More iAutomation challenges - using OneTouch effectively

[judetf]

I swear I'm a tech-savvy(ish) adult who is good at research and solving problems, but I continue to butt my head up against the iAqualink controls.

I have programmed the schedule I want - if I just let the schedule run, everything is great. But I have kids and the spa and pool get used at various times, so I'm trying to take advantage of OneTouch to let everyone have some "fun" when they want to. Right now I have two simple(?) challenges
1. I cannot get Spillover to work via OneTouch. I have SpillOver configured properly via the dip switches and it works: I have SpillOver in my daily schedule and it turns on properly, and if I select SpillOver on the Home menu that works, too. But I've tried configuring a OneTouch button every which way and it won't work. I see the Spillover device (if that's the right word) and I have it set to 'on' and I've tried it with various combinations of setting "filter pump" and "spa" both on and off for that OneTouch button, but while the button does some of what I've programmed, it never shows "Spillover" as having been activated, and it never actually works.
2. For the OneTouch buttons that are working (for example, I created a "My Spa" which turns on the spa, the jets, the lights and the heater - works just fine), when I turn that button Off I'd like things to go back to the schedule (that is, go back to whatever settings are set for "right now" in the schedule) but that doesn't seem to work. It seems like turning a OneTouch "off" will turn "off" all of the things that were previously on, and I also can't quite figure out what controls the VSP speed that the pump returns to when I turn a OneTouch off.

At a high level, I'm trying to figure out the best way to enable reasonably-responsible (but not completely responsible) teenagers to make use of the spa, heater, and spillover when they want to, without running the risk of them mucking things up. Eventually I'll enable the password/lockout options and limit what they can actually press, but right now the OneTouch buttons aren't modeling the behavior I want them to model when touched, and so it won't work for the kids. Is there a better approach?

Thanks - I very much appreciate the support this community has already shown!
jtf

 

[judetf]

Some additional info on item 1: If I turn everything off for my Spillover OneTouch then click the button it says "No Devices have been assigned to this button." But if I then go and turn on the Spillover button for that OneTouch, I don't get that error, but the screen that pops up says "Spill Mode Items On" and then nothing is listed below it.

 

[ajw22]

It’s not you, it’s Jandy. Jandy has not updated the UI of the All Button or One Touch controls as they added Aqualink capabilities. They assume that iAqualink will be used and the physical controls are obsolete.

I had the All Button panel and @PoolGate has the PDA. Let’s see if anyone with iAqualink comes forward who is using the One Touch panel also.

 

[PoolGate]

OneTouch buttons are useless. I gave up on them long, long ago. Don't drive yourself crazy trying to get them working.

If anything affects the schedule, it overrides the schedule and the schedule doesn't return until the next time that scheduled item occurs. It is a scheduler, not a monitor, so this is actually the expected action.

 

[judetf]

Okay, that's at least helpful. If I give up on OneTouch then the focus will simply be on the buttons on the 'Home' screen. I guess I can train the kids to use those, and to make sure just the options I want are there... @ajw22, when you say they expect people to use iAqualink, do you just mean the options on the home screen after clicking into the "web" window, or do you mean the native IOS app with the "My Devices" screen? The "My Devices" screen seems to be even more limited - I don't see how I can add options to that screen at all - it's just got "Spa Mode," "Filter Pump," "Spa Heater" and "Pool Heater listed. Is there a way to add things to that screen such as SpillOver and Lights?

As for returning to the correct speed: what is the recommended action if you are done with your "special" time and want things to go back to normal. Just let it go and assume that a couple of hours at the wrong speed isn't that big of a deal? Do you use the "Other Devices" button on the home screen to go into the VSP and then pick a speed (which will require teaching the kids what speed it should be at for any given time of day?)

I'm definitely not trying to recreate the wheel - I don't think what I'm trying to do is that crazy or far-fetched, but if there's a simpler approach to doing things I am all ears!
jtf

 

[ajw22]

@PoolGate needs to answer your iAqualink questions. I gave up on Jandy and installed an IntelliCenter.

 

[PoolGate]

Okay, that's at least helpful. If I give up on OneTouch then the focus will simply be on the buttons on the 'Home' screen. I guess I can train the kids to use those, and to make sure just the options I want are there... @ajw22, when you say they expect people to use iAqualink, do you just mean the options on the home screen after clicking into the "web" window, or do you mean the native IOS app with the "My Devices" screen? The "My Devices" screen seems to be even more limited - I don't see how I can add options to that screen at all - it's just got "Spa Mode," "Filter Pump," "Spa Heater" and "Pool Heater listed. Is there a way to add things to that screen such as SpillOver and Lights?

As for returning to the correct speed: what is the recommended action if you are done with your "special" time and want things to go back to normal. Just let it go and assume that a couple of hours at the wrong speed isn't that big of a deal? Do you use the "Other Devices" button on the home screen to go into the VSP and then pick a speed (which will require teaching the kids what speed it should be at for any given time of day?)

I'm definitely not trying to recreate the wheel - I don't think what I'm trying to do is that crazy or far-fetched, but if there's a simpler approach to doing things I am all ears!
jtf

I reset my pump speed to "pool" after using the pool on any other speed. I run at 2k RPMs 24x7 for the SWG.

