Anyone know anything about a robot power supply?

[cgabb5]

this post was edited by Jim R.

Afternoon everybody.

I have a Pentair Prowler 920, powered by Dolphin (I know, all the same company just different brands) pool robot that is supplied power by the Maytronics LTD IP 54.

In a nutshell, and I respect everybody’s personal opinion on their robot choice, but this brand of robot is no longer for me... This is my fifth summer running my pool and this is my fourth prowler 920.

The first one lasted about three weeks in the summer of 2019 and my pool builder exchanged it out for another. This was the “free gift” that came with the pool installation back in those days when pool builders were salesmen in the off season and weren’t running waiting lists.

That second one lasted the rest of the ‘19 season and 95% of the way through the ‘20 season before it crapped out on me again. Same issue as before, would fail the startup test.

#2 got sent in and 10 weeks later I got #3 back. #3 then made it through summer of ‘21 and almost all the way through ‘22. Broke again, same issue, failed startup test. #3 then was taken to a local pool store where they spent 9 months with it and finally got it back to me in April of 23.

#4 made it halfway through summer of ‘23 and broke again. This time, a bit different. Rather than failing the startup test and not running, #4 would operate normally until it attempted to climb and then would shut off.

With this break, I was finally out of warranty and left to my own devices. Over the winter, I had it tested at a different pool store and their assessment was the robot is fine, but my power supply is the new culprit.

Smart move is to toss this entire thing in my firepit and cover it in diesel and move on, but I’m a cheapskate and would like to attempt to fix it if possible.

Only issue is that I’m not an electrical engineer. Handy, sure, and I am a staunch believer in the theory of mass consumption and that no one can repair anything nowadays. So before I join the masses of the incapable, I’d like to give it a shot.

I live and die with my home and auto repairs by watching someone much smarter me on YouTube fix something similar and then try to emulate it. With these pool robots, there are not a lot out of “how-to” videos out there in the wind.

So my last ditch effort is to reach out to the geniuses in these forums and see if anyone knows where I should start or what I should do.

Thanks in advance!

 

[Jimrahbe]

Corey,

I doubt it is the power supply, but it could be I guess..

Maybe find someone in your area that would let you borrow their power supply for a day or so... ???

I too live and die by using google to find out how things are done. I have a new car, and it is much easer to use google then to find what I need in a 3" thick, ultra small font, manual...

The much older Dolphin power supply had a large transformer and basic power supply parts and could be repaired.. Their newer power supply I suspect is a switcher power supply, and I am not sure you can even get to the individual parts.. I have never opened one of the newer units, as they don't fail too often.

Let's see what our other members have to say.

Thanks,

Jim R.

 

[Jimfwtx]

What is it doing that you suspect a power supply problem?

There is a YouTube video that walks you through the process of checking the power supply all the way through each part. I think the video creator is DIY Geek.

Basically, you would check the amps coming out of the controller, the check the amps coming out of the cord going into the motor. If those check ok then the problem is at the unit motor or somewhere in the cleaner itself.

When i thought our cleaner was done, I went through the process of trying to isolate the problem. In steps, I took the whole cleaner apart, which is very easy with just 6-8 screws holding everything together. By isolating and testing each part in the power chain I was able to determine I did not have a power issue and the motor was fine.

My issue after all that was that the drive wheel had too much play and it was skipping on the gear sprockets. I moved the wheel from the other non drive side to the drive wheel and the unit works perfect again.

 

[Jimrahbe]

Corey,

Like Jim said above, I've had to replace the "Wheel Kits.." Pretty cheap, but hard to get..

Maytronics Dolphin 9993219 Wheel Kit

Lowest Prices Guaranteed. THE Leading Experts of Maytronics Dolphin Replacement Parts and Robotic Pool Cleaners. Authorized Service Center and Elite Dealer. All Maytronics Parts Available. Call 303-985-0077 if you do not see the part you need or if you need assistance with pricing or...

marinapoolspaandpatio.com

Thanks,

Jim R.

 

[cgabb5]

What is it doing that you suspect a power supply problem?

There is a YouTube video that walks you through the process of checking the power supply all the way through each part. I think the video creator is DIY Geek.

