Hot Spring Vanguard Bar Top LEDs Issue

[Rogue]

Hello,

 

I have a 2009 Hot Spring Vanguard that is having similar issues to some other topics I found (a few LEDs are the wrong color).

https://www.poolspaforum.com/forum/index.php?/topic/27376-hot-spring-jetsetter-led-lights-problem/&tab=comments#comment-195844

 

As I looked into it I noticed the bar top plugs were not sealed well and water had gotten in. I dried it out and dried off the connections; however, the issue is still occurring. 

There wasn’t any crazy corrosion or anything, so it seems to me that the lights and harness are ok. Is it possible the LED controller is bad? I guess I’m not sure how these lights work (what are the four pins for?), maybe water got into the larger box on the light harness?

 

Thanks!

[RDspaguy]

An LEDs color is a result of voltage to the led. It could be a controller issue, or a bulb issue, but the fact that you have signs of water on the board makes me believe that is your issue. Water itself is not terribly conductive, it is the disolved solids in it that make it such a good conductor. If you see "signs" of water, they are conducting electricity. You also cannot see the back of the board to know what is happening there, it could be wet right now. Start with the obvious problem before you go on to anything else. Fix the leak that is getting everything wet. Spend an hour with a hair dryer on low and dry the board, not just dab it with a napkin. Remove the board and check for deposits on the back, clean it off with a toothbrush. If it still does not work, move on to the LEDs and controller. But eliminate the obvious first.

[Rogue]

I may have not made the details as clear as I should have. There is not water on the board or in the main area where all the controllers are, it was just in the small pocket where the LEDs and harness were. I took a hair dryer to the area and the harness where there were signs of water and it dried out pretty nicely.

That is helpful to know that the LED colors are voltage based. It still is not clear to me why there are four pins to each harness, and why its not all the lights acting up at the same time (are the lights in series or parallel?). I drew a diagram of what is going on (attached). I tried with both the left bar top lights unplugged and the right bar top lights unplugged. In both cases, the other that was still plugged in exhibited issues.

Maybe the LED controller was damaged when some of the pins were shorted together in the harness connector?

Diagram.bmp

[RDspaguy]

Diagram unavailable. 

Yes, a shorted bulb could damage the controller. 

There are 4 pins because LEDs only make 3 colors, red, green, and blue. Any other color is a combination of those 3 colors. So an led light is actually 3 LEDs plus a common to complete the circuit. 

[Rogue]

I took one of the harnesses and connected it to the pillow lighting on the LED controller. The issue still existed (where as it was not occurring with the pillow light). Oddly, two of the bar top lights show this issue, while one does not. I am thinking I will likely replace the light harnesses for the two that are acting up.

[Rogue]

Update: I received one LED harness today and it has repaired the issue. I am waiting on the other harness. I think what threw me for a loop the most was the fact that it appears both LED harnesses for the side bar tops are bad, but the ring around the jet control knob (which is on the same circuit) is not. It seemed since multiple went bad that it was more likely to be a controller issue. Thanks for the help!