Replacing a PC Board, Raypak RP2100/185A Plug in the wire harnesses...where?

Jump to latest Follow Reply
H

hokulii

0
Jul 16, 2007
64
Indiana
I installed a replacement PC Board for my heater this afternoon. The instructions that came with it were great up to the very end where it says... " Connect the wire harnesses to the board".

There is a black and white photo taken at a 45 degree angle but it really doesn't show much ( I also found the same image in color on-line-still not much help). There are several connecters, some with three pins some with four, one with 12 or 16 (a bunch). There are more than 1 each of the 3 and 4 pin places to put each on the board. The board is quite different than the old one so that won't help, I'm not sure about the 'P' (P1, P2, P3, etc...) numbers being the same as the old board and the other markings aren't really helping either.

The board part number is 010253f. It is a retro fit for the original, it came with a new temp probe which I replaced.

Anybody else have this problem? I was guessing earlier at which places the connecters belonged, but I really don't want to plug it in and cross my fingers that I got it right.

Oh-yeah, I called Raypak a few days ago because I wanted to make sure I had the correct part number. The lady that answered told me to hold, a guy answered the phone and asked me for my dealer number. I told him I was a consumer/pool owner, he said he wouldn't talk with me, kind of coarsely (my pleasant way of describing him). I don't see much sense in calling there again.

My wife wants the water warmed up! (replaced the switch decal already too)

Help and thanks!
 
Hmm, there aren't that many wires that connect to the board. There are two sets of wires that are all connected together and they can on go in one place for each set. Yes I think you need to post pictures as well as let us know the model you have.
 
I found a photo that seemed to be the same as mine. I tried it out this afternoon and it worked (I see a good display on the LED screen). However when I tried to light the heater off the ignitor failed to spark. I could hear the card making an intermittent buzzing sound. I looked things over and realized the ignitor wire was disconnected according to the instructions not to be reconnected. How will it work if the ignitor is not connected? I've been through the instructions with a fine tooth comb. There is a step connecting the big black thing on the card to the 'pilot' wire with an included 'hi-tension' wire, but only for a model 335A, mine is a 185A. Unless someone here has run into this before I've got some more research to do. I suspect the instructions are wrong. What do you say? Plug it in like the instructions say for the 335A and see what happens? Here are the photos I took this afternoon, first is the old card, second the new one and third the new one plugged in. The third one won't fit (file to large), I'll post it on the next reply. Well the third photo won't go, I'm getting a message saying I've reached my max attachments. So just imaging the second one with some wires plugged in.
Thanks!

original card.jpgnew card.jpg
 
So with the new board should have come a blue wire for the ignitor. Did you use that to connect to the wire ignitors wire in your heater and then plug it into the ignitor mod on the board?

BTW, do you know when your unit was manufactured?
 
The blue wire is the 'hi-tension' wire that came with the kit. It is the wire that the instructions direct you to use only for the 335A model heater (not my 185A). I figured the instructions were wrong. I'll connect it this afternoon when I get home. You see my hesitance to do anything other than as directed in the instructions, I don't want to damage the card, too expensive for that.

Hey thanks for the confirmation on 'the blue wire'. Is there anything that you guys don't know or are unfamiliar with?
 
If you are certain you have the right board, I seem to remember on mine that one of the harnesses was left unused... the one to the old ignition module, so don't fret if you have one unused harness.

The new ignition wire connects to the black looking cylinder.

I would go look at mine but I have to work early and I am packing for a trip to Maui :)
 
Thanks all. I hooked up the blue wire today, still get no spark (I tested the power from the card to the mid point connection-it arced to ground so it's good) , getting a code of 'GVO'. Working to troubleshoot it. I got the new card because the heater wasn't working and I couldn't read the display, I think it was sun baked, the new one gets a piece of thin cardboard duct taped on to shade it. I can see the readout now. More to do.

Aloha Austintatious, have a good time!
 

Enjoying this content?

Support TFP with a donation.

