Can’t connect to TCB, blinking red light

[Jib]

I was going to ask if I would toast the board by plugging in the main power to it AND plugging in the micro USB.

It’s weird that this would happen now, but maybe there was some kind of update to the computer that did something? It’s also an old tablet computer that lost its ability to hold a charge, so it has to be plugged into the wall to work. It’s much easier to bring the computer to the tank than the other way around.

Hopefully this works!

Thanks!

[Jib]

Luke you hit the nail on the head, that was it.

Turned on the tank, plugged in the micro usb, was able to connect to the TCB in OPConfig as normal. Not sure why this has happened now since I’ve been connecting to the TCB using the power from the micro usb only for a couple of months now, but maybe there was some kind of update, or more likely, my tablet is old.

[Sub]

"It’s also an old tablet computer that lost its ability to hold a charge, so it has to be plugged into the wall to work. "

There is that crucial bit of information that would have been useful right at the start !.

At least it is now functional and someone else may benefit from this.
Happy tanking.
Sub.

[LukeZ]

Hi Jib, I'm glad that's all it was. The TCB limits current from the USB connector to 500mA to protect the computer. That's enough to run the processor, the receiver, and a few other things, but if 5 volt externals connected to the TCB draw more than that you can have "brown-out" (low voltage) situations. There aren't many of those, most externals actually get battery voltage. But if you have a beefy servo or something, that could be a big 5 volt power draw. Or as you say, it could just be a limitation of the USB port on your deteriorating computer.

Although this wasn't the issue, it was mentioned earlier that the USB connector on the TCB might become flaky after too many insertions of the cable. If you want to protect the TCB connector, and also just give yourself an easier connection point than somewhere in the bowels of the tank, consider using a Micro-B male-female extender cable, or panel mount cable. Here are a couple examples on Amazon, but there are a million options both there and on AliExpress and all the other usual places:

Micro USB Male to Female 90 Degree Extension Cable

Micro B Male to Female Panel Mount Extension Cable