Hi,

First post here

It seems I have the same kind of problem

Rows 2 and 5, and column 6 don't work properly...
The Meggy JR RGB also sometimes reboots without reasons, and sound is "crappier" than
usual...

At first I thought it was the LCD panel which was defective, so I ordered a new one,
but it didn't change a thing.

I will now read through the entire thread, and see if it helps me

Bye and thanks, Magic Sam

p.s: it is one of my first soldering experience...

Hi Magic Sam,
I've split your post from the other topic because it is probably *not* related. Having several rows out, and flaky behavior are signs of poor solder connections, not of bad components.

If you can be more specific about exactly what's out-- it's probably not *full* rows and columns, but some colors and some columns --and where you're counting from, that might help a bit.

However, in any case, it's likely that you can solve the issues yourself by carefully inspecting your solder connections. You should be able to see clear visual signs when things are amiss-- blobby, dry, or cracked joints aren't reliable. The solder joints should look like clean and shiny wet teardops that connect the parts that you want connected.

Hi Windell,

When I boot the Meggy on the default "tomatoes" game, the second and the fifth row are
totally red, while the others LED are orange.

When I shoot, only the first LED on these two rows is affected, I can't see the green dot
which symbolizes the "ship".

When I shoot with the "alternate" fire (, the laser beam, instead of being orange, is red
on these two rows.

When I shoot, the first and last white dots on the sixth column flash in rhythm with my key
presses.

I thought I could buy some electronic device to test how good my soldering is, do you know
one which is good and not too expensive ?

Bye and thanks for your help !

Magic Sam

I'm sorry, I'm still not clear on exactly what's going on.

Suppose that we call the left-hand column "column 1," and the right-most column is "column 8." The top row is "row 1" and the bottom row is "row 8."

I think that what you're saying is that:

1) Row 2 and row 5 are stuck on, showing red all the time.

2) There is no blue or green in row 2 or row 5, HOWEVER, blue and green are working otherwise.

3) The left-hand column, column 1 is separately affected in some way, but only in rows 2 and 5. Not clear to me if it means that they're still red or if the whole column is out.

4) Column 1 is affected somehow, at least in row 2 and 5, but maybe everywhere.

5) You see white dots in the top and bottom of the sixth column, but possibly not elsewhere.

This is still pretty vague; can you confirm that any of this is correct?

Then, maybe you could be a little more specific in some other ways:
1) Are any columns fully off, all the time? For example, in the startup "splash screen"? If so, which one(s)?

2) Are any rows stuck fully on, in one or more colors? For example, in the startup "splash screen"? If so, which one(s), and which color(s)

3) Are any rows missing a color? For example, in the startup "splash screen"? If so, which one(s), and which color(s)?


>I thought I could buy some electronic device to test how good my soldering is

No, I'm afraid that no such thing exists. The only thing that works well is your eyeballs. A multimeter can check a connection , but it can't check if the joint is good or reliable. There are high-end ($1M+) computer vision inspection systems, but even they can't do nearly as well as your eyes for hand-soldered joints.

Hi Windell,

I'm counting from left to right for columns, and from up to down for rows

Rows 2 and 5 are totally RED on the splash screen, when others are "orange".

IN GAME:

The green dot, when on the first LED of rows 2 and 5, doesn't appear.
When I use the alternate fire B, laser beams, on these two rows only, are RED instead of
being orange.

First and last (white) LEDs on column #6 flash in rhythm when I press the buttons.

Blue laser beams, when passing over that sixth column, disappear.

To sum up, rows 2 and 5, and column 6 don't work properly. Which parts do I need to
re-solder ?

Bye and thanks for your help, Magic Sam

Okay, I understand now about rows 2 and 5. They are NOT stuck on, but it's just the case that blue and green are not working on these rows. (It would be *very* helpful if you could actually answer my questions about this, you know.)

The four pins controlling rows 2 and 5 blue and green are fairly well spaced apart on the circuit-- it's not the case that "row 2" is damaged, it's the case that you're not making separate connections, coincidentally in four separate locations.

A likely cause of these kinds of errors is if the LED module is not fully seated in its socket. Please check page 13 of the instructions, to see how far down on the sockets the module is supposed to sit. Also verify that every one of the pins is really in the socket, not bent out.

I definitely do not understand what's going on with column 6. Can you please explain what you see there? Is the whole column completely off except for the top and bottom LEDs? Or do you ever see other things there? The way that the LED module is wired up, there's no way for just the middle six LEDs to go out, so I'm pretty confused by what I think you're describing.

Hi Windell, Sorry for the late reply !!! As it seems you do not understand me and my problem very well (sorry for my poor English), I've made a little video of my girlfriend playing with the Meggy. This way I hope you'll be able to find what the issue is You can fetch the MP4 file here: http://dl.free.fr/aVmWMkIi5 ,click on "télécharger ce fichier" (French for "download this file"). Thanks for your help ! Magic Sam

I have been unable to download your video successfully. Can you perhaps describe the issue instead?

Hi Windell,

You're right about the video, there is a problem with the hosting website (dl.free.fr)

Do you know another website which could host the video ?

Anyway, I'll try to download it again and will let you know when the site works fine.

I think a video is worth one thousand words in my case, because I lack technical
vocabulary to describe exactly what's going wrong, and I don't want misunderstandings
anymore.

Bye and thanks, Magic Sam

Quote by: Magic Sam

Hi Windell,

You're right about the video, there is a problem with the hosting website (dl.free.fr)

Do you know another website which could host the video ?

Anyway, I'll try to download it again and will let you know when the site works fine.

I think a video is worth one thousand words in my case, because I lack technical
vocabulary to describe exactly what's going wrong, and I don't want misunderstandings
anymore.

Bye and thanks, Magic Sam

Videos tend to work rather well on places like Youtube.com. I don't know if France has it blocked, but it should work rather well from most countries.

Hi,

You can download the video now, the hosting site is finally working fine

Sorry for the inconvenience...

@ squall_line: youtube works well in France, I just have no account on it, and not planning
to register only for one video

Bye, Magic Sam

From the video, rows 2 and 5 have green not working, as you described before. And, column 6 appears to be flaky in all colors, which is not what you were describing before.

For the two rows that are out: Check soldering and connection at pins 2 and 11 of the LED matrix socket as well as at pins 16 and 19 of U2.

For the column (6) that is flaky, check soldering and connection at pin 24 of the LED matrix socket (most likely location), as well as Q2, RB2, and pin 6 of U1.

Pin 1 of the LED matrix socket is in the upper left (viewed from the top), the pin with the square pad, in the corner where it says "U4". The pins are numbered counterclockwise.

Pin 1 of U2 is located on its lower left corner (viewed from the top), the pin with the square pad, closest to C1. The pins are numbered counterclockwise.

Pin 1 of U1 is in the upper right corner (viewed from the top), the pin with the square pad, near C6. The pins are numbered counterclockwise.