Motors Can't Turn Wheels

[jaros]

I can't get my Pi-Bot 2 to move. Everything else on the bot works fine, and i can hear a faint humming noise whenever the wheels are supposed to turn, but they don't actually move.  When I hold the bot up and manually turn the wheels in the direction they're supposed to go, they just barely start to move, but nothing more.  I've had this problem for a while, but only recently did they stop moving completely.  I've changed out all the batteries to new ones straight out of the pack, but no dice.  I'm fairly certain it's a wiring problem, but I have no idea what it is.  This problem prsusts regardless of what program I put in.

My wiring and setup are all done exactly according to the StemCenterUSA user guide and videos, up to the point of adding the light sensor.

Any tips?

Thanks

[jasea]

Hi Jaros,
I think that you are correct in assuming that the problem is bad connections. As you say that you are in a class, you could try swapping the motor and gearbox with a classmate to see if you still have the same problem, or has it transferred to the other Pi-Bot. If you still have a problem then you need to look for bad or loose connections especially around the switch. The bread boards that we all use can also be responsible for problems of this type.
Do let us know how you get on with this problem.

John

[chris]

Good evening I have the same issue as Jaros. Assembled the gearbox according to video tutorial and the robot is moving so slow as if the motors aren't getting enough power. Obstacle avoidance works... but so slow. Please advise. Thx

[jasea]

Hi Chris,
Welcome to the Pi-Bot forum.
I can only guess that you have a connection problem, that is stopping full power being bing applied to the motors, or you have assembled the gearboxes incorrectly.
Do you have a voltmeter that you can use to check across each motor connection?

Regards
John

[jaros]

Quick update: I finished the class I used this in ~3 months ago. Never did figure out the problem, which caused me to end up getting a B instead of the easy A it was. I asked my teacher several times for help, but he ended up just shrugging it off. At one point another teacher was able to redirect power somehow and get everything going in overdrive power (I never quite understood how exactly), but I soon had to change it back because it made accessories like the light sensor and ultrasonic sensor unstable. So short story, I never fixed it and at this point I'm done with the class, so don't care enough to experiment further. Good luck with yours, though!