Jandy PDA Remote time/date keep resetting

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AaronGo

AaronGo

0
LifeTime Supporter
Dec 8, 2011
138
Houston, Texas
I have a Jandy PDA-4 remote and typically works great but sometimes the time and date will reset to some default setting. This is a problem because it means my pump won't turn on at the designated times. The odd thing is that all other settings remain saved properly. I have the 9V battery in the Aqualink control box, although I'd expect ALL the settings to reset if the battery was dead or missing.

Any ideas? I am going to reach out to Jandy support tomorrow as well.
 
That happens to us when we lose power. Time and date reset but everything else, what I've programmed etc., stays. I don't think it's ever happened out of nowhere though, only when we lose power.
 
The 9 volt battery only keeps the clock running, all programs are stored in memory.

I would replace the 9 volt battery and pay particular attention to the connections.
 
bosox1086 said:
That happens to us when we lose power. Time and date reset but everything else, what I've programmed etc., stays. I don't think it's ever happened out of nowhere though, only when we lose power.
Click to expand...

you know what, I think this is when it's happening to us as well. I never thought about it but I think you are on to something. Why does the time and date reset but nothing else? That's a crummy design!
 
Qwaxalot said:
The 9 volt battery only keeps the clock running, all programs are stored in memory.

I would replace the 9 volt battery and pay particular attention to the connections.
Click to expand...

I need to test the 9V battery in there now and replace if necessary. It would shock me if the date/time weren't saved if the battery is good.
 
AaronGo said:
bosox1086 said:
That happens to us when we lose power. Time and date reset but everything else, what I've programmed etc., stays. I don't think it's ever happened out of nowhere though, only when we lose power.
Click to expand...

you know what, I think this is when it's happening to us as well. I never thought about it but I think you are on to something. Why does the time and date reset but nothing else? That's a crummy design!
Click to expand...

It's a real time date/clock, it needs power all the time to run. At what point would you save the time & date, when one second later it's changed? The programming only changes with user input, it is, however time dependent. The 9 volt battery keeps the real time clock running for about 72 hours with the power out, then the clock reverts to default.
It's just like all your other time keeping devices, when the power fails you have to reset the time. :hammer:
 
I had the same problem and it turned out to be the main circuit board in the control panel. Try putting a brand new 9 volt battery in the power center. Turn on the PDA and go to the Menu>Help>Diagnostics screen. Look for the line "PWR CNTR BAT" on the first screen. Does it say OK or LOW? Mine always said low (even with a new battery) and I lost the date & time settings every time there was a power flicker. After several calls with Jandy tech support it was determined that my main board was no good. I ended up getting a replacement board from my pool builder under warranty and installed it myself. I hope you are not out of warranty because Jandy parts are much too expensive! Let me know if I can be of any further assistance.
 
Qwaxalot said:
It's a real time date/clock, it needs power all the time to run. At what point would you save the time & date, when one second later it's changed? The programming only changes with user input, it is, however time dependent. The 9 volt battery keeps the real time clock running for about 72 hours with the power out, then the clock reverts to default.
It's just like all your other time keeping devices, when the power fails you have to reset the time. :hammer:
Click to expand...

Maybe I am not understanding you right, but I have had to reset the date/time on my PDA-4 at least 5 times in the last month and I assure you that we have not lost power for 72 hours straight, much less 72 minutes at a time. The date goes back to 1/6/09 or some odd default date and the time resets too. This is a far cry from being a "real time" device, not for me anyway. Like I said, I need to check the battery, they might have put an old battery in there. I can tell when the time/date resets because the pump is not on during the operating window, which is problematic.

In any case, why would the pump program settings, for instance, never be lost but the date/time are lost? The remote is not plugged into a 120V outlet like a radio clock is, so SOMETHING is powering that remote internally so it can work, presumably its own battery. The 9V battery is in the control panel to keep settings in place (per the user manual), not to power the remote. The date/time shouldn't need to be reset anytime power to the house is lost, that's just silly.

This would be like saying the time on my Casio watch resets when the power to my house goes out for a certain amount of time. Obviously that does not happen since the watch has its own power source.
 
poolneophyte said:
I had the same problem and it turned out to be the main circuit board in the control panel. Try putting a brand new 9 volt battery in the power center. Turn on the PDA and go to the Menu>Help>Diagnostics screen. Look for the line "PWR CNTR BAT" on the first screen. Does it say OK or LOW? Mine always said low (even with a new battery) and I lost the date & time settings every time there was a power flicker. After several calls with Jandy tech support it was determined that my main board was no good. I ended up getting a replacement board from my pool builder under warranty and installed it myself. I hope you are not out of warranty because Jandy parts are much too expensive! Let me know if I can be of any further assistance.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the info, this is ~1 month old so it's still under warranty. Now I have a few things to try tomorrow.
 
OK, I went ahead and swapped the battery to see if this was the issue. Before taking the old battery out, the diagnostic read "LOW" and now it reads "OK", so I will assume for now that they gave me an old/defective battery. Thanks for the feedback everyone, hopefully this simple fix is all I need. :)
 

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AaronGo,

Sound like you solved the problem. Just keep an eye on it since mine worked okay in the beginning but then started having issues. If it is going to fail, let's hope it does during the warranty period. Jandy charges ridiculously high prices for their parts.
 
OK, now I think I see where the confusion lies. The remote control doesn't "save" anything), it is merely a communication device to allow you to "talk" to the Aqualink. All of the programming is stored on the motherboard inside the Aqualink. The 9 volt battery has nothing to do with the remote, it's only purpose is to maintain the real time clock, located on the Aqualink motherboard
 
II need some help with my Jandy remote control. I installed a pool in Feb this year and the remote control has been a problem from the start. I have the change the battery once a week and the put in the correct time. This makes the pump come on at odd hours. My pool installer would not get back to me. Please advise me. Thank you
 
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