iolinc solar pump control

[dleduc]

I have what should be a simple application, but it is not acting like I logically think it should.  Is my logic faulty or do I have a defective device?  My application is simply that I have a temperature sensor in my solar hot water collector and when the water reaches a certain temperature, I want to turn on a pump to circulate the water and store the hot water.  The part that does seem to be working fine  is that I have a a temperature controller that closes a circuit when the temperature is reached.  The problem must lie in the other components of my system.

I have the output of this temperature controller connected to the ground and sensor inputs of an I/O Linc - Insteon Low Voltage/Contact Closure device which is plugged in to an unswitched outlet.   My pump is connected to Insteon On/Off Outdoor module model 2634-222.  I have linked the sensor device to the on/off module by holding the set button on the sensor for 3 seconds and then holding the set button on the on/off module for 3 seconds.  They appear to be linked since the flashing light on the sensor goes off when I hold the button on the on/off module.  However the software on my isy 994i does not show any links on the membership panel.

When the temperature controller closes its circuit, the green light on the terminal portion of the i/o linc lights up indicating that it knows the circuit is closed.  However the isy994i software shows that the sensor is still off and conversely when the temperature sensor turns off the i/o linc stays on.  The on/off module does not appear to respond  to anything from the i/o linc.  The other variable in all of this are the options for the i/o linc sensor.  I have it set to latching: continuous since what I want is for the device to be on when the temperature is high and off when it is not.

Does anyone have any thoughts on whether I am doing anything wrong or if the device is defective?  Thank you.

[Brian H]

You manually linked the two modules with the set button sequences and not through the ISY994i? The ISY994i should be the way you link and control modules.

The sensors output is a dry contact and does not have any voltage on it.

In my tests. The green sensor LED is on the input and can be turned on before the sensor actually switches. If the closure is not a low enough resistance to to trigger the sensed input but still let the green input LED to turn on.

If you can do a test that may help. Disconnect the sensor input on the I/OLinc and put a short piece of wire between the sensor input and the ground terminals. Then see if anything has changed.

Edited March 12, 2020 by Brian H

[dleduc]

Thank you Brian!  I think that I have it working as it should be now.

I had tried a test wire that I just tried to touch the little screw with, but I was resisting actually inserting wires into the mounting slots.  I did this with two wires that I could connect or disconnect at will.   The setup that I have has the thermostat and I/O Linc in one room, the computer in another room, and the thing I was trying to control outside in my greenhouse making it hard to check responses.  With the two wires I was able to pug in the I/O Linc next to my computer and watch the response on the screen.    I finally settled on Latching: Continuous, with only Key beep and LED on TX  checked.  I then took the I/O Linc outside next to the device and made sure that it responded as I wanted.  finally I connected the I/O Linc back to the temperature sensor and tested and it failed because the I/O Linc was plugged into a power strip that had a surge suppressor.  With it plugged directly into the wall, it appears to be working.

However, one comment that you made about linking devices with the set button instead of with the ISY994i.  I have linked the devices to the ISY994i by using the Link Device or add a new device, but I had not seen a way to link them together with the ISY9941 which is why I did it with the buttons.  With your comment in mind I went back to reread the manual and see if there was some way to do this.  What I found is that I can link them by putting them in the same scene.  This works fine, but is that the only way to make them linked on the ISY994i?  It is the only way that I have seen to populate the membership panel.  

Thanks again for all of the help and inspiration.

[Teken]

Thank you Brian!  I think that I have it working as it should be now.
I had tried a test wire that I just tried to touch the little screw with, but I was resisting actually inserting wires into the mounting slots.  I did this with two wires that I could connect or disconnect at will.   The setup that I have has the thermostat and I/O Linc in one room, the computer in another room, and the thing I was trying to control outside in my greenhouse making it hard to check responses.  With the two wires I was able to pug in the I/O Linc next to my computer and watch the response on the screen.    I finally settled on Latching: Continuous, with only Key beep and LED on TX  checked.  I then took the I/O Linc outside next to the device and made sure that it responded as I wanted.  finally I connected the I/O Linc back to the temperature sensor and tested and it failed because the I/O Linc was plugged into a power strip that had a surge suppressor.  With it plugged directly into the wall, it appears to be working.
However, one comment that you made about linking devices with the set button instead of with the ISY994i.  I have linked the devices to the ISY994i by using the Link Device or add a new device, but I had not seen a way to link them together with the ISY9941 which is why I did it with the buttons.  With your comment in mind I went back to reread the manual and see if there was some way to do this.  What I found is that I can link them by putting them in the same scene.  This works fine, but is that the only way to make them linked on the ISY994i?  It is the only way that I have seen to populate the membership panel.  
Thanks again for all of the help and inspiration.

Adding multiple devices in a defined scene within the ISY Series Controller is exactly the same as if you did it manually via the set buttons on each device for associated links.

Keep in mind you always want to do all linking through the controller so the expected behaviour is seen.


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