Intellicenter Magic Smoke

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ForlornLawnGnome

Active member
Jun 1, 2019
40
Durham, NC
Pool Size
24000
Surface
Vinyl
Chlorine
Salt Water Generator
SWG Type
Pentair Intellichlor IC-60
Very long story short, we need to replace the "Pentair IntelliCenter I5P OCP Circuit Board" (part 523050). I found "Pentair IntelliTouch/EasyTouch to IntelliCenter Upgrade", but I'm not sure if it can be used in the same part or if there is different functionality because it's the upgrade. Hoping someone else might know. Thanks!

@MyAZPool , I believe you are the guy I always see who knows the magic of the IntelliCenter?
 
No way that part will only cost $150. I would be very suspect of that.

Since the system is so new, there is little need for individual parts. Pentair is like all pool parts manufacturers, running all out to feed the need for their complete systems.
 
Yeah when we called pentair they diagnosed what we needed to replace and then told us to contact our local dealer. Unfortunately we bought the system from PolyTec, so I'm not sure where to go from there :D. Hubby is going to try to replace the part we think actually went bad on the board itself. Guess I will keep my fingers crossed that's it :/ (And not let Hubby near the pool equipment again :ROFLMAO: )
 
No, we did it ourselves in 2019. This happened because I wanted the nodejs-control project set up and Hubby tried to be clever and power the board running it off of the circuit board itself where the ethernet port goes (electrical engineer, he was within spec, not sure why it caused the magic smoke). Not what I would have done, but I wasn't consulted in the "how".
 
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@ForlornLawnGnome
Did you originally upgrade from an EasyTouch or IntelliTouch to the IntelliCenter?
If you did, then you should of used one of the applicable upgrade kits.

Converting the IntelliTouch/EasyTouch Load or Power Center for IntelliCenter
Click to expand...
EasyTouch / IntelliTouch Control System Upgrade to IntelliCenter Control System (for legacy systems 2003-2012) Installation Guide
Click to expand...
EasyTouch / IntelliTouch Control System Upgrade to IntelliCenter Control System (for systems 2012 or newer) Installation Guide
Click to expand...

However, an upgrade CAN be accomplished by purchasing the necessary parts a-la-carte. I did that because when I upgraded an IntelliTouch Load Center to an IntelliCenter, there were no bundled upgrade kits available.

If you did not use one of the bundled upgrade kits and only upgraded the OCP circuit board w/faceplate (523050) without also upgrading the System Transformer (522102Z), which also includes the upgraded low-voltage circuit breaker harness, then that might be where the problem is.

To summarize. When someone upgrades an *Touch system to IntelliCenter and attempts it without purchasing one of the applicable bundled upgrade kits, they not only have to purchase and install the OCP Circuit Board but also purchase the IntelliCenter system transformer and low voltage circuit breaker harness and then remove and replace the old system transformer and low voltage circuit breaker harness with the new one.

Agree with @mknauss with regards to an IntelliCenter OCP circuit board (mother card) on ebay $150.00. Something is most likely wrong with that picture.
Also please note that many of the Pentair parts (to include the IntelliCenter upgrade kits) are not available at this time.

Thanks...
r.
Global Supply Chain Disruptions
 
Last edited:
MyAZPool said:
@ForlornLawnGnome
Did you originally upgrade from an EasyTouch or IntelliTouch to the IntelliCenter?
If you did, then you should of used one of the applicable upgrade kits.





However, an upgrade CAN be accomplished by purchasing the necessary parts a-la-carte. I did that because when I upgraded an IntelliTouch Load Center to an IntelliCenter, there were no bundled upgrade kits available.

If you did not use one of the bundled upgrade kits and only upgraded the OCP circuit board w/faceplate (523050) without also upgrading the System Transformer (522102Z), which also includes the upgraded low-voltage circuit breaker harness, then that might be where the problem is.

To summarize. When someone upgrades an *Touch system to IntelliCenter and attempts it without purchasing one of the applicable bundled upgrade kits, they not only have to purchase and install the OCP Circuit Board but also purchase the IntelliCenter system transformer and low voltage circuit breaker harness and then remove and replace the old system transformer and low voltage circuit breaker harness with the new one.

