1537 Blinks Twice Before Turning Off

[demuffin]

Hi all,

I have 2 1537 controllers that have the same issue of the LED blinking twice before turning off under battery power. I also did try with other batteries but it is the same. I have done my research and majority suggested to power cycle the Xbox console. However, I do not have a Xbox console to try that method. Did anyone experienced the same issue and managed to fix it without the use of the console? Any other advice will be greatly appreciated.

Thank you and have a nice day! 

[demuffin]

I've got an update. I managed to test the controllers on the console and the controllers still doesn't work. I have isolated the issue to the MCU board. Is there any component that I need to test which could somehow cause this issue?

[RDC]

Define batteries. AA? The PnC pack? some garbage 3rd party pack? How does it act over USB?

[demuffin]

I am using Eneloop AA batteries to test and they are fully charged. And both controllers works perfectly over USB.

[RDC]

Does the second blink fade out slowly?

[demuffin]

Yeah, exactly that.

[RDC]

Try a set of new alkaline AA in there, no rechargeable AA.

As an alternate test, and if you have access to a benhtop PSU, set it up for 3v and connect it to those AA terminals and see if it will power up.

Right around 2v is the threshold for the thing to start up, so either the voltage is sagging on those batteries you're using or there is something in the AA circuit causing a drop. There really isn't much in there to do that besides Q7.

[demuffin]

I just tried a new set of alkaline AA and it manages to power on. But it sort of struggles to keep itself powered. The longer I leave the batteries in the controller without trying to turn it on, the longer it will stay powered on.

As for the other one, it somehow died after I tried to update the controller firmware. So I will probably use that for parts next time.

[wickated]

got same type controller. localized issue in mcu itself.

[demuffin]

It's a bummer that it's an issue with the MCU. I did something that I don't know of but now I am not getting any response on the triggers and both joysticks are just stuck to the extreme right.

[RDC]

Check the voltage divider on the MCU board, R43 (22k), R44 (33k) and C39. If that thing is out of wack the MCU could think the battery voltage is too low.

[demuffin]

Power seems to be fine now.

Now I am having this issue that both the triggers and joystick doesn't work.

[RDC]

The schematic of that controller is in the 1537 thread in the pinned topics.

No idea what all you have done in there. Power issues don't just resolve themselves and for the Sticks to fail in those positions the voltage on all 4 of the Analog lines would have to be 1.8v or more, which means it would have to have multiple hardware failures for all 4 to act that way or the MCU is causing it.

[demuffin]

I believe the power issue I had was due to my bad soldering job.

I purchased 3 controllers of which, 2 had slight battery corrosion mainly on the power board. However, all of the MCU board were also faulty of which 1 of it is the board that I was working on in my previous thread. I decided to play around switching around the MCU and U5 chip and I think I managed to put together the working chips. I was looking through the schematic diagrams and I was also thinking that it?s the 1.8v rail that has failed. I measured the pin on all 4 potentiometer and it was only reading 0.6v. I assume that it is U8 that should provide 1.8v. Correct me if I?m wrong.

This is my first time ever putting in so many hours into getting just 1 controller to work 

[RDC]

U4 and U5 are just drivers for the Rumble Motors.

Yes U8 provides the 1.8v for the Sticks and the vRef to the MCU. It it also turned on/off by the MCU thru R35. R36 there is just a Pull-Down to keep the Regulator turned off until the MCU tells it to turn on. Then there are 5 Caps for decoupling (filtering) that 1.8v rail, C15, C20, C21, C30 and C31.