Jandy watercolor 12V light problem

[cpholt]

I have a Jandy watercolors 12v light that has recently failed. It's just out of warranty and Jandy was *less than helpful*. It PCB in it looks like this:

mypcbcircuitboard.com

This domain may be for sale!

mypcbcircuitboard.com

I've taken it to a local professional electronics repair shop. They suspect that the main switching transformer on the top board is bad, but it's not a part they can get. They are custom made (i.e. not an off the shelf component) and normally not available outside of the manufacturer of the PCB. The individual LEDs are good, no other parts show any signs of visible or measurable failure. They replaced the timing chips that drive the switching transformer (a first cheap and easy test), but with no luck.

They measured the output voltage from the top half of the board at 16v. They suspect that that is too low, but don't have a working unit to compare against. This assumption is based on the rating of the large capacitors on the bottom half being for 50v, which, according to them, suggests a higher operating voltage than 16v.

Does anyone have a working unit similar to that that they could measure the voltage on the 4-pin connector (outside 2 pins, i think)?

Also, does anyone have a suggestion for a replacement light engine that that cheaper then the 500-700 that the Jandy one seems to run. (that Jandy won't sell me because it's "too dangerous"!). It doesn't have to be the fancy multi colored mess. I'd take a cheap white replacement if i can find one that's physically and electrically compatible.

Many thanks in advance.

 

[cowboycasey]

Welcome to TFP

Florida Sunseeker has replacement lights that should work and are much cheaper and better...

PoolTone⢠Solid State 16 Color LED Pool Light 12 or 120 Volts 15 - 150 FT

Pooltone Multi-Color LED large pool size light with Stainless Steel Face Brand New Direct Replacement Underwater Pool Light. Pool Tone® 16 Color LED lights. hayward colorlogic astrolite pentair intellibrite amerlite

www.florida-sunseeker.com

Niche Compatibility:
Jandy®: PLNICLRG, SSNICLRG1R,
SSNICLRG1S, PLNICVFLRG

 

[setsailsoon]

I've had a similar issue with my Jandy lights. Failed within 6 months and then replaced under warranty. Now 7 years later they are failing again and out of warranty. Jandy is not very DIY friendly as you've discovered. There are two brands that I'm looking at to DIY replace. J&J have been around for quite a while and Brilliant Wonders is a brand that seems to address the heat build up which is what I think causes the failures. They are about $260 at online pool stores. I was hoping to tackle the problem this winter but my wife wants new flooring in the house... guess who wins this one?

Please let us know what you do on this.

Chris

 

[cpholt]

As to replacing the Jandy light with the J&J or the Brilliant Wonders, There's 50-75' of cord in the conduit for the light. Is it possible to reuse that cord, or do I have to figure out how to pull it? It's not a straight line path between the niche and the pool pad. And I seriously doubt they installed it with ease-of-pulling in mind.

Also, where is the water seal on the back of the niche? How does the cord enter the water and how does the water not flow into the conduit? Or does it?

 

[setsailsoon]

I don't think it's possible to reliably use the existing cord. It must be a waterproof splice and that's hard to do with waterproof splices that will fit the conduit. There really isn't a water proof seal most of the time that I've seen there is a column of water that stays in place because it's lower than the riser on the other end. Look at the pool equipment pad where the wires come out of the ground. It's usually a foot or more of pvc that stick out of the ground to be sure the height is sufficient that water won't come out. I believe on of the replacement designs has a modular light connection that is water tight and permits replacement of the circuitry without replacing the cord. This is similar to the newer Jandy lights except the replacement part costs as much as a new light with the cord.

I hope this is helpful.

Chris

 

[cpholt]

I don't think the water proof splice has to fit in the conduit. There's a lot of extra cable coiled in the niche. I think I could make a splice close to the light (pulled out on the pool deck), using this:

PoolTone⢠Underwater LED Pool Lighting Splice Kit

Swimming pool Spa electric cord repair splice kit so you can swap out a new light into niche without having to pull a new cord through the conduit. 2 waterproof layers with an optional 3 layer of waterproofing. Makes installation much faster and easier then having to pull and entire new cord...

www.florida-sunseeker.com

$15 for that splice seems well worth saving the headache of pulling cable. And it's already a 12V system as they recommend for that splice.

 

[millers215]

After replacing the Jandy's twice under warranty, post warranty I went with these. Super easy to install, took about 1 1/2 hours to replace a set of 4 lights.

Brilliant Wonders® 1.5" LED Light - CMP

Premier LED lighting engineered for performance The Brilliant Wonders® 1.5˝ LED Light with Smart Sync® Technology is an easy to install light that lets you customize the look and design to perfectly complement any pool theme. Featuring an industry first waterproof quick disconnect that will make...

www.c-m-p.com

 

[cpholt]

A final update: I ordered the pool tone light. The old cable was not removable. The electrician who installed it confirmed that it was difficult to run originally and he said they get harder to move then the cable is wet. So I found an $9 underwater electrical splice kits marketed for water well pumps. Very easy to use, and the electrician agreed that he would do the same thing. So NEXT TIME this happens, I'll know to order the new light with a 6' cord instead of 100' and save some more money....