gavita controller problems

[Picarus]

On my third cycle and my controller shit the bed. Power shuts off and then the controller tries to restart and fails again. I swapped out everything. Same issue. Replaced it with a new 2nd gen controller same issue. It reads "overload" and now the sensor is failing as well. I tried running the power adapter to diff locations and even off a diff sub panel. Tried new sensor, new power cord, new data cable.

I can't get a response from Gavita and replacing them is not fixing the issue. Could there be an issue somewhere down the daisy chain? Without the data com in it seems to work then as soon as I plug it in, it turns off.

Any ideas?
All electrical professionally installed and all other appliances work fine. I am bypassing the controller for now and all fixtures operate normally.

 

[hvac guy]

Best option is contact the actual manufacturer, not Gavita. If you open one of the ballasts you can probably find markings and the name of the company in China.

 

[jonesb]

you answered your own question, when you plug in the communication cable it fails.

I would unplug all the cables from the ballasts to the "Y" at the "Y" then plug in 1 by 1 until problem occurs, that will isolate the bad component.

 

[Picarus]

thanks guys. I'll try both.

 

[Gardening Angel]

Hey Picarus,

Let me know how you got on with your controller,
I've just installed an EL2 myself

Thanks
GA

 

[Picarus]

Will do.

 

[Picarus]

I got a new controller and all new cables. Overload message still received. I unplugged all of the data connections from the ballasts and I'm still getting it. Meaning the ballasts are not the problem. I ordered all new splitters and data cables to rerun the whole chain.

Gavita got back to me and said it was the ac adapter. I have tried 4+. Response time was about a week. On the website it says 24-48 hrs or they'll notify you if their response in delayed. So I responded to the email but don't expect to hear back for a while. Meanwhile life continues with me manually turning them on and off in perpetually veg until it is solved.

 

[hvac guy]

Since the controller is using very low switching voltage, it is probably using transistors instead of mechanical cube relays. If you know a good sparky, he can program a standard PLC to simulate the Gavita controller.

 

[_tessarecting]

I know someone whose gavita light controller fried 2 weeks from harvest, they lost about 80 lbs, these things do this often or something?

 

[hvac guy]

I should start offering a PLC to replace the Gavita controllers. The controller controls every ballast at once, it's not ballast independent, four output triggers, and some sensor inputs, some programming, eezy peezy lol

 

[Picarus]

You should. The store I returned to has told me high volume of problems in the first generation. Esp after a power outage. (that did happen in this instance) Id be happy to test for you hvac guy.

Tonight I tried to operate each ballast individually and the first one I tried "overloaded".
Tomorrow I rewire all data connections starting with one.

 

[Picarus]

Ok Finally solved the problem. It was one of the 3 way splitters in the chain. I have no idea how that was causing the overload, but there it is. Had to undo all connections then redo one at a time first to splitter then to the fixture just to be sure it was one or the other.

On a side note I had a website design firm quote me a ridiculous price today and then came back to my processing room filling with water from a corroded pipe BEHIND the shut off valve. Happy to have this problem fixed. Its got to get better from here.

 

[testymctester]

Damn man. Glad to hear you got the problem solved. I am trying to decide between Gavitas and Nanolux DE fixtures and the controllers are definitely part of the appeal.

 

[hvac guy]

Make sure you quality cables, some of the four wire RJ flat cable is a single strand of Copper wire, get good cable, stranded wires, or get some RJ cable, crimps, and RJ-14 plugs and make your own, then you can have custom lengths and no excess cable to cable-tie.