For the 4th time in 12 years, the main control board on my Hayward pool system went out (the board is Hayward GLX-PCB-MAIN). Each time the board lasts 2.5 - 3 years so it is out of warranty. Each time the symptoms have been the clock not keeping time and as a result, the pool cycle starts at a different real time each day. I have to say that I am very, very disappointed that Hayward can't make the board last longer than this, and I'm also disappointed that if you call them and tell them the symptoms they tell you the board is bad and you need a new one. But I digress...
The first 3 times this happened I bought a replacement board on Amazon and saved several hundred dollars compared to having a pool repairman do it. I was going to buy another replacement board again, but when I went to Amazon the price had escalated to about $450 (I think the first replacement was about $280) so I decided to see if it was possible to repair the board. I found this thread on TFP at Aqualogic Losing Time? which had a repair detailed in it. I am posting this thread so it is easier to find the information.
The repair comes down to de-soldering / removing, then replacing / re-soldering 1 capacitor (C3) and 1 real-time clock chip (U2) on the board. Between the 2 electronic parts, the total cost was about $10. The parts were found as listed in the other thread at Digikey.com:
1) The capacitor C3 is DigiKey part # 283-2814-ND (manufacturer part # KR-5R5V334-R)
2) The real-time clock US is Digi-Key part #DS1302Z+CT-ND (manufacturer part #DS1302Z+T&R)
A few comments about the actual repair:
a) NOTE that both the capacitor and the clock chip ARE POLARIZED, meaning there is a positive side and a negative side and only ONE WAY to properly mount them! You need to look at the old components BEFORE you remove them to be sure you know which way the new components go back on the board. TAKE PHOTOS before you start so you can check to make sure you are doing it right! Also, the polarity markings on the components were NOT simple + or - symbols. Check before you start how your components are marked and what the markings mean!
b) The capacitor C3 is mounted through the board; this is the type of mounting and soldering I learned 40-some years ago. However, the clock chip U2 is surface-mount soldered and I had no experience with it. However, I do have a son-in-law who is an Electrical Engineer and who is experienced with surface-mount soldering so I ordered the parts along with a new soldering iron with temperature control and small 3mm tips, a board clamp to hold it, and thin 3mm solder.
c) After removing the control board from the panel I could see the capacitor C3 was blown. So I replaced it first and checked to see if it solved the issue - unfortunately it did not. On to the clock chip.
d) Watching my son-in-law doing the U3 chip, the main lesson was to patiently heat the solder connection of each of the chip's 8 pins carefully. He worked on one side at a time, and did not leave the soldering iron tip on any pin solder joint more than a couple of seconds. He was moving down the line and back over and over until all 4 pins on the side came free, then he repeated on the other side so the bad chip was removed. His goal was to reuse the existing solder for the new chip so he didn't create any shorts between the pins with a blob of solder. He held the new chip in place with tweezers and got 2 pins to hold with the existing solder on the board, again never holding the soldering iron on a pin for more than a couple of seconds. Once the first 2 pins were held he worked through getting the other 6 to be held by the solder. At that point he looked through a magnifying glass and decided one of the solder joints needed a touch more solder, and he carefully added a tiny amount.
e) Once complete, I put the board back in the panel. Note that the time will need to be set, when the clock chip powers up it will be at midnight. If you have your pump cycle running at midnight, as soon as you power up the system will start the pumps if everything is working. My recommendation is to change the program so it isn't running at midnight before starting the repair so everything powers up without immediately turning on pumps etc.
f) Once the board was in and powered up I checked that I could turn pumps, cleaner, lights etc on and off, and all worked great. I then set the time on the system to match my iPhone. 3 weeks since the repair and the system has not lost any time, it matches my iPhone perfectly.
g) A minor point, the board clamp that I bought was a cheap one and close to useless as the board has some weight and would slip in the clamp unless perfectly horizontal. If I did it over I would find a better one that would properly hold this board.
