Trouble-shooting iAqualink after lightning strike

[setsailsoon]

Folks,

We got a lightning strike during Dorian. Very fortunate for the most part but blew out my cable mode/router and a few other items. Cable modem/router was rented from Comcast so it was a zero cost replace. But my iAqualink does not function. The online site has a message "bus timeout". The phone app displays "no connection". I've pinged the iAqualink's IP address and it is responding properly. I cycled power a couple of times, reset the wifi settings, and I've also switched to the other rs-485 port with no improvement. I spoke with iAqualink support and they see the antenna on their server plus have tried a reset. They definitely see my connection on their server but no communication traffic. I asked if they could send a command so I can verify if the problem is my iAqualink box or the RS-12 board. They can but they won't do that for me, only a technician. Extremely frustrating! And consistent with their war on DIY and internet! It's getting very difficult to find certain Jandy auomation components online... many major suppliers now display "no longer stocked" for all the Jandy automation products. There are a couple of repair services on Ebay. So I'd appreciate comments on the following options I see going forward for this extremely frustrated Jandy owner that got hood-winked by Jandy's new policy:

• I know a little about rs-485 protocols and I think I can communicate with it using $20 of adapters using a Win 10 terminal. If I can send a command and receive a response as expected I can verify the main board is functioning. Then I can risk replacement of the iAqualink module, still available for under $400 online.
• Pay the local Jandy tech to come out and trouble shoot for me. Probably about $200. Then the cost to repair would be 2x the cost of online parts plus labor and may not have warranty since I installed the system myself 6 years ago prior to their war on the internet and DIY.
• Start the transition to Hayward or Pentair.

I'd love to just start my long-term solution to go esp 32/Arduino/Raspberry Pi with my own build but just don't have the time to dig into the AqualinkD open architecture. I'd need to upgrade my skills to do this and my wife just doesn't have the patience. We both use the pool a lot and we rely on remote control for full enjoyment.

Thoughts?

Chris

 

[ajw22]

I would examine the boards closely and look for any burnt components, traces, or solder joints.

 

[setsailsoon]

Thanks for the reply Allen, I'll check closely in the morning. Adapters came today so I can check the RS board and iAqualink for communications traffic. Hoping the rs 485 connectors show traffic and the iAqualink end is dead. We have had a couple of tv cable boxes fried and my wifi connection to the whole house generator plus the WiFi connection from our security cameras. Kind of frustrating that each time I fix something I find something else that got zapped.

Chris

 

[ajw22]

Interesting that the lightning strike took out so much WIFI stuff. You would think lightning would get into devices by electrical wires. You know where the lightning hit?

 

[setsailsoon]

Yep, I agree. Struck on the other side of my neighbor's house less than 100' away. I was here, in the middle of a very violent thunderstorm. So far only wifi antennas and Ethernet ports seem to have been affected. Mobile link for my genset, only the Ethernet circuitry on my security system, wifi and Ethernet ports on my Comcast cable modem router, and 2 local TV cable boxes plus whatever's wrong with my iAqualink. Wifi control for the garage door openers wasn't affected. Also the security system works locally just the signal circuitry to get it to the ddns server so I can monitor on the phone app is messed up. Wifi extender also wasn't affected.

Going out to check the boards and rs board 485 signals in a few minutes.

Chris

 

[setsailsoon]

Can't find any indication of damage on the boards. None, even my other failed equipment boards have any sign of damage. I'd think it was a router setting except both garage door wifi server connections are working fine. As best I can tell my rs main board 485 connection is dead. No communication with my home made usb-rs 485- rs 232 connection. Voltage is constant 97mv on the signal terminals. Should at least be a regular pulse. Last thing I know to try is to write some software to pulse the slave circuits in the heater and the iAqualink antenna. If they respond then I'm pretty certain my rs12 has it's 485 circuit fried. If this is correct, I may try to get it repaired at the eBay site. Doesn't look like any of the big dealers sell Jandy online anymore.

Started looking at the Pentair automation last night. Wow! The Intellicenter line is amazing!

Chris

 

[ajw22]

I keep on waiting for my RS8 to fail so I can install an Intellicenter.

Sounds like something in the RS485 circuit got fried.

