Starter kit tank robot NOT MOVING!

#1

My 10 year old son received the Starter Kit for Xmas. The tank is assembled and batteries are in, but it does not move when the remote buttons are pressed. The lights go on, but nothing happens. no sound from the motor. We have taken it apart and reassembled it; doublechecked the connections, but nothing happens. Does anyone have any suggestions for what we might be doing wrong?

#2

There’s a long thread on here on troubleshooting the motors. First things first. You can take a 9v and some leads and connect straight to the motor. Other test is lookin for the lights on the board next to the connector. This will tell you if the firmwares running right.

#3

You can follow this instruction http://learn.makeblock.com/ultimate-robot-kit/#FAQ to check your motors step by step, though it is for Ultimate Robot Kit. It seems you got IR version of Starter Kit. You may also try to upload firmware to Starter Kit if you want to use the default program shipped with Kit. Here is the steps:
1 Download Makeblock library from https://github.com/Makeblock-official/Makeblock-Libraries Follow the instruction from README.md to put makeblock folder under libraries folder of Arduino.
2 Open Arduino, select Tools>Board:Arduino Uno and proper COM port, select firmware of Starter(IR version) as shown in the following pic. Then upload it to Starter.

uploadFirmwareforStarter.png1108x831 54.5 KB

3 If you use Bluetooth version of Starter, you need to upload BlueTooth_Ultrasonic instead. Unplug the Bluetooth Module before uploading firmware. After uploading, plug in the Bluetooth Module.
4 Power it on, try to control the Starter with Remote Controller.

If it works, please let us know.

#4

I assembled my Robot Tank this weekend and had the same problem described here of the wheels not moving. Tried Android and iOS apps. I performed the step-by-step= LED lit, Battery new and strong, wheels turn by hand. Is my only option redoing the firmware? Can this be done from a Mac?

#5

I had the exact same problem with my Starter Kit (IR Version) that I received a few weeks ago. I have a solution to fix it so if anyone is still having this problem, I can provide either a video or detailed response in this forum on how to resolve this issue. I use a Macbook Pro and I am on the most updated software for mac, so my tutorial will be for mac users only but the process is very similar for windows. If anyone would like me to create a walkthrough to restore the original IR (or bluetooth. It simply requires one different step but i will address it) functionality to the starter kit robot kindly reply to this post.

#6

This tutorial is for people that have either assembled their robot out of the box and the IR/Bluetooth controls would not work, or for people that uploaded their own program to their starter kit robot and want to restore the original functions of the remote/bluetooth controller. The tutorial is for mac users but it is very similar for windows, so you should be able to follow the same process with slight differences.

  1. You must begin by downloading a few things to allow your computer to recognize the Starter Kit Robot. The first application to be downloaded is mbot (it is called mbot but it is used for most makeblock robots). Download version 3.2.2 for either mac or windows here: http://www.mblock.cc/download/
    Next you will need to download arduino for either mac or windows. The link for version 1.6.8 of arduino is here: https://www.arduino.cc/en/Main/Software
    (Step only for mac users) Lastly you will need to download the makeblock libraries which can be found here: https://github.com/Makeblock-official/Makeblock-Libraries/archive/master.zip
    NOTE: Once you go to this link it will download the zip file. Drag the zip file into your desktop, double click it, and it will become a folder as long as archive utility opens automatically for you.

  2. Now that everything is downloaded, you will need to grab your robot. Your robot does not need to be assembled but it should be so you can test the functions and motor abilities. Take your starter kit robot and use the micro USB cable that came with it to connect the robot to the computer via USB. The micro USB port on the robot can be found the the right of the battery port (on the side with the switch) on the ME Orion.

  3. Once connected you will need to open mblock_v3.3.2, which you should have downloaded in the previous steps. You may be prompted with something that says “allow incoming network connections?” And you should press “allow” (this prompt may only be for mac users). Another prompt you might see could be a security message such as “mblock is from an unidentified developer and so security cannot open the application”. If you see this message go into system preferences, click security and privacy, and change your “allow apps downloaded from:” to anywhere. If you do not see either of these messages it is fine, just allow the application to start up.

  4. Once opened you are going to need to connect your robot to the application so if your starter robot is not plugged in via USB, plug it in at this time. First go to the top of the screen while in mblock and click connect, then install arduino driver. Follow the instructions to download the arduino driver. It may require you to restart your computer. Once the installation is finished you must go back to the connect button on the top of the screen in mblock and click “serial port” (with your robot turned on). You may have a few options in the serial port tab, but click the one that says something like “/dev/tty.wchusbserialfa”. You may hear a click or beep from your robot, and then at the top of the application it will read “Serial Port Connected - Saved”. NOTE: If you have trouble finding the port mentioned above make sure you have successfully installed the arduino driver. If you can see the correct port but cannot connect there is a makeblock link that may help you (http://learn.makeblock.com/getting-started-programming-with-mblock/).

  5. Once connected you will need to go to the “Boards” tab next to connect and choose “Me Orion” if you are using the Bluetooth/IR Starter kit robot. Then go back to the Connect tab and click “Upgrade Firmware” and let it upgrade to the latest software.

  6. Now that you have your robot connected you will need to open Arduino which you should have downloaded in the first step (Keep mblock open while you do this). Arduino may take a few minutes to load up. Once arduino is opened you will need to go back to the mblock application. Go to “Edit” at the top of the screen in the toolbar and click “Arduino Mode”. A side bar will open with a few strings of code so do not get confused by this. Simply go to the right hand corner of mblock and click “Edit with Arduino IDE”. Arduino will then load up with a new window. Go into the arduino window that pops up and go to the top of the screen and click “File” then “Open”. When you click Open the new window that pops up will show the makeblock libraries folder (If it does not click into the scroll bar on the top of the window and click desktop, then you should see it there. Once in the makeblock libraries folder click “makeblock”, then “example”, then scroll down and choose “Firmware for starter” and finally you will be given two options for the IR robot or the Bluetooth Robot. Click whichever robot you have then open the arduino program for it by clicking “Open”.

  7. Once you have done this Arduino will load up the program for the starter kit basic controls. This part coming up is a little unpredictable. You need to click the verify button which is a check mark in the arduino starter kit program. What you want to see is “Done compiling” at the bottom, but unfortunately for me and for many it says error and turns orange. If you get the error after trying to verify the program you can try a few things:
    Make sure under the “Tools” tab on the top of the screen “Arduino Uno” is selected if you are working with the starter robots
    Make sure under the “Tools” tab on the top of the screen the correct Port is selected for your robot
    Try having only one Arduino window open and keep exiting out and trying to see if it works

  8. Assuming you did not get the error message, you will want to then, with your robot connected to your computer, click upload in arduino and the program should load up and transfer to your robot

This was a long tutorial but I thought it was needed as I myself had much trouble trying to resolve this issue so I tried to cover every possible area of confusion. If you have any questions regarding something I wrote or if you encounter any problems not addressed in this post, please reply to me. I hope this helps!

#7