Mindboards

So I've got a PF-XL motor. Its wire is shorted out. I already contacted LEGO and got a replacement, so I'm wondering what I should do with the broken one. Try to fix it? Take it apart? Use the plug for other purposes? Thanks for any suggestions.

P.S. like my new avatar? I made it using the Pocoyize app for Windows 8. My little sister saw it in the app store when I was looking, and started screaming "Pocoyo" which is apparently a show with characters of this style.

May I make a shamelessly self-promoting suggestion? I made this tutorial a while back on turning old cables (from things like broken motors) into NXT - PF wires, so you can program all of your other PF stuff with your NXT -- timing, speed ramping, blinking lights -- the possibilities are endless!

Here's the link: http://worldofmindstorms.com/2011/03/26 ... pf-cables/

The result will be a cable that you plug into your NXT's motor ports and connect to one (or two or three or infinite) PF thing(ies). To use it, just sent power to the port (1-100%) and the motors will behave accordingly. They work for lights too making them dimmable.

One thing though: if you're programming using RobotC, make sure to turn off motor PID.

Is the wire broken, or is the motor bad?

If it's the wire is good, I'd try making some more conversion cables, cutting up NXT wires.

If the motor is good, I'd splice an NXT wire directly on, for direct connection to an NXT.

Steve

hassenplug wrote:Is the wire broken, or is the motor bad?

If it's the wire is good, I'd try making some more conversion cables, cutting up NXT wires.

If the motor is good, I'd splice an NXT wire directly on, for direct connection to an NXT.

Steve

The wire is broken. It started at BrickWorld, and steadily got worse. I almost couldn't get it to run on my Satellite Repair bot at the July Chibots meeting. I think the short is somewhere in the middle, so I'll probably make a NXT-PF cable and the motor directly attached to a NXT cable. Or, maybe I'll put a 9V connector on the motor for use with older stuff.

I think a 9v connector would be the most useful. There are plenty of PF-9V cables and MS-9V cables as well. The 9V is the oldest and most commonly compatable connection. Just don't try to run an XL on an RCX, you'll overload the motor drivers.

Hey,

If it were me, I'd totally crack the thing open and figure out which wire was broken. I'm not too sure if you are too into that, but otherwise it would be a waste of a perfectly decent motor. I would just use a volt/continuity meter to check each wire for continuity and go from there!

Best,
Robotman!