 

[setsailsoon]

Allen,

Finally have some good news... well sort of because I was getting excited about the Intellicenter too. I re-read the 485 protocol. It operates with approx 100 mv signal which would show up with an ac signal swing of a few mv every second. So I switched the meter to mv and sure enough I'm seeing a swing of about 5-6mv every second. Very constant frequency and consistent with 485. But I power up the iAqualink antenna and then the reading on the signal terminal is over 3v! About 1000 times what it should be. Sounds like the antenna board is fried after all. I checked the same voltages on the heater and it reads a constant 9 mv. Don't know why my home made interface isn't able to pick up at least some gibberish on the 485 line from the board... but I've never tested it. Still trying to write a program to ping the antenna and heater slaves but I think I've got enough evidence to buy the replacement antenna board.

At least this may give me time to plan the transition. I did double check the Pentair warranty. Looks like automation is 1 year for professional install and 60 days for non-pro. This gives me plenty of time to be sure what I bought works. That works for me. Plus no change in warranty if you buy online.

Chris

 

[ajw22]

Pentairs warranty is pretty broad as to what is a professional installer. I plan on having an electrician work with me to install the high voltage side of the load center. I figure if I prep thing before we can remove the Aqualink and install the Intellicenter load center in a day. At least get the pump running. Then I can do the low voltage connections and get it programmed. That should get me the 1 yr warranty.

Pool Product Warranty Information

Pentair delivers smart, sustainable solutions that empower our customers to make the most of life's essential resource. At Pentair, we believe the health of our world depends on reliable access to clean water.

www.pentair.com

Note: Qualified Installer - Defined as a licensed professional who charges a fee for his services, and possesses a business license, contractor's license and/or resale permit. Common examples of a "qualified installer" include: Swimming Pool, Home Repair or Landscape Professional; Plumber or Electrician; General Contractor; Heating and Air Conditioning Specialist.

 

[setsailsoon]

Sounds like a good plan... don't know where I read about the 60 day for non-professional install but must have been old. Looks like it needs a professional install. DIY is tough for automation. Just glad I could get a replacement antenna, only found one online supplier that must still have a few.

 

[ajw22]

Sounds like a good plan... don't know where I read about the 60 day for non-professional install but must have been old.

Read the full warranty details I linked to in post #9. It lists when you only get 60 days.

 

[setsailsoon]

Yep, I saw that but further down it seems to require professional installation for automation. That's a little different than I remember reading but it's clearly their current policy. No matter though, looks like you meet that definition. Maybe I could do something similar. I've got the power run from my previous RSS 12 install. Could use the electrician just to replace the box and wire up the 240v part. He wouldn't know much about the Intellicenter install though. I'd do that part. The install manual is very good as best I can tell. Shouldn't be any harder than my RS-12. I did that one myself... had a lot of fun doing it too.

 

[ogdento]

Hey guys,
I've not worked on the aqualink boards but I've repaired a bunch of lightning zapped pentair stuff. I'm assuming the aquarite uses similar components, so look for an 8-pin (probably surface mount) rs485 transceiver chip on your board... that's likely what's dead. It's probably close to where the D+/D- wires connect, but if you can't find it post a picture and I'll take a look.

Oh, and for your home-made adapter... what software are you using to sniff it? I use a windows app called Device Monitoring Studio (by HDD) that reads the raw serial data from an rs485 to usb dongle. You should get data even if the D+/D- lines are swapped - although it's inverted.

Tom

 

[setsailsoon]

Hey guys,
I've not worked on the aqualink boards but I've repaired a bunch of lightning zapped pentair stuff. I'm assuming the aquarite uses similar components, so look for an 8-pin (probably surface mount) rs485 transceiver chip on your board... that's likely what's dead. It's probably close to where the D+/D- wires connect, but if you can't find it post a picture and I'll take a look.

Oh, and for your home-made adapter... what software are you using to sniff it? I use a windows app called Device Monitoring Studio (by HDD) that reads the raw serial data from an rs485 to usb dongle. You should get data even if the D+/D- lines are swapped - although it's inverted.

Tom

Tom,

Great information, thanks so much! I'll try the app you mentioned... I just used a very old terminal program set to the serial cable (hyperterminal for win 7 I think).

Again, thanks much!

Chris

 

[setsailsoon]

Folks,

OK, final update on this. Was able to detect gibberish and very small regular pulse milli-volt signals on the signal terminals for the rs485 connector on my RS-12 board. This gave me confidence the main board was not affected by the lightning strike. So I found the only online store with a replacement antenna box ($369!!). It came today and had a big warning on the box in bold print "No Warranty for online sales". Still P****s me off they don't at least make an exception for their customers that bought before this went into effect... but I won't dwell on this.

