Dolphin Active 30 Troubleshooting Tips Needed

[thewolf56]

I've had my Dolphin Active 30 for about 2.5 years (purchased from Marina). It has been a great pool cleaner up until it stopped working completely. I checked the impeller and that was completely clear of obstructions.

When I press the power button on the power supply, it he power ring and the Bluetooth/Wi-Fi light both flash blue and turn off immediately. That's it. Would love to know what steps I could take to figure out what the issue is.

 

[JoyfulNoise]

Did you pull it out of the water to do a bench test? Just put it up on a sturdy box or some cut 2x4’s and power it up. Report back what happens.

 

[thewolf56]

Did you pull it out of the water to do a bench test? Just put it up on a sturdy box or some cut 2x4’s and power it up. Report back what happens.

I did not. I'll do that and report back.

 

[JoyfulNoise]

You should also test the power supply to see if it is producing 29VDC output. You need a good multimeter. Just unplug the cable and figure out which holes on the connector are for the large pins on the cable. The connector is keyed so it only fits one way. The two larger pins are the power supply.

 

[thewolf56]

You should also test the power supply to see if it is producing 29VDC output. You need a good multimeter. Just unplug the cable and figure out which holes on the connector are for the large pins on the cable. The connector is keyed so it only fits one way. The two larger pins are the power supply.

Power supply is producing 26.1 VDC.

When I try the bench test, the power supply flashes blue twice, quickly, then paused for a few seconds and flashes blue twice (quickly) again, in that cycle for a few reps.

 

[JoyfulNoise]

Test the cable for continuity. You’ll have to disassemble the robot a bit to get at the motor assembly (it’s only a few screws). You’ll can then pull the cable from the motor assembly and test it end to end. Be sure to check the contacts to make sure there isn’t any corrosion.

Is this a swivel cable or a straight cable? If a swivel is present then those often can get water in them causing a corroded contact. Take the swivel apart and clean it up.

26VDC is below spec. The power supply really should be putting out a little over 29VDC to account for voltage drop. You may have a bad power supply but they are not really repairable because they don’t open up easily.

Also, if you can, pull out the motor assembly and see if the impeller shaft turned easily by hand. The drive motor doesn’t turn easily because it’s on a reduction gear but the impeller should be easily to turn with very little resistance. If you’re comfortable, you can open up the motor assembly and check for water incursion.

 

[thewolf56]

Test the cable for continuity. You’ll have to disassemble the robot a bit to get at the motor assembly (it’s only a few screws). You’ll can then pull the cable from the motor assembly and test it end to end. Be sure to check the contacts to make sure there isn’t any corrosion.

Is this a swivel cable or a straight cable? If a swivel is present then those often can get water in them causing a corroded contact. Take the swivel apart and clean it up.

26VDC is below spec. The power supply really should be putting out a little over 29VDC to account for voltage drop. You may have a bad power supply but they are not really repairable because they don’t open up easily.

Also, if you can, pull out the motor assembly and see if the impeller shaft turned easily by hand. The drive motor doesn’t turn easily because it’s on a reduction gear but the impeller should be easily to turn with very little resistance. If you’re comfortable, you can open up the motor assembly and check for water incursion.

Thank you very much for the help. I'll try taking apart later today and test the continuity. It is a swivel cable (that barely ever swiveled), so I'll check there for corrosion. I'll also look for my better multitester to recheck the power supply, but I did not double-check on a new battery and the VDC was on point.

 

[JoyfulNoise]

Definitely take apart the swivel. They can often cause a lot of problems. There’s a thread on TFP showing how to do preventative maintenance on the swivel … I’ll look for it later and post it if someone else doesn’t.

 

[JoyfulNoise]

 

[thewolf56]

My apologies for taking so long to respond when you were helping. We ended up having a family medical emergency that recovery has taken up all of my time and I am now playing catch-up.

Swivel was clean and no signs of water intrusion. Cord measured about 0.3 Ohms of resistance, so that was pretty good. Took the motor case apart and definitely signs of water intrusion... I'm guessing that is a sign that I need a new motor assembly.

 

[JoyfulNoise]

Honestly, at nearly $500 for a new motor assembly, you’re better off tossing this one out and buying a new robot. As I have counseled in other user threads, robots are rarely worth dumping the time andkneh into fixing them.

 

[thewolf56]

Honestly, at nearly $500 for a new motor assembly, you’re better off tossing this one out and buying a new robot. As I have counseled in other user threads, robots are rarely worth dumping the time andkneh into fixing them.

Thanks. That's what I'm debating now. I reached out to Marina to see what the price would be for the part and their current robot offerings.