howie
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Posts: 87
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Post by howie on Jan 5, 2014 8:04:58 GMT -5
In some areas it's way to cold to rely on on-line help to diagnose complicated heating problems as it can take many back and forth posts to resolve it, especially on weekends where you won't be able to get parts. Call a local pro. That said, in most cases in high efficiency models, when they fail they usually send a error code. If your appliance has a LCD display on the front, look at it and write down what you see. Then shut the power off, wait 30 seconds and turn it back on. It should try a restart. It may or may not relight. If it does save that error code you wrote down for the pro when he shows up. After you have cycled the power, you will have cleared errors and the pro won't know where to start to resolve the issue.
If you don't have a LCD display as most warm air furnaces do not, there will be a flashing LED on the main control board. You may have to remove the most front (trim) cover to see this. Then look for a clear plastic sight glass down at the blower compartment. Look through this for a flashing light. DO NOT REMOVE THIS PANEL TO VIEW IT. There is a safety switch that cuts power when the cover is removed and will instantly clear the code. Find the flashing LED. Count the flashes following the longest pause. The code is usually a two digit code and will be read like this example, long pause>1 flash>short pause>2 flashes>long pause. This is code 12. After you have collected the code, write it down and save it for the pro. Turn the power off, wait 30 seconds and turn it back on. It should attempt a restart. In some cases there will be more then one code displayed but it's usually the first one that caused the problem so when you are reading codes look long enough to see that it's only displaying one code.
If you are lucky, your heater will restart but you do have a problem that needs attention.
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howie
Junior Member
Posts: 87
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Post by howie on Nov 3, 2013 7:41:38 GMT -5
I also read in another post that the "pizio chip" in the driver is not a replaceable part.
Hmmm, I had another post here just before this one that went M.I.A.
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howie
Junior Member
Posts: 87
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Post by howie on Oct 27, 2013 7:48:30 GMT -5
I'm trying to decide which end of this to attack this problem from. I can not use this amp on another driver. The amp hums when the servo ribbon cable is not plugged in. Im not convinced driving it with a non servo amp is the best way to test the driver. I'm going to have to somehow probe the amps output and listen for the noise from two places at the same time. It would be nice if I had a second Velodyne here to swap amps with to see if it follows the amp. Looking at it from a mechanical view, I could remove the dust cover and gauge the clearance around the voice coil. It looks like centering these is done from both ends and may require stuff I don't have available to me. Velodyne says a new driver is $800.00 and to service the old one is over $300.00
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howie
Junior Member
Posts: 87
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Post by howie on Oct 26, 2013 5:25:57 GMT -5
I'm going to post in this thread mostly and can be used to apply to your other thread also. First off it's from the user manual. Now these should have a dual voice coil speaker and also has a servo control that monitors cone movement. So this is why all the wires to the speaker. If possible can you post a picture of the back of the speaker so I can see the wire connections? There is also a gain control board that affects input signal gain and this can affect the other thread sub problem. I would also suggest you blow the dust off that ESR meter and start some testing as these subs were known to have some cap problems. There is not much to see The driver has the usual + and - connections. The 4 wire ribbon is glued to the back of the cone. It connects to something on the front side of the cone but behind the voice coil dust cover. This sub is obviously old enough to have bad caps. The very first thing I did was a visual inspection for leakers or swollen caps and saw none. Of course that does not mean that the electrolyte has not evaporated over the years. I also looked for indication of board overheating. I saw no visual hot spots. Hmmm, how did you know I even have a ESR meter? Then you probably already know that I have a home brewed test rig that I can use to probe for sound at various points in the sub to test for sound signal. I have already considered pulling the amp again and test all the electrolytics. My meter claims to be able to test them in circuit but I don't do it that way. I pull them to test them. I test each cap twice. Once at room temp and again warmed up slightly with a heat gun. Many caps can fail a bench test but come back to or close to spec in circuit when they are allowed to naturally warm up in use. This explains why a funky SMPS will continue to run if you manage to get it started. The other thing is I don't usually reinstall a used cap. If I'm going through all the trouble of removing them for testing, I usually install new ones. The only additional expense is the caps which are cheap. I look at it like draining the oil in your engine looking for a problem and reusing the oil. Just ain't gonna happen.
