I was working on my X2 and had it installed in a robot that I am building which took tumble down a hill. I thought that everything would be all right but now I am not so sure. I tried to power it up and the blue power light comes on but it doesnt beep. I try to plug it into the computer and the yellow usb light stays off. While I was trying to troubleshoot I noticed that the bottom of the bottom board just below the buzzer is heating up, to the point where it almost burned me! I am now wondering if I fried my board somehow in the tumble, and if there is anything that can be done about it.
I’m sorry to hear about your robot’s fall. Was the Orangutan X2 mounted in a way that protected it? The voltage regulator can get very hot, so that by itself is not proof that the board is broken. Do you think that’s the part that is getting hot? What kind of current are you drawing on the 5V line, and what is your input voltage?
Well it itself did not get loose but I am afraid that other things might have been bouncing around with it. So I am not sure on that account. Yes I know that voltage regulators get hot, but near burn your skin they shouldn’t. Also when I plug in the usb it heats up considerably right around where the usb jack is. As for your question on how much current it is drawing, I cannot get a measurement. Whenever I try something to sense the current on the line, the board will flash the blue light momentarily right as I first push the button and then die off.
Also I believe that the VHN2 that I had with it is still good, so would it be possible to if nothing else to buy just the main board from you?
Lots of electronics, especially power electronics, can run much hotter than “burn your skin” hot. But, given the rest of your description, it sounds like something is definitely wrong, so you can send it back to us, and we’ll take a look at it.
You should generally contact us more directly for an RMA number. However, in this case, you can just send it to us with a description of the problem (e.g. mention this thread). Make sure you include all of your contact information. We can cover shipping the unit back to you by mail within the US; if you need faster or international shipping, you would have to pay for it.
