Starter Robot Kit is losing Bluetooth connection very soon and often

#1

Hi,
I just bought a Starter Robot Kit Bluetooth Version for my 11 years old child.
He assembled easely the Robot Tank. We downloaded the Android App.
We connected the robot with the App via Bluetooth.
My son could control manually the robort for one or two minutes then the robot started to goes in circle flickering as shown in this post.
No ways to get control again of the robot through the App.
I searched the net and found the suggestion:

  • to change batteries (We had 6 Energizer and replaced with 6 Duracell). No difference.
  • to upgrade firmware. (For few seconds we could again control the robot, but after a while the same problem arised).
  • to reset default program. (Only the Starter was available not the Starter Bluetooth). We did.

The problem is still there.
I think has something to do with a faulty Bluetooth connection.
We can establish the connection but it does take almost a minute; sometime the refresh list gets stuck.
And above all I see that after a succesful connection is established, the blue light on the bluetooth module goes from blinking to steady; everything works fine; but after a while it starts blinking again: the number of the ultrasonic sensor doesn’t change and the robot is uncontrollable.

How can we solve this problem?
Thanks, Lauro and Giulio

P.S.: the specs are saying that we have Me Bluetooth Module and Makeblock Orion.

#2

Hi Tzoulio,

For the phenomenon that can control manually the robort for one or two minutes then the robot started to goes in circle flickering. if the Bluetooth lost the connection when the robot started to goes in circle?

For the unstable Bluetooth connection, first, please make sure you are using the latest version Makeblock APP.
Besides, which mobile device do you use? Please try control the robot with another mobile device have a try.

You mentioned that you have changed the batteries, did the Bluetooth connection behaves more stable at the beginning when you just changed brand new batteries?

#3

Thanks for your quick answer.

I’m not 100% sure, but it seems to me that the blinking of the blue light on the Bluetooth module (which means lost connection, right?) and the inability to control the robot and to receive updated data from ultrasonic sensor are indeed connected phenomena.

The change of batteries didn’t produced any change in the behavior of the robot.

We are using version 2.9.1 of the App.
We tried it with two different smartphones; one of which is a Samsung 5 with Android 6.0.1; also the otherone is an Android device, but I don’t have right now its specs.

To update the firmware we used mBlock v. 3.4.5.

Thanks again

#4

Hi Tzoulio,

Yes, blue LED keep slow flashing means the Bluetooth is disconnected.
It is normal that robot will keep the previous action when the Bluetooth disconnected.

Is the Bluetooth connection stable when connect the Android devices to Bluetooth from other device (instead of the starter)?
Do you have external power adapter? (12V/2A), if yes, you may try a external power adapter for the starter have a check.

Did I burned the Orion board?
#5

I have a power supply for my NAS that outputs +12 V and 5,4 A.
The “-” is in the outside ring and the “+” in the inside pin.
Could I give a try or do I risk to burn the board cause the more Ampere?

I tried to connect via Bluetoth my Android smarthphone with onother smartphone; I succeded but only after setting on the blutooth thetering on both phones. I’m not using very much the bluetooth so I was a little surprised because I rememeber that I didn’t have to set on the thetering when I was connecting my phone to a Bluetooth spiker I had.
When I try with my android smartphone to scan the available devices nearby; in the list of the associated device I see the name “Makeblock”; the same name I see in the Makeblock APP when I push Option Refresh List; but in the new available device I see “Makeblock_LE”, if I try to connect I can’t.

Thanks again, Lauro

#6

By the way, why you are saying to use a 12 V external power adapter?
The starter robot has 6 x 1,5 V batteries, so it is alimented with a 9 V power source not a 12 V.
There is something strange here.

Lauro

#7

We need help, please

#8

Hi Tzoulio,

Sorry that I may miss this post before.
The me Orion boar can be powered with voltage from 6v~12v. 5,4A should be to large for this Board.

When you test the Bluetooth connection between your two mobile devices, is the Bluetooth connection very stable all the time?

For the issue that you can’t connect the android smartphone to the Starter Bluetooth, please try connect through Makeblock APP directly without pairing it.
Just open the Makeblock App and move it close the the Bluetooth module and see if it can get connected automatically (no need to pair it first).
If you the Makeblock App can’t connect to it automatically, please click on the option on the right bottom corner to check the detected Bluetooth list by the App, then you can connect through that list have a check.

blob.jpg1666x930 132 KB

#9