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Cannot activate self-test

vtgearhead
Sat, 27 Feb 2021 00:05:02 GMT

Just completed a Blue ESR. It's not working correctly: When power button is pressed, it turns on and shows a dash on the left display. Further presses do nothing. If leads are shorted, it reads .6 but button will not zero out the lead resistance. I'm also unable to turn it off without disconnecting the battery. I followed the directions for self-test (short 100-ohm resistor, use 6.2v supply), but the unit will not enter self-test - simply comes on and shows a dash. I've looked the board over under a magnifier and cannot find any solder bridges. Do these symptoms suggest anything in particular?

Bob Parker
Sat, 27 Feb 2021 02:14:28 GMT

Yes, they suggest that IC2 is not seeing the push button signal. There are 3 points on PCB which should normally be +5V (relative to battery negative) but drop to about +0.5V when the button is pushed. I've marked them on the attached photo of the board. If you're not seeing that happening on all those points, it should be fairly easy to find the open circuit on the copper side of the board. [Button_signal](//muut.com/u/anatek-forum/s2/:anatek-forum:loLY:button_signal.jpg.jpg)

vtgearhead
Sat, 27 Feb 2021 02:19:07 GMT

Fixed! A broken trace between D2 and pin 3 of the microcontroller. Please don't take this the wrong way, but the PCB quality in this kit is abysmal. I'd gladly have spent another $10-15 for a board with decent weight copper and solder mask. I had previously broken another trace (between base of Q7 and its adjacent components), but noticed it immediately. Anyway, working now.

Bob Parker
Sat, 27 Feb 2021 02:39:36 GMT

Glad you got it working OK. I only designed the meter and I have nothing to do with the kit production. I know the PCBs used to be solder-masked and reasonable quality. Do you mean that the copper side of the PCB isn't solder-masked, or just that it's appalling quality? It sounds like there's a quality control problem which needs to be looked into.

vtgearhead
Sat, 27 Feb 2021 03:43:24 GMT

Hi, Bob. I certainly was not pointing blame in your direction. I know the kit is put together by a third-party. The board uses the thinnest cladding I've seen in years, has no surface preparation (e.g. EMIG, et al) and no solder mask. I use a Metcal soldering station and have years of experience, yet I was lifting pads and tearing things in the normal course of construction. AnaTek really needs to address this, IMHO.

Bob Parker
Sat, 27 Feb 2021 04:02:21 GMT

No problem. Some people seem to think that I'm involved in the kit production. I'll pass on what you said to the people responsible for the kits. As you can understand, if the PCBs are poor quality, there will be more people having problems and asking me for help. 😕 Good luck with your meter now that you've got it working.