New build - No power


 
The probe end of the circuitry is fairly simple. The probe jacks are connected to the ATMega through the 100K resistor(s) of the RC filter that are located behind each probe jack (the resistors that are standing upright). That is the only component in the path between the probe jack and the ATMega. Additionally there is the capacitor of the RC filter that connects from the probe lead to gnd, and the pullup resistors (on the standard probes only) that connect from the probe lead to +3.3V. These are the 3 components in a row right behind each probe jack.
If your probes are not reading properly/steady you should inspect all of the soldering in these areas in addition to the solder work on the probe jacks themselves as well as the last 4 pins on the ATMega socket and touch-up as needed.

Thanks Ralph. I will inspect tonight. Given that I am using ET-732 probes, would you suggest I follow what is laid out here and replace the standard 10k resistors with 22k or 47k 1% tolerance resistors? If so, is the 22k or the 47k better?
 
I used to run 732 probes and I never changed the resistors. I assume you are referring to older posts, because in the past the 732 probes were more problematic, would drop to OFF even at room temperature etc. But since the RC filters have been added to the probes (on HMV4.2) all of the probes register much better and do not drop off nearly as much (though I must admit I haven't connected a 732 recently to check). I use mainly Thermoworks Pro probes these days because I find them much higher quality/durability than the Maverick probes, but I haven't had a probe drop to OFF since I built the prototype HMv4.2.3 board, the RC filters do a very good job removing the noise that makes the probes drop off and/or fluctuate.
So, bottom line, focus on what is causing your problem, which is not the value of those resistors....
 
I used to run 732 probes and I never changed the resistors. I assume you are referring to older posts, because in the past the 732 probes were more problematic, would drop to OFF even at room temperature etc. But since the RC filters have been added to the probes (on HMV4.2) all of the probes register much better and do not drop off nearly as much (though I must admit I haven't connected a 732 recently to check). I use mainly Thermoworks Pro probes these days because I find them much higher quality/durability than the Maverick probes, but I haven't had a probe drop to OFF since I built the prototype HMv4.2.3 board, the RC filters do a very good job removing the noise that makes the probes drop off and/or fluctuate.
So, bottom line, focus on what is causing your problem, which is not the value of those resistors....

I think my middle food probe needs to be removed and/or cleaned up. When I first installed it, I noticed solder flowed into the plug area. I thought I wicked it all out, but I see it is still sticking. This would likely cause the probe to read off, right?

I can't see anything obvious to me on the soldering of the resistors or the other probes that is causing my problem. I've taken more pictures. If anyone can see a potential problem, please let me know, thanks!

Back - https://drive.google.com/file/d/0BzSBmZGY0VqYZXh1VnZJdEN3LTg/view?usp=sharing
Top High - https://drive.google.com/file/d/0BzSBmZGY0VqYanl0ZE03ejBSeVU/view?usp=sharing
Top Low 1 - https://drive.google.com/file/d/0BzSBmZGY0VqYTWJlNEpxS0V6TUk/view?usp=sharing
Top Low 2 - https://drive.google.com/file/d/0BzSBmZGY0VqYWTh5S0ttcEFTNHM/view?usp=sharing
Top Low 3 - https://drive.google.com/file/d/0BzSBmZGY0VqYcGxPU2JyYmtDU1U/view?usp=sharing
 
I cant tell if all that brown is burned board or charred flux all around the components in question, but there is a lot of it. You should once again clean that up with some rubbing alcohol and a brush so the solder joints are clean there without charred bits bridging from solder joint to solder joint.
 
I cant tell if all that brown is burned board or charred flux all around the components in question, but there is a lot of it. You should once again clean that up with some rubbing alcohol and a brush so the solder joints are clean there without charred bits bridging from solder joint to solder joint.

