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Gecko IN.XE spa pack, Stuck in Boot Up, low voltage power supply?


Sebast

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I have a dynasty spas with a Gecko in.XE 5-11-H4.0 spa pack.

On reboot, It is stuck showing the warning message saying check controller cable or update pack software....
There is a regular relay click rom the pack. 

I read in this post "Gecko in.xe stuck in boot loop" by Mattevans, that it could be the low voltage power supply. 

Has anyone done this repair with good result?

Thanks

IMG_5171.jpeg.a988ebce624febe005c0cadb6ebb0713.jpeg

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I tested the low voltage power supply and it's not the problem.

SEC 10V:  I read at the output of the connector 9V (I think it's good)

SEC 12V:  I read at the output of the connector 11V. (I think it's good)

How do you know if the keypad control that is the issue?

⁉️

IMG_5198.thumb.jpg.e41a5916034c8dd971bb3970c863379c.jpg

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  • 2 weeks later...
  • 3 months later...

REC or PEC capacitor is a cheap and poor Chinese manufacturer. I have same problem and i will replace all other capacitor on the board. Next right you will find 680uf 25v capacitor.  Gecko made a big mistake with the selection of those capacitors. Its a 100% RAM after 3-4years.

Thanks Sebast, for you sharing!

 

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  • 3 months later...

My Gecko in.k1000 controller is stuck in an initializing boot up loop.  From searching online all indications are it's the low voltage board.

A few questions related to it:

From the images here the low voltage board is in the spa pack, not the controller? Correct?

What are my options, seems I have a few that vary by price, what is the easiest? Unfortunately here in Edmonton the weather currently is heading for overnight lows of -24°C.

1. Replace Spa Pack ~$750

2. Replace the Spa Pack Low Voltage Board ~ $620

3. Replace the 5600 UF 25V capacitor mentioned here by @Sebast for much less.  Is failure of the 5600 UF the common cause of failure on the boards or is other troubleshooting needed?

Thanks for any assistance.

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  • 2 months later...
  • 5 months later...
On 6/11/2021 at 6:55 PM, Sebast said:

@CanadianSpaTech

I replace the capacitor 5600UF 25V.  Replaced by PANASONIC EEU-HD1E562 @ 4$ + 8$ shipping.

https://www.digikey.ca/en/products/detail/panasonic-electronic-components/EEU-HD1E562/2796102

in.xe-fix.thumb.jpg.5f251a6201c2bf06f86f7cec590770ad.jpg

 

How did you get the board out of the plastic surround? I am afraid of pulling on it too hard and breaking it but it seems like it is still attached somewhere near the middle.  Are there hidden screws? Glue?

Thanks!

Grant

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  • 9 months later...

I have Swim Spa with touchscreen display Gecko IN.K1000. I have the same issue with the Error message on the display "Problem communicating with the pack, check keypad connections or update the pack software".

image.png.257fdee67ac1cc138a8a0e6f6a83dc4d.png

However, it happens that the problem disappears and the spa works without a problem for a few weeks and then reappears for a few days. Turning the power off and on does not help. If the problem appears, control is always restored after a few hours or days.

The display and Spa Pack have already been replaced and the problem has reappeared again. I assume the problem may be a faulty capacitor as mentioned here or this symptom may indicate a different issue?

I was told that the problem could be due to a power surge in the grid. Is that possible?

Will replacing the capacitor solve the problem in the long term?

 

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If the capacitor is bad, it should. For a fairly long period of time, the market was flooded with counterfeit Chinese capacitors. These would work for a few years and then leak or fail with the tops doming up. Replacing them with proper quality capacitors fixs those problems.

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  • 3 months later...

I still have the same problem. It is already third spa pack unit, which was exchanged. I do not think that problem is in unit. Swim swa control sometimes stop responding, which means that display is working, but I cannot control swim spa pumps or lights. Control is then randomly restored after a certain amount of time (several hours). Display was also exchanged.

When I reset power suply, the error message appears. 

"Problem communicating with the pack, check keypad connections or update the pack software"

I would like to know, what parts of the swim spa should be tested or the problem could be caused by external influences such as power supply.

Could this be caused by overvoltage or undervoltage due to the PV plant feeding surplus into the public grid ?

The swim spa supplier is unable to find the cause and I would at least like to find out where to look next.

 

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  • 1 month later...

Hi, new here but just wanted to say that replacing 5600uF 25V and 680uf 25V capacitors on my board solved the issue I was having - I appreciate this post very much!

My unit was stuck in a "software loop" and was giving me the following error code: 291 r3 ll2. I called Gecko tech support and they told me there were multiple potential causes and that I needed to replace the entire heat pack - so, I did some searching online and found this post. 

Opened up the unit and the board was a bit tough to get out - you'll have to use a bit of pressure to get it out around the rubber where the pumps plug in. Be careful and patient. I took lots of pictures along the way to ensure I would remember how to connect everything later on. When I finally got to the board, both capacitors were extremely swollen and had visible gunk around them (almost like they exploded?). I replaced them both with the following Panasonic brand capacitors: 

Panasonic 5600UF 25V (EEU-HD1E562B)

Panasonic 680UF 25V, low impedance (EEU-FM1E681)

All in, I spent about $40 because of shipping costs on the capacitors + paying someone to do the soldering for me. Note that I am no professional - I did not do any impedance testing of capacitors/further testing of parts on the board/etc - just did a bunch of online research and made decisions accordingly. 

Hope this helps somebody! 

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