Troubleshooting dead Calypso

[DADoES]

 
My Calypso suddenly came up dead a couple days ago.  No response, either setting a cycle or attempting diagnostics.

I checked the points listed in the L-67 service manual for "Won't Power Up" and all checks pass.  Line filter has voltage in and out.  P16 on the machine control board has 120v at pins 2 and 4.

I have three sets of spare boards.  I tried two of the spare motor boards and one machine control board.  Still dead.

I have a full spare control panel.  Swapped it in to the power connection.  Still dead.  I tried testing several of the keypads (on the ribbon cables, per L-67 manual) but don't get a response on either the original panel or the spare panel ... so either I'm doing the testing wrong, or my meter leads aren't slim enough to touch the contacts on back of the ribbon cable connectors.

What am I missing / overlooking?

 

[frigilux]

Wow, so that's what electronic control panels look like under the hood. Thanks for posting the photo. Hope your mystery is solved soon, Glenn.

 

[a440]

Oh Man!

That sucks!
I wonder what could have happened.
I know you will find out!
Love these machines!
B

 

[mrb627]

Diagram?

Not sure what could be wrong. Any chance at posting the schematic diagram?

Malcolm

 

[yogitunes]

from your picture, what about that little black box in the lower left attached to the top, is power going in and out of that....seems odd to change what you have already, and not get a response of some sort...

of course you have done the one main thing, and that is leave it unplugged for a few days....sometimes you have to unplug everything in the control panel as well....but since you switched that out, this is a puzzling diagnosis....

 

[DADoES]

 
Wiring diagram.  Note the machine of question is a revised issue without the flood pressure switch so P17 has a jumper across Pin 1 and 3.

The little black box is the line filter.

I have 120v from the cord through the line filter and at the Machine Control Board P16 Pin 2 and 4, per the troubleshooting procedure in the service manual.  There's a small relay on the Machine Control Board that clicks when it powers on and the display digits and various button indicators illuminate ... but neither is happening.

The fuse on the Motor board(s) test good.

Tried two motor boards, two machine control boards.  The touch panel has never exhibited any flakiness but I did try a spare panel.

I suppose it's possible both spare boards I tried are bad.  Have one more set of spare boards not yet tried ... and a 4th pair of boards in the other machine in the garage that's as yet not refurbished but does run per the few times I used it more than 8 years ago.

 

[henene4]

Verry strange...

Have you checked if the UI ever gets power and&#92or a signal? I doubt all bords you tested are dead.

 

[mrb627]

Cabinet Interlock Switch?

Any chance it is open?

Malcolm

 

[DADoES]

 
The cabinet interlock switches (one on the front panel, one on the bottom panel) are to ground the drive motor when either panel is removed (or not ground it when the panels are in place).  They shouldn't have any relation to this problem, the motor runs either way (or would run if the machine wasn't otherwise dead).

The UI panel receives power via the machine control board P11 and/or P12, those are the only connections to the UI.  The stated test procedure is for the keypad matrix across the various ribbon cable leads.  Nothing about which leads are for power.  The pin holes and contacts on the ribbon connectors are very small.  My meter probes are too large so I haven't yet been able to test it, although perhaps I can improvise something.  Anyway, changing the machine control board effectively changes the power source for the UI.

 

[mrb627]

Lid Switch?

12v at the lid switch?

Malcolm

 

[yogitunes]

Glenn has a by-pass lid switch, so that sort of helps in a case like this for checking the actual lid switch....

sometimes you can use something along the lines of telephone wire to slide into terminals where regular ohms meter probes are too big....

unfortunately he is going to have to trouble shoot by tracing down to where power is going, and where it has stopped....

 

[DADoES]

 
Swapped in a 3rd machine control board.  No joy.

Checked the line filter again ... 121.7 volts coming out of it.

Next to rig-up something for checking the keypads ... paperclips.

I don't get a reading across the designated pins for several of the buttons selected to test, on both the original panel and the spare.  Didn't test them all, there are 18.  However, I also don't get a positive reading from the panel on the garage machine, which is confirmed to work -- I powered it on both before and after attempting to test the keypanel.  That's 3 for 3 failures on the key matrix test, including on a known good panel ... so I'm thinking the proscribed test method is invalid.

Which leaves me at a roadblock.

 

[ovrphil]

Just wondering

Glenn -what's the conductivity of the paper clips? they're not aluminum or some other metal-mix, are they? I can't believe that Matrix would be faulty, although I've had plenty of system documentation missing even after a new software/hardware product was new or in use for a while.

Have you thought of using, as Martin mentioned, a clean sourced wire for the contacts? Just asking; hope you get some ideas that solve the problem.

 

[mrb627]

External Components...

I guess the next step is to walk through each external component, making sure nothing is an open circuit where it shouldn't be...

Thermal protectors.
Thermistor.
Switches.
Solenoids.

If it isn't on the control boards, which have been swapped, then the alternative is an open component.

Good thing you have a functioning unit in the garage to test against.

Malcolm

 

[DADoES]

 
Suggestion from John Lefever that the line filter may be bad even though it tests good.  This morn I swapped the line filter from the garage machine.  No effect.

The paperclips are metal.  I get 0 ohms reading directly across them.

Seems none of the components other than the cord, line filter, two boards, and keypanel should be in play for getting the machine powered-on.  The motor board gets power from the machine control board (P16 1 & 5 --> P1 1 & 2) and the motor board doesn't turn on the pump or drive motor unless a cycle or diagnostic is running.  Pressing a valid cycle button or diagnostic key pattern triggers the machine to "wake up" so that logically points to the keypanel as the fault.  I haven't yet tried moving the panel from the garage machine.  The garage machine is platinum (grey), the house machine is white so the panels are slightly different colors ... which isn't a problem for testing but I'd rather have the house machine correct.  Replacement panels are available but are *very* expensive.  I love my Calypso so don't mind the cost IF it's a sure fix.

 

[DADoES]

 
Got it.  Is a bad touch panel.  Swapped the panel from the garage machine, it worked.  I must have missed a connection when I tried the spare full console previously, it also works when I tried it again.

Original console (rear), full spare console (middle), grey panel from the garage machine (front).

 

[ovrphil]

Fireworks and Celebrations

Again, the importance of having spare parts is poignantly illustrated in your repair success. I learned a thing or three(panels).

Phil

 

[mrb627]

Sweet Success

Feel free to post any videos of your calypso in operation. Always had a mild fascination with the nutators.

Malcolm

 

[yogitunes]

wonderful news....glad your up and running again.....I didn't think there was any difference in control panel colors on the Whirly's, just the ends, but I was wrong...