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Unread 27-01-2005, 10:44
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Sparks333 Sparks333 is offline
Robotics Engineer
AKA: Dane B.
FRC #1425 (Wilsonville Robotics)
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Join Date: Feb 2004
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Location: Wilsonville, Oregon
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Re: camera power supply

Phil,
That puff was probably your 5v regulator. We had something similar happen, where it started pulling all the current we could give it. Luckily, we had it on a modular power supply, and could vary the current, so we never blew it out, but there was a definite short between +7.2 and GND. We did all sorts of testing, and in the end, something wierd happened and it started working perfectly again.
To test yours, hook 5v (a KNOWN 5V SUPPLY CAPABLE OF REGULATING CURRENT, NOT A BATTERY!) set the current regulator to about 200 milliamps, and hook the leads up to the GND and 5V pins on the regulator. If the camera still works in this setup, it's something to do with the regulator, or maybe something before that. If it doesn't, then a chip or something blew, and you're outta luck.

Good luck!

Sparks
__________________
ICs do weird things when voltage is run out of spec.

I love to take things apart. The fact that they work better when I put them back together it just a bonus.

http://www.ravenblack.net/random/surreal.html