Intellitouch i9 not communicating with the remote controller (mobiletouch2)

[travpro]

Hi,
After 4 years of no problem spring openings this year the controller, the Mobiletouch 2, won't seem to talk to the base. I've tried the reset sequence on the Intellitouch ie > reset > filter > then then 'MAN ADDRESS LOCK AUTO' thinking it would reinitiate the comm link. No luck. Could it be a 'fuse' issue on the Intellitouch, really no clue? Thanks for any suggestions to check or try.

When I click the 'spa' or 'pool' on the Mobiletouch2 the green lights don't even come on. I can't change the clock either so it really appears as though there is no communication with the Intellitouch unit.

Richard

 

[ogdento]

this can happen for different reasons... the 4-wire cable to the transceiver card could be damaged, the connections might be corroded, the transceiver card itself could be damaged, or the comm chip could be damaged on another piece of equipment.

If the cable is not damaged and the wires are well connected, we want to figure out if the comms are bad on the outdoor panel or the transceiver card.

- what else is connected to the comm port on your system? a dead spa controller, for example, can cause all the comms to break
- have you got a vs pump? the pump should show "display not active" on it's lcd panel if it can talk to the outdoor board.

 

[travpro]

Thanks for the reply. There is no separate spa controller as I just the mobiletouch2 to operate all the functions (spa, pool, cleaner, waterfall, jets). I checked what I assume is the connections to the transceiver card. All 4 I took off, cleaned, reattached. Didn't seem to matter when I tried to reconnect the wireless link.

No variable speed pool pumps here either, it's a Pentair 1 HP SuperFlo Pump as an fyi.

It certainly makes sense to me its a comm issue. I very rookie so if it's possible without circuitry gear to check if the comms are bad then great, I don't know how but I'd try. Any other suggestions much appreciated.

 

[ogdento]

Without a pump or something else that also uses the comm port - and without extra gear - you'll be hard-pressed to test the comms.

If you have a multimeter you can check the continuity of the comm wires to make sure you have a good physical connection.

You can also check the current draw of the transceiver card with a multimeter... if it's much higher than 45-50mA then it has a problem (if you don't know how to do this I can describe the process). The comm circuitry can be repaired but if the radio chipset is dead then you're better off getting a new card.

 

[ogdento]

Those 4 screw-on connections go into a terminal block that you can pull off the board (without unscrewing any wires)... always make sure the board is powered down when you mess with the comm port.

 

[ogdento]

Apologies for neglecting to mention the simplest step to seeing whether comms are working at all... checking the 485 and RF Link leds on the transceiver card!

The 485 Link led flashes when the transceiver sees data on the rs485 bus (those 4 wires connecting to the outdoor board). The outdoor board continuously spits out data so you should see the 485 Link led flash about every second!

• If you do see activity then your comms are likely working (can at least receive) but the transceiver radio could still be bad.
• If you don't see any activity at all then it can't hear the outdoor board - could be bad comms on either the transceiver or the outdoor board (now is the time to check the transceiver's current draw).

The RF link led flashes when data is received FROM the remote (I'm pretty sure it doesn't flash when data is being sent TO the remote). Press a button on the remote and watch for RF Link led activity...

• if you don't see anything it may be because you've tried to reset the address and it's no longer linked, but it also could mean the radio on the transceiver card is dead
• if you do see activity then the card is receiving a command FROM the remote but can't tell the outdoor board about it - this would point back to the comms being dead on the card or the outdoor board.

I've also seen cases where the comm circuitry can send but not receive or vice-versa. Set your outdoor board to service mode (there's a button in the top left) so you'll be able to control the Aux circuits outside... pressing an aux button should turn on the aux led but also send a command on the rs485 bus saying "hey, aux XX is on"... and that command should in turn get transmitted to the remote. If by some miracle the corresponding green led on the remote illuminates, that tells us the outdoor board can at least send.