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August 14, 2024September 27, 2024

Dolphin Down

Maytronics Nautilus CC Plus Repair

Dolphin Down, Waiting On Parts

Lab Work – Maytronics Repair, Dolphin Down. Let’s fix the Nautilus CC Plus

Looks like a new motor unit is required. Full teardown ahead.

Exciting news! A new series, Dolphin Down, is coming soon. This series is related to the repair of the Maytronics Dolphin Nautilus CC Plus. Currently, we are awaiting the arrival of a new motor unit. In the meantime, we are in the process of dismantling the Nautilus CC Plus robot in search of a malfunctioning drive motor.

The fan motor is functioning properly, passing both tests passed – underwater and out-of-water tests. The multimeter has confirmed that the drive motor is not working. The circuit board appears to be in good, working condition confirmed by the blinking green LEDs. The LEDs indicating that it is functioning as expected. This a positive sign for our robot and the repair diagnosis.

Robot Teardown

Housing

Screen Key

Prop Screen

Cord

Internals

Motor Unit

Remove Prop

Prop Residue

Sealed Cord

To begin the teardown process, find a safe spot and grab a multi-tool with pliers, flathead and cross bits (Phillips bits). Start by removing the power cord from the unit and unplugging the unit from the wall if necessary. First, on the Dolphin, unscrew the four screws under the filter doors to remove the top. Use the transparent or white flathead key or knob to pop open the propeller gate, which is easily accessible once the filter doors are open.

Next, slide the cord out from under the blue, body cover after removing the four main screws. Adjust the cord, remove the floats and be careful when removing the side panels. These panels should just pop off top down. Just be aware of the tabs on the bottom of the panels, this is what hold the body shells in place. Use the pliers to unscrew the blue cord connected to the power unit, as well as the four screws holding the two yellow cord strips to the unit. Unscrew the four unit screws holding the motor unit in place and it will be free.

Robot Teardown

Drive Bearings

Motor Unit

Motor Case

Remove Unit

Board Check

Drive Motor

Finally, check all cogs, drive belts, and wheel/hub parts. Ensure that the ball bearings are moving freely, unobstructed and are free of rust or degradation. Replace any parts that showing degradation, wear or significant rust. Fill with lubricant and reconnect parts, being careful to screw with appropriate tension. Test the robot out of water first, followed by half-submerged and fully submerged underwater tests. *Updated – Check out the repair – Dolphin On or the first post we commented on regarding the Maytronics Nautilus Dolphin for more information on troubleshooting, maintenance and repairs. More information will be provided in the next *5 business days, as we will be receiving the new motor unit packaging up the robot and running the cleaning cycle. Thank you.

As always, feel free to leave a comment below, let us know your thoughts!

August 2, 2023September 27, 2024

FLUSH – DNS Cache

Flush System DNS CACHE, IP Address Wisdom And More

Tech | Tools – More Reference Than Tool, MacOS Flush DNS Cache

A few things to note: from time to time, you may need to flush your DNS cache, understand how your IP address is acting and how to dump, secure, or authorize computer code to start fresh.

Flush DNS Cache – MacOS

Plain text: sudo dscacheutil -flushcache; sudo killall -HUP mDNSResponder; say cache flushed
Or
1. Command  + Spacebar
2. Type Terminal, strike enter
3. Select to Open ‘Mac Terminal Application’
4. Type sudo dscacheutil -flushcache; sudo killall -HUP mDNSResponder; say cache flushed, strike enter
5. Terminal will request “Sudo” password, enter Sudo password, and strike enter
6. Assuming the password given is correct, the system will state “Cache Flushed as indicated in the terminal command
7. Command  + W to close Terminal window
8. Strike Enter to close out window

Flush DNS Cache – Windows

1. Ctrl + R Run Windows Terminal
2. ipconfig /all directing the system to flush all. For more information, you can look up more information by inputting ipconfig?
3. Assuming no superuser credentials needed, strike enter
4. Terminal will confirm, all released and renewed
5. Ctrl + W to close Terminal window

Although this post may seem basic basic, at it’s core, it is. The command has been available since the dawn of the internet allowing users to reset the system as needed. This post will focus on the process of flushing the MacOS DNS Cache. I have included a snippet/script for resolving connection issues, tailored for both MacOS and Windows users who may come across this post.

Experiencing lag? Before we proceed, please note that these terminal commands have been used for a while with limited changes over time. The only differences might be MacOS specific, directing the system to ‘speak aloud – Cache flushed’ when the command has been completed, among other actions. Flushing the DNS cache might just be the trick for your Mac. What exactly is this DNS flushing business? It involves skipping the process of physically deleting your local cache (not internet cache/cookies etc). I’ll also post something about that.

