Issues with AI Deck Gap8 Boot

[stmbl0]

I recently opened another discussion where i addressed issues i was having using both the AI-Deck and Flow-Deck at the same time. I've closed that discussion and decided to open this one since i have observed the behavior more closely and my understanding of the problem has changed.

To summarise, I am experiencing problems getting the AI-Deck to work constistently. Sometimes, the GAP8 does not seem to start up at all, while other times the drone randomly disconnects from WiFi during flight / takeoff.

What i have observed is that whenever the AI Deck does not work as expected, the LED of the GAP8 does not blink or turn on at all. As far as i know, the LED should blink as part of the Bootloader, which would indicate that the GAP8 never even gets to the point of loading or executing its bootloader.

This problem happens more often when the battery voltage has gone down or the Flow-Deck is connected. Charging the battery or disconnecting the Flow-Deck manages to resolve the issue most of the time, sometimes needing a couple of restarts of the drone before the AI-Deck resumes normal operation.

Are there any possible solutions to fix this problem?
Thanks in advance!

[gemenerik]

Hi, I replied in the other thread before seeing this.

You're absolutely right—the physical placement of the decks, whether above or below the main PCB, shouldn't affect functionality.

We've observed some initialization issues with the AI-deck, which may also be influenced by the presence of other decks.

If you have the opportunity, please try the resistor workaround mentioned in bitcraze/aideck-gap8-examples#105. Adding a 4.5 kΩ resistor between VCOM and ground can help the system to shut off cleanly. Please let me know if this resolves the issue.

[stmbl0]

Thanks a lot for your response!

I've just added 5kΩ of resistance and will now begin testing again to see how well it works.

[stmbl0]

After further testing, none of the issues came up again and everything worked just fine!
Thanks for the help!

[gemenerik]

Glad it helped. Keep in mind that the resistor is only used for shutting off cleanly, so you can remove it for flight if it's inconvenient (e.g., if you're using long cables that aren't practical during flight). However, it’s also perfectly fine to leave it on if that works better for you.