Paul C. Buff, Inc. Technical Forum

Had an interesting little event happen yesterday with the CC:

I just bought this CC about 5 weeks ago and the batteries that shipped with it were finally yielding the "LOW BATT" indicator. So of course I went to replace the batteries with some lower voltage rechargeables (yes I know they are not recommended). Replaced the cover and the unit would not power on. Nothing. No sign of life whatsoever. It was essentially dead. OK, so I removed batteries and checked voltages and they read as charged. I then tried some brand new alkalines that read 1.5v on the meter. Still nothing. Tried the original batteries and also nothing - not even a LOW BATT warning or anything - no display whatsoever. Great, somehow the thing just shorted out or something got fried.

I then just left the batteries out and came back to it about 30 min later to try again. Still nothing. Guess I better return the unit. Sent an e-mail to support.

Later in the day, nearly 8 hours later, just on a whim and because I know how electronics can be very finicky and exhibit voodoo behavior, I put the original batteries in the unit again. Guess what. Yes, it did indeed power on.

So while I'm certainly glad the unit seems to be working again, the obvious issue of reliability comes into question. I did decide to order a CST so I have a backup with the CC, but now I am wondering if I should send it in or just run with it and see how it behaves.

Anyone else have this happen?

Remove the SD card, and try new batteries. See if you can get replicate the results by reinstalling the SD card and swapping batteries. Also, make sure the batteries are oriented correctly :)

I have no experience yet with even tampering with the SD card. Are you saying I should try running the unit without the SD card at all? Should the SD card be replaced and/or removed while the batteries are in the unit or do they need to be removed first? What are the specific steps/conditions I should take in trying to replicate the dead unit syndrome? What is suspected as possibly being the problem? Have other units been reported with similar problems?

Thank You! :)

The Cyber Commander can be run without the SD card. You will only not have the option to save or recall set ups to/from the card.

The problem usually arises if the Cyber Commander crashes from a low battery scenario. It is possible that the cause is something different, however. If the card is for some reason corrupt, the CC may not be able to reference it in the start up procedure, and gets stuck in a loop, resulting in the unit not powering on. Removing the card under these conditions usually results in the unit coming on, and otherwise performing properly.

By having the card installed while you do a battery swap we are attempting to replicate the steps you made when the problem appeared. If the unit does not come on, remove the card and see if the unit then powers up. If so, reinstall the card to see if the unit powers on at that time. If not, we can probably surmise the the card is the root problem.

If that is the case, the card can probably be reformatted and reused. It should be reformatted to "FAT" on a PC. FAT on a Mac is FAT32, which is not compatible. If you do not have access to a PC, at least let us know if the card seems to be the culprit.

Also remove the card and swap the batteries, keeping the card out at all times. If the problem persist while never introducing the card, then it is not the card.

The reason we do not recommend NiMH batteries is due to their inherently lower voltage. This lower voltage is barely enough to run the Cyber Commander at a full charge. If there is not enough "mili-amperage" to maintain that charge, or if the charge has been lowered, the batteries may not be able to maintain operation, or initiate operation at all. Run time from NiMH batteries will also be lower, due to the lower maximum voltage.

This is not a common problem, but it is one we see from time to time, and a card reformat or replacement almost always corrects it. However, if it does not, please let us know and we will get it corrected.

THANKYOU!

Now that I understand what to look for I will try those things.

Hugely appreciated. :P

:D