Hello! I’m very new to the world of electronics so pardon any ignorance on my part. I’ve looked all over the internet and tried many troubleshooting techniques, and can’t solve this problem I have. I’d appreciate some help!
My MyoWare Muscle Sensor doesn’t appear to be sensing my muscles at all. When I try it hooked up to the Arduino with a simple code to measure flex, I get an output of 100-200 no matter whether I’m flexing or not. When I attach the LED Shield, 0-2 bars light up and the any changes in the lights don’t seem to correlate to my flexing.
I’m using the sensor stuck directly to the muscle with sensor pads. I’ve attached pictures.
I’ve tried:
-A few different codes and a few different computers, including a laptop running on battery power.
-Repositioning the sensor, different muscles, and new pads.
-Adjusting the gain.
Can you think of anything else I can try? Thank you very much!
Hello kpeters305,
Can you verify which of the powering methods, shown in the [user manual (pgs. 2 -3), that you are using?](https://cdn.sparkfun.com/assets/a/3/a/f/a/AT-04-001.pdf)
Hi Brandon, thank you for the reply!
I’ve tried:
-Method D (grid powered) to a desktop computer.
-Method D but the power source being a laptop that was running on battery power.
-The board powered only by the battery on the LED shield.
I don’t own a USB isolator, so I haven’t tried method B or C.
I haven’t tried method A either because I can’t find a battery pack or batteries with the right
voltage currently in my possession, and I was a bit confused by the older model Arduino in the diagram. (Do I use the Vin header where it says to use the 9V header?)
But I figured if the issue was not having isolation, then it should for sure work when I was using just the LED shield, right?
kpeters305:
I was a bit confused by the older model Arduino in the diagram. (Do I use the Vin header where it says to use the 9V header?)
No, the pictures used were current when printed. Your setup should be sufficient.
At this point, you may have a faulty Myoware Muscle Sensor. If you haven’t soldered or modified that particular board and ordered directly from us you can file for an RMA request.
Please visit our [RMA form to make your request. Please provide a link back to this forum post so we can help process the RMA correctly.](Return Policy - SparkFun Electronics)
I did solder headers to it already. (I’m not sure how I would have gotten the parts to stay in place while testing it otherwise?)
We actually purchased 3 MyoWare kits, so after reading your last comment I pulled out my soldering iron and put together another one. So far I’ve tested it with the LED shield and it is working perfectly! So you are probably right about the other board being bad. Is there nothing I can do since it’s already soldered? I did order it from you, as part of the Development Kit. We bought it about two years ago though. (I’m an educator and this project got put on hold for a while.)
Thanks again for the help!