Agree with @mknauss with regards to an IntelliCenter OCP circuit board (mother card) on ebay $150.00. Something is most likely wrong with that picture.
Also please note that many of the Pentair parts (to include the IntelliCenter upgrade kits) are not available at this time.

Thanks...
r.
Click to expand...
I didn't actually upgrade, just purchased the IntelliCenter itself but the boards physically looked the same and the upgrade kit was available to find while the proper one didn't seem to be. The final bid it went for was 350, so not too far off, especially it was open box?

The good news is that after $0.80 in parts (a regulator maybe? I don't do electronics) and $30 in shipping the original board is fixed!

Out of curiosity, what do they expect people to do when the systems have parts that need to be replaced if they aren't available?

Thank you both for replying! And @MyAZPool for all the write ups you have done on the IntelliCenter, going to be using the bits you wrote about they nodejs controller code (and NOT trying to power it from the IntelliCenter board this time :ROFLMAO: )
 
ForlornLawnGnome said:
I didn't actually upgrade, just purchased the IntelliCenter itself but the boards physically looked the same and the upgrade kit was available to find while the proper one didn't seem to be. The final bid it went for was 350, so not too far off, especially it was open box?

The good news is that after $0.80 in parts (a regulator maybe? I don't do electronics) and $30 in shipping the original board is fixed!

Out of curiosity, what do they expect people to do when the systems have parts that need to be replaced if they aren't available?

Thank you both for replying! And @MyAZPool for all the write ups you have done on the IntelliCenter, going to be using the bits you wrote about they nodejs controller code (and NOT trying to power it from the IntelliCenter board this time :ROFLMAO: )
Click to expand...
@ForlornLawnGnome
Thanks...
Okay, understand.
Glad to hear you got the board fixed.
Ref your statement regarding parts. Well normally they did have parts and pieces available. They are claiming now that the virus has disrupted their supply chain which is probably true. However, I'm sure they could do more to fix/remedy this situation but that's Pentair for ya.
I don't get your statement regarding "trying to power it from the IntelliCenter board" So what exactly did you try to power from the IntelliCenter board (mother card?) and how?
r.
 

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MyAZPool said:
@ForlornLawnGnome
Thanks...
Okay, understand.
Glad to hear you got the board fixed.
Ref your statement regarding parts. Well normally they did have parts and pieces available. They are claiming now that the virus has disrupted their supply chain which is probably true. However, I'm sure they could do more to fix/remedy this situation but that's Pentair for ya.
I don't get your statement regarding "trying to power it from the IntelliCenter board" So what exactly did you try to power from the IntelliCenter board (mother card?) and how?
r.
Click to expand...
He was trying to power the raspberryPi equivalent board running the nodejs code. He plugged it into the red circled place and the purple is what fried.

He checked that the pi-equivalent was within spec for the board and pulled less than the ethernet adapter that came with for that port (he tells me)


intellicenter.png
 
Hmmm. :scratch:
Well, maybe he knows more about it than I do, but I wouldn't try to draw power from the mother card. If it were me, I would use an approved RPi AC/DC adapter. Draw 120VAC power via a 120VAC or 240VAC circuit breaker within the load center. There are several innovative ways to accomplish this. Then use the provided power plug from the adapter to plug into the power port on the RPi. Or you could use POE if the model of the RPi will allow for that.
See paragraph 5E of the following thread.

Pentair IntelliCenter Pool Control Dashboard Instructional Guide

Pentair IntelliCenter Pool Control Dashboard Instructional Guide (nodejs-poolController and nodejs-poolController-dashPanel) - Table of Contents – 1. Purpose and Background 2. Credits 3. Theory 4. Hosting Platform Options 5. Location and Connectivity Considerations and Options 6. Equipment...
www.troublefreepool.com www.troublefreepool.com

E. Power Considerations for the Raspberry Pi – Although the Raspberry Pi uses a whopping 5V 2.5 amps, it still needs to be powered. If you are opting to have your RPi live outdoors, then there are a variety of ways that you can power your RPi, depending on where exactly you plan to mount/place your RPI. In the Load/Power Center? A NEMA enclosure? etc. You can get fairly creative here.

