UART telemetry module won't fit navio2

#1

Hey guys,

As the title says, I simply can’t fit the uart cable that came with my telemetry module to the navio2 port. I know Caleb mentions in his video that it is a snug fit, but I’m really struggling with it. Here’s an image of how it fits.

The most likely answer is that I’m not pushing it hard enough, but I’m reluctant to force it for 2 reasons:

  1. Here’s one guy saying he broke the uart port on his navio2 board while pushing a cable.
  2. The connector is tiny, not a large surface to put force on, so whenever I try, I seem to end up pulling the cables a bit. Don’t want to fracture them internally or rip them.

So, my question here is: How did you guys manage to plug it in? Any techniques/tools/suggestions on how to get it to work? One of the things I tried is to sand off the connector ever so slightly to help the fit. It actually helped a little, although my connector looks kinda rough now. The problem is, the connector simply seems to be too wide for the port.

Any and all suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

#2

Which telemetry module do you have (i.e., where did you get it)? I bought one telemetry module that fit the uart port but didn’t work and another from a different supplier that did fit and did work. I think the connectors are standard and should fit - although it is a snug fit. I try to place the index fingers of each hand behind the connector, the thumbs on the front and pinch the index fingers and thumbs together. Hope this helps.

#3

Hey mate, thanks for your response and your advice. The technique you described is pretty much what I have been trying, since there’s really no other way to get some leverage on it. I’m afraid to put more force on it though, because of the reasons outlined above. I was hoping perhaps someone would know an obscure technique using a couple of screwdrivers or something to get a lot of leverage on the connection without putting that much force on it.

By the way, this is the telemetry module I bought. It feels quite disposable quality-wise, if you know what I mean. I think I might look for a replacement cable online, see if that works.

#4

I think the Navio2 ports are slightly different than the standard, which makes plugging certain connectors in a PITA.

Sometimes, I would even use needle nose pliers to apply an equal amount of pressure along the telemetry connector to force it into the hub. Proceed with caution with this option. Problems have a tendency to graduate into bigger problems (like a broken UART port) :joy:

#6

Yep, I know exactly what you mean. I was actually able to connect them eventually in a relatively easy way. Instead of putting pressure on the corners, I simply put pressure on the entire connector (duh!). I was trying to avoid this as I didn’t want to pinch the cables and possibly fracture them internally, but they went in relatively easily. I’m sure this has not happened yet btw, as I have yet to test it (spent quite some time figuring out the mounting of the flight computer).

closed #7