Bottom line: I saved a ton of money by spending 45 minutes replacing the 2 bad components and repairing my board. I definitely recommend to anyone to try it yourself before buying an expensive replacement board, especially if you have a friend or relative with surface-mount soldering experience.
The first 3 times this happened I bought a replacement board on Amazon and saved several hundred dollars compared to having a pool repairman do it. I was going to buy another replacement board again, but when I went to Amazon the price had escalated to about $450 (I think the first replacement was about $280) so I decided to see if it was possible to repair the board. I found this thread on TFP at Aqualogic Losing Time? which had a repair detailed in it. I am posting this thread so it is easier to find the information.
The repair comes down to de-soldering / removing, then replacing / re-soldering 1 capacitor (C3) and 1 real-time clock chip (U2) on the board. Between the 2 electronic parts, the total cost was about $10. The parts were found as listed in the other thread at Digikey.com:
1) The capacitor C3 is DigiKey part # 283-2814-ND (manufacturer part # KR-5R5V334-R)
2) The real-time clock US is Digi-Key part #DS1302Z+CT-ND (manufacturer part #DS1302Z+T&R)
A few comments about the actual repair:
a) NOTE that both the capacitor and the clock chip ARE POLARIZED, meaning there is a positive side and a negative side and only ONE WAY to properly mount them! You need to look at the old components BEFORE you remove them to be sure you know which way the new components go back on the board. TAKE PHOTOS before you start so you can check to make sure you are doing it right! Also, the polarity markings on the components were NOT simple + or - symbols. Check before you start how your components are marked and what the markings mean!
b) The capacitor C3 is mounted through the board; this is the type of mounting and soldering I learned 40-some years ago. However, the clock chip U2 is surface-mount soldered and I had no experience with it. However, I do have a son-in-law who is an Electrical Engineer and who is experienced with surface-mount soldering so I ordered the parts along with a new soldering iron with temperature control and small 3mm tips, a board clamp to hold it, and thin 3mm solder.
c) After removing the control board from the panel I could see the capacitor C3 was blown. So I replaced it first and checked to see if it solved the issue - unfortunately it did not. On to the clock chip.
d) Watching my son-in-law doing the U3 chip, the main lesson was to patiently heat the solder connection of each of the chip's 8 pins carefully. He worked on one side at a time, and did not leave the soldering iron tip on any pin solder joint more than a couple of seconds. He was moving down the line and back over and over until all 4 pins on the side came free, then he repeated on the other side so the bad chip was removed. His goal was to reuse the existing solder for the new chip so he didn't create any shorts between the pins with a blob of solder. He held the new chip in place with tweezers and got 2 pins to hold with the existing solder on the board, again never holding the soldering iron on a pin for more than a couple of seconds. Once the first 2 pins were held he worked through getting the other 6 to be held by the solder. At that point he looked through a magnifying glass and decided one of the solder joints needed a touch more solder, and he carefully added a tiny amount.
e) Once complete, I put the board back in the panel. Note that the time will need to be set, when the clock chip powers up it will be at midnight. If you have your pump cycle running at midnight, as soon as you power up the system will start the pumps if everything is working. My recommendation is to change the program so it isn't running at midnight before starting the repair so everything powers up without immediately turning on pumps etc.
f) Once the board was in and powered up I checked that I could turn pumps, cleaner, lights etc on and off, and all worked great. I then set the time on the system to match my iPhone. 3 weeks since the repair and the system has not lost any time, it matches my iPhone perfectly.
g) A minor point, the board clamp that I bought was a cheap one and close to useless as the board has some weight and would slip in the clamp unless perfectly horizontal. If I did it over I would find a better one that would properly hold this board.
Bottom line: I saved a ton of money by spending 45 minutes replacing the 2 bad components and repairing my board. I definitely recommend to anyone to try it yourself before buying an expensive replacement board, especially if you have a friend or relative with surface-mount soldering experience.
