General Principles of Troubleshooting
Note: These are guidelines only. Opening the control and any work on wiring should only be done by a trained professional as there could be live voltage and a risk of shock or death. Swapping control covers from a working unit to a non-working unit and vice versa can help determine what the issue is, but also comes with a small risk that the “bad” display may damage the good second backboard, or the “bad” backboard may damage the good second cover. Swapping is done at your own risk.
Guiding principles of troubleshooting: Simplify and use logic. When you have a problem and do not know what is causing it, it may be equally helpful (and easier) to determine that something is 100% working, so it can be removed from the list of possible causes, rather than just focusing on determining what is bad. Use logic and knowledge of control and equipment operation to localize where the issue could be. Always start with fast and easy solutions, e.g. turn the control fully off, then back on again, and if those don’t work, move to more complicated and time-consuming solutions, e.g. check all wiring connections for a break in the communications wiring.
- Is it a misunderstanding of the settings, or a hardware issue?
- Use manual override or test mode to test if an output will turn on. This will eliminate the programming side of things from causing a lack of output. Put variable stages at 100% as this will eliminate motor curves from being an issue.
- Check if relays are activating by listening for the “click” sound when you override them, or if the product has removeable relays, by looking to see if the red/orange “flag” in the little window appears when the relay is on and disappears when the relay is off.
- Use your hand to warm up a temperature probe to see if it is detecting changes in temperature.
- If it is a hardware issue, is it a control issue, or a wiring issue?
- If it’s a control issue, are there other controls that could have a cover swapped to determine if the issue is with the backboard or cover?
- Inspect for visual signs of burning or blackening on the parts inside the control. This would indicate a damaged control.
- Try moving wires to a different terminal if there is a free one (different relay, temperature input, etc.) to determine if a certain terminal on the control is bad.
- If it is a wiring issue, go through the wiring diagram from the installation guide or manual to see if the control is wired correctly.
- Is there the correct supply voltage?
- Is the voltage selector switch on the control in the correct position?
- Are all controls and expansion boxes on the same phase of power? (FanDrives or other 0-10 expansion boxes are ok on different phases than the control, other expansion boxes, like the VLX-20, need to be on the same phase as the control).
- Check that wires are connected into terminals securely, and that no wires are broken.
Related Articles
SB-54 Troubleshooting OMNI Select
Attached is a details document covering several different aspects of OMNI Select. -Troubleshooting communication problems -Complete communication overhaul -Using Toolkit -How to check for devices -Serial Port/Loopback tab -Multi-point PWAs tab ...
Questions about troubleshooting load cells
The following information is available in the troubleshooting section of all scale head manuals. 1. Make sure the cage is not hitting against anything (for example, the floor, dung, part of the frame). The only contact points must be the load cell ...
Troubleshooting actuator potentiometer feedback wiring
Troubleshooting actuator potentiometer feedback wiring The feedback potentiometer wiring must be properly connected to the control. Determining the correct wiring can be difficult on some actuators or potentiometers. Common symptoms of incorrect ...
Troubleshooting - Relay not operating load
Problem Relay not operating load Possible Cause Possible Solution Incorrect wiring Correct the wiring. Switch-on setting for stage incorrect Adjust the setting. Relay set to cool for a heater Relay set to heat for a fan No power to load Switch on the ...
Troubleshooting - Alarm relay not operating alarm system
Problem Alarm relay not operating alarm system Possible Cause Incorrect wiring Possible Solution Correct the wiring.