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[deepliferecords]

i had all three working individually that i bought, everything worked as it should.  so i chained them together according to the instructions on the site.  now each led bargraph does not light up, the tx and rx on the arduino both do light up.

again, everything was working fine before i tried to chain more than one together. 

what might be messed up is the fact that i am using some 20 position idc sockets because i broke the little clips on the 16 position ones that came with the kit and i  ordered more ribbon cable because i needed longer ribbon cable than what came with the kits (i wanted to have the stribes in a square formation surrounding my monome (which i did build successfully). 

please help, i'm out almost three hundred bucks, but what hurts worse is the fact that i cannot succeed at this, help!  i had it working before, what could have happened?  the match pax shows activity, but not controlled activity, it just fluctuates between 20 and 40, no responsiveness with the softpot. 

[curiousinventor]

Hang in there, we'll get you back up and running, even if it means replacing some parts.

First, when you say nothing works anymore, did you try going back to connecting one at a time?  I'd recommend double checking the connections between the Arduino pins and the pins on the actual MAX7221s, just to make sure the ribbon cable isn't messed up.  The acrylic can get a little bit in the way, but since all but one of the signals go to both chips, you can check the outside of one chip and the outside of the other and be reasonably sure everything is right. 

Grab a multimeter and set it to resistance so you can see if there's a connection between two points (0 ohms).  Be sure to leave the power off.

Take a look at the pinout for the MAX7221 in its spec sheet. 

Double check that:

-Max7221.pin1 <--> Arduino.pin11
-Max7221.pin4 and Max7221.pin9 <--> Arduino.ground
-Max7221.pin12 <--> Arduino.pin2
-Max7221.pin13 <--> Arduino.pin13
-Max7221.pin19 <--> Arduino.5V


Assuming all those check out, turn the power on and check to make sure Max7221.pin18 is close to 5V.  It it's less than 4.6 or so and no LEDs are on, chances are something is shorted or burnt. 

Also, when everything is on (again only with one Stribe1), check the voltage on the analog pin on the Arduino... make sure that matches what the software is reading.  You might also check continuity between the center pin of the SoftPot touch strip and the analog pin on the Arduino. 

Just to be sure, it might not be a bad idea to disconnect all the wires from the Stribe1 and just run the Arduino with the software.  You should see the analog values wiggle around when you get your finger close to the analog pins.

Last question for now, did you buy fully assembled or kits?

-Scott

[deepliferecords]

just to clarify, i should connect the positive probe of the meter to pin 11 of the arduino and the negative probe to pin one of the topmost max 7221 (when the bargraphs are oriented to the right) ? 

these are from three kits.

[deepliferecords]

-Max7221.pin1 <--> Arduino.pin11 - nothing
-Max7221.pin4 and Max7221.pin9 <--> Arduino.ground - the only thing i can get to show is 10 ohms on the x1k setting on the multimeter when connecting the red probe to pin 4 and the black to pin 9 of the top max7221
-Max7221.pin12 <--> Arduino.pin2 - nothing
-Max7221.pin13 <--> Arduino.pin13 - nothing
-Max7221.pin19 <--> Arduino.5V - nothing

i am checking the top max7221, should i be checking the bottom one as well?

also, about the idc connector orientation, does it have to be "nubbin" on top (nudging the capacitor) obviously face down, and face up nubbin on top on the other end of the ribbon cable, might having these upside-down caused a problem when wiring them up? on your site it doesn't specify that detail.

it seems like the max's are toast, what do you think?

[ultrajosh]

Check out this pic, I think it answers your question about the "nubbins"?  (scroll right)



As far as the MAXs being "toast", usually it takes them getting cooked by too many amps and even then they fail sporadically (a few LEDs will still light up).  Orientation of led bargraphs and MAX7221s is critical so double-check these.  with the strip oriented vertically with the 2 MAXs at the bottom, all the bargraph PIN1's should be up and to the left, the 2 MAX7221 PIN1s should be orineted down and to the right).

You can bypass the ribbon connector and test with individual wires to take an element out of the failure chain (if you're not sure about your ribbon connector, you can also do a continuity check on each strand from connector to connector).

If you are really stuck you can always send them to me or Scott and we'll get them working for you. 

[deepliferecords]

Yes, I want to send them to you or Scott, where do I send them? 

[soundcyst]

(if you're not sure about your ribbon connector, you can also do a continuity check on each strand from connector to connector).

i'd recommend doing this anyway. make sure pins aren't bridged to their neighbors.

also, splitting that power from the board to two connectors in the ribbon cable seems like it's begging for confusion and/or damage. i guess that's an issue with the diecimila though for not providing two 5v outs.. ha.

[deepliferecords]

regarding the "nubbin" orientation, i do see the picture and had referred to it, but it does not show the orientation connection onto the male header of the pcb, cannot see if the nubbin is on top or on bottom.
i will check the continuity of the cable, but i really just need an address to send these to for repair, asap, please!

[curiousinventor]

Please send to:

Curious Inventor, LLC
RMA: 3529
245 N. Highland Ave.
Ste. 230-110
Atlanta, GA 30307

-Scott

[curiousinventor]

I'm not sure I know what you mean but the "nubbin"...  I believe the 10uF cap gets in the way unless the nub faces towards the inside of the Stribe, if that's what we're talking about.

In the following picture, it would go to the right:

[deepliferecords]

that's exactly what i meant, so since it is facing to the right, does that govern how the other idc connector should be oriented, or is it the same either way? (i.e. is the alignment of the strands in the ribbon cable flipped if the other idc is face up, nubbin up (vs face up, nubbin down). 

[curiousinventor]

yeah, flipping the IDC up or down will have an effect on which pins go to which wire strands in the ribbon.  Sorry for the confusion... I think the safest route at this point is to double check connections with a multi-meter.

[deepliferecords]

quite alright, i sent them in for you guys to take a look at, i am stumped

[deepliferecords]

just a quick note to commend the Stribe team for helping me get them fixed.  Great customer service and generous help, thank you!

[ultrajosh]

Please post some musical creations and/or video when you get a chance!