14 replies to this topic

[Caruso]

I have been having an issue with installing an internal ammo counter that I have tried with counters form two different makers. The issue is that when the flywheel motors rev up, the counter resets. I actually have burnt out two arduinos. The blaster has a Dr Snikkas metal flywheel cage, MTB 130 rhinos, and is power by 3 IMRs for 11.1 volts. And the counter is power by 4 standard AA and have pretty thin wires,

 

If anyone know how to fix it or even just an idea, it will be greatly appreciated. Thank you.

[SirBrass]

Is your board isolated from the motors electrically? That is, your ammo counting board has no electrical connections to the motor circuits?

Also, what blaster is this? Rapidstrike, hyperfire, or a stryfe variant (stryfe, raven, demolisher, or other mechanical pusher blaster)?

How are you counting shots, btw?

Edited by SirBrass, 03 March 2017 - 02:11 PM.

[Caruso]

Is your board isolated from the motors electrically? That is, your ammo counting board has no electrical connections to the motor circuits?

Also, what blaster is this? Rapidstrike, hyperfire, or a stryfe variant (stryfe, raven, demolisher, or other mechanical pusher blaster)?

How are you counting shots, btw?

The wires for both the motor and counter run next to each other down the my strayven. And the shots are counter by IR sensors attach to the brass  barrel of the flywheel cage.

[SirBrass]

How insulated are your motor wires? Proper silicone or teflon insulated 18 or 16awg?

Also, is there any electrical wiring in common between the board and your motors?

[Caruso]

How insulated are your motor wires? Proper silicone or teflon insulated 18 or 16awg?

Also, is there any electrical wiring in common between the board and your motors?

I believe the motor wires are 18 gauge I bought it from radio shack a long time ago.

 

There is no common wiring, each is on it's own system.

[SirBrass]

Then I'm puzzled how activating your motors is burning out your board. I doubt there's enough inductive current able to be transmitted from the motors to the board's circuits to do it. Not with proper insulation on the 18awg.

Does the board fry when there's a dart passing through the IR beam or when the motors spin up regardless of if there's a dart breaking the beam or not?

[Meaker VI]

Do you have a short somewhere? Sounds like there is a lot of metal that could be conducting electricity from one system into the other if you've got a bare wire or something somewhere.

[Draconis]

How insulated are your motor wires? Proper silicone or teflon insulated 18 or 16awg?

The insulation shouldn't make any difference in this case.  The only real reason that silicone insulation is preferred is the flexibility provided.  I doubt that there is enough voltage being generated by the field to break through the insulation and the air gap.  However, I would not be surprised if the EMI from the current driving the motors were high enough to induce enough current to zap the data lines.

[SirBrass]

The insulation shouldn't make any difference in this case.  The only real reason that silicone insulation is preferred is the flexibility provided.  I doubt that there is enough voltage being generated by the field to break through the insulation and the air gap.  However, I would not be surprised if the EMI from the current driving the motors were high enough to induce enough current to zap the data lines.

It's possible. Maybe I was just assuming that an EMI decoupler was included in protecting the arduino.

[SirBrass]

Seems there was a similar issue on the britnerf forums. Capacitor was the answer: http://britnerf.co.u..._about3869.html

[Caruso]

Then I'm puzzled how activating your motors is burning out your board. I doubt there's enough inductive current able to be transmitted from the motors to the board's circuits to do it. Not with proper insulation on the 18awg.

Does the board fry when there's a dart passing through the IR beam or when the motors spin up regardless of if there's a dart breaking the beam or not?

The burning out the board was probably my fault, But that haven't be main issue. The main issue is that when I rev the motors it resets the counter. I am in the process of changing out the wiring to 18 gauge with insulation of 0.82 instant of 0.42. 

 

The insulation shouldn't make any difference in this case.  The only real reason that silicone insulation is preferred is the flexibility provided.  I doubt that there is enough voltage being generated by the field to break through the insulation and the air gap.  However, I would not be surprised if the EMI from the current driving the motors were high enough to induce enough current to zap the data lines.

 Is there any way to protect from that?

[Draconis]

Insulation is probably not the issue.  You could try shielding the power wiring with aluminum tape or something, or move the routing for the data lines.  We might be able to give more specific advice if you can post a couple of pictures of everything in the shell.

Edited by Draconis, 05 March 2017 - 01:32 PM.

[Ming Batt]

What's the counting mechanism? If it's a switch behind the trigger, would its distance from the motors be far enough to not receive any EMI?
If the counting mechanism is through an IR gate, I'm assuming it's physical location is near the motors. Since I don't have too much experience with your setup, could the motors generate enough heat to mess with the IR readings?

[SirBrass]

No, the motors don't generate that much heat. Not unless something is very very wrong with the motors.

[Caruso]

I am getting a new counter with an EMI decoupler in tomorrow. I will post how it goes and if it doesn't work, I will get pictures.