Pentair EasyTouch

[Reed Kadavy]

I had an Ameribrite led colored light installed recently to replace my white light. I was unable to control the program's provided by the new multicolored light with my EasyTouch which is 11 years old. Pentair told me I need a new mother board plus a new EasyTouch remote to control the light so we are talking around $1,000. I wonder what additional features I would get with the updates besides the ability to operate the light programs. My EasyTouch currently works just fine except for the light situation. I could purchase an Intellibrite Controller for much less, but control of the lights would be from the pool house only, not the best situation.

Reedkad

 

[xyz]

What other equipment do you have? Easytouch can do a bunch of stuff.

 

[Jimrahbe]

Reed,

I guess the answer depends on what you actually want to do with the light. If you want to control the LED color programing with the EasyTouch then maybe a new mother board would be necessary. But that light can be used without the EasyTouch, just by using a normal household light switch. Turning the switch on and off a certain number of times changes the mode/color of the light.

So.. it seems to me that your current EasyTouch can be used, just like the light switch. You would not have the ability to just say "Turn on blue" but you could still turn one of the EasyTouch relays on/off manually until you got the light to turn Blue.

To me it would not be worth the $1,000 to be able to automatically select the color.

I "assume" you already have a relay dedicated to turning your old white light on/off. If so, it seems to me that you should be able to use the same relay to power the transformer that feeds your new light. ( I'm assuming your old light was 120 VAC and the new light is 12 VAC)

All that said... If you do decide to get a new PCB, then it would also be a great time to install ScreenLogic 2, which would allow you to control your EasyTouch via your PC or cellphone. I currently have ScreenLogic and you'd have to pry it from my cold, dead hands...

Good luck with your decision.

Jim R.

 

[xyz]

I think Jim nailed it. If you want Sceenlogic, then that is your answer.

 

[Reed Kadavy]

Using my current EasyTouch remote turning the light on and off does not seem to control the light as it should. In most cases when I turn the light on and off I get what appears to be a white light with some color in it. I might turn it on and off 20 or 30 times with the same white light appearing and then I might get a colored program. If I turn that program off I'm back to a series of white lights for another long period. I never have seen more than two colored programs. There is supposed to be 12 colored programs some of which are individual colors.

Regarding the the Screen Logic, I assume I would still need the mother board for the EasyTouch main frame at a cost of $500-$600. It looks like the Screen Logic would save $300-$400 over a new EasyTouch remote. Am I thinking correctly?

 

[Jimrahbe]

Reed,

I do not have this light, so I can only go by what the manual says:

Wall Switch
AmerBrite color lamps are compatible with IntelliBrite light colors and shows and can be
synchronized with IntelliBrite color lights.
First switch power on to the light, the previously selected color is displayed. To select a
color show mode (1-7) or fixed color
(8-12), turn the wall switch off/on a specific number of times. Each number (1-12) shown
below corresponds to the number of times to power-cycle the switch to activate a color
light show or fixed color. For details about saving color effects while in “show” modes,
see “Hold” and “Recall” feature on page 3.
1 SAm Mode: Cycles through white, magenta, blue and green colors
(emulates the Pentair® SAm® Color Changing Light).
2 Party Mode: Rapid color changing building energy and excitement.
3 Romance Mode: Slow color transitions creating a mesmerizing and
calming effect.
4 Caribbean Mode: Transitions between a variety of blues and greens.
5 American Mode: Patriotic red, white and blue transition.
6 California Sunset Mode: Dramatic transitions of orange, red and
magenta tones.
7 Royal Mode: Richer, deeper color tones.
8 Blue: Fixed color.
9 Green: Fixed color.
10 Red: Fixed color.
11 White: Fixed color.
12 Magenta: Fixed color.
13 Hold: Save the current color effect during a color light show.
14 Recall: Activate the last saved color effect.

Before I invested in a new PCB, I'd want to be able to control the light (temporarily) with a normal light switch, just to make sure everything is working. If you can't get the light to change color manually, I'm not sure how the EasyTouch is going to do it automatically. I assume you have an Aux circuit for your light. I think I would first just try using the aux button on the panel and see if you can get the light to respond from there.

Did you install the light or was it installed by someone else?

Is your new light the 120 VAC version or the 12 VAC with transformer version?

In my mind the ScreenLogic does away with need for a Pentair Remote. I noticed on another thread that to use ScreenLogic, on older EasyTouch systems, that they have to be updated with a new PCB.

Thanks,

Jim R.

 

[xyz]

I think you have to do these switches fairly quickly, like one switch a second.

Screen Logic/easytouch does all this for you, so when you click the "green" button, it does the right number of on/off/on sequences and there is green.

 

[gary300]

Just get ScreenLogic and you will be better off in many areas of controlling your pool. ScreenLogic makes all Pentair remotes obsolete and trying to set up pool functions through the EasyTouch screen is a real PITA. I have 3 Intellibrite lights, 1 in the spa and 2 in the pool, deep end and shallow end. I use 2 of my Easy Touch relays, 1 for the spa and 2 for the pool 2 pool lights. Using ScreenLogic I set my spa light for Magenta and my pool lights for blue. Looks super nice at night and any combilnation is easily accomplished. This would be possible, but a major pain using the Easy Touch panel. Everything you can do in the EasyTouch panel is so much easier in ScreenLogic. If you have EasyTouch, Intellitouch or Suntouch ScreenLogic is almost required IMHO.

