Updates

• 
  Tamás Fábián is now friends with Miklós Merényi.

  • Jan 25
• 
  Tamás Fábián replied to a topic in the forum Support:

  :) I hope you'll find a solution.

  • Jan 25
• 
  Tamás Fábián replied to a topic in the forum Support:

  Thank you for the information Paul, I'm glad you managed to find these solutions.

  • Jan 25
• 
  Tamás Fábián replied to a topic in the forum Support:

  That IS one possible use for 0x33, interesting :)
  Instead of "quick drive" we now recommend using the 0x00 "brake" and 0x01 "drive" commands, to be consistent with how SBrick Light will work, and to avoid problem with Android devices. (It is hard, or...  moreThat IS one possible use for 0x33, interesting :)
  Instead of "quick drive" we now recommend using the 0x00 "brake" and 0x01 "drive" commands, to be consistent with how SBrick Light will work, and to avoid problem with Android devices. (It is hard, or impossible to use a single BLE characteristic for sending AND receiving data concurrently.)
  I'm afraid you can't reliably turn a port on for such a short time using either quck drive or 0x01 due to the jitter introduced by the BLE protocol. We have been thinkig of improvements to the SBrick firmware that might improve your situation.
  What do you think, how short of a pulse would you need to turn the motor by the correct angle?  less

  • Jan 21
• 
  Tamás Fábián replied to a topic in the forum Support:

  Hi Paul,
  Indeed, higher voltage means higher inrush current, which is what trips the OCP.
  The knock-off motors probably have smaller filter capacitors (or just have none :) ), so the variability is due to the motors in that case.
  There is a fair bit...  moreHi Paul,
  Indeed, higher voltage means higher inrush current, which is what trips the OCP.
  The knock-off motors probably have smaller filter capacitors (or just have none :) ), so the variability is due to the motors in that case.
  There is a fair bit of variation in the value of the filter capacitors across motors (even if they are all manufactured by LEGO), and also in the current value at which the OCP kicks in across different motor driver ICs built into the SBricks. So in practice, the only thing you can do is to experiment.
  Dropping the voltage can be a viable solution, an other one would be lowering the PWM frequency, as it is being discussed here: https://social.sbrick.com/forums/topic/8062/varying-pwm-frequency ;)  less

  • Jan 21
• 
  Tamás Fábián replied to a topic in the forum Support:

  HI Paul,
  it is indeed hard to drive M motors because fo the large filter capacitor built into them. I'm glad you found a solution.
  You're right, the documentation has a typo, 0x1F takes a 
  The 0x1F "set PWM counter" command sets the frequency of the...  moreHI Paul,
  it is indeed hard to drive M motors because fo the large filter capacitor built into them. I'm glad you found a solution.
  You're right, the documentation has a typo, 0x1F takes a 
  The 0x1F "set PWM counter" command sets the frequency of the PWM signal on all channels simultaneously, thus effecting every motor (or other device) on the SBrick. Servo motors might not work well (or at all) at such a low frequency. If you don't have to use servos and M motors together on the same SBrick, then this is not an issue. If you do, then there might or might not be a frequency where those devices can be used together, and the frequency - if exists - might only be experimentally determined for each given pair of servo and M motor.
  This is the reason why the PWM frequency is not significantly lower by default than the current ~1KHz. Moreover, hardware version 4 (old, first series) SBricks cannot be set much lower than 500Hz due to the PWM hardware configuration.
  The 0x33 "Send Signal"...    less

  • Jan 21
• 
  Tamás Fábián replied to a topic in the forum Support:

  Hello everyone,
  I've just updated the Profile Designer. The update fixed a bug that caused the lines between the nodes of a sequence not to be drawn correctly. We tested the new version with Chrome, Firefox and Edge, and the sequence editor behaves much...  moreHello everyone,
  I've just updated the Profile Designer. The update fixed a bug that caused the lines between the nodes of a sequence not to be drawn correctly. We tested the new version with Chrome, Firefox and Edge, and the sequence editor behaves much better now.
  You can try to edit the sequences in your profiles again.
  I'm sorry for the inconvenience.  

