GBZ screen won't power from battery with powerboost

General GBZ-related chat goes here. Share ideas, tips and tricks, or ask questions that don't fit into the hardware/software help forums.
saintshenanigans
Posts: 4
Joined: Tue Apr 03, 2018 11:34 am

GBZ screen won't power from battery with powerboost

Post by saintshenanigans » Thu Aug 15, 2019 9:57 pm

So I've been troubleshooting this for a few days and im completely stumped. I'm currently using the composite lcd from the rearview camera, a powerboost 1000c, a micro usb adaptor, and a 6 pin on/off switch.

When I have the micro usb plugged in from the wall, everything works fine. If I plug in the battery, the pi power comes on but the screen won't. sometimes i'll get a flicker every second or so.

I didnt see screen's board in the wiki, but I found out which pin I needed to solder 5v to, so that's already done. Can anyone help?

Currently, I have the pi and the screen wired to take power directly from the powerboost's enable port, which is how I got the power switch to actually work, and the micro usb is going into the powerboost's USB line. grounds are all set to a ground port.

User avatar
tinkerBOY
Posts: 710
Joined: Tue May 30, 2017 4:00 am
Has thanked: 294 times
Been thanked: 206 times

Re: GBZ screen won't power from battery with powerboost

Post by tinkerBOY » Fri Aug 16, 2019 4:05 am

Do you have a spare battery to test? Make sure it’s fully charged or charged enough. If the issue persist then check the wiring from the battery. Check also the voltage output of the powerboost while the battery is plugged. It should be around 5v.

Is it for a pi zero or pi3 build?
New! tinkerBOY PowerSwitch v1.0 with Safe Shutdown
Game Boy Zero Controllers available @ tinkerBOY.xyz * Support
tinkerBOY Controller v3.0 - built-in usb controller, usb audio, and usb hub
tinkerBOY Controller v2.0 - GPIO buttons and builtin PWM Audio and Amplifier
tinkerBOY Controller v1.1 - simple pcb button
* DPI Adapter - better display for GBZ
* keyboard converters - IBM XT/AT Soarer's Converter | ADB to USB Converter

saintshenanigans
Posts: 4
Joined: Tue Apr 03, 2018 11:34 am

Re: GBZ screen won't power from battery with powerboost

Post by saintshenanigans » Fri Aug 16, 2019 10:23 am

tinkerBOY wrote:
Fri Aug 16, 2019 4:05 am
Do you have a spare battery to test? Make sure it’s fully charged or charged enough.
Is it for a pi zero or pi3 build?
it's for a pi zero, and I'm positive it was fully charged, i left it plugged into the little charger board it came with overnight and the charging light turned off by morning.

I don't have a spare battery, but i may pick one up to test it, and I'll have to see if i can find a multimeter laying around.. i dont own one but my grandpa might.

User avatar
rodocop
Posts: 1723
Joined: Mon Aug 22, 2016 3:14 pm
Location: Saskatchewan
Has thanked: 606 times
Been thanked: 608 times

Re: GBZ screen won't power from battery with powerboost

Post by rodocop » Fri Aug 16, 2019 11:51 am

Do you have any pictures of your wiring and soldering. Might help if we can see what you are working with. Maybe it's an issue with the soldering.

As for wiring, you should wire EN and GND to the switch only.
Wire the pi/screen to the 5V and GND pads. (you said you wired it to the EN pin which does not make sense to me.)
Currently, I have the pi and the screen wired to take power directly from the powerboost's enable port, which is how I got the power switch to actually work, and the micro usb is going into the powerboost's USB line. grounds are all set to a ground port.
Check this diagram
SpoilerShow
Image

saintshenanigans
Posts: 4
Joined: Tue Apr 03, 2018 11:34 am

Re: GBZ screen won't power from battery with powerboost

Post by saintshenanigans » Fri Aug 16, 2019 5:18 pm

rodocop wrote:
Fri Aug 16, 2019 11:51 am
Do you have any pictures of your wiring and soldering.
Wire the pi/screen to the 5V and GND pads. (you said you wired it to the EN pin which does not make sense to me.)

