BuWizz - High Performance LEGO Power Functions Controller and Battery

[HectorMB]

9 minutes ago, X0_mocs said:

Does anyone of you experienced the issue that the BuWizz 3.0 just won't turn on anymore? When charging the LEDs light up in a spinning red pattern, that' it. Can't connect to my phone, it just doesn't work anymore :/

Yes, it happened to me few times. Normally I let them stay for some time, and then they turn off. If not, try to plug in a let it overnight. If it didn't work neither... Then I have no idea...

[howitzer]

27 minutes ago, aFrInaTi0n said:

What would you call their (lacking) delivery and what would be the correct term then? (native German speaker here, may be minor langueage differences which make the difference, would like to know if I did something wrong).

Would a "rip off" be better fitting?

Dunno, a product that didn't meet the expectations maybe? I'm not sure about the language difference, I'm not a native english speaker either, so it's possible that the word "scam" can also be correctly used for a product that is simply bad while not being marketed criminally dishonestly.

[aFrInaTi0n]

@HectorMB and I put our phrase discussion into a pm conversation to not bloat further here..

 

Just to show of some efforts, for example communication via email:

Initial mail from beginning of April 2022:

Spoiler

 

Hey guys,

I have seen your Q1/2022 feature schedule. I am missing a failsafe feature and want to ask if this can be implemented & or if this is can be expected as a planned feature for maybe Q2/2022?

User-Story
-------------------------------
I as a Buwizz user would like to have a option to set a configurable failsafe software feature.
I am really looking forward for the implementation because I already had several situation where the Buwizz lost the connection to the steering device (smartphone) and kept going with the same amount of throttle as it lastly received from the steering device. This led my models to crash at high speeds into objects and caused damage to my LEGO parts.
Acceptance Criteria:
- Working Implementation of the failsafe at the Buwizz firmware
- Configurable enabling/disabling at the Buwizz App
- Configurable delay in milliseconds after which the Buwizz will throttle down all outputs to stop
- Configureable ramp-down for not having a hard fullstop in milliseconds

Looking forward to get a reply from you - even if the answer is "no we don\'t have it planned for the near future / at all".
I could also assist in testing the feature-development with my two Buwizz 3.0 units.

Last but not least: Are there any Buwizz Events planned for 2022?

Thanks in advance and best regards,
Christoph

 

Zero replied and was so kind to move the ticket to his colleague.

Second attempt to get an update via follow up mail in August 2022:

Spoiler

Hello Zero and Buwizz-Team,

I just want to ask here as official support-channel if there are any updates on the progress of the announced Q1'22 goals or even some possible estimations when new features can be expected - or if the app development has come to a complete stop.

Asking because I am currently not quite happy with my two Buwizz3 units because of the still missing a failsafe.
Using them in outdoor scenarios puts the models and also the Buwizz units at risk if they get out of range of the BT sender (smartphone).

Thanks in advance and best regards,

Christoph

Final answer was "no date for final implementation know" for the feature request of Failsafe, only "high priority for us". No follow up since then.

Also multiple attempts to get replied from their fb account via pm or via commenting on plenty of their posts (and their reposts in the Buwizz fb Usergroup, they are admin of) where I asked in a mannered way with no reaction at all...

 

If they can't effort software development while doing advertisments with super sport car manufacturerers, it is fine to me, but please clearly state the "no support can be expected" 😅

 

To give it some positive vibe:

For me a list of the currently open bugs and requested / announced features isn't communicated in a clear way - here we cloud gather as a community and sort the things out, describing them correctly and then handing them over to the Support (maybe Zero could help out, but seeing this as optionally happning).

Would it be benefitial to maybe an idea to think about creating a subforum for RC-related stuff, to be able to have bugs/features curated by some mod for keeping a good format of the cases etc for future use and give the community to better identify the already known topics?

