but its getting there.

All of a sudden the gimbal goes nuts and the light on the sensor board goes out. The Controller board is still powered though. Computer is seeing it. The GUI program says that the IC2 (sensor board) is offline.

Its amazing how quick sellers respond after very slow responses when you put a claim in with PayPal (it freezes their funds).

So a bunch of tests and measurements with the seller and it is deemed the regulator on the sensor board...... But Why....??

:upset:

Here is the best I can conclude and want to WARN OTHERS!!

I am running a HEX on 6S batteries.

Naza on 5V

AlexMos Gimbal on 12v

Video TX on 9v

THATS 4 REGULATORS!!! (The Naza is supplied with the Naza) :dejection:

My best idea is that connecting the servo line from the Naza AP to the Alexmos Killed it. It added 5v from the Naza to the 12v from the regulator and blew it. Being on a different ground plane (Im guessing) caused a bad reaction as well?

WHAT DO I DO NEXT? Don't want this to happen again!

Ideas??

 

[RTRyder]

OK... here we are all excited :highly_amused: about the Alexmos controller. Built my gimbal mechanism out of square stock aluminum tubing. Did all my motor rewinding.... (Uhhhhggggg) Install it and there are problems from the get go. Ends up that the wires to the sensor board can only be 20 - 25 cm...... Fine......FIXED 200 hours later........

Now its working good. Got it tuned, camera mounted. All the details are coming together and this thing will be in the air soon........

I go to hook up my pitch servo line (as per the drawings online with GND, 5V, & Signal) from my Naza AP..... all seems to be working. Needs some tuning, but its getting there.

All of a sudden the gimbal goes nuts and the light on the sensor board goes out. The Controller board is still powered though. Computer is seeing it. The GUI program says that the IC2 (sensor board) is offline.

Its amazing how quick sellers respond after very slow responses when you put a claim in with PayPal (it freezes their funds).

So a bunch of tests and measurements with the seller and it is deemed the regulator on the sensor board...... But Why....??

:upset:

Here is the best I can conclude and want to WARN OTHERS!!

I am running a HEX on 6S batteries.

Naza on 5V

AlexMos Gimbal on 12v

Video TX on 9v

THATS 4 REGULATORS!!! (The Naza is supplied with the Naza) :dejection:

My best idea is that connecting the servo line from the Naza AP to the Alexmos Killed it. It added 5v from the Naza to the 12v from the regulator and blew it. Being on a different ground plane (Im guessing) caused a bad reaction as well?

WHAT DO I DO NEXT? Don't want this to happen again!

Ideas??

Remove the red wire (+5v) on the wire between the Alexmos controller and the Naza, all you need is signal and ground. Make sure all that gets to the controller is 12v it won't handle 6S.

Ken

P.S. I've had mine on the bench with 5 volt line connected on the signal wire to the RX along with a 12 volt battery powering the board and mine still works fine so I doubt the voltages combine at any point in the circuitry. I did note it wouldn't stabilize that way so it certainly doesn't like having power fed from two sources but it didn't cause any damage.

 

[tstrike]

Excuse my noobness question, but why would you run a signal wire to the naza?

 

[RTRyder]

Excuse my noobness question, but why would you run a signal wire to the naza?

Maybe because they're using PPM from the receiver to the Naza and connecting the signal wire to the Naza gimbal channel is the only way to get tilt control from the TX.

Can't really think of any other reason at the moment...

Ken

 

[PilotMan]

Excuse my noobness question, but why would you run a signal wire to the naza?

For pitch control to look down and to adjust your horizon to level. :livid:

 

[PilotMan]

What kind of power are you running for your batteries? I agree about the power situation. Seems that the wireing diagrams are incorrect that are posted for the Alexmos. Should have a note that the power line should not be run from the Naza. Only think I can think of!!

Remove the red wire (+5v) on the wire between the Alexmos controller and the Naza, all you need is signal and ground. Make sure all that gets to the controller is 12v it won't handle 6S.

Ken

P.S. I've had mine on the bench with 5 volt line connected on the signal wire to the RX along with a 12 volt battery powering the board and mine still works fine so I doubt the voltages combine at any point in the circuitry. I did note it wouldn't stabilize that way so it certainly doesn't like having power fed from two sources but it didn't cause any damage.

 

[Piranha]

Remove the red wire (+5v) on the wire between the Alexmos controller and the Naza,

I think you do not need to remove red wire cause that there is unsoldered +5v brige on original AlexMos board, so there is no 5v on the pins going to external flight controller as far as i remember

 

[PilotMan]

I think you do not need to remove red wire cause that there is unsoldered +5v brige on original AlexMos board, so there is no 5v on the pins going to external flight controller as far as i remember

Well this now is confusing me:cold:....... I was hoping this was the cause of my failure of the voltage regulator on the sensor board. It seemed that everything was working great till I hooked that servo output line from the Naza to the Alexmos. So now that leaves two possible causes. The ground (which I checked for any potential difference between all grounds.... and there was nothing measured) ... or the signal line from the Naza..... Is there some issue that could have caused it because of the output being wrong from the Naza...... THis had to happen for some reason!!:upset:

 

[jowkon]

tilt phantom

Well this now is confusing me:cold:....... I was hoping this was the cause of my failure of the voltage regulator on the sensor board. It seemed that everything was working great till I hooked that servo output line from the Naza to the Alexmos. So now that leaves two possible causes. The ground (which I checked for any potential difference between all grounds.... and there was nothing measured) ... or the signal line from the Naza..... Is there some issue that could have caused it because of the output being wrong from the Naza...... THis had to happen for some reason!!:upset:

I have the same problem. Did you find out solution or did you get it to work?

 

[PilotMan]

BEC's probably the issue

Well..... Didn't really ever find out what the absolute cause was... but everything pointed to the 5V line and the BEC's that I was running to reduce the voltages. I am running a 6S system and it seems that all the devices are rated for lower voltages. Possible causes could be grounding after the BEC's as well. In any case.... the 5v line is not needed... just the signal wire from the flight controller or receiver.

 

[PilotMan]

Anyone know of a multi-output BEC in the world. Would be great to have 4 adjustable outputs or more!!

Well..... Didn't really ever find out what the absolute cause was... but everything pointed to the 5V line and the BEC's that I was running to reduce the voltages. I am running a 6S system and it seems that all the devices are rated for lower voltages. Possible causes could be grounding after the BEC's as well. In any case.... the 5v line is not needed... just the signal wire from the flight controller or receiver.

 

[soler]

Maybe because they're using PPM from the receiver to the Naza and connecting the signal wire to the Naza gimbal channel is the only way to get tilt control from the TX.

Can't really think of any other reason at the moment...

Ken

From what I understand the signal wire needs to come from the receiver, if using it from the naza it will try to pitch depending on the attitude reading in the naza. As this is a closed loop system you do not need this feedback.

I run by board directly for a 6S system.