The RPi typically uses an AC-DC power adapter or what I like to refer to as a “Wall Wort”. Typically, a 100-240 Va.c. 0.6A input to 5.1Vd.c. 2.5A adapter. This adapter is “bundled” in many of RPi “kits” available or it can be purchased separately.

If the RPi is to be mounted in the Load or Power center, one option would be to plug the RPi Power Supply into the female end of some sort of suitable heavy-duty type power cord. Cut the male end off at the appropriate length and then wire the other side to the load-side of the installed GFCI in the High Voltage compartment of the Load Center. Then run the low-voltage power cable from the wall wort up through the provided cut-outs and into the low-voltage compartment and plug the wall wort into the female end of the power cord.

Note: Use caution when considering the above method of providing power to the RPi. Personally, I’m not really a fan of running low-voltage cables throughout the High-Voltage Compartment of the Load Center. So if you choose the above method of powering the RPi, please consider running the low-voltage power cable that extends from the wall wort, as far away from any high-voltage wiring and especially the circuit breakers. “Murphy” always has a way of attempting to “void your warranty”, so be careful.

Warning: Always remove power from the Automation System Load/Power Center at the house Main Circuit Breaker Panel, before removing the Load/Power Center High Voltage Cover Panel. It’s also referred to as a “Dead Front” panel for a very good reason. In addition, if you are not qualified and/or proficient in electrical installation practices and procedures or lack the skill sets necessary to work with 100-240 Va.c. wiring, please consult with a licensed professional that IS.

There are many other options to provide suitable power for the RPi to include small solar panels specifically designed for this purpose, such as the Adafruit Industries models. USB to USB-C adapters, Power-over-Ethernet add-on boards, etc. round out the list of available options.
Raspberry Pi Power Requirements.

r.
 
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MyAZPool said:
Well, maybe he knows more about it than I do, but I wouldn't try to draw power from the mother card.
Click to expand...
I would not have either. I would have just run the serial inside and powered it like normal, but I don't let him tell me how to do my home automation, I don't get to tell him how to electronic :D

The whole IntelliCenter was installed by us, so there is definitely no warranty left. I now have a promise that he won't try to plug anything custom into the IntelliCenter for power again. I believe he is going to run a circuit just for it now and give it its own breaker. It's not actually an RPi, some other controller that runs full ubuntu instead of the RPi ubuntu partial.
 
Do you mind me asking where you got the little purple circled chip? I installed an i10PS upgrade yesterday and while working my way through the wizard, I got a small puff of smoke and the chip is likely toasted. I had the actual Power of ethernet adapter plugged into the red circle, but once the smoke came the 5 amp breaker kicked and wont reset. Pentair is suppose to ship me a new board once one is available.
 
Phil G said:
Do you mind me asking where you got the little purple circled chip? I installed an i10PS upgrade yesterday and while working my way through the wizard, I got a small puff of smoke and the chip is likely toasted. I had the actual Power of ethernet adapter plugged into the red circle, but once the smoke came the 5 amp breaker kicked and wont reset. Pentair is suppose to ship me a new board once one is available.
Click to expand...
@Phil G Husband says it's this part: CDBHM260L-HF Comchip Technology | Discrete Semiconductor Products | DigiKey
 
I was connecting the HPW Antenna to the 24v connection as stated, so in my opinion, they have an issue that hasn't been addressed. AKA not His fault.
 
ForlornLawnGnome said:
I didn't actually upgrade, just purchased the IntelliCenter itself but the boards physically looked the same and the upgrade kit was available to find while the proper one didn't seem to be. The final bid it went for was 350, so not too far off, especially it was open box?

The good news is that after $0.80 in parts (a regulator maybe? I don't do electronics) and $30 in shipping the original board is fixed!

Out of curiosity, what do they expect people to do when the systems have parts that need to be replaced if they aren't available?

Thank you both for replying! And @MyAZPool for all the write ups you have done on the IntelliCenter, going to be using the bits you wrote about they nodejs controller code (and NOT trying to power it from the IntelliCenter board this time :ROFLMAO: )
Click to expand...
Sorry to reply to such an old thread. But might I ask where you got your board fixed? My system was hit by lightning and I am running into the same part availability problems.
 

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