Ok - I cleaned up my board, and wicked some of the solder bits between the joints. After that, my 1st and 3rd probe jacks (ET-732s), held steady temps at about 65F. The same probes used held a steady temp on my Maverick unit at 71F, which also agreed with my home thermostat, and an Exergen Temporal Thermometer. Questions:

1) Should I be satisfied here as long as they are holding steady? I haven't tried yet, but I see I can build in the 6 degree offset in the GUI. Would that be my best bet at this point?
2) Once I move forward and build out the RDTC board, if those probe jacks read differently, will I be able to save a configuration based on where I am plugging in my probes?
3) I fear my middle probe jack is a goner. I have tried eliminating the solder that is just inside the hole, but I can't get it completely free. I was trying to free the pins by heating them with the soldering iron from the bottom, but can't get them all at the same time that way. I have a hot air gun, but I don't want to melt more than just that jack. Plus, I'm thinking if I pushed on, the black plastic would turn into a mess. Is there an easy way to desolder that jack without ruining the neighboring components? If not, I'm not terribly concerned since I will be making the RDTC with the probes through CAT5.
 
On the probes you have working steadily... I would try them in boiling water (do NOT submerge the cable at all), if they land at 212 or really close to that I wouldn't worry about it. I know you have already seen the response curve of the probes with different resistors, you could change those resistors to tune the HM board to your probes better, but as someone already stated, the probes need to be accurate in the 100F and above range for measuring food temp and running the pit. If they are accurate above 100F then I wouldn't worry about it.
On the middle probe jack that you are still having a problem with. It is possible to melt those probe jacks when too much heat is applied, and also possible for solder to flow into the contact area, either way that probe jack is likely a goner. Your best bet would be to remove and replace that probe jack altogether. As for the best way to do that, you can wick away the solder or use your solder sucker to clear out the solder the best you can. From there heat one solder joint and rock the jack out of the board slightly on that pin. Then move to the next pin, repeat. Do this pin by pin until you can get the jack out of the board.
Finally, if/when you build an RDTC board the probes should read exactly the same. I run mine over a 50Ft CAT5 cable and often put the probe in the meat and plug it directly into the HM in my kitchen to see what temp the meat is at, when I move the meat to the grill and plug the food probe into the RDTC board the meat temp is always spot on.... So once you have the RDTC board you really dont need that food probe on the HM board. However, if when you plug a probe into RDTC on that problem port and it reads wrong there too, then you will have to fix up whatever problem you have on the HM board. Since they share the same circuitry from the probe jack (on the HM board) to the ATMega it is possible that the problem will persist after you connect the RDTC.
 
If you want to remove the problem jack, you need to use solder wick to get all the solder off the pins. I know this sounds counterintuitive but if it is not wanting to wick well, add a small amount of solder right where the wick and iron touch and it will usually make it flow much better. Also make sure you clean the iron tip on a damp sponge just before (within seconds) you touch it to the wick.
 
If you want to remove the problem jack, you need to use solder wick to get all the solder off the pins. I know this sounds counterintuitive but if it is not wanting to wick well, add a small amount of solder right where the wick and iron touch and it will usually make it flow much better. Also make sure you clean the iron tip on a damp sponge just before (within seconds) you touch it to the wick.

I definitely need to be cleaning my iron more frequently and moving more quickly from sponge to joint. That was likely what contributed to some of my ugly dark connections. All in all, if I can get this up and running, I'll be pleased with my first attempt at soldering, regardless of how it looks.
 
While removing the probe jack if you get the solder removed from the bottom side of the board but have a hard time getting rid of the blob on the top side of the board, keep in mind that solder turns to liquid when heated. So it may be helpful, be it perhaps awkward, to heat the pin on the jack with the board face up so gravity pulls the melted solder from the top side of the board to the bottom where it can be removed...
 
I definitely need to be cleaning my iron more frequently and moving more quickly from sponge to joint. That was likely what contributed to some of my ugly dark connections. All in all, if I can get this up and running, I'll be pleased with my first attempt at soldering, regardless of how it looks.

I clean my iron tip after every solder connection...just get in the habit of quickly wiping it on the sponge between connections. It will become second nature and will improve your solder joints a lot. If you are going to put the iron down for any length of time put a little solder on the tip and also do this before you turn the iron off for the day. I learned a lot about soldering from some very experienced people and the 40 hr class that the company I worked for required me to attend to get certified.
 
