VESC DRV8302 Failures and Repair Options

I think I just killed my VESC completely :frowning: I bought a new DRV8302 chip and soldered it. But it just doesnā€™t turn on anymore.

We must note somewhere, this repair work is extremely advanced. I have been involved in electronics hobbies for 6 years now. I have never done SMD before let alone this chip with GND pin underneath the chip.

If you are not experienced and have absolutely right equipment, donā€™t try. Just donā€™t. Buy a new one.

I feel very upset spending extra to fix it rather than just buying a new one. I spent 70-80 euro on equipment & material and screwed it up completely.

EDIT : IT WORKED! :smiley: I canā€™t believe it. It works. https://www.instagram.com/p/BOp-QMWDTST/

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Good job man, it can be tricky

Do you have any advice on how to test it to verify the fix?

I connected to BLDC tool, it shows everything fine. No error/fault. I ran motor from BLDC tool, it seems to spin fine. Except it did not power on by USB alone. I had to connect Lipo then it is detected on USB.

Solder pads came off for pins 4 , 5 completely. Solder pads came off HALF for pins 6, 55, 20. But I probed their pathway and they still have connection. I bridged pin 21 with a thin cable.

SMD isnā€™t too bad once you get the hang of itā€¦ Thatā€™s when you can really get crazy with pcb design. Glad you fixed it!

Donā€™t you need at least 12v to power it? I was under the impression that you always had to have it powered and not only usb

The vesc will not power on w only the usb.

If you are able to run the motor detection, time to test it under stress, slap it in your board

Great to hear!

Switched to FOC, did motor test (r&l test), stress test riding -> All OK, no problem.

This was most challenging soldering I have ever done. I cant believe I did it :smiley:

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yes, did that already.

maybe some FET is not switching ON? can they be tested without desoldering?

I has a small amount of water get into my enclosure, Iā€™ve cleaned and dried everything. When I power up the VESC the DRV chip gets really hot, and the red led blinks once on startup. I can still drive the Motor but under any load it cuts out and reboots the VESC. Any advice? Or is the DRV chip cooked. In 2 years I think Iā€™ve blown 7 VESCs with DRV chip problems, so fucking over it, why are they so unstable? Any more of this and Iā€™m outa here, Iā€™ll just somehow put 4 years of e-boarding, all the money Iā€™ve shelled out and the thrills Iā€™ve had behind me :confused:

It seems like most of the problems with vescs is with the drv8302 chip. How hard would it be to build a socket for the chip, so that those of us without equipment could replace it ourselves?

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Sounds like a good idea except I that wouldnā€™t last with all the vibrations.

Donā€™t want to burst you bubble, but the drv isnā€™t a thru-hole component, it also need a really good connection over the ground pad at the bottom, wich you wonā€™t have in a socketā€¦ also it will need double the seize of the actual vesc to get all the connection right

What did you use to clean itā€¦ ?

Why would you be ā€œbusting my bubbleā€? From the posts I have read, it would seem that many issues revolve around replacing that particular chip. It would help if it was easier to replace.

Just throwing ideas out there. I only know of soldering wires. I have very little experience with soldering chips on board. So, if that isnā€™t feasible, what else could be done to make this vesc easier to repair or less likely to fail due to drv8302 failure.

Well, first option is to buy better quality vesc, second is always be carefull, double check your soldering and make sure that every cable is properly isolate before injecting any power, third double check your parameter inside the bldc tool and never forget to run a motor detectionā€¦ and dont use foc unless you have been use to the vesc before. Finaly, Always be cautiousā€¦ VESC are open source controller, and not a product that was made for a easy use, it is a procduct that is still in developement.

A toothbrush with a small amount of WD40 on it to avoid any corrosion

sorry but you shouldĀ“ve learned from that point and buy vescs from good vendors with good known quality and guaranty! I would have thrown everything over from the, lets say, 3. Vesc? :smiley:

OK, WD40 might be one of the worst thing you can use to clean electronic, because it leave some highly conductive oily residue, that will resistance over all the pcb making it over heat and create over current at some point. It is a long shoot but if clean it using product that a specially made for cleaning electronic (like isopropyl alcohol, flux remover), you might be able to save it (just stop using it until further notice).

Good solution to making a DRV easier to replace it having the DRV on a separate pcb and that connects to the main pcb say like the chip on an arduino uno. Could that not be possible?

Would it help save the DRV if you use a 4.7uf Cap instead of the BOMā€™s 2.2 uf in C26? Like @chakaā€™s C18 upgrade? Iā€™m asking because I bought 2 vescā€™s from TB and want to fill that c26 gap so Foc is less risky.

Yep, you canā€¦ If I remember correctly the choice for 2.2uF was made partially for cost reductionā€¦ so 4,7uF should work just fine

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