I agree. You cannot simply sweep this under the rug and walk away. It will come back to haunt you. I am going to put my bets on a flawed Arduino unit.

 

hi Lawrence,
It looks from the video, you are using the USB power via the UNO to power the project.
As a quick test, add a 100uf or 250uF across the +5V to 0V

E
Update: also a 100nF also if possible.

Edit: in support of the above idea, the fact the project runs for a time then screws up, is maybe the onboard UNO regulator is heating up is a possibility.

 

hi Lawrence,
It looks from the video, you are using the USB power via the UNO to power the project.
As a quick test, add a 100uf or 250uF across the +5V to 0V

E
Update: also a 100nF also if possible.

Edit: in support of the above idea, the fact the project runs for a time then screws up, is maybe the onboard UNO regulator is heating up is a possibility.

There is no separate power coming in from the arduino 5V and none of the pins are going into ground. Do you mean I should still put a resistor from 5V to Ground separately?

Is there any way to test the regulator for damage? It is possible I might have damaged it at some point when I originally got the board by not knowing what I was doing. I will try and find a local seller for an Uno and buy or order one, since it will take a while for the other board to arrive.

I also had issues with a noise sensor, it just wouldn't work, though googling it, it seemed that the problem might have been the unit itself since it was some cheap component I got in a pack. It might be possible though that other components might have issues later down the line if the board is actually broken.

I have tested a lot of components as of late, and most of them work as intended. I tested an LCD as well and it worked fine when I was messing around with it.

 

hi,
Look at this marked up image.

Place the Caps as close as possible to these two pins.
E

Added: a UNO circuit for any future reference.

 

hi,
Look at this marked up image.

Place the Caps as close as possible to these two pins.
E
View attachment 262265

The Caps? I'm sorry, I don't know professional lingo yet

 

And btw, I used a multimeter to check the voltage regulator, and on one pin it was a little over 5v and on the middle one it was about 4,5v

 

I wouldn’t say that the unit is broken or damaged.
They are many times that a unit can be fully functional and operating according to specs. Unforeseen circumstances can cause electronics to behave erratically. Hence it is important to nail this down.

 

With a 9V battery, measuring voltages on the regulator, the left pin is ground so it showed 0V, the middle showed around 5.1 volts, the right most pin showed 8.2V. Are these normal numbers?

 

I wouldn’t say that the unit is broken or damaged.
They are many times that a unit can be fully functional and operating according to specs. Unforeseen circumstances can cause electronics to behave erratically. Hence it is important to nail this down.

Yeah I feel that just knowing what the problem is not only opens up solutions, but avoidance as well.

 

Hi, L,
Sorry about the lazy way of posting: The Caps? I'm sorry, I don't know professional lingo yet

Capacitors..

 

You should not be running an Arduino off a 9V battery.
A 9V battery does not have enough power to drive an Arduino.

 

Hi, L,
Sorry about the lazy way of posting: The Caps? I'm sorry, I don't know professional lingo yet

Capacitors..

Oh, I don't have capacitors on me at the moment, but did you mean resistors? And no worries.

Is it alright if I just put a resistor, or capacitor once I get one from the the 5V straight to ground?

 

With a 9V battery, measuring voltages on the regulator, the left pin is ground so it showed 0V, the middle showed around 5.1 volts, the right most pin showed 8.2V. Are these normal numbers?

Yes with a nominal 9V battery.

 

You should not be running an Arduino off a 9V battery.
A 9V battery does not have enough power to drive an Arduino.

I'll avoid doing that. The battery was just a test though. I tested the regulator with the 5V and then the 9V input to see how the voltages changed.

 

NOT a resistor.

 

What power supply are you using to run the Arduino?
You cannot use a 5V supply.
You cannot use a 9V battery.
You should use a DC supply or DC power adapter of about 8-12V with at least 0.5 to 1A capability.

 

NOT a resistor.

Ok, I have no capacitors at hand, and I am looking to order a regulator in case that is broken. What model of regulator should I get to replace the one I have on the board?

 

What power supply are you using to run the Arduino?
You cannot use a 5V supply.
You cannot use a 9V battery.
You should use a DC supply or DC power adapter of about 8-12V with at least 0.5 to 1A capability.

I am using the USB that comes out of my PC to power the Arduino. I also have a 9V battery for tests. I do have a 5V power source that I can plug into a breadboard, but since this project can't really use one I use the one from my PC.

I don't think I have anything except batteries to manufacture a temporary 8V to 12V power source for the Arduino.

 

hi,
With those measurements you made on the regulator, they indicate that it is OK.
I am using the USB that comes out of my PC to power the Arduino , thats OK
As a quick test, unplug 2 of the 7 segment displays and run the project, that will reduce the current load and the project may run OK.

E

 

hi,
With those measurements you made on the regulator, they indicate that it is OK.

As a quick test, unplug 2 of the 7 segment displays and run the project, that will reduce the current load and the project may run OK.

E

I ran this one digit at a time and it still became erratic.

One thing I did notice was, that the faster I tried to repeat the test, the faster the erratic behavior began, so that would suggest something to possibly do with heat.