LowPowerLab Forum

Hardware support => ATXRaspi => Topic started by: jmwojcie_2000 on October 05, 2017, 12:57:38 PM

Title: ATXRaspi ShutDown LED [solved: bad solder/flux causes shorts!]
Post by: jmwojcie_2000 on October 05, 2017, 12:57:38 PM
I have read through all the install guides, watched the videos and have read through as much as I can find in previous posts.  I am still having some issues with my ATXRaspi and now am thinking the problem may be with the device itself.  After trying many different things including different buttons and unsuccessfully playing with the scripts, I found the information below.

I have followed some testing procedures from Felix in the following post:  https://lowpowerlab.com/forum/atxraspi/system-does-not-power-down-(solved)/15/ (https://lowpowerlab.com/forum/atxraspi/system-does-not-power-down-(solved)/15/)

"To verify you have a good ATXRaspi please completely disconnect it from your Pi. You can test it by itself. Just turn it ON using the button as normally. At that point the output side will have 5V. Simulate a Pi boot OK by connecting the BOOTOK to the 5V output (with a jumper wire) - the LED next to BOOTOK will turn ON. Now hold the button for 3 seconds. That should assert the SHUTDOWN signal and turn the LED next to it, also the LED connected (if any)  to your button will start pulsing. Give it a few seconds and then disconnect the BOOTOK signal from 5V. At that point the BOOTOK LED turns off and the pulsing will be faster on the button LED. After another few seconds power will be cut off."

When I follow the procedure above, the ATXRaspi seems to perform as expected (BootOK LED, button function, status LED) with the exception of the ShutDown LED.  As soon as I hit the button to power on, the ShutDown LED turns red and stays on constant until the power is cut from the board during the shutdown test process.


Am I wrong to assume there is something wrong with the device since the ShutDown LED is not supposed to come on as soon as power is turned on?
Title: Re: ATXRaspi ShutDown LED
Post by: Felix on October 05, 2017, 01:11:26 PM
Am I wrong to assume there is something wrong with the device since the ShutDown LED is not supposed to come on as soon as power is turned on?

You are correct, the SHUTDOWN red LED should not come ON. It only comes on under the condition that BOOTOK is ON, and button has been held for the shutdown threshold amount of time (2s+).
Are you using a momentary button (ie non latching)?
Can you double check the board has no solder bridges anywhere? Perhaps could you take some high res photos of TOP and BOTTOM and post a link here for inspection?
Title: Re: ATXRaspi ShutDown LED
Post by: jmwojcie_2000 on October 05, 2017, 01:47:43 PM
Felix,

Thank you for your quick reply.  I am using a momentary switch.  It does not appear that there are any soldering bridges.  I will have to post photos separate due to the upload limit.
Title: Re: ATXRaspi ShutDown LED
Post by: jmwojcie_2000 on October 05, 2017, 01:48:07 PM
Second pic
Title: Re: ATXRaspi ShutDown LED
Post by: Felix on October 05, 2017, 01:57:09 PM
Ok thanks, all appears in order.
One last question, did you perform the diagnostic ON test with any connections from ATXRaspi to Pi or anything else?
Title: Re: ATXRaspi ShutDown LED
Post by: jmwojcie_2000 on October 05, 2017, 02:14:21 PM
The diagnostic ON test was performed with the connections you see in my first post.  Just the button, status LED and eventual BOOT OK connection.  The Pi was not used at all.
Title: Re: ATXRaspi ShutDown LED
Post by: Felix on October 05, 2017, 02:41:29 PM
Ok please turn ON the board without any other connections, just the button and status LED, nothing else.
What is the behavior then (BOOTOK and SHUTDOWN leds)?
Title: Re: ATXRaspi ShutDown LED
Post by: jmwojcie_2000 on October 05, 2017, 02:48:57 PM
Its hard to see in the pic, but the red ShutDown LED on the board is on.
Title: Re: ATXRaspi ShutDown LED
Post by: Felix on October 05, 2017, 03:13:34 PM
Thank you, return for inspection pending.
Title: Re: ATXRaspi ShutDown LED
Post by: Felix on October 13, 2017, 04:14:00 PM
Got your board, indeed it had the behavior you described, the SHUTDOWN LED was ON as soon as the board came ON, sometimes flickering. Very strange and I've never seen this before.

Although the solder job looked ok from below the board, lifting the plastic spacers of the headers reveals a really nasty suprise.
There was a TON of flux and some strange residue between the PCB and the headers, hidden by the plastic part.
I removed the headers, cleaned everything up, added new headers, now everything works as expected.
So lesson to take home: not sure what solder you used but cheap solder that has tons of flux in it can cause shorts, corrosion and other problems.

