Robot Controller 12v Power Spade Pulls Out PCB

[Dale(294engr]]

Has anyone else experienced RC primary power pins pulling out ?

(our neg pulled out with spade)

We are concerned about power interruption during competition.

Rule does not permit opening the RC to properly re-solder to the printed circuit board.

It appears the two pins beneath & part of spade were soldered to the mother board and are addityionally supported by metal support in the RC case.

Are these supports electrically connected to the board ?

(i.e. can we solder the spade to these for a reliable connection ?
from outside top of RC
or may we open the RC to fix it properly)

I have a JPG pict but can't reduce it to 100k using this PC's applic to post (25%min =267k)

[Mike AA]

SEND IT TO IFI IMMEDIATELY! CALL THEM UP, GET AN RGA# THEN SHIP IT OUT NEXT DAY. You will probably see it back within 3 days all nicely fixed.

-Mike

[M4 Sherman]

Ours fell out one year. All we did is reheated it with an Iron and it worked fine. (although I dont suggest trying it)

[KTorak]

Originally Posted by M4 Sherman

Ours fell out one year. All we did is reheated it with an Iron and it worked fine. (although I dont suggest trying it)

We did the same last year, however, I dont recommend it either, lol. It was a risky last minute fix that was kept a secret

[AdamHeard]

We called IFI about a week ago, and they (I have no idea who I talked to; Hindsight says I should've checked this) said to swap at the first regional because they don't ship this late in season.

Also, for any teams with a similar problem; We shoved it back in and it has stayed so far. We have done about 4-5 hours of testing with the RC on and driving around 2 hours without any loss of power. Our fear is that it may wiggle and open up more, causing a more severe issue.

[Al Skierkiewicz]

This is a common problem with the RC and the Spikes. When this occurs, it has the potential to damage the multilayer board. IFI is the best to handle this, so follow their instructions.

[Stillen]

stick it in as far as it will go, put a dab of locktiite on it, go to sleep forget about it....

[Al Skierkiewicz]

Originally Posted by Stillen

stick it in as far as it will go, put a dab of locktiite on it, go to sleep forget about it....

Please don't do this...

[robochick1319]

This is 1319s solution to the 12v power spade pulling out problem. Good luck to everyone this season.

[amos229]

If you open it, you will void the warranty

[Joe Ross]

We had this problem with an old controller. Since we didn't have to worry about surviving competition, we put it back in and resoldered.

However, this year, one of the teams we are mentoring didn't just have the connector pull out, it was sheared off, so the pin was still in the hole. That makes it impossible to ensure a good mechanical connection.

In either case, I wouldn't trust any repair to last for a long competition season.

[dez250]

Originally Posted by Stillen

stick it in as far as it will go, put a dab of locktiite on it, go to sleep forget about it....

If you do this, you might as well call a new order in now. The IFI equipment is housed in a thermoplastic molding. These plastics do not stand up to some epoxies [like loctite] and will "dissolve" when used together. The photo below will show you what i am trying to explain. The best bet for you to try now is to use a previous controller if you have to do testing, and ship the broken one with your robot and get a loaner at your regional, until IFI can repair it.