 

[Reed Kadavy]

Just get ScreenLogic and you will be better off in many areas of controlling your pool. ScreenLogic makes all Pentair remotes obsolete and trying to set up pool functions through the EasyTouch screen is a real PITA. I have 3 Intellibrite lights, 1 in the spa and 2 in the pool, deep end and shallow end. I use 2 of my Easy Touch relays, 1 for the spa and 2 for the pool 2 pool lights. Using ScreenLogic I set my spa light for Magenta and my pool lights for blue. Looks super nice at night and any combilnation is easily accomplished. This would be possible, but a major pain using the Easy Touch panel. Everything you can do in the EasyTouch panel is so much easier in ScreenLogic. If you have EasyTouch, Intellitouch or Suntouch ScreenLogic is almost required IMHO.

I guess what I'm trying to understand is my version of EasyTouch when you go to Set Up Lights only has 3 options - All Off, All On, or Sync. The current version that I would get with a new mother board has all the various color programs listed. Are you saying that with my existing EasyTouch mother board I could add ScreenLogic and would be able to operate all of the light functions. Pentair support advises any way I go I would require a new mother board. With that I could add ScreenLogic at a savings over the purchase of a new EasyTouch remote.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Reed Kadavy]

I think you have to do these switches fairly quickly, like one switch a second.

Screen Logic/easytouch does all this for you, so when you click the "green" button, it does the right number of on/off/on sequences and there is green.

When I click the light button on my EasyTouch remote there is probably a 1-2 second delay before the light goes on or off. It is not instantaneous. I've tried to turn the light on and off as fast as I can and with a few seconds in between. The only programs I have seen besides white are blue green red with either short or long duration.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[xyz]

When I click the light button on my EasyTouch remote there is probably a 1-2 second delay before the light goes on or off. It is not instantaneous. I've tried to turn the light on and off as fast as I can and with a few seconds in between. The only programs I have seen besides white are blue green red with either short or long duration.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Right. I don't think there is any way to get the many cycles you need to change colors by hammering away at the iPhone app. I know of only 2 ways [there may be more]:

1) get the screen logic to do it for you by setting your light to a relay, and then assigning that light to that relay. Then easy touch will take care of it all for you with colors, programs, etc.

2) add a manual light switch between the light and the easy touch, turn on the light with easy touch, and then use the manual light switch to toggle the right number of times to get the color you want.

Is this making more sense now? With a manual light switch, you can switch it every second or even faster and it will work just fine this way.

 

[GDN]

I guess what I'm trying to understand is my version of EasyTouch when you go to Set Up Lights only has 3 options - All Off, All On, or Sync. The current version that I would get with a new mother board has all the various color programs listed. Are you saying that with my existing EasyTouch mother board I could add ScreenLogic and would be able to operate all of the light functions. Pentair support advises any way I go I would require a new mother board. With that I could add ScreenLogic at a savings over the purchase of a new EasyTouch remote.

I can't compare to an older motherboard, but I'm sure Pentair knows what they are talking about - I'm sure the LED bulbs didn't exist back when your motherboard was developed. On the newest systems - when you go into the EasyTouch (and this is MUCH easier with screen logic) you define a light - then you tell it what kind it is. Once you define it as Intellibrite then your Screen Logic interface changes and you'll have direct access to select the color or color pattern you want from the bulb. Easy touch takes over the motherboard and instructs the relay to flip on an off the desired number of times. I'm guessing that what you are doing today with your existing system may just not be fast enough for the bulb to know which color you are going for. This is of course assuming whoever replaced the bulb did it correctly and there are no other wiring issues.

You are correct as well, as the others mention and for my preference, I would replace the motherboard and add Screen Logic with the Wireless Connection option. You then get PC/MAC/iOS/Android apps - your choice (they support them all) to be able to not only control your equipment, but you can also do all of the programming from the PC/MAC version. You don't have to use the menus on the EasyTouch to do the programming. This may not be a big deal if you've had it for years, me as a newby to the product last year - Screen Logic made having this system so easy and fun to work with.

If you and or your family has really gotten used to having that EasyTouch remote always located in a certain place, put a cheap refurbed iPad mini or iTouch where it is - it can run the app and replace the remote.

Saying all of this, would you get any more use out of the system than you do today? Don't know - that all depends on what you control today and what you might be able to control tomorrow. I don't know the number of aux circuits on the old board or how many actuators it can control. The newer ET8 can control 8 Auxiliary circuits, and 2 additional actuators along with the 2 main ones for the pool and spa. So if you've got other water features and want to automate them you could potentially add additional actuators, if you don't already have 4.

If you have a VS pump then Screen Logic makes it very easy to control what speed you want for normal circulation, spa, cleaning, etc.

So it boils down to if the existing system does everything you need it to except the lights, is controlling the lights worth it for that costs. If you get additional functionality from it then it might just make it worth it. Regardless, if you upgrade, I'd skip the new wired remote and add Screen Logic with Wireless Connection - unless you already have ethernet wired out to the pool house and then maybe you don't need the wireless part.