 

*Disclaimer: For respecting privacy reasons I won't give out any direct replies from the other side, also replaced Zeros name with his nick in the mail content, FYI

[Danil]

1 hour ago, X0_mocs said:

Does anyone of you experienced the issue that the BuWizz 3.0 just won't turn on anymore? When charging the LEDs light up in a spinning red pattern, that' it. Can't connect to my phone, it just doesn't work anymore :/

I didn’t wait, I decided it was easier, unscrewing the two screws, removing the cover, disconnected the battery connector and connected it back. With these actions, be careful, the connector is disconnected by moving upwards.

[Zerobricks]

Here's a video tutorial on how to replace the BuWizz 3.0's battery/reset it:

Regarding support I am the person providing tech support when possible and I have a good knowledge of what features are wanted and needed. I created detailed plans for features ranging from current limiters, connection loss behavior, advanced modules and controller support, constant speed modules, RPM and speed meters just to mention a few. I can post a full list when I return back from vacation.

Edited February 21, 2023 by Zerobricks

[aFrInaTi0n]

Take it easy - even more if currently considered in vacation! Enjoy and keep us out of your thoughts and enjoy the days!!

More transparency in communication would be appreciated - but 2-3 weeks more or less won't hurt by now...

Edit: on the other hand...

Taken from their most recent advertisment:

😤🤬

Edited February 26, 2023 by aFrInaTi0n

[aFrInaTi0n]

Here we go...

https://buwizz.com/buwizz-software-development-update/

 

Spoiler

Dear BuWizz fans,

A year ago, we published a Software development roadmap, which proved to be a bit too optimistic.
However, we did not sit still this past year.

We already implemented the following features:

• we decided to rebuild our Bluetooth connection management as our previous solution was out of date (and the library was deprecated and no longer under active development)
• added support for multiple center steer modules
• fixed servo calibration issues on Bluetooth LE connection drop
• added a new gearbox module

Implementation of the above features tied up all our software development resources – especially Bluetooth module conversion to a new library and troubleshooting seemed to be never ending.

We are now pushing forward and keeping with what we promised. Currently, work is ongoing on the following features:

BuWizz 3.0 Pro

• Implementation of programmable current limits (full power startup of BuWizz motors will not shutdown BuWizz)
• Support for new motors (Spike Small angular motor, Technic Medium and Large angular motors)

BuWizz 2.0 Ludicrous

• Alignment of BuWizz 2.0 features with BuWizz 3.0:
• Shake to wake
• Renaming
• Timeout settings
• Serial number in default BuWizz naming so both iOS and Android App will see same BuWizz names

Target date for the release of above mentioned improvements is end of April 2023.

We have other improvements planned and we will keep you posted, but we do not want to over-promise again and we want to deliver the improvements mentioned above first.

Thank you for your support and patience.

Sincerely

Your BuWizz Team

"Target date for the release of above mentioned improvements is end of April 2023."

Edited March 2, 2023 by aFrInaTi0n

[HectorMB]

Well, those are very good news, indeed. Let's wait for the end of April to see the improvements. 

[Bony_em]

For giving my opinion about BuWizz I have to say that it is a 12 out of 10, it is fantastic, the new engine and the battery is perfect, one of my legos is wearing it and I even have fun driving it, I am making a video about the moc with the buwizz And when I finish it, I'll show it to you.

 

[amorti]

I have a 1:5 RC motorcycle on the bench, but it needs proper support of 2 buggy motors and support of the angular servos before I can try it out.

Fingers crossed that the update really happens this time!

[aFrInaTi0n]

1 hour ago, amorti said:

I have a 1:5 RC motorcycle on the bench, but it needs proper support of 2 buggy motors and support of the angular servos before I can try it out.

Fingers crossed that the update really happens this time!

Yeah, expectations are huge now... as I already stated towards Zero via email, its not about "a single update" - its about rebuilding already lost trust from the customers over a long period.. 

Edited March 10, 2023 by aFrInaTi0n

[aFrInaTi0n]

Finally some life-signs!