  • May 30, 2020
• 
  Tamás Fábián replied to a topic in the forum Support:

  • May 15, 2020
• 
  Tamás Fábián replied to a topic in the forum Support:

  Dear Leandro,
  the SBrick plus has an analog sensor on the C1 and C2 pins on every port. These pins are pulled to the middle between 0V and the power supply voltage by a 10K resistor. The SBrick simply measures the voltage.
  The digital communication would...  moreDear Leandro,
  the SBrick plus has an analog sensor on the C1 and C2 pins on every port. These pins are pulled to the middle between 0V and the power supply voltage by a 10K resistor. The SBrick simply measures the voltage.
  The digital communication would be handled by the adapters, but unfortunately no one seem to be able to manufacture them.
  We opened up our work on the adatpters: https://github.com/vengit/sbrick-plus-adapter 
  Leandro said:
  Dear Lénárd
  Thanks for your reply. This sound very good to me. I hope you will have success with this try.
  I checked the coding on github. I did already some Arduino stuff.
  I seems the sensor adapter communicates via UART/Serial with the Sbrick.
  Is it correct the Sbrick uses Serial Speed at 2400 Baud? At PF Connector Pin C2.
  Would it be possible to have the technical details in order to attach a Attiny as Sensor to the SBrick?
  Something is not clear to me. Can the Sbrick also directly read analog signals?
  Because you also connect the Sensor...    less

  • May 15, 2020
• 
  Tamás Fábián replied to a topic in the forum Support:

  Hello Hambone,
  we managed to reproduce the problem and working on a fix.
  Cheers,
  Tamas

  • December 4, 2019
• 
  Tamás Fábián replied to a topic in the forum Support:

  Hello everyone,
  a couple of you complained that no SBricks could be seen after upgrading the SBrick app and/or Simple Control.
  One of our collegues had the same issue, and we successfully reproduced the problem.
  The issue were finally resolved by...  moreHello everyone,
  a couple of you complained that no SBricks could be seen after upgrading the SBrick app and/or Simple Control.
  One of our collegues had the same issue, and we successfully reproduced the problem.
  The issue were finally resolved by changing certain settings on the phone.
  The SBrick apps need permission to access the device's location, and the location services must be enabled. This is a limitation of the Android OS and this is so to protect your privacy.
  Since the list of Bluetooth devices correlates with the physical location of the device, all application need to have permission to access location services.
  So, If you suddenly unable to see your SBrick on your device, please follow these steps (the name of the menu items and settings might be different on different devices):
  1. Go to "Settings" and then "Apps & notifications". Choose "SBrick" and/or "SBrick Simple Control". Open "Permissions", and make sure that "Location" is enabled.
  2. Got to "Settings" and then "Security &...    less

  • November 20, 2019
• 
  Tamás Fábián replied to a topic in the forum Support:

  Hello Hypershadow,
  could you take a video of your problem? It would help a lot in finding the issue.
  Thank you.

  • April 5, 2019
• 
  Tamás Fábián replied to a topic in the forum Support:

  Hello,
  yes, the input is analog. The SBrick's C1 and C2 pins on each port can be used to measure voltage. By default, these are tied to the battery voltage (Vcc) / 2 with a resistive divider.
  You can apply any voltage on these pins between 0V and Vcc.
  To...  moreHello,
  yes, the input is analog. The SBrick's C1 and C2 pins on each port can be used to measure voltage. By default, these are tied to the battery voltage (Vcc) / 2 with a resistive divider.
  You can apply any voltage on these pins between 0V and Vcc.
  To take measurements, use commands "2C Set up periodic voltage measurement", and "2E Set up periodic voltage notifications" or "0F Query ADC".
  https://social.sbrick.com/wiki/view/pageId/11/slug/the-sbrick-ble-protocol
  The input voltage is dropped through a 1:10 voltage divider. The reference voltage is 1.24V, and the resolution is 12 bits, but you'll get a 16 bit number back.
  Basically, you have to take the number you get from the SBrick, multiply it by 1.24 (the reference voltage), and again with 11 (because of the voltage divider), and divide the the result with 2^15 (12 bit resolution, stored in MSB, first bit is essentially a sign), to get a voltage value.
     less

  • March 29, 2019
• 
  Tamás Fábián replied to a topic in the forum Support:

