Expansion board causing OS 2.1u malfunction

[Micascisto]

I have an OpenSprinkler DIY kit (2.1u) plus an extension board. I bought and assembled the kit a few months ago but I started using the whole system only a couple of weeks ago. On the first trial I successfully tested 12 zones, some of them connected to the extension board. Then I added two master stations in two previously unused slots on the main unit. When I tested the first zone (connected to the main unit), all the zones plugged into the extension board started to open intermittently (most likely due to the transformer not able to supply enough current). I tried to restart the same zone a few times as well as other zones, but the result was the same.
I checked all the zones/valves resistance for shorts, but didn’t find anything wrong. I then disconnected all the wires and checked one running zone on the main unit with a multimeter, the voltage was correct. I then reconnected the valve wires to the main unit only and tested a couple of zones, everything works properly. However, if I try to reconnect the extension board, the display becomes blank, the first row becomes completely black and the backlight flashes rapidly. I can also hear some of the valves turning on briefly. I tried to reboot the whole system a few times, but nothing changes. If I leave the extension board disconnected, everything appears to be working normally. It shouldn’t matter, but the firmware version is 2.1.5, unfortunately version 2.1.6 can’t be flashed via usb on OS 2.1u.

My opinion is that the extension board has some problem that causes the main unit to malfunction. Maybe something broke after the first tests? I found a thread that describes a similar problem by using OS 2.1u alone (no extension board), but the solution didn’t work. I even re-flashed the firmware, no changes.
Any help would be greatly appreciated!

[Ray]

The first thing to check is the extension cable. Make sure the two ends are plugged into the main controller (the EXT OUT port on the right) and expansion board (the IN port on the left) correctly (the little plastic bump should face up on both ends). Then check the wiring, when the two connectors are placed back to back, the 8 wires should be all parallel to each other. If these are all ok, I suggest that you submit a support ticket and we can arrange for you to ship back the expansion board so we can check.

[PhiSueaHouse]

Hello, I am having a problem connecting my Expansion boards – could you tell me if my cable is wired correctly?

Thanks for your help 🙂

[Ray]

Looks correct to me (although the rest of the cable isn’t shown in the picture).

Keep in mind that even if you plug in the extension board, you still need to manually select the number of stations. Go to Edit Options -> Station Handling, and select the total number of stations. The reason for the manual selection is that OpenSprinkler allows ‘virtual’ stations, such as RF and remote stations, which are stations that are physically located elsewhere. As such you can specify the number of ‘logic’ stations that’s different from the actual number of physical stations. If you don’t select the number of stations, it will default to 8 and hence it won’t show you any station on the expansion board.

[Author]

Posts