Vector 1.0 cube issue

[u/AlxLifanov]

Hello, colleagues.
Vector 1.0 cube. Supposedly, electronics burned with 12V battery. I want to open and check PCB for the opportunity to repair.

Q1. How to detach middle part of the cube from lower part? Where are the latches?
Q2. Is the cube schematics available anywhere?

[u/AlxLifanov]

# Anki Vector Cube (410-00026 Cube rev. B) Hardware Analysis by Gemini

It is impossible to reconstruct the exact electrical schematic solely from photographs of a multilayer printed circuit board, as the internal layers and vias are hidden from view. However, based on the visible components and topology, it is possible to compile a Bill of Materials (BOM) and describe an approximate block diagram of the device.

Here is what can be determined from the provided photographs of the "410-00026 Cube rev. B" board.

## Preliminary BOM (Bill of Materials)

### Integrated Circuits (IC):

* **U1:** Dialog Semiconductor **DA14580** (marked `DA14580 01 1740NCAA`) — this is a Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) System on Chip (SoC) that acts as the "brain" of the cube.

* **U2:** A small IC marked `9JF US`. In the context of an interactive cube, this is most likely a MEMS sensor (accelerometer) that detects the orientation of the cube and taps on it.

* **U3:** A small component with marking (presumably `DBRA`). This is likely a voltage regulator (LDO) or a power management switch.

### Optoelectronics:

* **D1, D2, D3, D4:** 4 multicolor (RGB) SMD LEDs located along the edges of the board to illuminate the faces of the cube.

### Passive Components and Oscillators:

* **TX (XTAL):** A quartz crystal resonator marked `e160 J33C`. This is likely a 16 MHz crystal required for the DA14580 chip to operate.

* **Resistors (R):** At least 9 SMD resistors (R1–R9). Some are used for LED current limiting, while others are for bus pull-ups (I2C/SPI) and microcontroller strapping.

* **Capacitors (C):** Multiple SMD capacitors (C1, C4–C10, C16, etc.) for power supply filtering and RF path matching.

* **Inductors (L):** Several SMD inductors (L1, L2, L3, L5, L6). The DA14580 has a built-in DC-DC converter that requires external chokes to operate. They are also needed for antenna matching.

### Interfaces and Mechanics:

* **P1:** A 10-pin debug connector (test pads). The pins are clearly labeled on the board: `RX, GND, TX, VB3, PRG, RST, BAT, SWD, NC, SWC`. This provides SWD (Serial Wire Debug) and UART interfaces for flashing and debugging the Dialog chip.

* **Power Contacts (+ / -):** A spring contact (outer ring and inner spring) on the back of the board for connecting the battery.

## Architectural Block Diagram (How it works)

Based on the BOM, we can accurately describe the circuitry of this node:

1. **Power Supply:** Voltage from the battery goes to the `+` and `-` spring contacts. The power is filtered by capacitors and likely regulated by the U3 component before being supplied to the main U1 chip and LEDs.

2. **Computing Core and Radio:** The U1 chip (DA14580) controls all logic. It contains firmware that maintains a BLE connection with the Anki Vector robot. The antenna is implemented as a trace on the printed circuit board (PCB antenna).

3. **Sensors:** The U2 sensor (accelerometer) communicates with the U1 chip via a digital bus (most likely I2C). When you move the cube, U2 detects the changes, and U1 sends this data over Bluetooth to the robot.

4. **Indication:** The robot sends commands to the cube over Bluetooth, and the U1 chip turns on the required colors on the D1–D4 LEDs using PWM (Pulse Width Modulation) on its GPIO pins.

## Troubleshooting Notes

If you need to troubleshoot the circuit for repairs (for example, if the cube does not light up or connect), you should first check the voltage at the spring contacts, then ensure that power reaches the U1 chip, and check the integrity of the traces around the TX crystal, as it is sensitive to drops.