Is my Arduino broken?

Using Arduino IDE 1.x
1

Hello,
I have recently connected a 7 segment display to my Arduino with a 9v battery. It worked fine until one morning when I turned it on it displayed all 7 segments lit while the Arduino was restarting. Is my Arduino broken??????

Thanks for any replies
Michael Schmid

2

I suppose one way to test the Arduino would be to disconnect that display and try a few different sketches doing different things. You could try the blink sketch for example, to see if the built-in led on pin 13 still works, etc etc.

3

Blink works
any other help because I'm lost

Thanks JimboZA

Michael Schmid

4

How are you driving the display?- is each segment connected to its own pin or using a chip?- if so the chip might be faulty. Presumably you triple-checked the wiring....

Did you test the display by itself?- hook it up to a 5v supply without using the Arduino and see if each of the segs works individually- ie, make sure that it's not the display that's causing all segs to light when you apply 5v (thru a resistor) to each seg.

5

The good news is that if Blink runs, your Arduino is not broken. If you are operating on battery, I'd suggest getting a new one. Chances are the display uses much more power than the on board LED. If you are using a breadboard, check for loose or intermittent connections. Start with the simple stuff, battery first. Try to measure the battery voltage with your project in the failed state. that would be a good place to start At any rate posting your code and a schematic would help. Good luck.

6

Thanks for everyone who commented. It is now working in mint condition it might of just been my wiring.

Michael Schmid

7

Congrats!