I have a 6v battery that powers a ssc-32, which connects to a bbII and an atom pro. The wires that connect from the ssc-32 to the bbII came out of the ssc-32, I quickly pushed them back in for a quick fix. My robot smelled like smoke and didn’t work. I realized that I had reversed the polarity. I know my atom pro is fried, and lynxterm wont work with my ssc-32. Do i need to replace my ssc-32, bbII, Atom Pro, atmega 168 that sits on the ssc-32, and/or (hope not) the servos? 
What damage was caused?
From the description of the problem I would think the SSC-32 and the servos should be ok. Did you remember to replace the serial port enable jumpers? The Bot Board II and Atom Pro… toast definetly. 
hmmm, well I got a new atom pro today, I tested my servos, and they are fine, so is the bbII (even the 5v regulator hehe), when i connect my ssc-32 to lynxterm, and type, “ver” I can get the firmware version from the board, but when I click “all 1500” nothing happens, do i just need a new atmega 168, or ssc-32?
Double check your power jumpers. Make sure the servos are getting power. If the SSC-32 is replying with it’s firmware rev, then it’s definitely good. The servo outputs are all protected with resistors. I think you are just having a servo power issue.
I have checked the jumpers, and it has a sufficient power supply…everything seems good, but the servos still wont move 
Did you check the voltage on the servo connector pins to see if there is voltage there? Do you have the servo connectors plugged in correctly on the servo connector pins?
I do not have a voltage checker, but I really doubt that they are getting power, because they haven’t even twitched since “the accident”. All the servos are connected correctly (black wire facing away from board), the jumpers are set correctly, but the servos don’t want to move.
You really need to get a multimeter, as they make trouble shooting much easier. Even inexpensive ones like the Harbor Freight below are very useful.
http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/emails/51/RetailZ/Images/23.jpg
I got a multimeter today. There is very little power (0.09 Volts).
If you are using a jumper between VL and VS to supply servo power, make sure the VL=VS jumper is installed correctly and the VS1=VS2 jumpers are installed correctly. I assume that there is voltage on the VL pin (should be if the ssc-32 is working).
Yes my jumpers are in correctly, and vl is getting voltage, but my servos aren’t.
In cases like this, I would back track a bit and remove everything that is connected to the board (servos and sensors). Now make sure the jumpers are set the way you expect and apply power and check the voltages again. If the voltage is good, then add one thing at a time and double check. It may be that one of your components is shorting out…
Kurt
If you can send and receive a response using the VER command with the SSC-32 then the Atmel chip, voltage regulator, and rs232 are quite probably ok.
Make certain you did not “fuse” the jumpers on the VS1=VS2 blocks (should be able to see this by inspection I would think) and that they are oriented correctly when installed. You can use the multi-meter in ohms mode to verify there is a connection between VS1+ terminal and the center pin of the servo connectors… I would expect 1 ohm or less. You can also check the ground connection in the same way, VS- to the outside pin of the servo connectors. If those connections are in tact then you should be getting power to the servos… even if they are not yet moving.
Last thought, need to remember that there are (4) TTL buffer chips on the servo outputs, one or more of which could be damaged. Try a servo on each of the four banks… 0-7, 8-15, 16-23, and 24-31 and see if any of them will move the servo. The (4) chips could probably be repaired (replaced) by someone with good rework and soldering skills if necessary.
It must be the buffer chips, because I have checked all the jumpers, and everything is getting sufficient power except the servo pins.
Clarification request… Are you saying the I/O pins are not going to 5vdc? Or are you saying the servos are not getting the full voltage?
How are you measuring the VS on the terminals, and how are you determining that there is no power going to the servos?
Please try to be a little more verbose in your posts.
The I/O pins are not going to 5vdc. I am using a multimeter to measure the pins, and to measure the terminals.
To be a little more specific (not sure which pins you consider I/O), there are three rows of pins along each side of the ssc-32. The outside row is ground, the center row is ~+5v for the servo power. and the inside row is for control signals (can be set as ground, +5v, or pulsed +5v for servo control). You should always have ~+5v on the center row. It gets its power via jumpers from VL (VL=VS1 and VS1=VS2), or VS1 and VS2 can be independently powered with the jumpers removed. You should be able to use the multimeter to find the point where the circuit stops supplying ~+5v to the servo power pins.
All true Zoomkat, but what I think MikeQ may be doing is using a multimeter to measure the output of the I/O (signal) pins. Because the output is roughly 5% to 10% (1-2mS on and 20mS off) a multimeter will read from 0.25vdc to 0.50vdc. Is that what you are measuring? The only way to know if the pulses are going to 5vdc is to use a scope. Hope this helps…
Ooops sorry… I am measuring the power, and ground pins, which are significantly under 5vdc. Anything before them is fine except the pins.
You say you are using a 6v battery, is it actually putting out 6v when disconnected from the board? Is it still maintaining ~6v when connected to the board? Using the high amp setting on the multimeter, check how much current is being drawn by the board when connected to the battery. Sounds like possibly 1) bad battery, 2) short on the board, or 3) high resistance in the current flow path.