[shroomzofdoom]

I have a dumb question... Where is the link to open a support case on the Buwizz site? I know that it was difficult to locate and I have used it before but for some reason I can no longer find it. 

Oddly, it's not under the 'support' section heading... Which is where it kinda should be. 

Edit: found the link in my history, but for the life of me could not locate the entry point from their site! 

https://buwizz.com/contact-support/

 

Edited March 19, 2023 by shroomzofdoom

[Jundis]

On 3/11/2023 at 6:17 PM, aFrInaTi0n said:

Finally some life-signs!

I really hope we can not only make a 90° turn of the motor, but can select indipendently. Same goes for the calibration, this really is kind of strange...

[HectorMB]

I just had the same thoughts when I saw the news about it....

[StudWorks]

I have just upgraded from a BuWizz 2.0 to a BuWizz 3.0 with two BuWizz motors too and was very excited, so I built a buggy to learn how to use the new BuWizz and the crazy-fast BuWizz motors.

Unfortunately, the moment I make the buggy go, either two things will happen.

1: The buggy will go a single foot and then stop, and the BuWizz 3.0 will either lose connection (fixed by resetting app) or be totally unresponsive (fixed by putting in charging cable and then taking it out).

2. Exactly the same as situation 1 except the buggy will go extremely fast and when stopping, the BuWizz 3.0 will either lose connection or be totally unresponsive.

And this happens over and over again.

I also have had trouble with the BuWizz app's center steering function for Control+ motors, where only when steering right the motor will return to center and when the motor does return the center the wheels themselves are always off-center.

Finally, ever since having BuWizz 2.0 (and still experienced with 3.0) the app will have to reconnect with the BuWizz every single minute, which has been annoying.

I have been extremely excited to start building MOCs with BuWizz but unfortunately my experience with my new 3.0 has so far been awful. Should I exchange my 3.0 brick for another one that hopefully works? Any advice would be appreciated.

[aFrInaTi0n]

@StudWorks have you tried the ramp up functionality to test if it works with those set?

Also it would be recommended to add the output current monitor to get an idea about what was drawn as max value to get feeling for the load to the bw3 unit.

From my opinion two things could be the case:

• Motors are pulling too much current because of high gearing or too much weight of the model (or too much friction somewhere)
• Buwizz3 Unit has a bad pcb with the ICs overheating stepping in way too early

Another thing you can check: Do you have the firmware 1.8 installed to the brick?

[StudWorks]

7 minutes ago, aFrInaTi0n said:

@StudWorks have you tried the ramp up functionality to test if it works with those set?

Also it would be recommended to add the output current monitor to get an idea about what was drawn as max value to get feeling for the load to the bw3 unit.

From my opinion two things could be the case:

• Motors are pulling too much current because of high gearing or too much weight of the model (or too much friction somewhere)
• Buwizz3 Unit has a bad pcb with the ICs overheating stepping in way too early

Another thing you can check: Do you have the firmware 1.8 installed to the brick?

I don't think it's any of the problems you mentioned. I have huge 42099 tires connected straight to BuWizz motors, could these tires be too big for the BuWizz 3.0 to handle?

[gyenesvi]

15 minutes ago, StudWorks said:

I don't think it's any of the problems you mentioned. I have huge 42099 tires connected straight to BuWizz motors, could these tires be too big for the BuWizz 3.0 to handle?

Well, that's exactly the problem that @aFrInaTi0n mentions :) That is 'too high gearing', because there is no down-gearing in the drivetrain, and large wheels only make things worse. That's already too much resistance, so probably the motors draw too much current. It is a known problem with Buwizz 3.0s, lack of shut-down protection in the FW, so there's no point in trying to change it to a new one, many people experience the same problem, and some workarounds have already been discussed in this thread a few pages before (ramp-up curves, use of physical controller to better control acceleration, add down-gearing). And wait for updates and hope this gets fixed at some point in the future..

