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Thread: Pico Crumble V2.5 LED/Wiring Issue

  1. #1

    Question Pico Crumble V2.5 LED/Wiring Issue

    Hello Saber Forum,

    I've wired up a Pico Crumble V2.5 for my DIY lightsaber project and everything works great except the red diode is continuously lit when out of Deep Sleep Mode. I'm able to perform all the configuration operations including MOTG, Forced Deep Sleep, Color Changing, etc. I built the entire saber using parts from TCCS. This includes a Tri-Cree XP-E2 G/R/rB LED, 12mm AV switch with LED, Switchcraft 2.1mm Power Jack, the Panasonic 18650 3.7V 3400mAh PCB protected rechargeable battery, and a 4 Ohm Stealth premium speaker just to give you some background. I'm sure I haven't bridged any joints. The red cathode is attached to the Middle Direct Drive LED Channel (Middle Black wire). And the button LED uses the 3.3V Power Indicator pad. Both light up when the saber is awakened from Deep Sleep Mode (Was only intending on the button LED lighting up). The other two channels appear to be working fine. When color changing I can get the pure Red and all the oranges, yellows, pinks, etc. But none of the Green and Blue tones because the Red LED won't turn off. Any ideas, or things I can do to check board components/wiring would be greatly appreciated. I love Plector Lab soundboards and can't wait to work my way up to the CFX (Top Tier in my opinion). Looking forward to hearing back as I'm currently stumped.

    Thank you and sorry in advance if I'm not leaving enough information to help,
    Rogue Jedi

    Soundboard Picture:

    On the Right
    Speaker wires

    On the Left (Top to Bottom)
    Yellow – Activation AV Switch
    Blue – Blue LED
    Black – Red LED (Always ON)
    White (Underneath) – Positive Switch LED to the Power Indicator on the underside of the board
    Green – Green LED
    Double White – Negative from the Sleeve shunt of the Switchcraft & the Negative Switch LED
    Red – Positive Battery, Switchcraft, Activation AV Switch, and MAIN LED Module (Attached to the underside of the board)
    Black – Batter Negative to Switchcraft Negative

    PicoCrumbleV2.5_Wiring.jpg

    Wiring Diagram

    PicoCrumbleV2.5_WiringDiagram.jpg

    Forgot to mention. I've since rewired all but the Positive (Red), Switch (Yellow), and Speaker connections on the soundboard. Mostly just to clean up all that excess solder and be sure that bridges don't exist. I got the exact same result described above wire the cleaner wiring. I'm really hoping that the Direct Drive LED Channel I've connected the red die to isn't fried, but I'm not sure how to check it. I have a multimeter. Unfortunately, I'm still really new to saber building and need help. I'm fairly certain my soldering station is ESD safe. Thanks again!

    Update (01/10/2021)
    I reached out to Plector Labs and Erv was able to help me diagnose the issue with the soundboard. I apparently fried one of the transistors common to the LED Channels. I'm going to attempt to fix/replace the broken transistor to see if that fixes my issue. If I'm able to fix the problem I'll be sure to post some more pics and a novice explanation on how I did it. Thanks again Saber Forum. And I huge shout out to Erv from Plector Labs! He has been super helpful and quick to answer my questions.
    Last edited by Rogue Jedi; 01-13-2021 at 11:43 AM. Reason: Forgot to mention...

  2. #2

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    Okay. First of all, I'd like to apologize up front. I wasn't able to fix the problem. Therefore, this thread will likely be a waste of your time if you're looking for help with a similar problem.

    I ended up replacing all 3 MOSfet transistors on the board and still got the same issue. I'll try to attach a picture if anyone is interested. I couldn't figure out how to check the voltage drops on the board with my cheap multimeter. Even with Erv's amazing help and some YouTube tutorials nothing was making sense. And the more I worked on it the more I got confused. I used a magnifier to look close for bridged connections, or other burnt out components and couldn't find anything. Erv had a look as well and didn't see anything from the pictures I sent him.

    I don't want to discourage anyone from the Plector Labs boards, including these Pico Crumbles. I've already ordered a replacement. I still think the boards are awesome! I clearly screwed up, so this isn't on them. However, after investing nearly 24 hours on the fix alone I've given up. I did lose my temper at the end, and the board is definitely unfixable now. I've swallowed my pride and I'll be practicing my soldering techniques and doing a little more research before I tackle the new Pico Crumble V2.5 which I believe at the time of writing this is out for delivery. TCCS has an amazing order fulfillment turnaround.

    Just a caution to other newbs like myself. Be sure to take your time when soldering the boards. Like MadCow says, "If you rush it you wreck it". I wish I could tell you what I did wrong to screw up this perfectly good soundboard, but I can't unfortunately. Just read the manual thoroughly. Erv mentioned the above wiring diagram looked good if anyone needs an example. Hoping for some better luck on the next one

    Erv suggested using some small 5mm LEDs when wiring up the board for the first time. I believe this would insure your wiring is correct before using the high-powered LEDs. I do think components on the board can be ruined if the high-powered LEDs use the wrong resistors and/or things like wiring up a speaker that's out of spec. Like I said, just be sure to read the manual and take your time. Good luck Forum!

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