I just got my imp in the mail, I ordered this: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00ZQ4D1TM/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
I put the imp into the breakout board, plugged the usb cable into my mac laptop, and then plugged it into the imp. On plugging it in, I saw a very short, bright, white flash come from the imp card. Now, nothing. No amber blinking or anything.
I tried unplugging it for 30 seconds and plugging it back in, still nothing.
Is it fried? Any way to tell?
Thanks!
As there’s no white LED on it, then that sounds fried. Do you have a voltmeter?
Unfortunately, I do not. I also noticed that the imp card doesn’t seem to fully seat itself into the breakout board slot, it always pushes itself out slightly. I’m guessing the kit I got was damaged somehow in transit.
Sadly, Amazon seems to be out of that kit. Know of anywhere else I can get a card/board/tails combo like that?
You can get the imp and breakout from sparkfun.com but it will cost more and not have tails.
There might not be anything wrong with your tails though.
If you do get a new imp, instead of plugging into Mac, use the white Apple cube wall wart usb charger as your power. Not that the Mac may be a problem, but you are not sure of what the voltage is. It should be 5vdc on a usb charger.
The imp pushes into the socket and there is a click. Push, it’s in, push it’s out, alternating. So it might appear like it backs out a little bit as there is spring tension.
We all feel bad for you though. It will cost you money to start over. It’s worth taking another shot. You really do need a quality multimeter if you wish to do electronics. Notice I said “quality”… not a cheap $20 meter from China.
If you decide to buy the imp002, or even the imp003, you can still use your existing tails. You will just have to hand wire them to the correct pins. Again, some electronics experience and soldering skills would be needed.
Thanks mlseim! Yeah, I think the board was damaged, as the card never actually clicks in place. In hindsight, that should have been my first clue, but oh well!
I’ll wait until the Amazon is hopefully restocked. Seems odd that you can get the board, card, and two tails there, vs buying just the card for the same price. I’ll hold out for a while.
I’m actually a software developer that’s looking to help out a hardware engineer friend, so really just looking for a platform to get used to programming the imp. Thanks for your insights and suggestions!