Troubleshooting

Troubleshooting

A symptom-first index across the whole build. Each Part page also has its own troubleshooting table scoped to that step — Part 3 Building the Tactors and Part 6 Wiring the Glove Harness in particular — this page aggregates those plus symptoms that only show up once the pair is assembled and running together.

If you don't see your symptom here, check the troubleshooting table on the specific Part page for the step you're on.

Power and battery

Symptom	Likely cause	Fix
Board flashes over USB but no motor buzzes	No battery connected — the DRV2605 haptic drivers run from VBat, not USB	Connect a LiPo. USB power alone will never drive the motors; see Part 8 First Power On and Full Bench Test.
Battery reads low in BuzzahBuddy right after a fresh charge	Battery not actually charging, or a bad connection	Re-check the battery's JST-PH connection to the board; confirm the USB-C cable and port are delivering power. See the charging note in Part 8 First Power On and Full Bench Test.

Motors and tactors

Symptom	Likely cause	Fix
One channel dead in BuzzahBuddy's Calibration screen	Bare wire not contacting the LRA in the wire plug, or an open harness connection	Tap each of that glove's five Calibration buttons in turn to isolate the dead channel; reseat the wire plug per Part 4 LRA Housing Assembly or reseat the JST connector per Part 6 Wiring the Glove Harness.
Weak or intermittent vibration	Bare wire not seated firmly in the wire plug, or a loose connection	Reseat the wire plug so the bare wire presses on the LRA; secure the connection. See the troubleshooting table in Part 3 Building the Tactors.
Correct pattern, but it lands on the wrong finger	Harness wired to the wrong silk-screen port	Rewire to the canonical table in Part 6 Wiring the Glove Harness — the silk port numbering runs backwards from the firmware finger index — then confirm by tapping each Calibration button and checking the matching fingertip buzzes.
Buzz correct during Calibration verification, wrong after wire routing	Connector worked loose or got swapped while dressing the harness	Re-run through all five Calibration buttons after routing (as Part 6 Wiring the Glove Harness recommends) and reseat the affected connector.
Weak or intermittent buzz that only appears after routing, not before	Wire strained or pinched during dressing	Loosen the routing and add slack at the joint under tension — see Step 3 of Part 6 Wiring the Glove Harness.
Pin binds, or reduced vibration felt through the housing	Lid/finger-cup dovetail holes misaligned before the pin was inserted	Reopen carefully per Part 4 LRA Housing Assembly and confirm the holes are centered before reinserting the pin; try a different pin-length option if the fit still feels tight.
Grinding sensation, or the LRA sled doesn't move freely inside the shell	A spring not seated in its pocket, or more than one spring nested in a single pocket	Reopen the shell, verify exactly one spring per pocket, confirm the pockets are round and smooth, and reassemble per Part 4 LRA Housing Assembly.

Bilateral sync (both gloves powered together)

Symptom	Likely cause	Fix
Board stays breathing blue and never turns solid green	The other glove isn't found	Confirm both gloves are powered on, confirm one board is set PRIMARY and the other SECONDARY (not both the same), bring them closer together, and power-cycle both. See Part 8 First Power On and Full Bench Test and Part 9 Using the Gloves.
Purple, flashing	The connection to the other glove dropped	The board keeps looking; the purple stops when the other glove reconnects, or after 30 seconds it returns to breathing blue. Bring the gloves closer together, and power-cycle both if they don't reconnect.
Breathing blue on a board powered on its own	Expected — there's no other glove to find	Not a fault. It turns solid green once the other board is powered on nearby.
Correct pattern felt, but on the wrong hand	PRIMARY/SECONDARY role doesn't match the intended hand	No rewiring needed — reassign the role on the affected board via the BlueBuzzah Updater to swap roles, then re-check in BuzzahBuddy. See Part 9 Using the Gloves.

Assembly and fit

Symptom	Likely cause	Fix
Housing won't secure to the glove, or shifts during wear	Zip tie or fabric mounting point missing or loose	Use the slots and brackets on the side of the housing, per Part 4 LRA Housing Assembly; small zip ties fit.
Tactor drifts off the contact point during wear	Glove sized too loose	Re-fit with a smaller glove size. See Part 5 Mounting Tactors in Glove Fingertips.
Glove tears at the mounting hole	Over-stretched fabric during cutting or insertion	Use fabric reinforcement, and cut the hole closer to the housing's actual size. See Part 5 Mounting Tactors in Glove Fingertips.
Housing uncomfortable against the finger	Tactor body pressing directly on the finger	Adjust positioning per Part 5 Mounting Tactors in Glove Fingertips.

Firmware and connectivity

Symptom	Likely cause	Fix
Board doesn't appear in the BlueBuzzah Updater	Not detected over USB-C, or wrong port/cable	Confirm the USB-C cable carries data (not charge-only), and that the board is powered. See Part 2 Flashing and Smoke Testing the Bare Board.
Glove doesn't appear in BuzzahBuddy's device scan	Looking for the SECONDARY, which never appears by design; or the PRIMARY isn't powered on; or Bluetooth is disabled on the phone/tablet	Connect to the PRIMARY — the app reaches the SECONDARY through it. Confirm the PRIMARY is powered on and that Bluetooth LE is enabled on the connecting device. See Part 9 Using the Gloves.
SECONDARY-glove Calibration buttons don't buzz	The SECONDARY isn't paired with the PRIMARY	Calibration always shows all ten buttons; the SECONDARY's are relayed through the PRIMARY. Confirm both boards are solid green.

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