I think I got my Dolphin Deluxe 4 in summer 2012. This past week, a lightning storm took out three expensive items that were 8 days to one month out of warranty (grrr) along with my Dolphin power supply, an item that has far outlived its warranty. (In case it's helpful to others, I used this to investigate the power supply failure a bit: How to Troubleshoot a Dolphin Pool Cleaner - INYOPools.com .) The robot was working well before the power supply started blinking its lights maniacally and stopped controlling the robot. I don't want to spend $200 on a power supply if the motor is likely to fail soon. What sort of life have people been getting from these? My earlier one lasted four years before something failed. I'm wondering if that was the motor. Am I likely to get another couple of years of use with a new power supply, or do I need to let this one go now? Is there a market for a six year old robot with no power supply? Any recommendations on what to replace it with if that's the way to go? I depend on the scrubbing action up to the water line. Thanks in advance, pool experts!
Repair or replace - Dolphin Deluxe 4 with failed power supply, probably six years old
- Thread starter techieprof
- Start date
ebay. I bought a couple of replacement power supplies for my well-aged Dolphin Diagnostic. Both were appreciably under $100 and I got about a season out of the first and the second one still works, but then I bought a new S300.
Thank you! I will try that if my exciting discovery isn't fruitful. I am cleaning out my garage today, and I just found that I kept hidden in a corner my failed dx5. I don't remember what failed about it, but the power supply is still attached to the caddy and I am hoping it still works. inyopools.com is giving the same part number for the replacement dx5 power supply and the replacement deluxe 4 power supply. The dx5 had a remote control whereas the deluxe 4 has you select the program on the power supply unit, but I am hoping it's safe to mix and match, and that it was the dx5 motor and not the power supply that failed. Heading back out to give it a shot.
tech,
If the plug fits, you need to convict...
For the most part, all the dolphins work off the same power supply... Some of the special features might not work, like remotes etc, but the basic turn it on and it runs will work fine.
I have a couple of older Dolphin Diagnostics that are currently running with the newer style switcher power supply...
Thanks,
Jim R.
If the plug fits, you need to convict...
For the most part, all the dolphins work off the same power supply... Some of the special features might not work, like remotes etc, but the basic turn it on and it runs will work fine.
I have a couple of older Dolphin Diagnostics that are currently running with the newer style switcher power supply...
Thanks,
Jim R.
tech,
If the plug fits, you need to convict...
For the most part, all the dolphins work off the same power supply... Some of the special features might not work, like remotes etc, but the basic turn it on and it runs will work fine.
I have a couple of older Dolphin Diagnostics that are currently running with the newer style switcher power supply...
Thanks,
Jim R.
This is correct. For the most part, all Dolphins run off of the same 24VDC. I have 20 year old Dolphins running off of brand new pawer supplies and when our demo S50's power supply got kicked in a pool we started sending it out with a 16 year old Diagnostic power supply. Running a DX4 on a DX5 power supply should be no problem.
The sad, sad result is that on my older power supply, the Dolphin either doesn't start or works for under a minute. I found a suggestion to disconnect the power supply from the Dolphin and the wall for a couple of minutes, leave the robot out of the water upside down, then reconnect and let it run a "diagnostic" which should spin the rollers in each direction then stop after a short time. That does happen for me as predicted, but I have not seen any information on how to read such a diagnostic. The suggested procedure was then to put it back in the water and all might be well. My robot still runs for under a minute and then stops, perhaps running this diagnostic in the water rather than a full cycle? I found one suggestion that the problem could be the timer in the power supply. That power supply had a remote control, and I haven't found the box that may have been stashed into, but I am hoping it turns up to see if I can run the robot manually. Any advice for me?
I have seen where the PCB in the power supply dies and the Dolphin throws an "Out Of Water" code, meaning the robot thinks it is not in the pool. Depending on the power supply if this can be replaced or not, and more often than not the part is most of the cost of a used power supply so up to you on that one.
Thanks, thebombadier. I take it you don’t think having the remote would make any difference at all?
Nope, like I said most Dolphins will run on most models of Dolphin power supplies out there.
We've discovered some additional items that were damaged by the same lightning strike and are now looking at an insurance claim that would presumably replace the Dolphin. I am finding Maytronics' site difficult to use. The comparison table it showed me for three current models showed *identical* features for all of them. I can't tell what's what. Any idea which Dolphin is most like the Dolphin Diagnostic 4? I can't find a feature list on that one either to compare it to new ones. I sent a message to Maytronics customer service, but have not yet heard back. Thanks, TFP community!
P.S. thebombadier, I just saw the thread listed in your footer and am trying that now.
P.S. thebombadier, I just saw the thread listed in your footer and am trying that now.
The Maytronics USA site shows the Dolphin DX4, which would be the same as the unit you're replacing.
True, it's not much different, but Maytronics says they haven't sold it in years and cautioned that if anyone has one, it would be aged in storage. Still shopping. I find it frustrating that Doheny's refers me to Maytronics to learn about Doheny's branded Dolphins, but Maytronics can't answer questions on those. The Maytronics person who helped me seemed to be relying on two separate spreadsheets to look up features, and she was not able to search on combinations of criteria to find models that fit. I should probably offer my development services to build them a decent interface to help would-be customers. It would be so much nicer if they published the information for customer use, but I imagine they value protecting their distribution channels above being transparent for end-user customers.