On the probes you have working steadily... I would try them in boiling water (do NOT submerge the cable at all), if they land at 212 or really close to that I wouldn't worry about it. I know you have already seen the response curve of the probes with different resistors, you could change those resistors to tune the HM board to your probes better, but as someone already stated, the probes need to be accurate in the 100F and above range for measuring food temp and running the pit. If they are accurate above 100F then I wouldn't worry about it.
On the middle probe jack that you are still having a problem with. It is possible to melt those probe jacks when too much heat is applied, and also possible for solder to flow into the contact area, either way that probe jack is likely a goner. Your best bet would be to remove and replace that probe jack altogether. As for the best way to do that, you can wick away the solder or use your solder sucker to clear out the solder the best you can. From there heat one solder joint and rock the jack out of the board slightly on that pin. Then move to the next pin, repeat. Do this pin by pin until you can get the jack out of the board.
Finally, if/when you build an RDTC board the probes should read exactly the same. I run mine over a 50Ft CAT5 cable and often put the probe in the meat and plug it directly into the HM in my kitchen to see what temp the meat is at, when I move the meat to the grill and plug the food probe into the RDTC board the meat temp is always spot on.... So once you have the RDTC board you really dont need that food probe on the HM board. However, if when you plug a probe into RDTC on that problem port and it reads wrong there too, then you will have to fix up whatever problem you have on the HM board. Since they share the same circuitry from the probe jack (on the HM board) to the ATMega it is possible that the problem will persist after you connect the RDTC.


I boiled some water with my probes in there to watch them go up. Probe 1 jack started out at 12F and later on in the test fluctuated up past 500+. However, after switching the probe to jack 3, it gave the same behavior in the other jack, so I realized I have a bad probe. It eventually evened out with my other probe, but I don't think I can trust it going forward inside a good piece of meat. It also explains the wild fluctuations I saw at room temperature before I thought I cleaned it up last night. Here is where my temps landed once the water boiled. Interesting that the TC probe ended roughly higher at the same variance it was at room temperature, while the ET-732s finished higher than what they should have, compared to the variance at room temp which was lower.

HM Maverick
TC 224
Probe 1 214 212
Probe 3 214 212

Couple things.....Prior to this test, I had only been powering my device via the micro USB port. Before I got boiling, I plugged in this 12V adapter and it did not work as expected. The LCD backlight was on, dimmer than usual and slightly flickering. The LEDs came on and then went off after not very long. I tried it again after completing the test, same results. What do I need to look for to troubleshoot this?

Another interesting behavior, as I turned the heat off, I then unplugged probe 1, which was rightfully at boiling at that point. This was the one that had all the noise that I am pretty sure diagnosed to being a bad probe. Immediately after unplugging probe 1, the LCD read No Pit Probe. I then plugged probe 1 back in and it read 400+ F with No Pit Probe still. I unplugged the TC probe and replugged it and still no pit probe. I then unplugged my power and plugged it back in and that brought the pit probe reading back. Any ideas what in the world caused this? Should I worry going forward or look for anything else?
 
Sounds like you have something conducting between probe 1 and the pit probe then.... charred up flux perhaps? the probes should be isolated from one another, they all go into their own pin on the ATMega. The common thing between them is the 3.3V and the gnd.
 
Sounds like you have something conducting between probe 1 and the pit probe then.... charred up flux perhaps? the probes should be isolated from one another, they all go into their own pin on the ATMega. The common thing between them is the 3.3V and the gnd.

I will take a look between the pit probe and probe 1. What are your thoughts on not powering up with the 12V adapter?
 
Hmm, well, the powersupply goes like this....

~12VDC in from the wall wart

OKI takes in 12V and puts out 5V

the 3.3v regulator takes in 5V and puts out 3.3v

In the olden days the 3.3v regulator on the HM was optional when using a rPi, because the HM would feed +5V to the rPi and the rPi would return 3.3v to the HM, which runs the logic level stuff.

