Pentair Pool Controller Repair

I'm familiar with the inner workings of the Easytouch and Intellitouch systems and have equipment to test controllers, radios, remotes, relays, valves and system transformers. I've also built my own test equipment for relay drivers and comm circuits.

If you need something repaired, here's a short list of what I can do:

repair rs-485 communications (typically storm damage) on all systems
re-flash firmware on Easytouch, Intellitouch, Suntouch controllers
replace LCD displays (both Intellitouch indoor and Easytouch units)
replace bad buttons on controllers (excluding membrane keypads)
general troubleshooting/repair of indoor/outdoor boards

If you send me something for repair I do charge a repair fee unless I can't fix it - in which case the only charge is return shipping. Of course, if you don't want your broken parts back they are welcome for spare parts and/or experimentation.

My goal is to keep as much as possible out of the garbage, and maybe pick up a nifty bit of kit every now and again.

I began fiddling with Pentair controllers when we bought our current house which came with a bad Intellitouch "indoor panel"... it had unfortunately been mounted outside and its display was damaged from weather and direct summer sun. I'm an engineer so I sourced and replaced the LCD, but while moving the panel inside I neglected to kill power to the panel (shame on me - I know better!) and blew up the comm circuitry on the outdoor board. After repairing that mishap I was hooked, and began fixing systems for other folks.

Troubleshooting Communication Problems with Pentair Equipment

Communication issues are among the most common problems people run into with their Pentair pool equipment. The following problems can be caused by faulty communication: pressing a button on a remote or indoor controller does nothing an Intelliflo pump won't run the schedule screenlogic can't control the system communication timeout errors show on the intellitouch indoor panel an Easytouch wireless remote or indoor panel shows "No Comm" The good news is finding the cause of these problems isn't rocket science and involves no black magic. The first thing you need to know is that Pentair systems use an RS-485 interface for serial communication between connected devices, operating at 9600 baud (8/N/1). If you're familiar with the RS-485 standard you can skip the next section, otherwise I'd recommend giving it a quick read to get the gist... RS-485 Basics Unlike serial interfaces that have separate Transmit (TX) and Receive (RX) wires, RS-485

Help! My aux circuits (or valves) stopped working!!

If you run into a situation where a valve or auxilary circuit on your Pentair pool controller no longer functions at all, don't despair! Assuming the required electrical connections are good, the fault isn't caused by a programming error, and you're trying to control the valve or aux circuit at the outdoor panel (and not using screenlogic or a remote), you may just have a blown relay driver chip... these are cheap and easy to replace. Aux circuits AND valves are actually controlled by relays which are either on-board, or in the load center. The aux relays are the large-ish 2" x 1.25" Omron devices that are bolted to the load center/enclosure, while the valve relays are the smaller .5 x .25" relays that are soldered onto the outdoor control board (or personality board for Intellitouch). Valve relays on an Intellitouch personality board They're all 24vdc relays, which means 24 volts dc is required to "energize" their coils. The micro-controller

What's the deal with Easytouch versions 1 and 2?

I am frequently asked if the firmware on a particular Easytouch system can be updated so that a particular fix or feature can be taken advantage of. The answer to that question is "it depends on whether you've got an Easytouch 1 or an Easytouch 2" . Say what?! Pentair don't advertise the Easytouch systems as a 1 or a 2 but they are currently on their second hardware revision. The first revision is referred to as the Easytouch 1, and the second is - you guessed it - the Easytouch 2... but what is the difference and why would you care? First, a smidge of background... the Easytouch (and Intellitouch and Suntouch) equipment uses the Motorola 68HC12 family of microcontrollers, now made by Freescale. Pentair uses the MC9S12A derivative which is basically an HC12 with some performance enhancements. The first Easytouch version, the Easytouch 1, used the MC9S12A64 which has 64 kilobytes of flash memory for storing the program or "firmware" that the boa

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