How to: Pentair Easytouch/Intellitouch pool/spa controller

[zyll]

I have set up my ISY to send commands to my Pentair Easy Touch pool control system.

 

The Pentair systems use RS485 to communicate with their wired control panels. You can get cheap (<$10) RS232-RS485 protocol converters (search "Hexin") and use a standard serial-ethernet bridge, or use a bridge that handles RS485 directly.

 

The interface needs to be set to 9600,8,n,1

 

To send a command to the Pentair system, use binary mode for the following sequence of bytes:

 

0;255;165;1;16;32;134;2;A;B;C1;C2

 

where:

A = Pentair circuit number

B = 0 for off, 1 for on

C1, C2 = 2 byte checksum

 

For example, to turn circuit 3 on:

 

0;255;165;1;16;32;134;2;3;1;1;98

 

The system is also constantly broadcasting system status (circuit state, air and water temperatures, etc.), and I have PC code for decoding this - at some point when we can set variables in the ISY I will write the bridge.

 

One thing to remember if you want to do this is that RS485 is a multidrop bus, and so collisions are possible if two devices transmit at the same time. Nothing bad will happen (because of the checksum) but the message will be ignored. Since there isn't any way to currently check for an acknowledgement, it is probably good practice to send the command a couple of times with a short delay between "just in case".

 

I have the commands for circuits 1-4 available for import into Network Resources is someone wants it (I don't think I can post them on the forum).

[gfridland]

This is really interesting information...I just installed a Jandy pool controller that has serial inteface capability...did you have to use any additional isolators with the Hexin converter?

 

The Jandy serial converter is $400, but I don't see it doing anything special beyond converting the 232 to 485 protocall..

 

http://www.jandy-downloads.com/pdfs/Aqu ... manual.pdf

 

Thanks again for the helpfull information

[zyll]

I'm not familiar with the Jandy system at all....

 

Pentair sells an expensive RS232 interface as well, but it is much more than just a protocol converter - it has a uP that presents a more "friendly" interface to other devices and has a published spec. The inter-device protocol is unpublished and subject to change (although it would be surprising to me if they did, since their smart pumps, panels, systems, etc. would all have to change simultaneously!)

 

If you want to invest a little time, you can figure it out. Since RS485 is multidrop it is easy to snoop - just connect a PC and watch the traffic. Periodic transmissions are status. If you push a button on your wired controller you will see what it sends, and then you can reproduce the action by sending the same sequence.

 

You don't have to do anything special with the Hexin converter other than connect 3 wires (+data, -data, and ground). RS485 is pretty robust - you can do pretty much anything and the worst that will happen is that devices won't be able to talk until you fix it. Even getting wires reversed won't hurt anything.

 

I'm actually using an EM1500 (rabbit-based) bridge device which handles RS485 directly, but I was originally using a PC with the hexin converter.

[gfridland]

Thanks...are you using an isolator/surge suppression device on your system wired between the ISY and the Pentair?

 

My controller is wired directly to the equipment pad via 200ft of 485 that runs underground...so just a concern...

 

Thanks again!!!

[zyll]

The connection is:

 

PoolController ---RS485--- Serial/Ethernet Bridge Device ---ETHERNET--- ISY

 

I would expect that a lightning strike or something would take out the Pool Controller and the Serial/ethernet bridge long before the ISY.

 

I don't worry about it - the pool controller is the most expensive piece of equipment anyway, and if lightning strikes it is doomed.

[gfridland]

Ahhh...so you aren't directly connected to the ISY...you are using an ethernet bridge...I was hoping to try the Hexin directly connected to the ISY...

 

PoolController--->RS485--->HXSP-485A (link below)--->ISY

 

http://www.hexin-technology.com/RS-232_ ... t-242.html

 

should I rethink?

[zyll]

As far as I know, the ISY serial port can't be used to connect to devices.....

[sperok]

Thanks to the code from Zyll and others I've also succeeded in getting ISY/Pentair Integration working using Network Resources. With this it is now easy to do things like turn the Spa on/off from the same web app that controls everything else in the house, and make the spa part of my "welcome" and "all off" routines.

 

For anyone else that is not enamored with "ScreenLogic" and the need to run a stand-alone app, here is some rough info.