  Hello Ray,
  the absolute maximum value is 11.8 Volts. This comes from the datasheet of the integrated circuit we use for driving the outputs (DRV8833). The safe operating limit is 10.8 for the same IC.
  Having said that, we managed to overvolt SBricks up...  moreHello Ray,
  the absolute maximum value is 11.8 Volts. This comes from the datasheet of the integrated circuit we use for driving the outputs (DRV8833). The safe operating limit is 10.8 for the same IC.
  Having said that, we managed to overvolt SBricks up to 14 volts and never damaged a single one. However, do not take this as a recommendation. It's a bit like overclocking / overvolting CPUs and memory modules in a PC. Be aware that overvolting your SBrick beyond the absolute maximum voids your warranty.
  What you can do is:
  
  Play safe, and don't run the SBrick over 10.8V
  Accept some extra heating and reduced safety margin, and go near the absolute maximum limit of 11.8V
  Accept the chance of immediately and permanently damage or severely reduce the lifespan of your SBrick, and run it over the absolute maximum of 11.8V.
  Use a 3-cell Lithium Iron Phospate (LiFePo4) battery. With a maximum cell voltage of 3.65V it just barely goes over the recommended operating limit of 10.8V, and stays well...    less

  • March 18, 2019
• 
  Tamás Fábián Hello everyone, we've updated the SBrick BLE Protocol page. From now on the protocol description is available in PDF format.

  The SBrick BLE protocol - Wikis Profile - SBrick Community

  This is Wikis Profile page. Social network site built around SBrick, the smartphone remote control device for LEGO® creations

  • March 18, 2019
• 
  Tamás Fábián replied to a topic in the forum Suggestions:

  Yes, by default the SBrick apps lock the motors in neutral position. We're considering including this as an optional feature to allow free wheeling.
  Timber Brick said:
  I have similar observations about neutral sensitivity.  We fight battle bots with...  moreYes, by default the SBrick apps lock the motors in neutral position. We're considering including this as an optional feature to allow free wheeling.
  Timber Brick said:
  I have similar observations about neutral sensitivity.  We fight battle bots with skid steer control.  Recently, we've been adding two speed transmissions.  At high speeds, control skid steering is difficult.  Two reasons.  1.  When the SBRICK is in the neutral off position, it locks the motor.  The result is an out of control sliding spin.  I believe there is a way for the h-bridge motor controller to allow it to coast instead.  That mode would be most helpful.  2. The neutral range is tight and linear.  As the previous poster just suggested, an exponential modulation would be very helpful, allowing a wider neutral range.
  
     less

  • March 7, 2019
• 
  Tamás Fábián replied to a topic in the forum Suggestions:

  Hey Ray, good idea, thank you. We're going to investigate the possibility of including this feature in the apps & profile designer.
  Ray Simon said:
  Feature Request: Reduce steering servo control sensitivity.
  I fly RC airplanes and a feature that is very...  moreHey Ray, good idea, thank you. We're going to investigate the possibility of including this feature in the apps & profile designer.
  Ray Simon said:
  Feature Request: Reduce steering servo control sensitivity.
  I fly RC airplanes and a feature that is very helpful is called "Exponential". The most obvious use here would be steering of an RC vehicle. The benefit of Expo is that the steering is less sensitive around the neutral point of the control stick which gives great control for making fine adjustments left or right of neutral. Then the sensitivity is higher as you get closer to the end points to allow you to jam around corners.
  I use a Nimbus gamepad controller paired to an iPhone. I find that when using steering with the PF servo that a tiny bump on the control stick gives a big change in steering direction. Essentially my servo which has the capability of 7 positions in either direction is really acting as a 3 position turning servo (neutral, approx 50% turn, full turn). Fine adjustments in...    less

  • March 7, 2019
• 
  Tamás Fábián replied to a topic in the forum Support:

  Hello Heiko,
  there's a bug in the code that handles voltage measurement setup readback. As a workaround, try "2d00" instead of "2d" (This will stop working once we fixed this bug).
  To measure the voltage, use channel "01", that's the "C2" lead on port...  moreHello Heiko,
  there's a bug in the code that handles voltage measurement setup readback. As a workaround, try "2d00" instead of "2d" (This will stop working once we fixed this bug).
  To measure the voltage, use channel "01", that's the "C2" lead on port "A".
  Cheers,
  Tamas  

  • January 24, 2019
• 
  Tamás Fábián replied to a topic in the forum Support:

