We built an Arduino clone... Help us blow it up! (Destructive Testing Advice)

[PioteLLC]

Long story short, we've developed an Arduino clone that has a different form factor than any other clone we've seen. Almost to the point of not calling it a "Clone", but better safe than sorry.

Anyways, wanna help us BURN OUR CLONE TO THE F***ING GROUND?? Before we share it or send out beta test units, we want to see the worst failure mode it can offer. I know I can short 5V to ground and burn out tons of stuff, but is there anything more exciting than just Magic Smoke?

For the sake of argument, assume it's a 1:1 clone of a Duemilanove, even though it's not.

[retrolefty]

Well one 'feature' (or failure) of that Arduino of that era involved the FTDI chip. The 3.3vdc (not used by the board but available on a shield pin for powering external stuff) is sourced from the internal 3.3 regulator on the FTDI. It was only rated for like 40ma and drawing excessive current would/could destroy the FTDI chip. Later arduino boards, like the Uno used a real 3.3v regulator on board that could supply 100+ ma.

[zapta]

Anyways, wanna help us BURN OUR CLONE TO THE F***ING GROUND?? Before we share it or send out beta test units, we want to see the worst failure mode it can offer.

What I would like to know about your board is, will it blend?

[rs20]

I know I can short 5V to ground and burn out tons of stuff...

Aren't proper linear regulators supposed to have thermal cut outs, and thus be tolerant of shorts to ground? If you're trying to make a rugged device, just assuming that shorting 5V to ground is obviously destructive is a bad start.

[Mechatrommer]

No picture no fun..

[SeanB]

Take the 5V regulator input and apply 36VDC to it, and see if the 5v regulator is a real 7805 or a fake, which breaks down at 36V and applies the full input to the output.

Otherwise try to run a whole load of small 5V relays (without catch diode) from the 5V rail to the outputs, so the ESD diodes have to catch the turn off spike. Run the relays in an incrementing count at 10Hz, and at TC shift the outputs left one bit so all get the maximum cycle rate if it survives.  When finished ( if it did survive unsmoked) apply a voltage divider of 2 470k resistors in series, from 5V to 0V, to each ADC pin to see if there is excess leakage compared to the original ADC reading when done before.

[hamdi.tn]

solder all voltage rail together and power up with main source put some gasoline on the board see if any spark could set the board on fire  if you get killed don't blame me 

[sleemanj]

http://www.rugged-circuits.com/10-ways-to-destroy-an-arduino/

[PioteLLC]

Everyone, thank you for the resources and suggestions! Some specific replies...

@sleemanj - definitely gonna try some of those. Our clone doesn't have many (any?) of the Ruggeduino's features, so some of those could be pretty useful!

@SeanB - I  like this idea, because it's something that an intermediate hobbyist might do by accident. Ideally, I'd like to see a failure method that happens on the breadboard

@mechatrommer - Soon! We have nine units under construction for demos/beta testing/reviews/so forth. Those are finished tomorrow, Destructive testing on thursday, probably start really sharing the project early next week.

@retrolefty - So, i noticed that during the design, actually. I went ahead and tied the 3V3 output of the FTDI to the 3V3 bus, but I also have a MIC5205 supplying 3V3. It's enough to try, for sure!

Thanks again everybody!! I'll post an update this weekend. We'll record it all, so if we find something interesting I'll post it here! Not only that, I think that if we find some really nasty way to fail it, we'll try to do it to an Uno R3 as well just for shits.

Talk soon! Thanks!

[retrolefty]

@retrolefty - So, i noticed that during the design, actually. I went ahead and tied the 3V3 output of the FTDI to the 3V3 bus, but I also have a MIC5205 supplying 3V3. It's enough to try, for sure!

 So your going to wire two independent 3.3v regulators together on their outputs? You might want to research that, you might be entering magic smoke land.

[ROBOT]

Hook it up to mains power

Zap it with 15kV from a neon sign transformer.

[donotdespisethesnake]

I'm not really worried about the worst case mode. That is probably accidental connection to mains voltage (e.g. if your Arduino is controlled a mains heater), or nearby lightning strike

I am interested in 3d printers, the more common stuff is the nuisance. e.g. ground loops on USB connection. I've seen several Arduinos burnt like that. The other is 12V applied to an ADC input, or to 0V. This happens when a thermistor wire shorts to a 12V heater (or sometimes 24V). Also endstops switches often get wrong voltage applied on a digital input, the 0V or 5V power rails, or short across 0V/5V.

People expect to repair the short and carry on, but they have at least killed an input on the Arduino, the regulator, or CPU.

I have also seen ESD and EMC issues, particularly with the USB connection. A nearby motor causes the Arduino to reset.

So I would really like a rugged protection circuit on an Arduino for analog and digital IO that can withstand 24V. This is outside my skill set, so I am considering paying someone to design something.

[retrolefty]

So I would really like a rugged protection circuit on an Arduino for analog and digital IO that can withstand 24V. This is outside my skill set, so I am considering paying someone to design something.

 It's been done and available:

http://www.rugged-circuits.com/ruggeduino/

[charlespax]

If you want help in the Open Source Hardware section, it would be helpful if you would provide a link to your source files.

[poorchava]

15kV air discharge according to IEC 61000-4-2?

Sent from my HTC One M8s using Tapatalk.

[EEVblog]

Take a lighter apart and get the ignitor out of it. Zap all input and output and power rails.
https://youtu.be/imdtXcnywb8?t=5m25s

[timofonic]

So I would really like a rugged protection circuit on an Arduino for analog and digital IO that can withstand 24V. This is outside my skill set, so I am considering paying someone to design something.

 It's been done and available:

http://www.rugged-circuits.com/ruggeduino/

Is Ruggeduino Open Hardware?

Are there KiCad schematics for it?