32k sidecar issues, i think its shorting out some place?

[jrhodes]

My 32k just arrived in the mail (Thanks for a awesome product jedimatt!) but i seem to be having some issues.

My case is still not here yet, so i am running it without.

First off, son of a @#$ that thing connects and disconnects hard. I tried connecting to both the TI and speech synth, and it is just way too stiff for my liking.

The real issue though, is i think its shorting out somewhere?

I have the speech snyth disconnected and the 32k plugged into it.

I plugged the power into it with the jumper set to ext, and not connected to the TI, and the light comes on.

The strength of the LED changes the closer my hand is to the 32k. Closer, the light is brighter, away its dimmer.

All the pins are straight, nothing crossed.

I think it is working, as best i can tell, as XB allowed me to do a "harmless" (i hope?) CALL LOAD(0,0) without any error being reported.

Disconnected everything, wont continue using it until i get a good case for it.

If it matters, the house is a pretty old one, with no proper grounding.

Edited July 9, 2018 by jrhodes

[+arcadeshopper]

nevermind I reread it so it works

 

the led should only be on if it is being accessed for 32k.. which is only in a program using it.. SO in extended basic.. it will blink at a call init.. if you type size you should get 24488 bytes of program space free..ish.. depends on what is plugged in..

 

there's a 32k ram test program for finalgrom/flashrom if you have one of those

 

also did you get it from me or another?

 

Greg

[jrhodes]

nevermind I reread it so it works

 

the led should only be on if it is being accessed for 32k.. which is only in a program using it.. SO in extended basic.. it will blink at a call init.. if you type size you should get 24488 bytes of program space free..ish.. depends on what is plugged in..

 

there's a 32k ram test program for finalgrom/flashrom if you have one of those

 

also did you get it from me or another?

 

Greg

It is from you.

Any idea why the proximity of my hand effects the LED when powered by external power and not connected to the TI?

That is, admitably, just a bit strange as far as i am concerned...

 

I could not stand not playing with it some more, so here is some pictures proving it works OK.

Edited July 9, 2018 by jrhodes

[+arcadeshopper]

It is from you.

Any idea why the proximity of my hand effects the LED when powered by external power and not connected to the TI?

That is, admitably, just a bit strange as far as i am concerned...

 

I could not stand not playing with it some more, so here is some pictures proving it works OK.

IMG_20180709_170240.jpgIMG_20180709_170404.jpg

IMG_20180709_170540.jpgIMG_20180709_172455.jpg

Cool it's hard to equate a handle on here with a real name

 

No that's a new one on me I'll see if the ones I have here do that it

 

Sent from my LG-H872 using Tapatalk

[marc.hull]

My 32k just arrived in the mail (Thanks for a awesome product jedimatt!) but i seem to be having some issues.

My case is still not here yet, so i am running it without.

First off, son of a @#$ that thing connects and disconnects hard. I tried connecting to both the TI and speech synth, and it is just way too stiff for my liking.

The real issue though, is i think its shorting out somewhere?

I have the speech snyth disconnected and the 32k plugged into it.

I plugged the power into it with the jumper set to ext, and not connected to the TI, and the light comes on.

The strength of the LED changes the closer my hand is to the 32k. Closer, the light is brighter, away its dimmer.

All the pins are straight, nothing crossed.

I think it is working, as best i can tell, as XB allowed me to do a "harmless" (i hope?) CALL LOAD(0,0) without any error being reported.

Disconnected everything, wont continue using it until i get a good case for it.

If it matters, the house is a pretty old one, with no proper grounding.

You bought a shitty unbalanced power supply (which most are.) You moving closer is actually providing additional grounding. On a 5v system this amounts to NBD in the real world.

 

If the unit is plugged into the TI and the grounds from both are bonded (which I can't imagine they are not) then this behavior should disappear.

 

You can now say that you have been zapped by stray voltage. Hair raising ?

[jrhodes]

When plugged directly into the TI, the light acts as it should.

[marc.hull]

Then leave it plugged in and use it.

 

Yaaaaaaay ?

[HOME AUTOMATION]

If I were to power my 32k Sidecar up unconnected to a TI and it ever worked again I'd be pleased.

Sorry, that's what I know...

[marc.hull]

It's not that bad. It takes ideal conditions to cause what your talking about.

[+jedimatt42]

Waiving your hand near the light and it changing is it acting as it was designed ( or not designed to prevent that, as it were ), when the 4A is not ON.

 

The circuit handling the LED is a bit of a trick for inverting a signal and when the 4A is not ON, the controlling signals are not driven, they are floating. And yes, they respond like a ghost is in the room if the 4A is not powered on.

 

Sorry this creates so much confusion... my goal was cheap.. and to be done..

 

Everyones will do that. Some may need more help then others... tapping the middle of the extension connector pins is a good way to observe this.

 

---

 

I didn't build yours, but I'm sure the connector isn't 30 years old... and you have no leverage around it... 30 years ago the speech synths were nice and firm fits too, but you had a much larger handle, that you didn't consider so fragile. This is psychological. The larger the case you put it in, the less snug the connector seems to be. The edge connect is distributing the strain across 44 solder joints... it should be just fine.

 

-M@