Basically, you would check the amps coming out of the controller, the check the amps coming out of the cord going into the motor. If those check ok then the problem is at the unit motor or somewhere in the cleaner itself.

When i thought our cleaner was done, I went through the process of trying to isolate the problem. In steps, I took the whole cleaner apart, which is very easy with just 6-8 screws holding everything together. By isolating and testing each part in the power chain I was able to determine I did not have a power issue and the motor was fine.

My issue after all that was that the drive wheel had too much play and it was skipping on the gear sprockets. I moved the wheel from the other non drive side to the drive wheel and the unit works perfect again.

Literally just reguragitating what the pool store that tested it told me. They had an extra Maytronics power supply and hooked my prowler up to it and it worked just fine. When hooked to my power supply it would work just on the bottom of the pool and then fail when it needed to climb.

According to Ultra Modern, the same thing happened in their test pool with my supply, but worked with no issues when using another.

 

[Jimfwtx]

Literally just reguragitating what the pool store that tested it told me. They had an extra Maytronics power supply and hooked my prowler up to it and it worked just fine. When hooked to my power supply it would work just on the bottom of the pool and then fail when it needed to climb.

According to Ultra Modern, the same thing happened in their test pool with my supply, but worked with no issues when using another.

Does it lose power when it tries to climb or does it remain running and just not climb the walls?

 

[cgabb5]

Does it lose power when it tries to climb or does it remain running and just not climb the walls?

Shuts down and turns itself off whenever it tries to climb.

 

[cgabb5]

Corey,

I doubt it is the power supply, but it could be I guess..

Maybe find someone in your area that would let you borrow their power supply for a day or so... ???

I too live and die by using google to find out how things are done. I have a new car, and it is much easer to use google then to find what I need in a 3" thick, ultra small font, manual...

The much older Dolphin power supply had a large transformer and basic power supply parts and could be repaired.. Their newer power supply I suspect is a switcher power supply, and I am not sure you can even get to the individual parts.. I have never opened one of the newer units, as they don't fail too often.

Let's see what our other members have to say.

Thanks,

Jim R.

Well, 100% confirmed on power supply. I took the sucker apart, found the youtube video by DIY Geek and checked all of the voltage. I really couldn't see anything wrong per se, but I'm not an electrical engineer. Regardless, put it all back together, tried it again, same thing. Works just fine on the pool floor, but as soon as it attempts to either climb a wall or the angle portion of my deep end, it shuts down.

Taking your advice, I was able to procure an alternate power supply from a friend and tested it out. Plugged it all in, hooked up the Prowler, and it ran perfectly. Two full cycles, no issues. So it's definitely the power supply for some reason.

Probably will end up online buying a new one for a few hundred bucks, unless y'all know of a Forum thread where someone has a busted Maytronics vacuum but a perfectly good power supply they're willing to part with!

Appreciate all the assistance. Enjoy your summer. It's 110 degrees here in Kansas!

 

[cledee]

Well, 100% confirmed on power supply. I took the sucker apart, found the youtube video by DIY Geek and checked all of the voltage. I really couldn't see anything wrong per se, but I'm not an electrical engineer. Regardless, put it all back together, tried it again, same thing. Works just fine on the pool floor, but as soon as it attempts to either climb a wall or the angle portion of my deep end, it shuts down.

Taking your advice, I was able to procure an alternate power supply from a friend and tested it out. Plugged it all in, hooked up the Prowler, and it ran perfectly. Two full cycles, no issues. So it's definitely the power supply for some reason.

Probably will end up online buying a new one for a few hundred bucks, unless y'all know of a Forum thread where someone has a busted Maytronics vacuum but a perfectly good power supply they're willing to part with!

Appreciate all the assistance. Enjoy your summer. It's 110 degrees here in Kansas!

Your power supply is not getting wet by any chance?

It's splash proof, but shouldn't get significantly wet. My old pool cleaner power supply got wet and the robot would stop anytime it would try to climb.

 

[cgabb5]

Your power supply is not getting wet by any chance?

It's splash proof, but shouldn't get significantly wet. My old pool cleaner power supply got wet and the robot would stop anytime it would try to climb.

Crazy. I mean, I never submerged it, but I'm sure it got wet by rain or sprinklers at some point last year. Sounds like the same issue as I am having.