MotionMote, JST polarity and smoke [Fixed]

[mhaggerty]

I got a bit overzealous after receiving my LiPo battery for my new MotionMote and didn't check the polarity before plugging in the battery    There was some smoke and bit of sizzle when I inadvertently put my finger on the LDO trying to pull the battery connector off (got a nice rectangular burn mark on my thumb!).
Now the board does not work at all.  Any thoughts on troubleshooting steps to see if the board is salvageable?  I'd love be able to get it back in service vs. buying another...

Thoughts?

[Felix]

There is no LDO, just a charger and a mosfet. The charger is likely damaged. That's assuming you didn't have the Moteino plugged in when it smoked.
Send it back to me and I'll fix it up for you, just cover the shipping back to you.
Send me an email for how to do the return.
Thanks

PS. Although it happens in a very small percentage, I am looking at including reverse polarity in all my new board revisions.

[mhaggerty]

Hi Felix-  Thank you!  That is fantastic customer service!  I will send you an email shortly.  Fortunately I did not have Moteino connected when I plugged the battery in - phew!  Happy to hear that you will be modifying the boards to help us users avoid silly mistakes like this in the future. 

[TomWS]

PS. Although it happens in a very small percentage, I am looking at including reverse polarity in all my new board revisions.

It might be easier to replace the JST connector with a small screw terminal block.  This will force users to think about where the red wire should go...

There are probably more 'reversed' battery connectors available than the 'normal' Arduino style due to their common use on RC devices.   And, since the connector will have to been taken apart anyway (if it's reversed), it's probably easier to snip and strip than swap connector pins.

[Felix]

It might be easier to replace the JST connector with a small screw terminal block.  This will force users to think about where the red wire should go...

With all this said, I have only seen a handful of cases of reverse polarity damage, reported here or over email.
Kits and TH parts are fun but I fell people see them as tedious, they just want the thing - as quick as possible - without the fear to mess it up during assembly. For kits like SwitchMote - even the new pending R3, I will have to include a through hole terminal, for high voltage reasons.
But for all my other future designs I am trying to move as much as possible towards SMD since it makes it easy for everyone.
That also means through hole terminals are not an option. And I fear people will smoke even more boards that way, it's much easier and cheaper to just add revere polarity protection and be done with it that way. The JST connector is very convenient to machine pick/place vs soldering by hand, at least my personal preference.

[Felix]

mhaggerty,
Your mote is now fixed and I have messaged you about the return.
The charger was replaced and it can now charge the battery and work as expected.

[Sergegsx]

mhaggerty,
Your mote is now fixed and I have messaged you about the return.
The charger was replaced and it can now charge the battery and work as expected.

Excellent after sales service ! Great work felix.

[mhaggerty]

I received the package yesterday and set up in my mailbox - works great!  Thanks Felix for the excellent customer service.

[Felix]

My pleasure, enjoy!