Nine times out of ten, a block that looks dead is a connection problem and not a broken part. Work through the steps below in order. Most people are building again by step 3.
SparkBlocks pass power through small spring-loaded gold pins on the underside of every block. On a brand new kit those pins are stiff. A block can sit perfectly flat, look connected, and still carry no current at all. Working the pins in is the single most effective thing you can do, and it is where we start every time.
Step 1. Break in the pins on the block that isn't working
- Lift the block off the build.
- Press it firmly back down onto a stud, then pull it straight off again.
- Repeat that five or six times.
- On the last press, wiggle it gently from side to side as you push it down.
- Put it back on the build and press it down hard.
What success looks like: the block seats more easily on the fifth press than it did on the first. That is the pins loosening up.
This step alone resolves more "dead block" reports than anything else on this page. If you only try one thing, try this one.
Step 2. Press the whole build down, plain bricks included
Run your thumb along the build and push every brick down firmly, not just the SparkBlocks. A plain brick sitting slightly proud will lift the electronics off their contacts, and it is almost invisible.
You want no visible gap anywhere between the layers of the build.
Step 3. Test the part on its own, in the simplest circuit you can make
Take the suspect block out of the build and connect it straight to the Battery Block, with nothing else in the circuit.
- Battery Block, then LED Block.
- Battery Block, then Motor Block.
- Battery Block, then Siren Sound IC Block, then Speaker Block. (The speaker needs the Siren IC to make a sound. On its own it will only crackle.)
If it works on its own, the block is fine and something in the larger build is at fault. Skip to step 5. If it still does nothing, go to step 4.
Step 4. Check which way round it is
Line up the + on the block with the + on the Battery Block, and the - with the -.
- An LED wired backwards simply does not light. Turn it around and try again.
- A motor wired backwards runs the other way, which on a build like the Walking Ant looks exactly like a fault.
- Red and black Wire Blocks are interchangeable. The colour is there to help you read the build, it does not change the circuit.
What success looks like: the part does something, even if it is the wrong something. Any response at all means the block is alive.
One thing to know if you have an Expansion Kit: some early Remote Control Blocks have the + and - printed backwards on one face. The full list of first-run printing quirks is at /pages/info.
Step 5. Rebuild one block at a time
- Start from the simple two-block circuit that worked.
- Add one block back. Test.
- Add the next block. Test again.
What success looks like: you find the exact point where it stops working. The joint you just made is the problem, and nine times in ten it is a seating problem at that joint rather than a bad component.
Step 6. Look closely at the block itself
- Has it come apart? Some IC blocks separate into two halves. One reported "defective Siren IC" turned out to be a block whose halves had been pulled apart and had dropped into the case foam.
- Is a pin stuck down? Press each gold pin with a fingernail. Every one should spring back on its own. A pin that stays down, or that needs tweezers to reset, is a genuine fault and we will replace the block.
- Has a metal wire tip snapped off? The small metal ends on the jumper wires do break. Tell us which wire.
If it is a motor that won't run
Motor faults are usually mechanical rather than electrical, so the order here is different.
- Confirm the battery is fine. Run one of the Quick Start builds from the printed Learning Guide. If those work, the battery and the circuit blocks are good and the fault is in this build.
- Turn the potentiometer dial all the way to the full power end. This is the most commonly missed cause of a motor that does nothing. The dial has a very small effective range, which is a known limitation of the part rather than a fault.
- Spin the gears by hand. They should turn with a little effort. Nothing should feel jammed or gritty.
- On the Walking Ant, check the back leg fold. A back leg folded too far underneath binds the mechanism. The tell is a motor that starts and stops again immediately. We have confirmed this as the root cause more than once from customer videos.
- Strip the circuit back. Battery Block, Switch Block, Motor Block, nothing else. If the motor spins, add pieces back one at a time until it stops.
With the dial at full, the motor should turn steadily under its own power.
If it is one of these parts
- Speaker makes no sound, or only crackles. It needs the Siren Sound IC Block in the circuit with it. Most of these are not faults.
- Battery won't charge, or the battery block looks swollen or split. If it is swollen or split, stop using it and do not charge it. Write to us and we will replace it free.
- A transistor got hot or smells burnt. Stop using that block now, take it out, and do not put it back. There is no risk to the other parts. Write to us for a free replacement.
- The dial barely changes anything, the remote feels weak, or a 1x2 block sticks. These are known behaviours of the first production run rather than faults.
- Your parts don't match the printed booklet. The full list of first-run differences is at /pages/info.
Still not working
Write to us and we will sort it out. If a part has failed, we replace it and you do not ship anything back.
So we can solve it in one reply instead of four, include your order number, the name of the block, and one photo of the whole build rather than a close-up of the single block. If the fault comes and goes, a short video helps more than a photo.
