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Pixy2 Pan/tilt malfunction - shaking instead of panning

Pixy Hardware
#1

Hi,

I have recently purchased a Pixy2 with a pan/tilt kit and assembled it. It was working for 15 minutes or so (using Pan/Tilt demo in PixyMon) but then the unit started to shake continuously whilst powered via USB. I removed power, re-checked everything but could not find any problems. I found that if I removed the connection to the pan servo that the shaking stops and the tilt servo operates correctly in tracking vertical movement of objects, just not horizontal movements. Re-connecting of the pan servo causes the shaking to restart. I have also noticed that the unit becomes quickly hot, presumably from the ongoing rapid movements.

So:

  • I am using the USB cable included with the official Pixy2 pan/tilt kit to power the unit, not some 3rd party cable.
  • Given that I have confirmed that the tilt servo is working as expected, I am sure that the servos are plugged into the correct spots on the Pixy2 board.

Any other suggestions I can try?

#2

Hi Grant,
Sorry for the problems. Someone will be contacting you shortly.

Edward

#3

Look forward to hearing from someone. To clarify that when I said that I “noticed that the unit becomes quickly hot”, I was referring to the pan servo feeling hot. Also, the shaking occurs in any mode, not just whilst running pan/tilt demo.

#4

Thought I would clarify that the “shaking” is more like a rapid, continuous vibration.

Further troubleshooting is that I disconnected the tilt servo and then plugged the pan servo into the tilt servo connection on the Pixy2 so it was the only servo connected. As soon as power is connected, the pan servo starts vibrating again even though it is now connected differently to the Pixy2. It seems like the problem is related to the servo itself.

#5

Hi Grant,
Agreed, this sounds like a faulty servo. We’ll get another one sent out to you.

Edward

#6

Servo was definitely the problem. Big shout out to Peter from Tribotix (AU retailer) who replaced the servo straight away. Thanks also to Charmed Labs for your quick replies. Now back to trying to use it…

#7

Hi Grant, glad you got a replacement – let us know how it goes :slight_smile: