Piccolo Piccoboard parts and repair

I am pleased to offer out of warranty repair service for the Ikarus Piccoboard, Piccoboard Plus and Piccoboard Pro. For warranty service, please contact either Ikarus Germany or Ikarus USA directly.

I also stock replacement output FETs, Schotky diodes, some surface mount capacitors, both pots and gyro elements for those of you who are comfortable removing and replacing those components. The gyro elements will work ONLY in the Piccoboard Plus and Piccoboard Plus sold as a standard Piccoboard (ie., with the HH pins cut off). They can be used in older Piccoboards but only with component and/or board modification. This modification involves the lowering of the gyro supply voltage to 3V and the replacement and addition of extremely small surface mount components. It is NOT a task for anyone not intimately familliar with surface mount rework techniques.

Please see the Gyro Page for a full description of the gyro failure issue based on my investigations.

If you are unsure which Piccoboard type you have, try the Piccoboard Mugshots page.


General status:
Piccoboard repair is online and available. However, my time is more limited these days and turnaround time may be longer than it used to be. If unsure, please feel free to Email me. Also, see note below.

Gyro Status:
As of June 2007 I am out of stock on gyros and do not anticipate getting more. The volume of repairs these days does not justify the cost of purchasing them in quantities needed for a decent price. They were discontinued by the manufacturer more than a year ago and they are VERY hard to find.

WARNING
For those of you contemplating operation from lithium cells..... the Piccoboard and Piccoboard Plus are NOT 100% OK on three lithium cells. When driving two servos, the BEC regulator can get hot enough to momentarily go into partial shutdown. This causes the Piccoboard logic voltage to drop. When the voltage drops, there is less drive available to the FETs. With lowered drive voltage to the FETs, they can fail to turn completely on, and when that happens they will get VERY hot and fail.

Anyone running the Piccoboard or Piccoboard Plus on three cells should seriously consider adding a second BEC regulator (same as the Piccoboard Pro) as a preventive measure. The regulators are available from me for $5 each plus $3 shipping per order. On older Piccoboards, the second regulator is simply piggybacked on top of the existing regulator. On later boards, there is provision in foil for the second regulator.

Anyone sending a Piccoboard to me for repair can have the second regulator added for an additional $5 charge if done at the same time as any other repair. Or if all you need is the second BEC, I can install it for you for $30 including insured return shipping.

The Piccoboard Pro is OK on three cells because it has the second BEC chip added at the factory.

Repairs: 1. Follow the troubleshooting guide to attempt to determine what the failure mode is, if it is repairable and the estimated repair cost. If you have any questions, Email me at 2. Send the board(s) to me at the address below. INSURED AND REGISTERED SHIPMENTS. I am often not home when the mail is delivered. Since insured and registered shipments require a signature, shipping your board TO me by insured or registered mail will cause a delay since I can only get to the post office on Saturday. Paul Goelz Piccoboard Repair 328 Powderhorn Ct. Rochester Hills, Michigan 48309 USA Be sure to include the following information: Name Snail Mail return shipping address Email address Evening phone number (just in case) Piccoboard model and quantity Suspected failure mode for each board returned You can send a check for the estimated repair cost, or wait for my evaluation and pay me via check or money order (made out to Paul Goelz) or pay with (my Paypal identity is ). 3. I will evaluate the board(s) and will Email you with the repair cost. 4. As soon as I have received payment, I will return the board(s) to the address you provide in your Email or with the board(s).

Replacement parts: Output FETs (IRF7456) (all Piccoboard types) $5 each plus shipping Schotky diodes (1N5817MCT) 1A, 20V, MELF package (all Piccoboard types) $2 each plus shipping Gyro elements (Tokin CG-L43) (Piccoboard Plus and Pro only) OUT OF STOCK BEC regulator (5V, 800 mA, SOT-223) (all Piccoboard types) $5 each plus shipping. 47 uF 10V SMD capacitor (all Piccoboard types) $2 each plus shipping. 4.7 uF 10V SMD capacitor (all Piccoboard types) $2 each plus shipping. Gyro gain pot (200K) (all Piccoboard types) $4 each plus shipping. Mix pot (10K) (all Piccoboard types) $4 each plus shipping. 1. Email me at with your request and shipping details. 2. I will respond with stock status. 3. When I receive payment, I will ship to the address you provide in your Email.