Aqualink RS4 Home controller totally dark.

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Palmtask

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Mar 23, 2021
7
Texas
Good evening . Wanted to post this as a thread incase it helps anyone in future . I sent a direct message to DFWNOOB as he discussed it in a past thread.

Here is message sent .
Hello fellow DFW guy here. Found a thread you helped in concerning RS4 home controller . Mine went totally dark today perfect timing with the weather . My outside system seems to be working normally .

I want to try hooking it up to the outside unit like you suggested . From what I remember it’s 4 wires . I am unsure what kind of wire to use or what to ask for at ACE.

Is there a way to use a multimeter at the home controller to check if it’s getting power or connectivity ?

I appreciate any help you can provide .

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Were you actually able to correct the issue? Some of wires on the PCB side connector (specifically #4) look like they're hanging on by a thread.

For documentation's sake in case someone Googles their way here, here's my suggestion:

I would start by pulling the Aqualink controller off the wall and using your multimeter to check for power on the red connector. There should be numbers on each cavity where the wires screw down into the block. The two outside wires (should be labeled 1 and 4) supply power. Off the top of my head, I think it should show 10v.

As for verifying data connectivity, I don't know of any way to check that without more specialized tools. Verifying the voltage is definitely a good place to start, though. If you don't have any power at the indoor wall connector, I would go out to the Aqualink panel and check the same two wires on the PCB-side of the connector. At the top left corner of the Aqualink PCB you should see either 1 or 2 (depending on model) red RS-485 connectors just like the one you have inside. Check wires 1 and 4 here for 10v using your multimeter. If you DO have power at the PCB connector, ensure all of the terminal screws are secure and retest indoors.

For testing purposes, you can connect the controller to the outdoor panel with any wire really, but telephone cable is easy to work with and most people have an old one laying around (and the cable Jandy provides to connect pool pumps, salt water generators, etc looks suspiciously like 4 conductor telephone wire anyway). Be sure to fully power down the Aqualink PCB before removing or installing any wires onto the RS-485 connector.
 
Update.
So as DFWNoob suggested I tested the inside home controller with multimeter . I am no multimeter pro know just enough to get myself in trouble.

Testing the two outside wires on the home controller I had no reading.

Outside testing the two outside wires I was getting a reading of 20 volts.

I went to ace I could only find telephone wire but ran out of daylight. Although the telephone wire looks really thin. I will try to connect the home controller directly tomorrow.
 
Update 2
Went to Lowe’s bought sprinkler wire has 5 wires .
Connected the controller with that and it powered up. So it’s not the controller . I guess this is the dilemma now . I recently had some pavers installed I could not imagine they could have damaged this wire as there was little digging .

Could I pull a new wire through from the garage? Or just update to a wireless option . Any input is appreciated .
 
Maybe try hooking it all back up again and see if it works now. Ensure the screws on the terminals outdoors and indoors are properly tightened down.

If that doesn't fix it, you can always upgrade to the iQ30-RS kit which will get you iAqualink on your phone/PC and you won't need the controller anymore. Not cheap, though.

Or, of course, you can just run new wire. When I first moved in, I had a very broken PDA Aqualink setup and before I moved to iAqualink and a VSP, I installed a controller on the wall. I had a box of old CAT5e and just used that. Not fun crawling around in the attic, though.
 
I hooked it all back up and it’s not working . It must be the wire . The wires appear to be going into the ground. I think they might have ran it underground to the garage because it’s a two story. I guess I could tie a string on one end and see if i can pull it through . If not just upgrade to the IQ 30 is it something you can diy?
 
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If they didn't damage it too far below the ground, and you have access, you could probably dig it up and just splice in a fix where they busted it.

If it runs underground in a conduit, it could be very annoying to pull a new wire through, just a heads up. It might be easier to make a new run altogether. When I wired in my controller, I just went up from the outdoor Aqualink box, through the soffit, and then through the attic over to the wall where I wanted it.

The iQ30-RS is very DIYable. Just take the cover off the Aqualink box (like you did earlier to access the RS-485 port), disconnect all the terminals off the old PCB, unscrew it, and then swap the boards. Plug everything back in and you're good to go. You will need to mount the iAqualink antenna (j-box in Jandy speak) to the side of the house, but that's easy enough. If you do the iAqualink route, be sure you have moderate/strong wifi signal out where your Aqualink box is. You will need a WiFi network that supports 2.4 GHz (it will not connect to 5 GHz networks). Usually this isn't a problem, you just need to create a second wifi network for the iAqualink to connect to that broadcasts in 2.4 GHz only.
 
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