Troubleshooting

So you built your HackHeld Vega, but it doesn’t work?
I’m sorry. That sucks! Here are some things you can try to fix it.

Hardware

The most common problem is bad soldering. Happens to the best of us.

• Check if all solder joints are good and there are no bridges between pins. If you’re unsure, reflow the solder joints with a soldering iron.
  

• Double-check that you followed the assembly guide correctly.

Firmware

If you’re sure your soldering is good, re-flash the firmware.

• Follow the firmware installation guide here.

• If you’re having trouble with the firmware installation, check out this blog post I wrote How to deal with “timed out waiting for packet header”. It contains some tips and tricks that might help you. Sometimes, it’s as simple as using a different USB cable or power source.

What else can I do?

If only the display doesn’t work, but the ESP8266 still works, you can try connecting to the HackHeld Vega via WiFi (pwned with password deauther). In that case, the OLED is broken or has a connection issue.

If no pwned network shows up, the ESP8266 is not working correctly. If re-flashing the firmware didn’t help, the D1 Mini might be broken.

Theoretically, the PCB could have a manufacturing defect, but that’s unlikely. The same goes for the buttons and the LED. It’s way more likely that there’s a soldering defect.

If you still need help, it’s hard to tell what’s wrong over the internet without having the device in front of me.

Tip

If you bought a kit from the spacehuhn.store and can’t solve the issue yourself, contact me, and I’ll see what I can do. Please include your order number, pictures of your HackHeld (so I can visually inspect the soldering), a description of the problem, and what you have already tried to fix it. If you messed up the soldering, no need to be ashamed. It happens to the best of us, and I can send you replacement parts.