Neobotics Foundation Inc.
Won't power onNEORACER DOCS
NEORACER DOCS
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TROUBLESHOOTING / POWER

WON'T POWER ON.

Nine out of ten times this is a battery problem. The five checks below take under a minute and rule out everything that isn't a return-to-factory issue.

~0 minuteCommon cause: batteryNo tools required
// YOU SEE
You flip the master switch and the status LED stays dark.
// WHAT SHOULD HAPPEN
Solid red within a second, then a slow fade to green once the Jetson boots (about 30 seconds). Working order looks like that two-stage handshake every time.
01 / SIXTY-SECOND TRIAGE

QUICK TRIAGE.

  • Is the battery plugged in? The deans connector on the chassis underside should click in firmly. A loose plug will read zero volts at the switch.
  • Is the battery charged? Anything under 9 V on a and the won't boot. The charger LED is the most honest reading you have.
  • Is the master switch fully on? The rocker has a small detent. A half-press lights nothing.
  • Has the e-stop been pressed? The big red button on the chassis kills power until it's twisted to release.
  • Cold day? A 3S LiPo below 5 °C can refuse to supply load even at 11 V resting. Bringing the pack inside for ten minutes usually warms it back into shape before you retry.
02 / IF TRIAGE DIDN'T FIX IT

LIKELY CAUSES.

01

Dead pack

Voltage below the ESC cutoff.
The balance charger tells you the rest of the story. If any cell reads under 3.0 V, the pack has been over-discharged and wants a slow recovery charge before normal use. See Hardware power for the safe routine.
cell < 3.0 V → recovery
02

Loose deans plug

The pack connects but the connector is sloppy.
Reseating the plug is the first thing to try. If the male and female halves rotate freely against each other, the housing has split, and the fix is a new connector rather than a fresh pack.
reseat · check housing
03

Master switch failure

The rocker reads on but no current flows.
Rare, but it happens. With the pack plugged in, bridging the two switch leads with a screwdriver for a second is a quick test. If the LED lights, the switch is the cause, and a note to support with the serial number is all it takes for us to arrange a replacement.
04

Fuse blown

There is a 30 A blade fuse next to the ESC.
A short on the rear deck (motor wire pinched against the chassis is the usual one) pops it. The fuse is a standard 30 A automotive blade, so any auto-parts store carries them.
ATO 30A · blue