[StudWorks]

4 minutes ago, gyenesvi said:

Well, that's exactly the problem that @aFrInaTi0n mentions :) That is 'too high gearing', because there is no down-gearing in the drivetrain, and large wheels only make things worse. That's already too much resistance, so probably the motors draw too much current. It is a known problem with Buwizz 3.0s, lack of shut-down protection in the FW, so there's no point in trying to change it to a new one, many people experience the same problem, and some workarounds have already been discussed in this thread a few pages before (ramp-up curves, use of physical controller to better control acceleration, add down-gearing). And wait for updates and hope this gets fixed at some point in the future..

I’m going to try using smaller tires and wheels. The original instructions for the buggy I’m building called for the Zetros tires. Thanks for the suggestion.

[StudWorks]

I have just added smaller balloon tires to the buggy and it no longer shuts down! So I fixed that issue, the problem is that the center steering function for the Control+ motor is still frustrating me. I’ve been tuning everything and yet every time I stop steering it either resets the steering off-center or doesn’t reset the steering at all. Any help?

[gyenesvi]

57 minutes ago, StudWorks said:

I have just added smaller balloon tires to the buggy and it no longer shuts down! So I fixed that issue, the problem is that the center steering function for the Control+ motor is still frustrating me. I’ve been tuning everything and yet every time I stop steering it either resets the steering off-center or doesn’t reset the steering at all. Any help?

Surprised that a bit smaller tires solved it, but let's hope it stays like that :)

It sounds like the steering is not calibrated. First, the physical build might not be centered properly, you might have to adjust some gears. When the wheels are centered, the motor's axle shaft should be adjusted to a 90 degree angle (the cross pointing up-down-left-right, not at an angle). Even more, there is an actual zero position in the whole 360 degree circle, which is not marked explicitly, but the app might actually try to move there when centering, but the physical limits might not let it. You may find the zero position by disconnecting the steering motor and let the app move the motor where it wants to when centering, and then connect the motor back.

Alternatively, you need to run the calibration in the app to automatically search for the limits and find the center (I think it should already work in the latest version of the app). If that works you don't need to adjust the physical build as above (but it's a good practise just to make sure).

[shroomzofdoom]

2 hours ago, StudWorks said:

I have just added smaller balloon tires to the buggy and it no longer shuts down! So I fixed that issue, the problem is that the center steering function for the Control+ motor is still frustrating me. I’ve been tuning everything and yet every time I stop steering it either resets the steering off-center or doesn’t reset the steering at all. Any help?

Which motor are you using for steering? It looks like Technic L motor just wanted to be sure. I have good luck running those with Buwizz but you have to have good mechanical stops in place. Also, try adjusting the centering power to 68%, that always seems like the sweet spot for me. 

[aFrInaTi0n]

12 hours ago, StudWorks said:

I have just added smaller balloon tires to the buggy and it no longer shuts down! So I fixed that issue, the problem is that the center steering function for the Control+ motor is still frustrating me. I’ve been tuning everything and yet every time I stop steering it either resets the steering off-center or doesn’t reset the steering at all. Any help?

Thats why I asked to take a look at the currents drained by the motors. Rough estimates: Real short peaks to 2.5 A per port may be fine - in the long run I would try to stay below 1.5 A per port - but even this may heat up the ICs in the long run..

So if you are experiencing shutdowns, checl for the reasons and adjust with smaller tires or gearing down to have more torque with less Ah drainage.

 

Edit: Welcome to the club of customers which are somehow disappointed by the product.. 

Edited March 23, 2023 by aFrInaTi0n

[Toastie]

1 hour ago, aFrInaTi0n said:

look at the currents drained by the motors. Rough estimates: Real short peaks to 2.5 Ah per port may be fine

Just to be crystal clear here, as this discussion is 54 pages long: Are you talking about peak current [A] or peak charge delivered [Ah] in this context? I believe, the issue is current. However, you also touch on the "energy loss" (heat energy to be dissipated), heating up the ICs as reason of failure, and thus things get into confusion. To me at least.

Best,
Thorsten

   

Edited March 22, 2023 by Toastie