Adding Pentair Indoor Control 522465......Question

[281]

Our pool with spa was built in 2016. Up til now the Pentair 4 button wireless remote control paired with the Easy Touch PL4/PSL4 worked no problem. Now, pressing the buttons on the remote causes either nothing to happen, or causes something to happen that another button should have controlled. For example, pressing "Lights" turns on the Air Blower, etc......I can control everything from the panel outside and it all works as it should, just the wireless remote is not working. All I really want is a button inside the house to turn on the spa and lights, as that's pretty much the way I used the wireless remote. The Pentair wired indoor controller 522465 seems to fit the bill. I just need to know if there will be a software version conflict.

Am I going to have an issue with the software version indicated on my outdoor panel? The LCD screen on the outdoor panel shows the following when I look for a software version:

Software Rev
EasyTouch PSL4
UIC: Not Avail
UOC: 1.000

 

[ajw22]

I don't think there is any firmware Rev level to worry about in the 522465.

Let's see if @ogdento can confirm.

Can we try and help you get your wireless remote working correctly?

 

[ogdento]

That indoor should work just fine... usually when firmware levels are mismatched - like in your case if the indoor panel firmware is newer than the outdoor, then the system just won't accept any features that aren't supported by the outdoor. The firmware can be updated if it ends up being an issue.

But, to Allen's point... let's see what's up with your remote. I take it you have a quick touch that looks like this:

 

[ogdento]

or do you have one of these:

 

[281]

I have the second one, white with a curved right side. The self-diagnosis function indicated a button error code 4.......I read some other posts about this issue. Ours lives inside and doesn't get dropped in the pool or anything like that. I shouldn't be surprised though. Now that I think about it, I have had to press the buttons one or two times to get the spa or lights to come on increasingly over the past year, but they eventually came on. Of course, here I am whining because the buttons now do the wrong things or nothing at all.

If I can use the wired one, it'd be a win. Cheaper. One less wireless connection to worry about. I tend to like older, analog, wired things. My cars are over 50 years old, lol.......I appreciate any guidance or input!

 

[ogdento]

The buttons on these things are garbage... Typically the power/menu button fails first, but really any button that gets used a lot is prone to failure. They use a stick-on vinyl keypad with tactile buttons sandwiched in the middle.

If you're handy you can cut the thing open and wire in your own momentary switch... I posted the pinout for the keypad somewhere on tfp

Or, you can just buy the hard wired one!

 

[281]

Yeah......I saw your write-up, chucked a cutter into the drill press and sliced the thing open. Then I removed the stick-on button pad. No corrosion, nothing obvious.....The point at which failure modes and the Mrs intersect is also my pain point, lol......My understanding then, is that as long as I don't ask the new wired remote to do something the old wireless was asked to do, I should be good. Thanks!

 

[ogdento]

oh wow, ok you got right after it! I don't think I ever noticed any corrosion, but a few had no continuity in one or more of those silver "painted" traces and on others the contacts under the buttons weren't connecting for some reason.

I share your pain with the intersection of the failure mode... there's gotta be a Venn diagram for that

I found my pinout... so while you've got yours open, you can connect a jumper from Ground (pin 7) to any of these other pins to turn on that function (note that this same board is also used for the 8 button remotes). The columns titled "Buttons" and "Keypad" are the ones to reference... so for example, if you want to turn on Aux 2 you'd momentarily connect pin 7 to pin 13:

 

[281]

Wow.....that's a lot of work and detail. Having that available as a resource is appreciated. When you look at the replacement cost of the Easytouch wireless remote, it seems you're not too far from the newer iPhone based controller. Maybe in a few years. Reminds me of when I switched to the Rachio irrigation controller. I ended up liking it and it ended up being more reliable than I thought it would be.

 

[ogdento]

yeah... the cost is crazy considering how old the tech is.

I tend to like to "fix" my devices and limp them along for as long as possible... It might look janky but you could drill holes for some screw-in momentary buttons, wire them up, and keep using that thing.

 

[281]

For closure, and perhaps for the next person searching for this part number/issue, I received the Pentair 522465 wired indoor controller this week and installed it instead of replacing the Pentair Easytouch wireless remote controller that failed. Cost on replacing the wireless unit ranged from $450 to $900, depending on whether or not you need to replace the wireless receiving unit that lives out near the main panel. Plus, I see no reason why it wouldn't fail again and need replacing in another 8 years.

In fairness, the code 4 I was seeing on the Pentair wireless remote suggested a button failure, which could very well happen on the wired remote. But the wired version was $210 shipped. With some 22/4 wire (good luck finding that at your local big box....) I was in business. Turn off all the power. Disconnect the four wires connecting the remote receiver to the main panel. Connect your new wire to the same place the wireless receiver connected to. Pull the 22/4 through the attic and into the wall. When you turn on the power, the main panel outside will communicate the programmed times, etc to your new wired remote.

The wired remote functions the same as the wireless, except that the wired unit has no provision to dim the LCD panel or set the LCD timeout. If you press a button to make something happen with the pool, the LCD will go dark after a few minutes.....nice if you don't want a distracting light across a room or down a hallway.

It's at home next to the other doo-dads in a hallway near the patio door.....Thanks everyone for the help!

 

[ogdento]

Thanks for the follow up! It looks great... I like the color panel next to it too