(https://i.imgur.com/JNTcivP.png)
Title: Re: ATXRaspi ShutDown LED [solved: bad solder/flux causes shorts!]
Post by: efrank on October 10, 2019, 09:34:02 PM
I wish my solution was that simple, I've spent way too many hours over the last 3 days in the forum trying to find a similar situation regarding no shutdown or rebooting but no luck. Somehow I must have done something to the ATX board when soldering. So without spending anymore time on this and or wasting anyone else's time, I'm just gonna buy another one and see if I can do a better job.
Title: Re: ATXRaspi ShutDown LED [solved: bad solder/flux causes shorts!]
Post by: efrank on October 20, 2019, 10:47:41 PM
Ok so I received my new Atx-Raspi, and it works...Yaaay!! However, the button press works opposite, meaning, the short push will shut the Pi off, and the long push reboots it???? But you know what, as long as it works I'm ok with that. I can remember which is which so just as long as this doesn't hurt anything, I'm a happy guy :)   
Title: Re: ATXRaspi ShutDown LED [solved: bad solder/flux causes shorts!]
Post by: Felix on October 21, 2019, 11:05:51 AM
efrank, please see the Atxraspi guide (https://lowpowerlab.com/guide/atxraspi/features/) for the change in behavior of R3, and how to reverse the short/long press behavior.
Title: Re: ATXRaspi ShutDown LED [solved: bad solder/flux causes shorts!]
Post by: efrank on October 21, 2019, 03:20:18 PM
Thank You Felix, I found what you were talking about, but man that's just too "tiny" of an area for my fat fingers and poor eyesight to accomplish. Like I said before, as long as its not hurting anything, I'll just let it operate the way it is now. 
Title: Re: ATXRaspi ShutDown LED [solved: bad solder/flux causes shorts!]
Post by: efrank on October 22, 2019, 04:15:01 PM
So after I tested the ATX board and found that it does indeed work, I then soldered on the headers and sure enough the bootok led doesn't go on yet again! Maybe it's the solder I have that's junk idk, and I also noticed that it doesn't flow the way your's does in the video, (btw, you make it look so easy too) that maybe it's not making a good connection. But ya know, since I've had to buy 2 ATX boards, I would have gladly paid that much for 1 had it come with the headers already attached to make it totally "plug and play". It's really not about the money, I guess I'm just too old to work on anything this small anymore, but at least I tried right.

Best wishes to everyone :)         
Title: Re: ATXRaspi ShutDown LED [solved: bad solder/flux causes shorts!]
Post by: Felix on October 22, 2019, 09:01:39 PM
Good solder is pretty essential. Or it can cause all kinds of problems.
Not enough (or good) flux can cause poor solder joints (aka cold joints).
Bad flux can lead to corrosion.
I would recommend a leaded no-clean brand name solder wire. Something like this (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00068IJWC/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1) or like this (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00068IJOU/ref=ox_sc_saved_title_2?smid=AJ3PYHDIZANTK&psc=1).
Title: Re: ATXRaspi ShutDown LED [solved: bad solder/flux causes shorts!]
Post by: efrank on October 26, 2019, 02:17:39 AM
Ok so I bought some good solder and a new soldering iron, and it still doesn't work. My solder joints might not be perfect but they're not that bad either. The red Led flashes when I put power to it and the BootOk led is dimly lit, the switch Led wont go on (and I tested it off the ATXRaspi and it works fine) but apparently it works enough to turn the pi on. Like I said in an earlier post, the board worked, but that was before I put a soldering iron to it. I mean really??? If this ATXRaspi is that sensitive why not have the headers already attached because this is crap!! I'll admit that I'm not a professional when it comes to soldering, but I'm no novice either.

So if this is all "my fault", I have no clue as to what I did wrong, however, what I do know is that I have 2 boards now that turned out to be a total waste of time and money, and needless to say, I'm very disappointed.     
Title: Re: ATXRaspi ShutDown LED [solved: bad solder/flux causes shorts!]
Post by: Felix on October 26, 2019, 09:09:12 PM
I can say that these boards do not just die from soldering. Makes no sense. "Sensitive" Depends what you mean. They don't have emotions or a personality :)
But why not just ask me to solder the boards for you when you place the order?
I'd do it for free knowing how much trouble you're having. And I'd ensure you're getting a good board, which you still have to ensure you wire it up correctly on your end - I can't control that, but at least I'd like to help. I can even offer you to ship them back and I'll try to fix them for you, except if they are dead I can't do miracles.
Title: Re: ATXRaspi ShutDown LED [solved: bad solder/flux causes shorts!]
Post by: efrank on October 28, 2019, 04:41:09 PM
Makes no sense to me either, and I know everything was connected correctly because I always make it a point to verify all of my connections before adding any power. However, I might just send those boards back to you just to see if you can figure out what "I" did wrong because like I said, the board worked before soldering. If you're able to fix them that would be a bonus, but if they're dead, well, I'm not expecting any miracles either :) 

I do appreciate your willingness to help me out Felix, and I will also buy another one soon because the ATXRaspi is a good product. 

Thank you very much :)
Franklin     
Title: Re: ATXRaspi ShutDown LED [solved: bad solder/flux causes shorts!]
Post by: Felix on October 28, 2019, 05:32:39 PM
No problem, you can return to the return address on the original packaging, or email me for details.