V13 firmware servo not always closing


 
D

Dan Francis

TVWBB Fan
Here we go again but maybe it's my setup. Just did first cook with new v13 and servo didn't close damper 3 times during 45 minute chicken cook. Wasn't even close, damper would be about 20% open all three times. Testing afterwards it worked perfect on the bench every time. Only difference between bench and real life in my case is about 40 feet of cat5 and two terminals. Could it be that over extended cat5 the signal could be lost before servo closes completely? That is only thing I can come up with.
 
AHAH! Sitting here trying to get damper to fail to close putting into and out of lid open mode. It closed every time, but I just left it closed this time and about 30 seconds into the lid opened mode the damper opened about 20% on it's own and stayed there. I think there is a gremlin in V13! Dan

Edit: Heatermeter indicating Lid mode whole time, during and after damper moved on it's own.
 
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OK. Got it to do it again and this time I was ready for it. What is happening is that about 20 seconds after lid mode closes damper it is sometimes getting a signal to rotate damper PAST closed position about 20%. All I noticed before is that it was 20% open not realizing it was 20% other side of open. I am sure my servo pulse numbers are correct as manually running to 0 closes damper every time. Takes about 25 or 30 closings to replicate problem. Hope this helps.
 
Interesting. I've never seen this happen but I will keep my eyes open for it and see if I can reproduce. So to clarify your conditions to try to reproduce it, you have the heatermeter running with the damper open some amount, let's say 100%. Then you activate lid mode and it closes. Finally, about 20+ seconds later it moves beyond the closed position?
 
Yes, that is exactly what happens but it can be any time up to 2 minutes or so. It happens a lot to me so if nobody else is reporting it then it must be my heatermeter/setup. My 4.2 is not new, been around since they were introduced and I have never seen this before. I do have a video of it so when I figure out how to post it I will. Thanks.
 
I've found the older "always on" servo code to be more reliable and wish we the latest firmware would at least leave that option available to us. I never had a servo chatter problem, but have had a problem with some servo's not ending up in the right position with the new "move and rest" servo operation. To me function comes first, so I prefer the servo be powered and in the right position rather than powering off in the wrong spot and not chattering. Ideally the firmware would have an option to select "servo always powered" so the user could choose the low chatter mode or the more reliable positioning mode. That's my 2 cents on the matter...
 
I completely agree Ralph, I have found the positions to be a less reliable with the more recent code. I much preferred the code with the servo always powered on and would love to see it brought back, either by option or by standard. I never had an issue with chatter using the old code.

Charles
 
FWIW here is a video of the damper moving on its own. In the beginning I put it into lid open mode then you will want to drag forward to 2 minute mark which is just before it moves past closed.


Edit: Video removed - problem solved
 
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Dan Francis said:
FWIW here is a video of the damper moving on its own. In the beginning I put it into lid open mode then you will want to drag forward to 2 minute mark which is just before it moves past closed.

th_Produce_1_zpsjoyeneg8.mp4
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Click to expand...

Well that is just plain.......odd. Have you tried adjusting the servo range slightly (and re-seating the cap if necessary) to see if a slightly different range will fix it? I can't think of anything else other than software. If I can get around to it sometime soon, I'll try to test on mine, though I'm guessing Bryan or someone else may beat me to it.
 
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It does appear to be the servo. I have two blowers both with Hitec HS55 servos and they both did the same thing. I replaced one blower with a Hextronic servo and problem went away. I sort of figured it wasn't the Heatermeter or V13 when nobody else was experiencing the phantom movements. Not sure how they could have moved with no signal but they sure did. Thanks
 
I isolated the cause of the servo movement and as crazy as it sounds it is definitely from static electricity generated by my flannel shirt and cloth chair I was sitting in. All heatermeter components were about 3 feet away (and not touching me or chair) but when I would get out of chair the damper would move past closed 100% of the time. My wife tried sitting and getting out of chair and there would be no movement of damper EVER until she put on one of my flannel shirts! Then damper would move during lid open mode every time she stood up. It's not vibration, I put everything on a pillow and it still happened. It also does it with my Heatermeter 4.0, so same on two Heatermeters V12 and V13. It does NOT do it with the Hextronic servo, only the Hitec HS55. I only post this because I found it pretty incedible that a static charge would travel through air and cause the servo to move. When blower was on my egg and I first discovered the damper open problem, the heatermeter was on the end table and I was sitting in same chair when I activated lid open mode to check on food. I guess this would be a good case for servo always on as there can be some unexpected things causing servo to move uncommanded.

While I've been using the Hitec servos for a few years with no problems, we just got these new chairs this past summer!
 
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I, like pretty much everyone else here, have grown tired of the unpredictability of the Tower Pro MG90s servo's. When you get a good one they work great and last a long time, unfortunately it seems more likely you'll get a poor quality knock-off these days than a good one with QC. I've grown convinced most of what is being sold out there (at least at the lower price points) are knock-offs and not genuine Tower Pro MG90s.
I happen to have a Hextronics HTX900 servo around, the shoulder is just a bit shorter than the MG90s so I made up a RD3 body to fit, so far I am impressed with how it works. It moves nice, there is no play/pull on the shaft like often happens with the MG90s, and there is absolutely no chatter even with the old firmware that keeps the servo powered all the time. I'm gonna give this one a real world torture test for a while and will report back how it does...
 
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