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howie
Junior Member
Posts: 87
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Post by howie on Oct 25, 2013 17:16:20 GMT -5
As we get into the heating season and time permits, I will start taking pictures of stuff that I find wrong. Lately I've been doing mostly maintenence. After the first sub freezing night, all of the rats come out of the woodwork. Right now most are in denial and refuse to turn on their heat.
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howie
Junior Member
Posts: 87
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Post by howie on Oct 25, 2013 5:08:24 GMT -5
From the manual: "The Velodyne subwoofer is designed to operate using the full range audio signal for input when using the built-in crossover. Some processors/receivers, have a "subwoofer out" jack that is internally filtered and designed to be used with a conventional amplifier and speaker. In some rare cases, combining both an external crossover and the one internal to the subwoofer may result in low output and increased noise. In these installations you may need to bypass the internal crossover in either the processor or Velodyne subwoofer. In some installations, simply setting one crossover to a higher frequency (such as 120 Hz) will restore maximum performance. To bypass the subwoofer's internal crossover when the unit is being fed a low pass signal from another crossover, simply locate the switch marked X-over, OUT - IN on the rear panel of the subwoofer and set to the OUT position. This will eliminate the internal crossover from the signal path. Note: If not using an external crossover, you should use the built-in crossover for optimal performance." Is this from a owners manual or service manual? I'm trying to figure a way to isolate the sound between the amp and driver. The driver has the typical + and- connections but also a 4 wire ribbon which I think has to do with the servo function. I will probably have to find a place on the amp to probe and listen for the noise I hear from the driver.
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howie
Junior Member
Posts: 87
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Post by howie on Oct 25, 2013 4:57:54 GMT -5
There should never be any DC on the speaker wires. The + means signal and the - means return. Need to know which is which for phase. Since these both have internal crossovers I would be testing them with a full range pre amp signal. Does your AVR have pre amp outputs for front R and L? I think it has both L and R and dedicated sub out. Should I be testing for DC with the speaker in or out of circuit?
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howie
Junior Member
Posts: 87
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Post by howie on Oct 24, 2013 19:04:30 GMT -5
When should there and when not should there be voltage present? The output connectors are markes + and -. Would that not indicate DC voltage? Both subs I'm working on list crossover controls differently. This one lists in and out. The other Velodyne in the other thread lists "X over and direct" I am using a single "sub out" from my avr that does go through a crossover. On this 10 I notice no difference set to in or out. The 15" in the other thread shows quite a difference (louder) when set to direct.
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howie
Junior Member
Posts: 87
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Post by howie on Oct 24, 2013 5:20:01 GMT -5
Seems to have normal output power but emits a noise that sounds like a ripped paper driver cone. Supposedly the amp has been sent back to Velodyne and they say it's OK. I pulled the driver and found that the insulation was hitting the driver and re-stuck it to the cabinet. Besides the usual + and- connections, there is a 4 wire flat cable (serveo control?) going to the driver that was zip tied to the basket. At the zip ti,e the wire insulation was ripped and bare wires were rubbing together. Manually flexing the driver through the voice coil shows no sign that the coil is rubbing. I fixed everything that I could see on the driver yet the scratchy/ticking sound remains. Perhaps it is cominig from the amp but it sure sounds mechanical to me.
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howie
Junior Member
Posts: 87
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Post by howie on Oct 24, 2013 5:00:49 GMT -5
Everything seems to work fine but the sub has low output. I have to turn the gain/volume output to full to get anything out of it.
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howie
Junior Member
Posts: 87
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Post by howie on Oct 12, 2013 7:58:14 GMT -5
Heating season is right around the corner. Some have already run there heat and some have not. Before each heating season it is advisable to replace your air filter. Some (not all) furnace control boards monitor how many times a furnace reaches operating limit during a single call for heat and those that do may have a preset number of times it will let it reach limit before is sets a code and shuts down. CHANGE THOSE FILTERS and CHANGE THOSE THERMOSTAT BATTERIES.