  Hi Michel,
  no, unfortunately the BLED112 dongle does not support A2DP, and also doesn't work well as a generic purpose Bluetooth dongle.
  The thing you should watch out for is "Bluetooth Smart" or "Bluetooth Low Energy" support. To meet your needs, the...  moreHi Michel,
  no, unfortunately the BLED112 dongle does not support A2DP, and also doesn't work well as a generic purpose Bluetooth dongle.
  The thing you should watch out for is "Bluetooth Smart" or "Bluetooth Low Energy" support. To meet your needs, the dongle should also support "BR/EDR" (basic rate / enhanced data rate). These dongles are often called "dual mode".
  One such dongle would be Laird BR851 ( https://hu.mouser.com/new/laird/laird-bt851-bluetooth-adapter/ )
  An other one is LM Technologies LM506 ( https://www.lm-technologies.com/product/bluetooth-usb-adapter-4-0-dual-mode-class-2-lm506/ )
  Cheers,
   
  Tamas  less

  • January 24, 2019
• 
  Tamás Fábián replied to a topic in the forum Support:

  Hello Grzegorz,
  what do you mean by "frame format"? Could you please re-phrase the question?
  Grzegorz Bladocha said:
  When connecting with another bluetooth + arduino module to enable channel A which frame formatsend?
  
   

  • January 24, 2019
• 
  Tamás Fábián replied to a topic in the forum Support:

  Hi,
  the LEGO M motors are notoriously hard to drive. Try them with LEGO's own V2 IR receivers, and you'll likely get the same results.
  The problem with M motors is they have a large capacitor in parallel with the actual brushed DC motor in...  moreHi,
  the LEGO M motors are notoriously hard to drive. Try them with LEGO's own V2 IR receivers, and you'll likely get the same results.
  The problem with M motors is they have a large capacitor in parallel with the actual brushed DC motor in them. 
  When the DRV8833 motor driver chip in the SBrick Plus tries to charge this capacitor, it may go into overcurrent protection mode, and cut the PWM signal.
  This problem is not always present, most M motors and most SBricks work together just fine. If you can, please try other M motors and SBricks.
  The problem gets worse as the M motors need to supply more torque. If nothing seem to work, try using a thin silicon lubricant on the moving parts of your creation to reduce friction. You may try to apply lubrincant onto the planetary reduction gear inside the M motor, but you'd need to take it apart.
  (If nothing helps, and you _are_ willing to take the M motor apart, you can remove the capacitor, but this obviously isn't a real solution for most customers...    less

  • November 23, 2018
• 
  Tamás Fábián replied to a topic in the forum Support:

  Hello everyone,
  I'm sorry to hear your SBrick failing.
  We already have an idea about the cause of this problem. We need to take a look at the faulty pieces as they arrive.
  If the findings confirm our theory, we'll need to issue a firmware upgrade...  moreHello everyone,
  I'm sorry to hear your SBrick failing.
  We already have an idea about the cause of this problem. We need to take a look at the faulty pieces as they arrive.
  If the findings confirm our theory, we'll need to issue a firmware upgrade and change what the SBrick's doing right after it's powered on.
  Until then please do not leave your creations powered on if there's a possibility of the battery losing all charge during operation. If you see a battery pack failing, turn your creation off immediately. You sould run SBrick with fresh / fully charged batteries.
  Your SBricks are probably permanently damaged, please contact info@sbrick.com and ask for a replacement if you didn't already do.
     less

  • November 23, 2018
• 
  Tamás Fábián replied to a topic in the forum Support:

  Hi Derek,
  unfortunately you can't combine the current on the different pins. You can feed at most 3 amps into SBrick, othervise you risk melting the plastic around the metal contacts.
  It is _technically_ possible to drive SBrick with a LiPo pack, but...  moreHi Derek,
  unfortunately you can't combine the current on the different pins. You can feed at most 3 amps into SBrick, othervise you risk melting the plastic around the metal contacts.
  It is _technically_ possible to drive SBrick with a LiPo pack, but please only do this if you know what you're doing. There is no fuse in SBrick, and a short circuit with a LiPo pack can drive dozens of amps through it potentially causing fire or even an explosion.
  LEGO battery packs come with proper current limiting, LiPo packs usually don't.  less

  • November 23, 2018
• 
  Tamás Fábián replied to a topic in the forum Support:

