Need help

[morn623]

I had a RA and initially PH probe seemed to be reading low and Wifi connection was sporadic at best. Then relays started shutting on and off randomly. After that the date and time would reset. I figured it was the board or battery going dead so I ordered a RA+ board and replaced it. After replacing it found PH still reading incredibly low and relays were randomly turning off and on. I pulled all the cords, redid connections and saw no salt creep or water damage. Oddly, relays don't seem to do it when the LEDs are off. Today I came home and found the time had reset, but not the date. Currently, I have the new dimming expansion, wifi module, older relay box and plus board. Any suggestions would be great. The communications cable is also relatively new.

[morn623]

I reset the controller and disconnected the dimming module. The LEDs remain on and the relays don't seem to be turning on and off. Is there anything I can do to troubleshoot the dimming module further or am I just looking at buying a new one?

[Sacohen]

Try unplugging everything and plugging things in 1 at a time.
If you have an expansion hub , unplug that and plug each expansion devise in by it's self to try an figure out which one is causing the problem.
If nothing causes a problem on it's own then plug the expansion hub in and try each item on it's own thru the expansion hub.
If nothing causes a problem on it's own then plug an additional device in and keep doing this until you can determine what is causing the problem.

I had a similar issue several months ago and it took me several weeks if not months of trouble shooting and replacing components until I figured out that it seemed to be the expansion hub.

[morn623]

Did you have to replace the expansion hub to fix it?

[Sacohen]

Yes

[cosmith71]

Any float switches? They can develop voltage leaks. pH reading low is usually a voltage leak.

[morn623]

I just checked the float switches and was surprised to find one was definitely causing a significant drop in pH. Fascinating because I have a ground probe that I thought would take care of that. I removed the float, but it doesn't seem to have solved the issue I am having with the relays turning on and off. Thanks for your help. One issue down

[cosmith71]

Is the dimming module the only thing plugged into the expansion hub? Or is there a relay box, too?

I had an issue similar to this due to loose connections to/from the expansion hub. I ended up using some stick-on cable holder things (sorry, it's early) to keep the cables from wiggling around.

You can also try a different port on the expansion. The ones on the top and side are on a different chip than the ones on the bottom, IIRC, so try that.

--Colin

[morn623]

Setup is currently RA+>relay>dimming expansion. I only have one USB port on the relay box so I don't have another to test. I have tried the connections and also replacing some wires to no avail . I'm wondering if there is another way to place a load on the relay box USB port to see if it is the relay box without having to purchase another module to do it?

[rimai]

Start by inspecting the connectors very closely.
Make sure they are very clean and no rust sign is anywhere.
When did you purchase this dimming module? Can you check the revision written on the board inside the enclosure?

[morn623]

With very close lit inspection, I see can see what appears to be a very tiny spot of rust on the internal, but exterior part of the mini-USB port. The pins and everything else look clean however. I have pictures if needed. I got this expansion along with the relay box used May of 2014. The board inside the expansion says dimming expansion 1.2. I also inspected the cord and saw nothing. I even tried switching cords. I did a close lit inspection of the USB port on the relay box and saw nothing. I also have pictures of that if needed.

[morn623]

I thought I had narrowed down the issue to the dimming expansion module as the problems only occurred while the dimming expansion module was connected, however, after purchasing a new dimming expansion module I experienced the same problems. Next, I am going to replace the only item I have yet to replace the relay box and see if that corrects the issue.

[morn623]

I've also now tried swapping out the relay box and that didn't help. Any suggestions, or should I just scrap the RA and figure something else out?

[Sacohen]

Have you tried using a different USB cable?

You may also want to try a different serial cable (from the RA to the relay box).

This one is tricky because it needs to be a serial cable that has all 15 pins wired. A lot of the ones for older computers have 2 connections not wired and the RA does not work.

[morn623]

I have tried a different USB cable. It didn't help. It's a pretty new communication cable, but perhaps I'll try to find another of those.

[Sacohen]

I'm just tossing out ideas and everything that I tried when trouble shooting my issue with Roberto.

[morn623]

Any help is appreciated. I'm pretty frustrated that I have to connect and disconnect the LEDs to get them on and reset the controller every morning.

[cosmith71]

What kind of lights? How many drivers per dimming channel? I'm wondering if the dimming module might be overloaded, or something is going on in the lights that may be causing an issue. Everything else has been replaced.

Communications cable still could be suspect. This is the one I used. Get one only as long as you need. Less possible interference that way.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00CID ... UTF8&psc=1

--Colin

[morn623]

I have a DIY LED setup with 6 channels each with an ELN-60-48P driver. Last night I disconnect each channel and was able to narrow the problem down to two drivers (as they share the same common). I then tested each individual driver by plugging them in one at a time and narrowed it down to one that is causing the issue. Next I plan to redo all the connections. If that doesn't work I'll probably just end up replacing the driver.

[morn623]

Today, I received and replaced the driver I suspected of being the issue. It just so turns out that was what was causing the issue. Interestingly enough, it appears the Reef Angel caught the issue before it turned into anything more serious. Opening the driver box, I could tell it smelled weird, had an abnormal browning on the inside, and had some sort of condensation as well. I think everything is up and running now, better than ever. Thanks for everyone's help and thanks for working with me Roberto!

[cosmith71]

Awesome! Glad you figured it out!

--Colin