I have been trying to figure out why all of a sudden my 6 channel pololu board will not connect to my laptop since last night. I have tried using different cables, different power sources for motors (even though i think you dent need that to connect), different ports, reinstalling software and i have had no luck. there is an orangish blinking light in the corner of the board blinking when i plug it in but no other responses. It has worked many times in the past.
Thank you,
-Brock
In your photo, the red wire soldered to the corner pin seems to be directly connected to VBUS or VIN — can you confirm what it’s connected to?
If something shorted on USB VBUS, it may have damaged the USB section of the chip.
Inspect closely for any solder bridges, loose strands, or burned components — especially around the USB connector and the MCU.
I moved your post to the “Servo controllers and servos” section of the forum since it is about the Maestro.
You are correct that it does not require a separate power source to show up when connected via USB (the USB will power the logic side of the board).
What does the green LED do? For reference, when you plug in the USB, you should see the green LED start to blink slowly until it receives a particular message from the computer (indicating the that USB drivers are correctly installed); after that, the green LED should basically be solidly on. You can find more information in the “Indicator LEDs” section of the Maestro user’s guide.
What operating system are you using? Does the computer make any indication of that it has detected a device (e.g. making a sound or showing up in the Device Manager if you’re on Windows)?
Brandon