 

The installation comprises:

 

- An Intellitouch pool controller with 3 pumps, heater and salt-water chlorine generator

- An RS-485/ethernet gateway

- The ISY-99

 

Once the RS-485 gateway is correctly setup connecting to the correct IP address and port taps into the RS-485 protocol stream, which is pretty much as documented by Zyll earlier in this thread.

 

Specific commands that I have setup include:

Spa On - 255;255;255;255;  0;255;255;165;1;  16;  35;    134; 2;   1;    1;     1;99;     255;255;255;255
        < 0xFF padding >  <0xff padding>

Spa Off - 255;255;255;255;  0;255;255;165;1;  16;  35;    134; 2;   1;    0;     1;98;     255;255;255;255
         < 0xFF padding >  <0xff padding>

NOTE: The pump # is likely to be installation dependent.

[ScottAvery]

Anyone familiar with this procedure still active in the forum? I am installing a Pentair system soon and would like to try this. The software bit I can probably figure out but I don't know about the hardware. What is an example of the gateway being used for this? is an itach serial device the right idea?

[zyll]

Anyone familiar with this procedure still active in the forum? I am installing a Pentair system soon and would like to try this. The software bit I can probably figure out but I don't know about the hardware. What is an example of the gateway being used for this? is an itach serial device the right idea?

 

Anything that you can talk to using Network Resources should be fine. I believe that the iTach device is rs-232 serial only, and so to use it you would need to also have an rs-485 converter (like the hexin unit that I mentioned in the earlier post).

[ScottAvery]

I couldn't find a direct rs485 gateway other than some industrial units with industrial pricetags.

[ScottAvery]

I notice you have separate pumps for your pool and spa, so maybe things would be different for me with shared equipment. Would I have to send separate signals to activate valve actuators and switch to spa mode (reduced intellichlor output)? I am not yet intimately familiar with the way the Pentair functions.

[zyll]

Your best bet is to wait until you get the system installed and programmed - it will be a lot clearer after you see how the system operates, which takes a little getting used to.

[cwalsh714]

Zyll:

 

This is exactly what I want to do. I would like to install an EasyTouch (now compatible with ScreenLogic 2), but I really don't like the idea of having to keep my computer on 24/7 to be able to control it. Also, ScreenLogic 2 only supports iOS devices, not Android. I'd love to be able to control pool and spa from MobiLinc, and have it all integrated with my Pentair stuff. If you look at the How To forum, I've been getting help to develop a set of ISY programs that control the shows and colors of our IntelliBrite LED pool lights and it works great (much more useful than the IntelliBrite controller sold by Pentair). In any event, I plan to purchase and ethernet to RS485 bridge and hook that into the EasyTouch. Any info you have on this would be great. BTW, I'd love to be able to hook into the system to control pump speed etc. I do like the idea of letting the ISY handle all of the programming, but are there ways to report on and adjust pool/spa temp?

 

Thanks for any and all info on this project!

 

Craig

[jongig]

I thought you'd be here as well Craig. I hope you figure this out because I'd like to do the same although my pentair easytouch is simpler. The one thing I did like about the pentair screenlogic system is the ability to monitor such things as the intelliflo RPM, the status of the system and the salt concentration. One of the rs485 devices I purchased is from EKM metering. I think it was under $50. A google search should find it. I used it for monitoring all of my EKM electrical meters. I monitor such things as the domestic hot water, geothermal and pool.

 

john

[pauliep]

I am not quite sure how to ask, so I will just put it down like this:

 

I have a Pentair Variable Speed Pump with 4 preset speeds. I don't want to buy the full on Pentair setup (about $1500 to $2000), as I have the ISY-994 and feel that I should be able to control the pump through it.

 

Seeing the posts, here, I am wondering how I could do this. I am envisioning the setup to be as follows:

 

Computer (iMac) in house, hooked up to the ISY-994, wirelessly connected to another router or AirPort Express located by the pool pump equipment (about 300 feet away), which would then be connected, somehow, to the Variable Speed Pump.

 

Is this how it would be hooked up? How do I connect the router to the RS-485 port on the pump?

 

Any help would be appreciated.

[Michel Kohanim]

Hello pauliep,

 

There's a solution for Pentair by Autelis:

viewtopic.php?f=78&t=8766&p=66692&hilit=pentair#p66692

 

With kind regards,

Michel

[cwalsh714]

The Autelis system appears to use an ethernet->RS485 bridge, as has been discussed. It is cheaper than the ScreenLogic 2 system from Pentair and supports both Android and iPhone (ScreenLogic only supports the latter). It doesn't support the EasyTouch interface yet, but I would imagine that should not be difficult to address. I'm going to look into this further.

