Hot Springs Display shorted out? Need help diagnosing problem

[nateritz]

My Hot Springs Prodigy 2009 display seems to have shorted out. As you can see in image, I can't easily read display, but when I click the buttons the spa still responds like turning on jets. What do I need to fix this? New control panel? Check fuses? Thanks for any help you can offer.

[ratchett]

Ouch, that's rough.   Long story short, back when your spa was built, Watkins/Hotsprings used a third party to make the control board and topside control panel - then around 2012 (ish?) that electronics manufacturer went bankrupt with no warning to Watkins.  This royally screwed Hotspring and their customers.  Watkins raced to make a new replacement control board and topside controller (so they could keep making new spas to sell).   HOWEVER the two new parts are not backwards compatible with the old system.

As such, if your spa has the older control board ("Orca" model I think? Or was it the "Eagle" model? I forget right now) it is not compatible with a new replacement topside controller.

By this point, all "old stock" inventory has been sold to people in your shoes, scouring the internet looking for any available spare parts to avoid a big repair bill.  From what I can tell you have a few limited options:

• Order replacement topside controller..... and replacement main control board, your dealer can replace both but it's around $1500 so it's an expensive investment on an older tub.
• Dig around locally to find an old dead hotspring highlife spa in a spa junk yard (or find someone selling/trashing an old spa in the classifieds and offer $100 to salvage a replacement topside controller and pray that it works with your spa)
• Remove topside controller and find an electronics repair shop that would be willing to replace the LCD screen.   If memory serves me, someone did this a while back (and posted about it on this forum) - they pulled out the old defective screen and found that it was an old HP PDA device screen based on the part numbers.  A professional electronics repair shop could remove the old screen, and replace with a new one - but they would likely not warranty their work so it would be a complete gamble if it would work.

This all assumes your spa has the original control board installed.  If you paid $1500+ recently to replace the electronics within the past five years, ignore my $0.02 advice haha.

Good luck! Hopefully you can get that spa back up and running again!

[nateritz]

Really appreciate your helpful response. Sounds like I'll bite the bullet and get it replaced since our tub is in fine condition. Thanks again!