Ok, we just ran some tests using the advice posted above and here is what we came up with.
First per Russ's suggestions we tried it with the wall-wart that came with the gaming adapter. The gaming adapter was powered up first and then the robot was powered up. The results were the same as usual. No Comms. We waited more than 5 minutes.
Unfortunately I don't have a variable power supply capable of delivering enough amps for the whole system. I do have a 13.8VDC 100Amp power supply used for car audio system testing. With it connected as a replacement for the battery we observed ~13.5VDC on the output of the PD board for the gaming adapter. With a battery we got a similar 0.3VDC drop (battery 12.8V and output ~12.5V).
I think the PD board is fine. Onto testing the gaming adapter using Eric's suggestions:
Quote:
Originally Posted by EricVanWyk
I need a few more pieces of information:
What are the adaptors LEDs doing when it is not working?
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POWER = (either) Solid Orange (or) Solid Green
ETHERNET = Solid Green
WIRELESS = Off
SECURITY = Off
Quote:
Originally Posted by EricVanWyk
What is the voltage it is getting when it is not working?
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See above. About 0.3V less than the voltage input to the PD board.
Quote:
Originally Posted by EricVanWyk
Next time it stops working, record those and post. Then, pull the plug out of the adapter and plug it back in. Wait ~15 seconds. Does it work?
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Yes, that is what we have been doing except we usually haven't been waiting 15 seconds before powering it back up. We have been unplugging and plugging it back in multiple times but waiting less than 15 seconds before plugging it back in each time. If it didn't start working on the 3 or 4th time we would cycle the whole system off, count to 10, and then restart. That would usually work. We must learn a little more patience I guess.
Quote:
Originally Posted by EricVanWyk
If it does, it is a problem with your adapter. I alerted Linksys to a problem a few months ago. If the power glitches OR takes too long to ramp up, it will hang indefinitely.
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Seems like we have a bad gaming adapter. We will get another one and try it out. Hopefully that is the problem since the gaming adapters are half the cost of a PD board and MUCH easier to replace.
Thanks for everyone's help. We will post how it turns out after we get a new game adapter.