So, we are talking about flushing the DNS? Let’s begin with a brief explanation of DNS – Domain Name Server. If you need more information on DNS, you can check out Cloudflare’s Definition of DNS to understand how it works, and so on. Essentially, the DNS translates domain names into IP addresses, which are essential for navigating the internet. Without DNS, web browsers wouldn’t be able to load websites. For a more in-depth look, I recommend reading the Cloudflare article for more details.

In a day or two, I will follow up with a post on WhatIsMyIPAddress about deleting ‘local user cache’ files on your Mac. It will make more sense in a few days if you haven’t a chance to troubleshoot your own computer issues related to internet speed, lag, and connections.

January 21, 2022September 27, 2024

Downdetector

WEB SERVICE OUTAGE!

Tech | Tools – Downdetector, Starlink Teaser

Outage? What’s Up with What’s App? Binance? Online Bank Account? Internet? Online Games?

When the ‘interwebs’ fail, or aren’t operating as they should… well, the interwebs has help. Check out Downdetector, great online resource for finding out what’s going on with the web(online games, apps; everything that uses the internet).

An Insiders View

Downdetector

Down Reports

Detailed Reporting

Comments

More Reporting Detail

Aggregate reporting, reported outages, and a neat heat map of the world showing said outages, slowness etc. Next time you experience a snag in interweb service, join the ‘outage club’ (a group that manages outage and communicates services issues for the latest, real-time outage reporting and monitoring service. We use it regularly, almost every week, and sometimes daily. While waiting for Starlink to come on board and receive equipment the website is our go-to for web service, applications or website outages. Other tools in the developer kit, you may want to explore include the FUZZ or give Selenium a try if you’re ready for it. There are many, I’ve just provided a few we use locally to keep services and websites working in optimal capacity.

For a full list of websites, service monitors, check out the 404 list – which lists of all websites monitored by DownDetector. As usual leave a comment below, let us know what you’re thinking?

July 19, 2020September 27, 2024

DJI Gimbal

DJI Gimbal Issues

DJI Blunders, Days Wasted Away

Lab Work – DJI Issues

Diagnosis: bleak… The DJI camera gimbal is inoperable, with the 45° gimbal tilt consistently shifting to the right of center a known issue straight from the factory…

DJI Gimbal: Alignment issues are present from the start. The gimbal is off-centered, indicating potential trouble with the camera and motor. This is a repost from Twitter prior to X, where I wanted to share a message that detailed a 24+ day duration from workshop-to-DJI process and back.

PH4 Gimbal Issues

Power Down

Repack Repair

Next, please keep in mind that ‘repair days’ are counted by the number of days the device is in repair. ‘days in repair’. Additionally, it is important to note down time includes DJI facility time – pre, post shipment and travel time. Whether it is in the US (possibly CA) or abroad (** the total # of repair days do not include ‘in transit’ days… times are not presented online in the DJI UI – status tracker **). Just be aware, times aren’t always accurate. If you prepare for this inaccuracy, or system latency, you’ll be better off with some of the repair ambiguity. This information may come as a disappointment, but it is good to be aware of it now. From a customer’s perspective, this experience was a nightmare.

Just to clarify, ‘Hey, we don’t count the time it takes for the device to travel to and from the customer and DJI, we apologize for any confusion. It is safe to assume that most of us, myself included, do not have a spare Phantom 4 ProV2 just sitting around. Perhaps the issue is related to a defective gimbal or defective gimbal motor(S). In this case, a brand new drone was sent back to DJI for repair. Let’s bring this nightmare to a close and conclude the DJI Gimbal matter, as I would prefer not to encounter any issues straight from the factory. That said, let’s cut to the chase, here is a quick peek at the DJI Fix article some 30 days later.

Other Robot and Drone Repairs

Although this drone is under warranty or we may be ‘under-the-hood’ trying to fix this problem ourselves. That said, learn more about drone and robot repair? Read our series on the Maytronic Dolphin Nautilus CC Plus – Dolphin Down, in need of repair, under repair and Dolphin On, robot back to work in the water. Down time is money being spent, work not being done and more importantly, reducing your Return-On-Investment (ROI) – money paid to purchase a robot to do said work, compared to the manual labor to keep the pool clean. I’d say this has huge potential for those pool owners looking for a little more in-the-pool time versus pool care and maintenance time. How about Apple repairs, M1 Chip repair, or MBP Batter Swap

Finally, as usual leave a comment below, let us know what you’re thinking?