I’m running a Mini Maestro (running firmware v1.00) to operate a flipping mechanism but have an intermittent error- after about 4 days of operation, the servo sometimes freezes in position. I checked the error logs, and have 1 ‘Advanced updae late’ error, and 1 ‘basic update late’ error, so presumably I’m not hitting the same problem each time. A restart of my system fixes the problem.
I see there’s an updated firmware (v1.02), but is this a known issue that this will fix, or have I stumbled upon something new? I have all of the USB powersaving settings turned off in Windows, so it’s (probably) not a powersaving issue.
The errors you mentioned are performance flags from the Maestro. It is not unusual to see them happening once or twice, but I would not expect them to cause a servo to stop or freeze like you described. Since each of the errors happened once, everything should have been back to normal around 20ms later.
Can you give me more information about your system? How are you powering your servos and Maestro? How are you controlling the Maestro? Can you post your Maestro settings file? You can save your settings file by choosing the “Save settings file…” option within the “File” drop-down menu in the Maestro Control Center.
Also, the new firmware version is not likely to fix the problem, so we do not recommend upgrading.
The servo and Maestro are powered from a 12V DC supply.
The Maestro is being controlled by MicroManager (micro-manager.org/wiki/MaestroServo).
Settings file attached - and I note there’s a ‘suspend’ flag that I could change?
I’ve also already upgraded the firmware to v1.02 (oops!); can you send me the original firmware to change back if that is necessary?
It sounds like the problem might be with the USB connection. You might try running the Maestro Control Center before touching any of the hardware next time it happens so you can see if there are any error messages about the USB communication failing. If you are using a USB connection over long periods of time (e.g. a few days) I would recommend trying a USB cable with a ferrite bead at both ends. Using a powered USB hub between the Maestro and computer might help as well.
By the way, standard servos are typically rated for 4.8V to 6V, so you might double check that your servo can handle 12V. Also, if you already upgraded the firmware, you do not need to go back to the older version.