OK, so you've turned on your furnace and oooops, no heat. After you have made sure your thermostat is in heat mode and is in fact calling for heat, visually inspect the breaker or fuse in the main electrical panel, the Gas emergency switch located outside the furnace room (if you have one) and the service switch located on the side of the furnace. Just make sure they are in the on position. DO NOT TOGGLE THEM OFF AND ON. If the furnace is getting power and a call for heat from the thermostat but will not come on, the control board should be storing a code. That code is your best friend when it comes to diagnosing your problem. Cutting power before harvesting the code or codes will clear the memory and you'll have to start from scratch. Collecting the code is usually pretty simple. Most control boards are located in the blower compartment. The cover to the blower compartment will have a small clear plastic peep hole for you to look through The power and diagnostic LED's are not always in direct line with this window so you may have to look from all angles to view it. Do not remove the cover to see it. The blower compartment is equiped with a door switch that when opened will cut power clearing the code. The code is usually read after the longest pause in flashing. Each manufacturers code is different but the codes are usually listed on the inside cover. After the longest pause you might see something like this blink...blink blink (a blink with a short pause followed by two blinks) this is code 12 and just a example of how to read it. Look up that code located on the sticker somewhere on your furnace. That code may tell you exactly what the problem is or list reasons that the particular code was set. In the case of a code that indicates a open limit switch, this could be a malfunctioning plenum temperature switch (automatic reset high limit switch) that has stuck open or something more serious, a spill switch. A spill switch ( AKA roll out switch or blocked vent switch ) is a manual reset temperature sensitive switch located near the main burners. They pop for a reason. If exhaust gas is backing up into the burner enclosure, temperature quickly rises and trips the switch. THIS IS YOUR FIRST LINE OF DEFENCE AGAINST CARBON MONOXIDE POISONING. Do not bypass it. These tripping usually means a blocked vent or clogged secondary heat exchanger. Someone with experiance can judge by simply looking at the flame that there is a problem. The flame entering each tube of the primary heat exchanger should look the same. The flame should look like that of a propane torch. All of the flame is sucked into the heat exchanger tubes from the combustion inducer fan. If you are looking at it and see ANY flame fluttering outside of the enterance of the heat exchanger tube, you have roll out. About this time you should consider calling in a pro. Most other codes will point you in the direction of a failed part which you could change on your own. I would suggest using OEM parts for home owner repair. Universal parts usually mean adjusting them to match what you are replacing. Also OEM parts are not that much more expensive than universal parts.
Ask away but remember, any repairs you attempt on your own is at your own risk.
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howie
Junior Member
Posts: 87
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Post by howie on Sept 27, 2013 18:07:39 GMT -5
Gas heat Oil heat and air conditioning. Most of this stuff requires a licence, special tool and training. However, if you are handy there are many things you can do your self, especially with help. This usually requires a lot of information from you for someone like me to correctly diagnose without being there. You must provide model and serial numbers and may even be asked to provide pictures. Suggestions will be given based in the information provided. That said, should you decide to follow up on those suggestions, you will be doing it at your own risk. If I feel you are over your head or you are creating a unsafe situation, help will stop and you will be instructed to call in a pro. I have a couple of rules.
1. If you insist on servicing your own heating equipment, install quality carbon monoxide detectors first. 2. Never disable a safety device and consider it fixed. Jump safety switches as a test only and only when told to do so. 3. If your fancy shmancy heater or air conditioner has been working fine and all of a sudden it's not, it's not a adjustment so don't attepmt any. 4. Ask first, buy parts later. It gets real expensive real fast if you just start replacing things in the hope that you will stumble onto the problem.
I will most likely be adding to this list as I am usually helping pro's with techie issues and not end users. So start your own thread with your own special heating problem and I will do my best to help you resolve it.
As time permits, I will post a overview of different systems. Don't wait for me to cover your spacific system. Ask and I'll go right to it.
G. Howie Phartz
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