M5Stack FIRE - should I return it?

fonix232

I purchased two FIRE kits from an Amazon UK vendor. However both units have some weird QC issues (on one two of the top buttons are not exactly "clicky" but more mushy, like if there was an issue with the buttons, and the others' LED bar diffusers are not neatly cut, there's a large-ish gap on it), and to top that off... Whenever I press the side button (power/restart) while the FIRE is on, the speaker within produces a quite loud white noise. Oh also, these are the older model with MPU6050+MAG3110 instead of MPU9250.

Are these symptoms normal, or should I return the units?

ajb2k3

My opinion is - Yes return them and buy from the official store.

https://www.aliexpress.com/store/product/M5Stack-NEW-PSRAM-2-0-FIRE-IoT-Kit-Dual-Core-ESP32-16M-FLash-4M-PSRAM-Development/3226069_32847906756.html?spm=2114.12010612.8148356.5.1adc593auFAMct

however there are some reports of bad units out there and these could be some of them.

Personally I still prefer the official store as I know where my money goes.

m5-docs

Yes, I agree with @ajb2k3 . Return them.

fonix232

I've returned them and ordered from the official store... And the same model was delivered, with MPU6050+MAG3110, the same screeching of the speaker when I press the power button, and to top it all off, the bottom boards seem to be swollen as well (the bit where the battery is connected to the PCB is pushed and warped upwards, making stacking quite difficult and in some cases, impossible).

I'm really feeling let down by the quality of the product to be frank.

jcabad100

@fonix232 i have the same problem of the noise when pressing the reset & power on button ( i mentioned in one of my separated posts)...and worst...it is very unpredictable when the Core (my main kit is the M5Go) will power up...this morning i have to try over 10 times...and it seems it will only power up if connected to USB. You said you had the noise issue with the first kit and with the second kit ....i have it with my own kit, so @ajb2k3 this issue should not be deemed [Solved] or a new bug/ticket should be open!.

ajb2k3

@jcabad100

Agreed but It wasn't me who marked it solved.

fonix232

I've got a response on AliExpress from Jimmy Lai, confirming the issue with the button press making a noise on the speaker, and recommended adding the following snippet:

//disable the speaker noise
dacWrite(25, 0);

I'll check and see how it works.

jcabad100

@fonix232 i dont understand what you mean...this issue appeared e.g. this morning when the CPU had been off over-night, i wanted to power it up (without plugin in USB) and then the power up would not work and the audible noise is emmited...and as i reported into another bug the CPU would not power up.....Question, i got to USB cables for the M5Go, the communication only works with the very short black one but not with the small white "docking station"....is that normal? i wish i could work via USB via the USB docking station but it seems to be that that is only to charge the internal battery??

fonix232

@jcabad100 For me the noise happens when

The FIRE is turned on and I press the power button (the one next to the USB port)
The FIRE is being programmed by the Arduino SDK and switches into the download mode. It lasts maybe 2, 3 seconds in total and always disappears

The reason for this, I guess, is that the speaker pin (GPIO25) is sitting right next to the RST pin, and most likely the lines are interfering.

As for the magnetic dock not providing USB connection... There are two data pins exposed, so I suppose USB communication should be possible up until the GO bottom module. However they're connected to GPIO21 and 22 as I2C pins.

world101

@fonix232 @jcabad100
Noisy m5stacks have been a known issue for quite a while now. The only way others have completely silenced the noise is to use this hardware mod: http://forum.m5stack.com/topic/367/mod-to-programmatically-disable-speaker-whine-hiss

world101

@fonix232 said in M5Stack FIRE - should I return it?:

the bottom boards seem to be swollen as well (the bit where the battery is connected to the PCB is pushed and warped upwards, making stacking quite difficult and in some cases, impossible).

Seems odd. Can you post a picture? Maybe it’s a result of a swelling battery. There were also some battery issues earlier with their vendor/supplier. Either way, the M5Stack team provides good customer service. I’m sure they will address your problems.