Give Support
hokulii said:
Thanks all. I hooked up the blue wire today, still get no spark (I tested the power from the card to the mid point connection-it arced to ground so it's good) , getting a code of 'GVO'. Working to troubleshoot it. I got the new card because the heater wasn't working and I couldn't read the display, I think it was sun baked, the new one gets a piece of thin cardboard duct taped on to shade it. I can see the readout now. More to do.

Aloha Austintatious, have a good time!
Click to expand...

GVO is saying it thinks the gas valve is open.
 
Ok, i'll say up front that i didn't read all the posts, i'm lazy, so this may be a copy...

If you notice on your new board that, on the large plug upper left side, that it is divided into two, P2 (14 connectors) on the left, and P4 (4 connectors) on the right, Note: the "P" numbers are also printed on the board, real small though.

Working from left to right top to bottom.
P6: Main power for the board, three pin.
P8: you may or may not be using this one, its for automation control, 5 pin plug, but only 3 wires.
P9 & P7: No attention needed.
P1: New style thermistor (3 wire from 2 wire).
P5: Is the membrane(touchpad connection).
As stated above, blue high tension wire goes to the coil (black barrel).
Throw away p4, it is the firebox (Fenwal) control, now on-board.

Original design of the board was great (Green) no two connections were of the same size, so hookup was fool proof. new design however, while they tried to separate P 2&4, they still mounted them too close together it appears, and causes some confusion.
 
Thanks to everyone for the inputs. I have ground to a halt on this. In the process of trouble shooting the 'GVO' code I was pulling the connector off from the P6 connection and the terminal broke free from the card, it's still there, just kinda like a loose tooth. O-boy, that was potentially an expensive failure. I have a friend who was in the Navy and did electronic bench work, some on circuit boards. I'm going to give it to him on Monday, he is going to see what he can do with it.

I ran the several steps of testing as outlined in the Raypak manual, everything points to the gas valve. I will be studying the valve and control solenoid (which is what I'm guessing is at the top of the valve to open and close it.

So the 'GVO' means literally that the gas valve is open, I have not smelled any gas, so I suspect that whatever is telling the card that the gas valve is open is wrong. The question then is what part sends that signal? The top part of the gas valve, the solenoid, I suspect. It must be mispositioned internally, without having left the valve open.

If the P6 terminal can't be fixed I won't be buying another card. I'll probably open the gas valve solenoid to see whats going on in there. If I see something obvious I may get another one. I could then put the old card back in and see what happens. I also wonder if the LED display parts on the two PCB's are the same because I would try and swap them out from the new card to the old. All of that is for another day.
 
OK so you don't actually smell gas which is good. So, that tells me that maybe something is wrong on the board or wiring. I have had a bad board give me the GVO but I wouldn't think a new board would have that error.
 
Sorry for my absence. I concur, glad I don't smell gas!

In discussions with a friend he suggested applying 24 VAC to the gas valve solenoid where the card normally would apply it to see how it responds. Sounded like a good idea. I looked at the schematic to see where a good place to tap the power would be and found I could get it right off of the power switch on the side of the heater. When I tested the power on the lead from the transformer I found only 8 volts or so. I had previously tested the power at the gas solenoid and had gotten a reading of 20-21 volts, which is a bit low, but with some of these things I've found a ballpark number is what generally works, 21 for 24- OK, 8 for 24, not so much. Part of all of this when I began was the gas valve opening and closing by itself when the heater was in operation. My initial efforts decided I need a new PCB because I couldn't read the display to see what was going on. Any way, here I am now waiting to see if my buddy can repair the connector on the new PCB (he said he thinks he can but is looking for some little eyelets to replace the broken ones on the card with). I'm looking at replacement transformers. They're a little more pricey than I had thought they would be.
Thanks again.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Thread Status
Hello , This thread has been inactive for over 60 days. New postings here are unlikely to be seen or responded to by other members. For better visibility, consider Starting A New Thread.
Top Bottom
Back
Jump to latest Follow Reply