Flashing Solar LED on Easytouch 8

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J

jerryt

In The Industry
Nov 25, 2011
264
Anyone have any ideas on a flashing solar LED light on my Easytouch 8 panel.

I don't have solar.
Called Pentair support, reset panel, erased Eprom.
Nothing is set for solar or "Aux Extra".

Solar light just flashing away, like it is trying to warn me of something...
 
Jerry,

I have not heard of that specific issue before and it looks like you have already done everything I would have tried..

Generally, a flashing light means the system is waiting for a delay to end...

Let's see if Tom has heard of this problem... Calling @ogdento

What happens when you push the solar button?

Do you have ScreenLogic??

Thanks,

Jim R.
 
hmm, not sure guys... i thought the flashing usually meant there was some kind of start delay configured (on an intellitouch anyway). did your heat somehow get configured funny and it thinks it's supposed to turn on a solar pump?
 
OK, disconnected all the wires that plug into the Easytouch board except power. Same Issue flashing Solar (Aux Extra) light.

Updated firmware from 2.140 to 2.180, no change with light flashing.

Ran self test under one of the menu's, and The results was "Failed Code 4", googled the code and Dr. Google said a stuck switch. Removed the board and measured all the switches. They all are Zero Ohm's when pressed and between 5 and 8 ohms not depressed, except for the Solar (Aux Extra) switch which measures Zero when pressed and "open" when not depressed.

From this I gather that the circuit board has issues, because I do not believe the 5 to 8 ohms when the switch is not depressed is a function of the switches, but rather a measurement of the switch circuit.

Still flashing away....
 
hey Jerry,
Those readings don't sound right... I got 1.4M ohms unpressed for S3-S10, and S16-S18 (filter/aux/heat/solar), and 2.6M unpressed for S1-S2, and S11-15 (mode/valve/menu navigation). I did get 0 when any are pressed.

Inspect the traces carefully to see if there are any breaks or corrosion... if that checks out, see if you can trace where the button goes on the board. These are a pain because the controller is under the lcd. I can't tell from photos if the buttons connect directly to the controller or not. There are 2 hex inverters under the lcd with schmitt trigger inputs - but that's only 12 total inputs (vs 18 buttons) so I'm not sure what they're for. The relay drivers go through the pair of 74hc259s and the is4 and sensor inputs go through the 8 smd transistors. If you can't trace anything, it might be time to pull the switch - but be careful because the traces lift easily with too much torque.
 
Hey Ogdento

Board is back outside in service. Yes, I can change the switch, once I have a replacement. Not sure about the meter readings, bottom line the only switch that measured different is the "Solar - Aux Extra".

Board is super clean, I ever cleaned it more to be sure there was not any salt. Also thoroughly visually inspected the entire board and can not find anything to suspect.

A mystery !
 
Yeah that's really weird. Based on the readings you got I tend to agree that the button isn't the issue... but it'd be nice if it was because another option is a bad controller (blown input pin or pullup or something like that).

These buttons definitely do fail but if yours was "stuck" I'd expect it to read 0 when not pressed... can you see under the lcd at all to make sure there's no salt/anything bridging the controller's pins? Without pulling the display I've had some success seeing the controller with a light and magnifier.

If you're going to replace the button anyway, you could first disassemble it in-place to see if that makes any difference... if you shave off the 4 little plastic nubs that hold the plate that locks the plunger in, the whole thing will come apart. Then you can at least be sure that the button isn't stuck in a "pressed" state.

Tom
 

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OK, Motherboard got crazy. Valves were moving by themselves, pumps would run also by themselves and then not turn off, Aux Extra light still flashing.

Changed the motherboard, all is fine now...
 
hey Jerry, glad you got the new board up and running. but since i hate throwing this stuff out...

do you know if the socketed uln2803s were ok? the comment about stuff running by itself and not shutting off made me wonder about the drivers. they can blow open or closed and make the relays and valves go nuts

also, since you're the resident tfp firmware update master, was wondering if you tried clearing the board and reflashing firmware?
 
I had a Intelliflo drive which developed a short to the housing. So the GFCI was popping just before all these problems with the Easytouch. Yes I had already updated the motherboard firmware when the light started flashing. I will keep the board for spare parts, I would like to remove the screen and get a good look under there. Just changed my intellichem screen for blue with white letters, very nice... Easytouch uses the same screen.

Interesting that the now removed motherboard would take multiple button presses, like the buttons were bad. But with a meter the buttons worked without issue (Except the solar). The replacement board, the buttons respond properly ??? Much nicer

Do you think it could be the uln2803 Chips ??
 
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Hey Jerry,
Yeah, I was thinking bad drivers could be causing your erratic behavior... I've had boards where bad drivers made the relays act wonky.

But I definitely don't think that's the only problem with the board... when you mentioned the multiple button presses I'm guessing the buttons just went bad. I repaired an intellitouch indoor unit where every single button was bad... they looked brand new but just didn't work!
Tom
 
I could never find an exact replacement... but I found another that worked (slightly more pressure to click). what did you come up with?
 
ah ok, i was hoping for a part number ;) i bought some TE connectivity FSM8JSMATR buttons from Newark and they're almost right but not quite. They've got the right actuator height and grams of force but the legs are slightly wider than the pads.

Here's a diagram showing the leg width (A/B dimensions) for the OEM button vs what I bought. 0.7 mm really makes a difference! (I do also have some cheapo ebay buttons of unknown providence that fit and work, but I wanted to match the quality of what came on the unit)

button.png
 
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