[Ovmsdev] Fasttech production problems?

Fri Jan 23 03:25:11 HKT 2015

Hi Mark, Did you get my mail about the GPS problem?Nikolay 

     On Wednesday, January 21, 2015 9:26 PM, Michael Balzer <dexter at expeedo.de> wrote:

 Mark,

Peter did not need to return the faulty module to Fasttech. 
Unfortunately he then tried to fix the module himself and destroyed it 
in the attempt. It's already gone.

As there have been other user reports here during the last days, maybe 
some of them can help?

Regards,
Michael

Am 21.01.2015 um 01:57 schrieb Mark Webb-Johnson:
> Michael, and others
>
> I checked back 12 months. No returns of any units for GPS errors. I've literally seen zero of these.
>
> Michael: Please try to contact Peter and find out what happened, then let me know. I tried that forum, but it seems in german and I can't even get registration to work.
>
> Warranty is 12 months. If you have a broken unit, please let me know (off list, I think you all have my eMail or use support at ...) and we'll have a look. It is important that we get these units back, because if I don't know of a problem I can't fix it.
>
> Regarding the GPS issues, that is very strange. The GPS module is inside the SIM and should be very simple. Apart from the normal power (which is shared with the SIM modem), it only has a simple external antenna arrangement. I would be very surprised if the SIMCOM modem works but the GPS module within it doesn't. Maybe because the GPS signals are (significantly) weaker than cellular, poor soldering on those antenna connections would be more noticable? Just guessing...
>
> I did have a couple of users report issues with inability to use GPS, but they were all related to using the module in a generic OBDII vehicle (which doesn't work properly at the moment, unless the car is very new and the OBDII runs at 500kbps). Switching those users to the XX (track) vehicle type resolved the issue for them.
>
> Bottom line: if you have a faulty unit, let me know.
>
> Regards, Mark.
>
> On 20 Jan, 2015, at 6:00 pm, Michael Balzer <dexter at expeedo.de> wrote:
>
>> Mark,
>>
>> the GPS issue was ~2-3 months ago. The user (Peter Saß / Germany) got a new module from Fasttech which worked out of the box. Don't know if he had to return the old one though.
>>
>> If you need details I can ask him or you can get in contact with him via:
>> http://www.vectrix-forum.de/index.php?option=com_kunena&userid=17460&view=user&Itemid=86
>>
>> Regards,
>> Michael
>>
>>
>> Am 20.01.2015 um 08:03 schrieb Mark Webb-Johnson:
>>> Michael,
>>>
>>> Dry soldering is about the only issue we've ever seen in any numbers over the years. It is frustrating because we group the batch sizes up (making hundreds of modules at a time) so that we have enough quantity for machine soldering, but still the quality sometimes is not there. The 'fix' is normally 15 seconds under a hot air re-work station.
>>>
>>> Not sure about the GPS issue. That functionality is mostly inside the SIM module itself, with only the antenna connection external. I didn't get this module back, or hear of this before. Do you know if it was resolved?
>>>
>>> Regards, Mark.
>>>
>>> On 20 Jan, 2015, at 8:45 am, Michael Balzer <dexter at expeedo.de> wrote:
>>>
>>>> Mark,
>>>>
>>>> thanks for the info, I'll forward the stock info.
>>>>
>>>> "More" is relative -- there was one guy whose module had no GPS a few weeks ago, and I just had some headache diagnosing a module that got stuck every once in a while on CAN writes -- I told him to check for bad contacts and he found a poor soldering point at the CAN transceiver and fixed it himself.
>>>>
>>>> So, no high numbers in any way, just more than before in my perception.
>>>>
>>>> Regards,
>>>> Michael
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> Am 20.01.2015 um 00:50 schrieb Mark Webb-Johnson:
>>>>> Michael,
>>>>>
>>>>> Fasttech is just the distribution point - they don't deal with the manufacturer. We've used the same module manufacturer since the v2 hardware was first released, and are very happy with them.
>>>>>
>>>>> We're currently out of stock of modules, and have a new batch in production. It takes a little longer than normal at this time of year, due to the Chinese New Year holidays. Our manufacturer is fine, but things like the PCBs are sub-contracted out and these sub-contractors are busy. The modules should be back in stock within the next 7 to 10 days.
>>>>>
>>>>> We're also currently out of stock of lefty OBDII cables. A year or so ago, we identified a manufacturer for cables that we really like dealing with. At that time, we tendered out to half a dozen factories, and the one we eventually chose came back quickly and efficiently with a very reasonable price (not the cheapest, but the most professional and reliable). Since then, we've used them repeatedly, and every time they do the job very well. The order has gone in, and the lefty cables should be back in stock within the next 7 days.
>>>>>
>>>>> Regarding hardware failures, I've had one RMA replacement last week - but that has been the only one for months. I think there were 3 replacements in total last year. That said, I think people like Pierre are handling some repairs locally for us, and I don't get to know about those. But, from my point of view, I'm really happy with the current hardware reliability, and no big issues found.
>>>>>
>>>>> Gotta say that most reports of hardware failure end up to be a username/password typed incorrectly, or SIM balance too low. The FAQ I put up on www.openvehicles.com helps tremendously with that (as it forces people to check each parameter, like a check-list, and most notice the mistake then and there).
>>>>>
>>>>> Regards, Mark.
>>>>>
>>>>> On 20 Jan, 2015, at 2:02 am, Michael Balzer <dexter at expeedo.de> wrote:
>>>>>
>>>>>> Hi,
>>>>>>
>>>>>> according to a Twizy user the module is currently not available. The Fasttech support told him they've got problems with the module manufacturer (I thought that's Fasttech itself), and they're searching for a new manufacturer.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> There have been more reports on hardware failures lately, maybe that's what they mean?
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Any background info on this?
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Regards,
>>>>>> Michael
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>> -- 
>> Michael Balzer * Paradestr. 8 * D-42107 Wuppertal
>> Fon 0202 / 272 2201 * Handy 0176 / 206 989 26
>>
>>
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-- 
Michael Balzer * Paradestr. 8 * D-42107 Wuppertal
Fon 0202 / 272 2201 * Handy 0176 / 206 989 26

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