Check this diagram
SpoilerShow
Image
Just bought a multimeter - says im getting 4v between the screen's board and the powerboost, and also 4v directly from the battery?

I wired it to the EN pin because I could turn the system on with the switch, and turn it off, but when i flipped the switch again, the system wouldn't turn back on. and all of the lights on the Pi would still be active, which made me think that the pin i wired to wasn't actually turning off with the switch. I will get some pictures and try to create a sensible diagram as well and post back in a few minutes

User avatar
tinkerBOY
Posts: 710
Joined: Tue May 30, 2017 4:00 am
Has thanked: 294 times
Been thanked: 206 times

Re: GBZ screen won't power from battery with powerboost

Post by tinkerBOY » Fri Aug 16, 2019 6:06 pm

saintshenanigans wrote:
Fri Aug 16, 2019 5:18 pm
rodocop wrote:
Fri Aug 16, 2019 11:51 am
Do you have any pictures of your wiring and soldering.
Wire the pi/screen to the 5V and GND pads. (you said you wired it to the EN pin which does not make sense to me.)

Check this diagram
SpoilerShow
Image
Just bought a multimeter - says im getting 4v between the screen's board and the powerboost, and also 4v directly from the battery?

I wired it to the EN pin because I could turn the system on with the switch, and turn it off, but when i flipped the switch again, the system wouldn't turn back on. and all of the lights on the Pi would still be active, which made me think that the pin i wired to wasn't actually turning off with the switch. I will get some pictures and try to create a sensible diagram as well and post back in a few minutes
There’s your problem. The 4v output is not normal for a powerboost 1000c. Probably the reason why your screen is not powering up properly while the pi zero can actually run from 3.3v to 5v. Screen works when you plug in a micro usb power adapter because the load-sharing chip gets priority 5v power from the adapter.

Reasons for this can be a defective powerboost, loose battery connection, or battery cannot provide enough power.
New! tinkerBOY PowerSwitch v1.0 with Safe Shutdown
Game Boy Zero Controllers available @ tinkerBOY.xyz * Support
tinkerBOY Controller v3.0 - built-in usb controller, usb audio, and usb hub
tinkerBOY Controller v2.0 - GPIO buttons and builtin PWM Audio and Amplifier
tinkerBOY Controller v1.1 - simple pcb button
* DPI Adapter - better display for GBZ
* keyboard converters - IBM XT/AT Soarer's Converter | ADB to USB Converter

User avatar
tinkerBOY
Posts: 710
Joined: Tue May 30, 2017 4:00 am
Has thanked: 294 times
Been thanked: 206 times

Re: GBZ screen won't power from battery with powerboost

Post by tinkerBOY » Fri Aug 16, 2019 6:08 pm

Or you wired the battery directly to the powerboost’s output? 😊
New! tinkerBOY PowerSwitch v1.0 with Safe Shutdown
Game Boy Zero Controllers available @ tinkerBOY.xyz * Support
tinkerBOY Controller v3.0 - built-in usb controller, usb audio, and usb hub
tinkerBOY Controller v2.0 - GPIO buttons and builtin PWM Audio and Amplifier
tinkerBOY Controller v1.1 - simple pcb button
* DPI Adapter - better display for GBZ
* keyboard converters - IBM XT/AT Soarer's Converter | ADB to USB Converter

saintshenanigans
Posts: 4
Joined: Tue Apr 03, 2018 11:34 am

Re: GBZ screen won't power from battery with powerboost

Post by saintshenanigans » Fri Aug 16, 2019 7:52 pm

OK here's a Paint wiring diagram, and a picture of what I'm working with..

Huge apologies for the disgusting workspace and the shoddy drawing, I don't have a lot of room to work with :oops:

If it's the battery, I'll just run to the microcenter down the street tomorrow and see if i can grab another one, hopefully it's that simple!

Image
Image


bigmac888
Posts: 5
Joined: Thu Feb 11, 2021 3:18 pm
Has thanked: 1 time

Re: GBZ screen won't power from battery with powerboost

Post by bigmac888 » Mon Mar 29, 2021 9:37 am

Having similar issues, was this ever resolved?

Post Reply

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 1 guest