 

[judetf]

Okay, and maybe last question on this thread: if I give up on OneTouch and am just going to use the Home screen now, if the pool is at my SWG speed and we want to use the spa, this now means using the Home screen and having to click the spa button, the jets button, the heat button, and go into the VSP menu and select a faster speed? There's simply no better/recommended way to use this? (Sounds like there might be an IntelliCenter in my future!!)

 

[PoolGate]

I don't have a spa so I can't help with that. I thought there was a spa button that did all that. I will say the big issue I had with OneTouch buttons was you had to select every single piece of equipment you needed and then when you turned it off all that stuff also turned off.

 

[judetf]

From what I can tell the "spa" button on the Home screen just turns the JVAs so that the spa gets circulation, not the pool. It doesn't turn on jets or lights or heat. To do that (again, as far as I can tell) requires OneTouch - that's the only place I can find where you can do multiple "things" with one click (you can assign a OneTouch function to a Home button, but that's still limited by what OneTouch can/can't do). If there's a way to do more with the Home screen buttons, or with the "My Devices" screen in the iOS app, I'd love to hear about it.

 

[PoolGate]

You can set the speed by assigning that JVA to a speed setting. Set the aux port for the spa JVA to the "Assign to Aux".

 

[judetf]

But my spa isn't an AUX... "Spa" (as I understand it) means that the JVAs rotate so that the drain and return lines route to the spa instead of the pool. When I go into Assign VSP Speed, my only Aux options are Aux 1 (my spa jets), Aux 2 (spa lights), and Extra Aux (which I don't have configured for anything; Aux 3 isn't there b/c that's my spillover).

Assigning a VSP speed Aux 1 will let me increase the speed when the jets turn on, but if I'm in "pool" mode that won't turn the JVAs to route the water to/from the spa...

 

[PoolGate]

But my spa isn't an AUX... "Spa" (as I understand it) means that the JVAs rotate so that the drain and return lines route to the spa instead of the pool. When I go into Assign VSP Speed, my only Aux options are Aux 1 (my spa jets), Aux 2 (spa lights), and Extra Aux (which I don't have configured for anything; Aux 3 isn't there b/c that's my spillover).

Assigning a VSP speed Aux 1 will let me increase the speed when the jets turn on, but if I'm in "pool" mode that won't turn the JVAs to route the water to/from the spa...

Isn't there a JVA that activates in spa mode?

 

[judetf]

Sorry if I'm being dense. Here's what I see on those same screens:



I quite possibly don't understand the functionality of the "Assign JVAs" screen, but I don't see a way to create a link between the JVA settings that turn on the spa and an "Aux" that I can then link to the specific VSP speed I want for the spa. What am I missing?

 

[PoolGate]

I don't have a spa so I don't know what comes up on those screens. It looks like they leave the JVA that rotates to change water flow when going from pool to spa out of those screens.

 

[HermanTX]

I don't have a spa so I don't know what comes up on those screens. It looks like they leave the JVA that rotates to change water flow when going from pool to spa out of those screens.

The intake and return JVAs are active when you have a pool and spa. This is what changes between POOL and SPA mode.
I do not have separate jets for the spa so only the filter pump turns on after rotation.

With regard to 1-Touch - I set up a name called Spa/Heat and it activates to put into Spa Mode and turn on Heater.
However when I turn it off, it does turn off but the filter pump does not return to pool mode. I have to turn on Filter Pump on my device screen.

Alternatively, on My Device screen - I have multiple selections as shown. I find it just as simple to select Spa Mode and Spa Heater.

This may not help @judetf if the desire to turn on a separate pump for spa jets and a light.

I have similar frustration with the software as I wanted to schedule a cleaner to run on M-W-F and the manual showed an example that a device could be scheduled for multiple days. So the feedback from Jandy was that is planned for a future upgrade but no apology for including it in a manual. That over 18 months ago - I have little hope for any significant software upgrade. I had to make 3 separate schedules for the cleaner - 1 for each day at the same time.

 

[PoolGate]

The intake and return JVAs are active when you have a pool and spa. This is what changes between POOL and SPA mode.
I do not have separate jets for the spa so only the filter pump turns on after rotation.

With regard to 1-Touch - I set up a name called Spa/Heat and it activates to put into Spa Mode and turn on Heater.
However when I turn it off, it does turn off but the filter pump does not return to pool mode. I have to turn on Filter Pump on my device screen.

Alternatively, on My Device screen - I have multiple selections as shown. I find it just as simple to select Spa Mode and Spa Heater.

This may not help @judetf if the desire to turn on a separate pump for spa jets and a light.

I have similar frustration with the software as I wanted to schedule a cleaner to run on M-W-F and the manual showed an example that a device could be scheduled for multiple days. So the feedback from Jandy was that is planned for a future upgrade but no apology for including it in a manual. That over 18 months ago - I have little hope for any significant software upgrade. I had to make 3 separate schedules for the cleaner - 1 for each day at the same time.
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I think if you turn on a device with the OneTouch program, when you shut off that OneTouch, it shuts off all devices that it turned on. Try removing the pump from your OneTouch program and just have it always on and see what happens.