relatively new Digx board not responding - out of the blue

[rholt]

  So, I just got my Digix board about a week ago and although I know a lot about programming in SQL, I'm a total newb to all of this. - Got off to a slow start, but I've been doing SO much reading & web-surfing that I'm sure that on more that one database I'm probably listed as some sort of "stalker geek". Just to make it clear - the Digix board has been working like a charm up until now...
But last night I went to do some more spelunking into the world of Arduino programming on the Digix board, but my board did not start up. -
I been using both my laptop & my PC @ home to work with the device.
Using Windows 8 on both platforms. Nothing attached to the Digix board except the USB cable.
1) As i mentioned, I'm getting no response at all from the board when i plug in the USB.
2) No beep from the PC or Notebook indicating that a device has been plugged in.
3) No light on the Digix board.
4) No COM ports show up in "Device Manager" on desktop or notebook.
5) The Arduino IDE show no ports available.

1) I've tried both my PC & my Notebook (which worked before)
2) Used different USB Ports on each machine.
3) I've used 3 different (known good) USB cables.

Is there a way to do a BIG RESET (I've tried holding the Erase & Restart buttons on while plugging USB IN) on this board. I'm looking for suggestions here.

By the way, and this is a BIG "by the way" - I knew I want to work with more than one Digix board eventually, so to save time with trying to go through the process of getting a replacement (which I will do) , I went ahead and ordered myself a 2nd board last night - I completed the order but had totally forgotten to change the shipping to "express" - so I emailed Erik about hopefully being able to change the order before it got shipped out --> He EMAILS me @ 6:20 AM this morning and says it's a done deal. Jjust send him the $ diff (which I did), and he's all "let me know how things work out with my current digix board and "If it is due to our defect we will replace it."
Now I don't expect more than that, but truthfully i don't expect less than that - He did a real solid as far as far as I'm concerned and I just want to let others know that I know have a VERY HIGH RESPECT FOR THIS COMPANY  right now. Whatever is wrong with my board, you all know that I DO NOT suspect that this is an endemic thing, especially since I went right out and BOUGHT an additional board. If any of you have similar experiences, please take a minute or two to "Pay it forward" lord knows small startup companies sure hear about things that go wrong often enough. but to me (and i'm a VP of IT for my company), SERVICE and good product are the two main things i'm looking for. If a company has both - that goes a long way with me.
thanks in advance for any help on my problem.
Russ from Coral Springs, Florida.

[gogol]

Hello,

when there is no LED lighting on the DigiX, I assume, that the NCP1117ST33T3G is gone. That is the 3.3V voltage regulator, which is cascaded behind the 5V level.

You can check with a voltmeter, if there is 5V on the 5V pins available. Which I assume is the case.
However if the reason for the broken regulator is a shorted output pin of the DigiX, the SAM3X8E may be as well damaged. 

[digistump]

gogol - thanks fro always beating even me to providing support!

It sounds like it could also be the USB connector - we've had a handful of those with bad soldering. The NCP (actually we use the Toshiba equivelent because it has lower drop out) is a tough part and solders very well - so given that nothing was attached the USB port would be my first guess.

Russ - I'll send you an email about replacing this one.

[gogol]

If that is the case, the power LED should lite, when the DigiX is connected via external power supply. If you have some 5-16V external power supply, try that!
I had one (out of three) with a bad USB port, which I fixed through resoldering.  In my case it was one of the data-lines. Power connectivity was not an issue.

[rholt]

I certainly appreciate the prompt & in depth responses.
when i get home this afternoon, I will:
1) check the voltage on the 3.3v pins & 5v pin
2) hook up to external voltage (where?) and repeat step one.

Digistump... got your email, and thanks for all yours and gogol's help.
just by reading what you wrote has educated me that much further.

I'm stymied as to it being a regulator failure since all I've been using so far is USB power.
playing around with LED's, Photoresistors, a gyro board and and accelerometer board.
mostly, i've been trying to acquire some C++ chops so i can work the inputs from the boards to a graphical interface.
Stepper Motors and controllers are down the road apiece, and after i get some more education on them under my belt.

Anyway, I'm loving my new passion, and have a feeling that I'll be on this road for the duration; I've been wanting to get into something exactly like this for years but the technology was a bit too new to be user friendly.

Russ from Coral Springs, Fl

[rholt]

tonight I hooked a 12vdc power supply to the external power jack.
3.3 pin showed 0 volts
5.0 pin showed 4.8 volts

the power LED did not come on.

gogol, according to you it looks like the 3.3 VR is no longer working. As Digistump suggested, I am returning this board tomorrow. Hopefully, I'll be getting my new one tomorrow or the next day, also!

again, thanks to both of you - Once more I've been educated and the experience has led me to more reading about the internals of the board - and moved me forward in understanding what I'm getting myself into! btw, all that i have read about this board has been positive. I think that is pretty amazing.

Russ from Coral Springs

[digistump]

Russ

I guess I misunderstood when you said nothing was hooked it to it - I read nothing had ever been hooked to it.

I will certainly still honor my offer to replace - but when you get your new one you probably want to check how you are hooking things up as this sounds indicative of a short or overdraw from the 3.3v pin (or backfeeding > 3.3v into it) - just as googl had guessed it might be.

Thanks,
Erik