Pololu safe start error is Tic500 shot?

I uploaded a simple driver sketch to a Nano and ran it on my T500, but it did not work.

Now I’m getting a safe-start error on the Tic500 software, and it does not run in Windows. Every time I click “Resume” I get a new safe-start error.

Is this fixable?

I switched over to a simple L9110 and everything is easy. Pololu’s product is much more difficult to program and has really a high learning curve.

I moved your post to the “Motor controllers/driver and motors” section of the forum since it seemed more appropriate.

I am sorry you are having problems with your Tic controller. There is a larger learning curve to some of our products due to their versatility, but if you are interested in troubleshooting the problem, can you tell me more about your setup when you are just using it with the Tic Configuration Utility through USB? What are you using for your motor power supply? In the “Serial / I²C / USB” control mode, the Tic will generally set the “Safe start violation” error bit whenever it is not in the normal operation state. Do any other errors in the “Status” tab of the Tic Configuration Utility have a non-zero “Count” showing after you click the resume button? Also, could you post a copy of your Tic settings file? You can save your settings file from the “File” drop-down menu of the Tic Configuration Utility.

Brandon

I think your product is targeted at users with more familiarity with stepper controllers than I have.

I seem to have bricked two $25 Tic500’s in about 5 minutes, and not from doing anything like putting in too much power or something. It seems they can even be ruined by pulling out the motor wires while they are still powered up. Erk.

I would like to use Tic500 because it gives me the option of addressing multiple steppers, which I need.

As far as the settings, I moved them all back to default and still the Tic didn’t work. I even re-loaded the firmware, again nothing changed.

Aryeh

It’s very easy to damage electronics components by using them improperly, so it’s very important that you carefully read and understand the user’s guide. If there’s something in the user’s guide you find confusing, please tell us about it so we can try to make it more clear.

In general, it is good practice to not connect or disconnect anything while a system is powered. Most specifically, with inductive loads like motors, it can cause a large spike of voltage that can damage electronics. This is not specific to our drivers or controllers.

Did you actually disconnect your stepper motors while they were energized? If so and you started experiencing the problems directly afterward, there’s a good chance that the Tic is damaged.

Brandon