I just looked at the HMv4.2.4 schematic and I see 5V on the rPi header but no 3.3v. So it seems when the HMv4.2 is powered by the USB on the rPi, the rPi must be passing +5V to your HM and then the 3.3V regulator on the HM board is powering the HM logic level stuff...

So you should start out by powering the HM with the 12V wall wart, measure the 12VDC input across the power jack, then move over to your OKI regulator, pin 1 is the 12v input which should read the same as the power jack, pin 3 is the 5V output, the center pin is ground. You can ground your meter to the power jack gnd, then measure both outer pins of your OKI looking for 12V and 5V. You can also check for continuity from the gnd on the power plug to the center pin of the OKI....

I think you had some issue with the OKI and had to rig it up a bit if I recall properly? I would start investigations there... 'cause we know everything past the 3.3v regulator is working.
 
Hmm, well, the powersupply goes like this....

~12VDC in from the wall wart

OKI takes in 12V and puts out 5V

the 3.3v regulator takes in 5V and puts out 3.3v

In the olden days the 3.3v regulator on the HM was optional when using a rPi, because the HM would feed +5V to the rPi and the rPi would return 3.3v to the HM, which runs the logic level stuff.

I just looked at the HMv4.2.4 schematic and I see 5V on the rPi header but no 3.3v. So it seems when the HMv4.2 is powered by the USB on the rPi, the rPi must be passing +5V to your HM and then the 3.3V regulator on the HM board is powering the HM logic level stuff...

So you should start out by powering the HM with the 12V wall wart, measure the 12VDC input across the power jack, then move over to your OKI regulator, pin 1 is the 12v input which should read the same as the power jack, pin 3 is the 5V output, the center pin is ground. You can ground your meter to the power jack gnd, then measure both outer pins of your OKI looking for 12V and 5V. You can also check for continuity from the gnd on the power plug to the center pin of the OKI....

I think you had some issue with the OKI and had to rig it up a bit if I recall properly? I would start investigations there... 'cause we know everything past the 3.3v regulator is working.

Definitely something up with the OKI. I measured 12.4V at the power jack, 11.8 at the first pin of the OKI, but then only 2.2V on the 3rd pin. The middle pin has continuity to ground on the power jack. Is this indicating that I damaged the OKI to the point of needing replacement? Seems that way, but if not, what's the fix?
 
It would seem the OKI may be damaged, but since you had trouble with the leg and traces around the OKI you might try measuring those voltages from the top where the pins are on the OKI board if you haven't already. This way you can see if the OKI is receiving the full input voltage and if it is actually putting out low voltage, or if somehow the voltage isn't getting to or from the OKI to the HM board due to the traces you had issue with.... I recall you installed several jumpers, so perhaps one of those is shorting out something or not making a proper connection to something.
 
The OKI is putting out a low voltage. It is 2.2V right on the OKI at the pin. Would I be missing something if I asked if I could just power the whole thing from the micro USB? I guess the question is, would the Cat5 jack on the HM be getting enough power to do what it needs to do at the RDTC with the microUSB power on the rPi?
 
Nope, the blower runs on 12VDC so no 12VDC no blower..... and your not supposed to power the rPi and the HM board at the same time.... Too bad the OKI isnt flat, I have a bunch of them and would be glad to send you one for free but not sure how to post it to you cheaply?

Did you test the ground on the OKI board too? I recall that was the leg that was broken....
 
You are correct, I did repair the ground on the OKI with a resistor end, but it seems to be fine. I will see what can do tomorrow to breath life into it, otherwise, I'll get back to you on your spares.
 
Nope, the blower runs on 12VDC so no 12VDC no blower..... and your not supposed to power the rPi and the HM board at the same time.... Too bad the OKI isnt flat, I have a bunch of them and would be glad to send you one for free but not sure how to post it to you cheaply?

Did you test the ground on the OKI board too? I recall that was the leg that was broken....

You could probably ship it for about $2.00 using PayPal shipping First Class. The following link discusses it:

http://www.ebay.com/gds/Secret-PayPal-Shipping-Labels-Stamps-off-eBay-Mailing-/10000000007215096/g.html
 

 

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