Like one of the forum members, I cannot get the LiPo battery to charge. I note that the positive and negative leads are different between the AA battery supply and the LiPo battery. In addition, when I remove the jumper from the LiPo circuit and try to use the AA battery pack, the batteries get hot as if there is a short and the robot still doesn’t move. I know the motors work because I tested them before and after assembling the Rover 2. I am at a loss as to what to try next.
Please contact us via the RobotShop Support Center and we’ll exchange the battery and the PCB. We apologize for any inconvenience.
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Hi Coleman,
I sent a message to your Support Center, as you suggested. Do you have any thoughts about why I appear to be getting a short circuit when I use the AA battery pack? The AA battery pack is showing 6 volts, but it will not power the Rover. I just tried it again and the batteries got hot and the battery pack gave off a little smoke. I did remove the jumper as required. Then for grins I tried to barrel jack with a 9-volt battery. I uploaded the keyboard sketch (it doesn’t appear you can upload with the power connected). The robot will move barely forward or backward with the W or S command. But it has very little power, even with the tracks removed. The motors do run in both directions as they should, but quite slowly. Any help you can give me will be greatly appreciated.
Larry Sackett
[email protected]
(301) 518-3166
For a very brief period we received LiPo batteries which had the connectors reversed (the batteries themselves are good, but when plugged into the DFRobotShop Rover, the polarity is reversed. You seem to have received one of these old batteries and after having plugged it into the board, the microcontroller may have fried. Rather than trying to figure out exactly what’s going wrong, we’ll just assume the PCB is dead and exchange both the PCB and the battery. Don’t use a 9V battery - the motors cannot handle it. The barrel connector is there simply if you want to use it as a normal Arduino. The Tamiya Twin Motor gearbox is not the fastest and was chosen simply because most people tend to experiment with the rover on their desktop rather than in large open areas.
Coleman,
Thanks for the explanation. I’m pleased that RobotShop is going to replace the PCB and battery at no charge. Your company has a well-deserved reputation for quality products and great service. Thanks!