Eagle Tree Systems eLogger V3 TOASTED!!!
 

I just bought a brand new Eagle Tree Systems eLogger V3 w/Conn 100 AMP recorder from A Main the other day. Hooked it up to the pc and it looked fine. Did a quick 2-3 minute run and it was fine. Did another 2-3 minute run and now it's toasted:diablo::diablo:.

I hooked it up to the USB and no signal at all. Then I smelled the burnt circuit board smell and the label side was very hot!! There's no way that I sent more than 100Amps through it from a 6S pack as the first run showed a peak of 42 Amps - wasn't even driving hard.

Wrote a note to A Main customer service so we'll so how this ends up getting resolved.

Is there any chance that you hooked up the USB cable incorrectly to the prongs on the ETree?

I did that once (I was just off one prong) and the USB power started heating up the ETree instantly. I was holding it when it happened, so I was able to unplug it before it toasted.

Ya know - that is possible because I didn't notice any heat or smell when I pulled it from the buggy - but when I plugged it into USB I got the smell and heat pretty fast.

Didn't think a USB port could produce enough power to toast something that quickly.

There are a ton of pins on the back of that thing - very easy to not put the right plug in the right place.

I searched around a bit and it looks like USB sends 5v at 500ma.

When I did it, it got crazy hot instantly.

Somebody like BrianG could verify it.

I ordered my 150A from tower. Shipped 25th Jul and still hasn't turned up yet :(

IT normally takes <7 days, but something happened in customs here recently, and I havent got anything that came into the country in the first week of August....it better come thru soon!

Yeah, IIRC USB spec does call for 5v @ 0.5A. Assuming the computer circuits follow the spec, that's 2.5w being dissipated on something too small to do so.

It's kinda strange though, you'd think the plug would be keyed similar to a servo cable so that if it was plugged backwards, it just wouldn't work.

No the ET is a REAL pain - Nothing is keyed some connectors are verticle and others horizontal - I'd go direct to ET 1-425-614-0450 Ext 3

Thanks Arct1k - I'll give A Main through the weekend to reply and then call ET Monday if I don't hear back.

I guess it's back to the Watts-Up meter for the weekend. :tongue: It's a great meter for averages and stuff but sometimes I get the feeling it's resolution just isn't fast enough and that my Amp spikes are really higher than it shows.

Those pins are definitely the worst thing about the ETree. They easily get bent when you're driving if your install is a bit loose/weak. I wish they had a plastic cap on the pins and mounting tabs of some sort for the whole unit.

The weight of the batt/esc wires bouncing around is often stronger than the velcro I use, so it gets loose. I use it in several different vehicles and take it out to hook it up to the PC, so I' haven't been motivated to come up with a super secure mount.

It's not a HUGE deal, but it can obviously cause problems.

Well - if I can't get it replaced/repaired - I've got a $65 pair of Dean's plugs out of the whole deal.:lol:

hobbycity sells them for $45 or so. dont know why youd buy it for 65 elsewhere!

Not true...
http://www.hobbycity.com/hobbycity/s...er_V3_E-Logger

sorry, $49.53, still cheaper though :)

You must get a discount or something, because the price I see is $64.95 and it's not even in stock.

If you login, everything suddenly appears cheaper

Not for the Eagletree...at least not for me.

Weird.. works for me...

there are different levels of accounts. the more you spend with them, the cheaper the stuff becomes. for example a PQ 6s pack for me costs $200, but for another member cost 290. so go figure.

Price aside, a main told me to contact Horizon Hobby (are they the distributor for Eagle Tree?) so I may just call the number above at hit EA direct.

I'm thinking it's more likely that I hooked up the USB cable wrong so even though it sucks I just have to suck up the mistake. Wouldn't the first or the last time. :lol:

btw - for those using it is there any recommended order to plug the battery and ESC. Battery first, ESC first or it doesn't matter? Thx.

Since it's just a shunt with a hall effect sensor, I would say you can think of it as simple wire and it doesn't matter which end you connect first. Someone correct me if I'm wrong.

Along with all those pins, exposed and not keyed, what I don't like with the eLogger is they have cut corners on the Deans connectors, which appear to be cheap clones. They are very hard to connect or disconnect with my genuire Deans, and the contacts (probably stamped) are in the wrong way.

Think of a part stamped from a sheet of metal, one side is rounded by the cutting stamp, the other is slightly concave. Well on genuire Deans, the contact is made by the convex side of the metal part, on these clones it is the opposite. Not only they are hard to connect, but I would not be surprised if they didn't make a proper matting contact.