PPS 13.2 Module not working properly

marnix201

Hi all,

I ordered a couple of Module13.2 PPS (SKU:M137) modules for use with the M5Stack CoreS3 main units.
Unfortunately I can't get it to work, when I upload a "Default" test code (Initialize the unit, set output to True and after that Set the current and voltage to desired levels) sometimes it works just one time, but most of the time the module does not respond, or it says: Module not found.

I also tried scanning for I2C devices and I found out that the address is not present all the time, it fluctuates between present and not present, this does not happen with other I2C devices on the same bus, I of course use the standard address: 0x35 and i have a stable 24V on the DC-in connector (1A capable) and no load attached to the output.

I tried many different controllers and many different PPS-modules with and without other devices on the bus, but unfortunately they all give the exact same results....

I also tried flashing the firmware update from the official website because I hoped this would help increasing the communication stability of the PPS-module, but by doing this I bricked already 2 of my PPS-modules =( , after the update I cannot find them anymore while scanning the I2C bus for devices....

The Link to the Firmware updater: [https://m5stack.oss-cn-shenzhen.aliyuncs.com/resource/docs/products/module/M137 Module13.2-PPS/pps_upgrade_v1_esp32s3.exe](link url)

Can someone please help me with this ?, and can my "bricked" devices still be fixed ? =(.....

Thank you,
Marnix.

marnix201

@marnix201 said in PPS 13.2 Module not working properly:

Hi all,

I ordered a couple of Module13.2 PPS (SKU:M137) modules for use with the M5Stack CoreS3 main units.
Unfortunately I can't get it to work, when I upload a "Default" test code (Initialize the unit, set output to True and after that Set the current and voltage to desired levels) sometimes it works just one time, but most of the time the module does not respond, or it says: Module not found.

I also tried scanning for I2C devices and I found out that the address is not present all the time, it fluctuates between present and not present, this does not happen with other I2C devices on the same bus, I of course use the standard address: 0x35 and i have a stable 24V on the DC-in connector (1A capable) and no load attached to the output.

I tried many different controllers and many different PPS-modules with and without other devices on the bus, but unfortunately they all give the exact same results....

I also tried flashing the firmware update from the official website because I hoped this would help increasing the communication stability of the PPS-module, but by doing this I bricked already 2 of my PPS-modules =( , after the update I cannot find them anymore while scanning the I2C bus for devices....

The Link to the Firmware updater: [https://m5stack.oss-cn-shenzhen.aliyuncs.com/resource/docs/products/module/M137 Module13.2-PPS/pps_upgrade_v1_esp32s3.exe](link url)

Can someone please help me with this ?, and can my "bricked" devices still be fixed ? =(.....

Thank you,
Marnix.

( All of the above is tried using UIFlow 2 by the way.
I also tried it using custom commands via the I2C module in UIFlow but I get the exact same results (sometimes it works but most of the time the PPS-module does not respond to commands)

This is the result of scanning I2C devices with the PPS-Module attached:
UIFlow2.0-I2Cscan.png

It's all about the "53" which is 0x35 in HEX (The address of the PPS-module)
You see that it's not constantly available and this is why the communication often doesn't work...

kuriko

@marnix201
I would say it might be a bug of UiFlow2. You can try to downgrade the version of firmware

felmue

Hello @marnix201

is the PPS 13.2 module securely stacked to the M5CoreS3? E.g. by using screws. It could be a shaky connection causing the issues you are seeing.

Thanks
Felix

marnix201

@kuriko

I did already try downgrading...

I even did try it using Arduino code, and I get the exact same results which is inconsistency in the communication (also when performing an I2C scan with Arduino)

marnix201

@felmue

Yes it is securely stacked to the CoreS3 with the supplied screws, it's really going nowhere.

I tried 3 different PPS-Modules now and all have the exact same problem unfortunately...

felmue

Hello @marnix201

hmm, do you have another M5Core device (not M5CoreS3) to test with?

I recreated your setup, M5CoreS3 (with UIFlow2.0.0-hotfix-2 firmware) stacked with PPS 13.2 Module. I run an I2C scan and turning PPS off and on in a loop and it hasn't failed so far.

You can find it in the UIFlow2 Project Zone: M5CoreS3_PPSModule_Test_UIFlow2.0.0

Thanks
Felix

marnix201

@felmue

Thanks for trying.

It's working now... and I feel so dumb 🤦‍♂️
I just realized that the one thing I didn't checked was the Power Supply..., it looks like my Power Supply did not deliver an high enough voltage for the PPS-Module to be stable... although it should have according to the specs.

Do you guys know of a way to "revive" or "re-flash" the 2 broken PPS-Modules that I've tried to update to the latest firmware ?

felmue

Hello @marnix201

thank you for reporting back. I am glad you figured it out.

If the broken PPS modules no longer show up in an I2C scan (which I guess also means they can no longer be updated via M5CoreS3) you could try to copy the STM32 firmware from a working PPS module to the broken ones.

You'll need STM32CubeProgrammer SW and STLink HW for that though. And make sure to not overwrite the last sector as it holds the calibration data. See here.

Thanks
Felix

marnix201

@felmue

Okay, I will try to do that once I've got the required HW and SW to do so.
Thanks for the tip.