Power Issues Apb C7042

[Turismo]

Hey All.

Looking for some help.

I have the above base running original firmware 0.85.

I have 2 c7038 psu. 1 old, 1 new.

The track seems to run fine in digital, although one lane feels more powerful than the other.

On analogue it becomes very pronounced.

Running some stock fly cars lane 1 just moves the car and lane 2 becomes mental.

Heaps of power.

Any thoughts?

 

Thanks for your help.

[shadow_rusty]

Firstly, have you checked the maximum throttle settings on cars 1 and 2 in analog mode.

If they are both 100%, swap the controllers.

If still no good, my guess would be a failed mosfet.

 

Blew 2 in my c7042. My issues were in digital, not analog.

[shadow_rusty]

These should be the right mosfet's if you do need some.

http://m.ebay.com.au/itm/371174261021?_mwBanner=1

 

[RikoRocket]

In digital the lanes are linked together by a relay, so you shouldn't find one lane better than the other.

 

But I think shadow_rusty is right, probably MOSFET failure note the normally fail in twos so check carefully

[mattcrackers]

G'day Turismo

 

Test all your track connections to make sure your everything is in good order, usually the cause of one lane slower than the other.

Wipe your rails (and rails only) with Inox Mx3, yeah it really does work.

Make sure your braids on the cars are clean, and using a small paintbrush apply some Inox Mx3 to these as well.

Get your APB firmware upgraded to 1.09, either borrow a cable or get one thru RikoRocket above, solves quite a few issues with the APB.

As RikoRocket says, in digital mode the lanes are linked so if you are noticing your car slower in the other lane, check your track connections in that lane.

I take it if you run different cars they still have the same problem.

If all else fails then look at pulling the APB apart.

 

cheers

 

Matt

[Turismo]

Thanks for replies.

I have switched controllers, it made no difference.

The problem was much less obvious when I used a digital car in analogue mode. About half a second a lap, in saying that though, lane 2 had more than enough power to drive the car off at any corner, not the case in lane 1.

I have wiped the track down, I have inspected all joins.

I can inox the rails and see if that helps. I'm doubtful, I did it within the last 2 weeks.

I have a cable on the way, so I will update firmware when it arrives, although, if I need to claim warranty (the unit is max 2 weeks old) am I better off leaving it stock?

 

I doubt I'd be capable of getting all technician on it to replace the mosfets

[shadow_rusty]

Try changing the direction when in analog mode.

The apb does have a slight power difference between the lanes.

[Turismo]

I changed direction in analogue mode previous to posting this topic.

It made no difference.

Is warranty my best or next move?

 

The mosfet fix, is that a fix or an upgrade?

Is there a tutorial on it?

Thanks again for the information

[Turismo]

Ok, I had a bit more of a play this morning.

 

The issue seems isolated to controller port 1. It's not the controller, ports 2,3,4,5,6 all seem to run fine albeit a bit of electrical 'jerkiness' , inox would probably sort that out, I didn't have time this morning before work.

I guess it all points to an issue on the PCB.

 

Can anyone shed any final thoughts on this before I take the next step?

 

What is the best 'next step'?

 

Thanks again.

[mattcrackers]

I'd take it back to your place of purchase, if you've only had it a few weeks I'd be seeking a replacement APB.

[Turismo]

Ok, I'll see how that goes.

[Turismo]

Retailer was super fast, already responded to me. I'm taking it in for testing etc.

[shadow_rusty]

The reason for switching direction in analog mode is that, even when the power base is working correctly, one lane is always slightly faster.

The lane that is faster switches when you change direction...

 

Excellent that it's still under warranty and they are assisting you...

 

 

Replacing the Mosfet's is not easy, once done is not covered by the warranty, and is most definitely a fix as they are equivelant parts to what is already inside.

Edited December 14, 2014 by shadow_rusty

[Turismo]

Thanks again for the info.

[Turismo]

Ok, firstly, I'm a noob, and now I feel like one.

 

The ONLY thing I didn't check was the Car 1 power level as I didn't think I had changed it.

Anyhoo, i was mucking around setting up pace cars and noticed power level for CAR 1 was 50%. Oops.Fixed now.

 

So, yeah, I inoxed the rails and my cars are flying. Lap times have tumbled.

 

However, I knew something wasn't right. Here's what I've found, it could still be a mosfet issue, I'm hoping once again you guys can help.

 

Car 1/lane1 in analogue seems to get power surges or spikes as the car accelerates. Now what I previously described before as less power isn't quite right.

If I gun it in a straight (full throttle) the car cruises down the straight.

If I touch the 60 - 75% throttle mark (approx) the car FLIES.

 

edit - I have checked controllers, and it doesn't change.

 

Any ideas on this one?

 

On a side question, is it normal for cars not to trip the lap counter in ghost car mode in analogue?

Edited December 15, 2014 by Turismo

[shadow_rusty]

No, this doesn't look like a mosfet issue...

 

Have you tried calibrating the controllers?

Have you tried the same car/controller combo in another port?

Have you tried several non chipped cars in analog mode to see if the issue occurs exactly the same on all of them?

Have you tried setting lane 1 full power to 80%?

 

The only time I've seen this issue is with high rpm long can motors...

Usually fitting a '103' cap across the motor fixes it.

 

And yes, pacer cars should trigger laps in either analog or digital modes...

[mattcrackers]

Pretty sure the lap counting issues are fixed when you upgrade the firmware to 1.09, see how it is after your cable arrives and you've done the update.

I've had cars that stutter,have power surges etc but this is usually the braids being worn, dirtied, give them a clean or replace them and see how the car goes.

 

Matt

[Turismo]

Car is running well, braids are good.

 

I will calibrate the controllers tomorrow.

The issue was detected on a scaley gt40

I have removed my 2 half straight starting grid pieces and put 3 full length straights before the pb.

I also added a piece of cardboard under the piece next to the pb. Since I have done this there has been no missed laps in a race. Just the pace cars.

I have tried different controller, car and port combos, the common denominator always seems to be port 1.

 

Just to clarify, it's like I'm getting max power at 70% throttle. So if I swoosh past that with the trigger I don't get full speed.

 

What would setting port 1 to 80% achieve?

[shadow_rusty]

Lowering the max power will lower the current draw through the powerbase...

As it makes 100% on the controller 80% on the track, it can sometimes help isolate the issue.

 

i.e. If it still occurs, then the problem look to be controller port / controller orientated. If it doesn't, it's more likely car / track based.

 

 

Also, when the issue occurs, does the powerbase / screen beep at all?

If so, the powerbase is going into safe mode briefly.

[Turismo]

no beeping.

 

I'll check the other things now

 

edit - it worked fine at 75% power and was only .2 of a second slower per lap versus '100%'

 

I've disconnected the base, I'm taking it in for warranty.

 

Interestingly after I plugged my pb4 back in it seemed to highlight how poor the other base was performing. In short, it seems to work better and smoother.

Edited December 16, 2014 by Turismo

[Turismo]

Just to report back on this.

 

My APB was replaced under warranty (on the spot). The new one runs without fault.

The cable arrived today, I'll be updating the firmware asap.