Resetting it up was a little clunky. If anybody else has this issue here are the steps I used to get it working:

• Disconnected the other RS485 device from the main board to be sure nothing else on the bus was interfering.
• Went out to the antenna and connected to the WiFi network its box sets up.
• Connect to iaqualink.com on a phone browser and followed the directions to select my home WiFi network and enter the password.
• It takes longer than the message says to set this up on their server. Took about 15 min for reliable connection and current information.
• Logged into my app and long-pressed the old location and deleted it.
• Added the new location with new equipment serial number. Named the location different from the previous so I could tell I was not attempting to "talk" to the old unit.
• At first the connection was intermittent. When I connected to the server via laptop browser "web" button, I could see the devices slowly being populated. Don't know anything about their server but it takes a while (15 min or so) before it works reliably. Go have a cup of coffee and let them do their thing before you decide to call support. You probably won't need to.

I've gotten the OK from Sr Management (my wife) to begin the switch to Intellicenter. Also clear direction not to spend any more money on the Jandy. Yes!!!!

To be fair, I did call Jandy support to troubleshoot the initial problem after the lightning strike. Jandy support were polite and responsive even knowing I'm a lowly DIY, online customer. But they were very limited with what they'd do for anybody other than an authorized technician. This forced me to have to resort to my homemade $20 adapter and with a little help from a member here (Tom) I was able to troubleshoot myself. I've read up on many different controls forums and spoke with several expert people about my switch to Intellicenter. 100% of them say it's a completely different world when you have a support organization trained to work with regular customers as well as technicians. I can't wait!

I hope this is helpful.

Chris

 

[ogdento]

Glad you got it up and running... so it was the antenna that was bad? If you've one, I'd love to see a photo of the antenna board

 

[setsailsoon]

Well, it worked great 'till it didn't. Not sure why but I started getting the "not connected" issue again. I called Jandy tech support again and they indicated I needed to have the firmware on my board flashed. That process started last Friday. But didn't finish so I emailed the tech. He was very responsive and indicated my chip was too old to flash. He offered to send it to my technician at no cost but I'd have to work with them the price. The tech's analysis could be I really like my local Jandy service people. But I'm just so infuriated with Jandy's new policy that I'm done with them. I'm not spending any more on this system.. A few minutes ago I ordered my IPS8 kit for under $2000. I'll start a new thread on this project soon.

I also should clarify, my problem isn't really with the equipment or their system. It's not as good as Intellicenter but it's OK and reasonably priced. I just object to the switcheroo so this DIY person is now forced to pay for full service that I don't need or want. For the user that just wants to pay an installer their system should be considered.

I do have the board and I'll see if I can post a photo later today.

Thanks again for your help!

Chris

 

[setsailsoon]

Glad you got it up and running... so it was the antenna that was bad? If you've one, I'd love to see a photo of the antenna board

Here you go Tom, and many thanks for the help. The larger 8 pin chip is a memory chip. The one that's much smaller may be the RS485 chip but it's covered with some rough material that covers any markings.

Chris

 

[ogdento]

Hey Chris thanks for the photo... yes I think you're right, I'm 99% sure U4 is the rs485 chip. You can see the D+/D- protection circuitry by the U4 inputs. Pentair boards usually use a Maxim MAX1483ESA or an Intersil ISL81483IBZ (although there are better options) and .other chips.

Kinda neat board though... I've never seen one with a wifi/ethernet switch like that! Is U1 a pic controller? Looks like there's a spot for a programming header to the right of the crystal.

Tom

 

[setsailsoon]

Well, here's some good news. My Jandy iAqualink is now working again!

No idea why. I did notice this morning the pump was off. Went to the board and it was dead. No lights no nothing. Turned the breaker off then disconnected the power connector from the board and replaced it. Now everything works, including iAqualink.

I let the tech know and he confirmed they did not update me from version T1 to the newer version T2. He also confirmed the replacement antenna has the latest release of that board. Nobody seems to understand why turning off and back on worked but it did. This will let me do a more orderly replace with the new Intellicenter. Then I'll sell the Jandy on eBay.

Note to self: If a Jandy RS stops working flip breaker and unplug power pin on board then replace. It's easy to try when nothing else seems to work.

Chris