[autelis]

Hi pauliep, we are working on a solution that will allow you to control your Intelliflo in a standalone configuration (no pool automation system required) and will connect to ISY.

 

If you are interested in more information, please contact us or post in our forum.

 

Thanks.

[mountainman3520]

It would be AWESOME to have an easy method to use the ISY to control common pool equipment. I'm about to purchase an ISY to automate my house and I have a simple pool system composed of a high-tech Pentair Intelliflo pump, salt chlorine gen, and heater. Really there isn't much to it and it seems wasteful to add a complicated and expensive $2K Pentair EasyTouch controller just to talk to the pump, monitor water temp, and cycle a few relays on and off? Currently I'm using the timer built into the pump and manually controlling everything else, but it would be nice (ie more fun) to automate it all.

 

So please! Let's get some good pool automation into the ISY! It would be great to have everything automated in one system such as the ISY.

[cwalsh714]

The reason why the Autelis system can directly interface with the Intelliflo is that both talk RS485. This is a serial communications protocol, and Autelis has figured out what specific binary codes are passed between the Intelliflo and the Easytouch/Intellitouch to control its different functions. The same is true for the IntelliChlor (and IntelliChem?). All of these can communicate on the RS485 line, and they can be wired up in parallel so they all connect to their Ethernet/RS485 bridge. However, to measure temperature in your spa/pool, you still need temp. probes, and I'm not aware of any that talk RS485. Also, you need to be able to control 24V pool valves, and you need some way to switch on and off other equipment like the heater, auxilliary pumps (e.g. booster pumps for cleaner, pumps for water features, etc).

 

You could certainly put together something proprietary using an Insteon compatible controller like an EZIO8, but you would still need to do the "programming" for in on the ISY. You would end up with a "Frankensystem" that was highly proprietary, and though somewhat cheaper, likely to be prone to Insteon's communications fallabilities. So, the Autelis stuff is great for simple communications with an Intelliflo, but if you need to automate all of the functions, it's probably best to go with a full blown system like the EasyTouch (which is more like around $1000 if you already have a salt generator; a SunTouch is around $3-500). The EasyTouch is widely known in the industry, its communications protocol is robust, and if you ever sell your house, you don't have to write a 300 page document to explain how it works. The Autelis is great because it lets you integrate your pool system into ISY-based HA plan. It does not replace a true pool controller though.

[Galun]

Digging up an old post here...

 

Does anyone know of a way to pull in data from intellichem, which shows pH and ORP (chlorine) levels?

[zyll]

There isn't any way to access that data directly by the ISY - you would need some kind of PC bridge to monitor the RS485 stream and put the data into a variable.

 

I don't have an Intellichem, but I strongly suspect that you could snoop the line and identify the pH/Chlor out from periodic status messages.

[Galun]

There isn't any way to access that data directly by the ISY - you would need some kind of PC bridge to monitor the RS485 stream and put the data into a variable.

 

I don't have an Intellichem, but I strongly suspect that you could snoop the line and identify the pH/Chlor out from periodic status messages.

 

I am very new at this but I am willing to learn and try.

 

How do I snoop the line? Reading this thread I know that I need a RS485 to Ethernet bridge. Assuming I have that, how do I snoop the line from my PC? I assume I will send a command and see what line pops up in order to snoop the line.

[sperok]

Please see the top of this thread for some introduction to the protocol.

 

An RS-485 Ethernet server such as http://www.digi.com/products/serialservers/digionesp will encapsulate the RS-485 traffic and make it available as a TCP or UDP stream. From a PC a program such as "netcat" can connect to the Ethernet Server and dump the traffic to a file. What you will end up with is a binary file containing all of the traffic. A program such as hexdump or any hex editor can be used to read the file to attempt and decode it. Since the protocol is non-documented, this is a non-trivial task.

 

Having been down this road, it is a lot of work. Take a long look at the Autelis Pool Control for Pentair http://www.autelis.com/homeautomation/pool-spa.html and check out their wiki - they have done the critical work. If you can talk them into supporting Intellichlor it will be a lot less time spent than trying to roll your own.