No reading from my DRV8834 while trying to configure a max current

[jmckeeota]

Heya Pololu forums!

Full disclosure: beginner here hoping for some insight. I’ve been trying so hard to get a vref reading to set the max current for my drv8834. I’ve tried to recreate the minimum wiring circuit as shown on the product page, but I’m not seeing any voltage on my multimeter. At first I thought it could be a soldering error, but I’m getting resistance between the pins. I also made sure to solder the jumper to enable the vref pin

Really appreciate any help I can get. Can anyone set me straight?

[BrandonM]

Hello.

Welcome to the forum!

Could you try measuring the VREF voltage at the VREF via, which is the small pin next to the VREF jumper? Also, could you post clear, close-up pictures of your DRV8834 driver carriers?

Brandon

[jmckeeota]

Thanks for the warm welcome Brandon!

Lo and behold, when I measure from the via, I’m getting voltage! That… probably means it actually was a soldering issue?

[BrandonM]

Many of your solder joints do not look like they are wetting to the pads and are probably not making very good connections. Adafruit’s Guide to Excellent Soldering is a good resource for referencing what a good solder joint should look like. Can you try re-working your solder joints so they look more like the ones shown in that guide to see if that solves the problem?

Brandon

[jmckeeota]

Thank you Brandon! I’ll re-work the soldering and use the link you gave me as a reference. Will let you know how it turns out.