Gecko Vs. Balboa

[tumbleweed]

I have recently had problems with many Gecko SSPA packs, what is the advantage of Gecko over Balboa? Any opinions?

[Roger]

I have recently had problems with many Gecko SSPA packs, what is the advantage of Gecko over Balboa? Any opinions?

IMO I have seen about the same amount of problems with both brands. They are however both the mainstays of the industry.

[Altazi]

IMO I have seen about the same amount of problems with both brands. They are however both the mainstays of the industry.

Hi Roger,

What kind of problems have you encountered with the controls? Thanks!

Altazi

[tumbleweed]

On the Gecko SSPA model boards I have had many failures due to a defective heater relay. Also the jumper pins sometimes need to be scraped off when the controls become unresponsive.

[Roger]

Hi Roger,

What kind of problems have you encountered with the controls? Thanks!

Altazi

I have seen relay problems with both brands. Corrosion on both brands (the pins talked about or contacts) And also some unknown failures that usualy have me baffeled (probably a chip problem) that result in complete replacement to return function of the unit. As a (part time) service guy it is a very good idea to carry a few control boxes. You will never carry them all but you should carry a few. I have unplugged everything from one control box and plugged it into another while not installing the new to check function. Then swapped and tryed to diagnos the old, only to come up empty. Balboa has some great techs to talk to on the phone during and after a repair. I have only talked to the Gecko guys once and they seemed courteous then.

For me it is mostly a replacement piece. There is a guy in my area that has the ability to diagnos and repair boards if a particular customer wants to go that route but it almost always end up costing as much or more and takes longer. So I do not reccomend it and have not gone that route. I have however given him boards to look at, and recieved reports from him as to the failure. Usualy it is some long drawn out explination regarding a diode failure resulting in catastropic deterioration blah blah blah, or low voltage blah blah blah path disruption, or something I can't understand and don't want to.