  Hello!
  The protocol over BLE is described here: https://social.sbrick.com/wiki/view/pageId/11
  You can use the gatttool command to write characteristics, and so to use the DRIVE command, or to use the Quick Drive method.
  One caveat is the...  moreHello!
  The protocol over BLE is described here: https://social.sbrick.com/wiki/view/pageId/11
  You can use the gatttool command to write characteristics, and so to use the DRIVE command, or to use the Quick Drive method.
  One caveat is the watchdog.
  The purpose of the watchdog is to prevent a model running away is your phone (or other devices) is frozen, so there is a connection (the so the model won't stop), but the application stops sending commands.
  The watchdog is a timer that starts whenever there is a channel that's DRIVE-ing or BRAKE-ing. In these cases, the application MUST send a command in every second, or the connection will be terminated. Sending a "DRIVE 0" to all channels disables the watchdog.  less

  • September 4, 2017
• 
  Tamás Fábián replied to a topic in the forum Support:

  Hello Andrew,
  this is probably SBrick's overcurrent protection in action. It's a sign of trying to use SBrick near it's current limit.
  Don't use SBrick near it's current limit for too long, it will overheat, and the thermal protection will disable the...  moreHello Andrew,
  this is probably SBrick's overcurrent protection in action. It's a sign of trying to use SBrick near it's current limit.
  Don't use SBrick near it's current limit for too long, it will overheat, and the thermal protection will disable the motors for several seconds / minutes. Doing this often will adversely affect the SBrick's lifetime.
  I suggest using more motors instead of a single big one. I know this could be a hassle and/or more expensive, but you'll get reliable operation and happy, cool SBrick ;)
  Cheers,
  Tamas  less

  • April 4, 2017
• 
  Tamás Fábián replied to a topic in the forum Support:

  Hello Kees,
  The 5th channel is indeed the the "LED identification on-off" channel.
  It's usage with quick drive is undocumented, since it's rather convoluted. Use the DRIVE command to turn it off (0) or on (any other value).
  You could use the LED...  moreHello Kees,
  The 5th channel is indeed the the "LED identification on-off" channel.
  It's usage with quick drive is undocumented, since it's rather convoluted. Use the DRIVE command to turn it off (0) or on (any other value).
  You could use the LED identification function via quick drive by sending a value 2 to turn it off (!) and 3,4, or greater to turn it on.  

  • March 29, 2017
• 
  Tamás Fábián replied to a topic in the forum Support:

  Dear Kees,
  old firmwares don't have the manufacturer specific data record in neither the advertisement, nor the scan response data packet.
  You can recognize these old bricks (beside updating the firmware, obviously :) ) by looking for devices with the...  moreDear Kees,
  old firmwares don't have the manufacturer specific data record in neither the advertisement, nor the scan response data packet.
  You can recognize these old bricks (beside updating the firmware, obviously :) ) by looking for devices with the name "SBrick". There are very old pre-production prototypes with the name "SmartBrick".
  To support these, you need to match for names of "SBRICK" or "SMARTBRICK" case insensitive (so "SBrick", "sbrick" and "sbRIck" all match). Since you cannot prevent anyone to name a BLE device "SBrick", you might end up listing and connecting to non-SBrick devices. To prevent confusion and strange errors, check for the remote control service in the GATT database.
  Cheers,
  Tamas  less

  • March 1, 2017
• 
  Tamás Fábián replied to a topic in the forum Support:

  Hello Owen,
  you need to subscribe to notifications on the "quick drive" characteristic (489a6ae0-c1ab-4c9c-bdb2-11d373c1b7fb).
  Let me know wether this solves your problem or not.
  Cheers,
  Tamas

  • January 25, 2017
• 
  Tamás Fábián replied to a topic in the forum Support:

  Hello Francesco,
  the documentation had an error, the ADC channel numbering changed after version 14.
  The battery reading is on channel 8, the temperature is on 9.
  The full list of channels can be read in the updated documentation:...  moreHello Francesco,
  the documentation had an error, the ADC channel numbering changed after version 14.
  The battery reading is on channel 8, the temperature is on 9.
  The full list of channels can be read in the updated documentation: https://social.sbrick.com/wiki/view/pageId/11/slug/the-sbrick-ble-protocol . See section "SBrick Data Records", record 06 "Voltage measurement".  

  • December 8, 2016