HU doesn’t recognize my Pixie16 controller

[Norcal]

Help pixie 16 controller quit working. Tested in the garage fine. Set to unit ID70 to run LOR SD Cards, moved all to the yard and now no lights, test buttons won’t light them, HU won’t recognize the unit at all even with max240 controller slid maxed out,. My display is working on both sides of the Pixie16 

[Jimehc]

9 minutes ago, Norcal said:

even with max240 controller slid maxed out,

What? are you referring to the slid switch on the side of the Power Supply. ie 120v vs 240v

[k6ccc]

44 minutes ago, Jimehc said:

What? are you referring to the slid switch on the side of the Power Supply. ie 120v vs 240v

No, he is talking about the slider in the Hardware Utility that sets the max unit ID to scan for when searching a network.

56 minutes ago, Norcal said:

Tested in the garage fine. Set to unit ID70 to run LOR SD Cards, moved all to the yard and now no lights,

Is the Pixie getting power?

 

[dibblejr]

Does the status light go solid when searching?

If not, or no status light you may have a bad comm chip.

Try a controller reset.

1- power on the controller

2- Push and hold the reset button on the controller- DO NOT RELEASE THE RESET BUTTON until instructed

3- Power off (unplug) the controller

4- Count 20 seconds AFTER the status light goes out

5- Plug the unit back in and as soon as the status light flashes rapidly release the reset button

That is the proper reset.

If that doesn’t work then submit a HD ticket, tell them comm chip is bad and ask them to send you a chip.

When replacing the chip it is important the notch in the chip matches the notch on the board.

The chip looks strong but those legs are actually like Al foil. Be careful not to bend.

If you slid the 240 selector switch on the psu , you may have fried your board, let’s hope just a comm chip. Normally that happens quickly when you connect to a pc or network switch without the RS485 adapter.

 

JR

Edited November 14, 2022 by dibblejr

[Norcal]

Hi JR , Just did the controller reset 3 times to no avail, Indicator light just flashing red at all times Even in the HU search.

The slider I’m referring too it the Max Unit ID in the Configuration box in HU.

How difficult is the Comm chip to change.

This Pixie16 controller is brand new, When I sent the unit ID the first time to ID 70 And then re-plugged it in it reverted to unit 01 

So per instructions I move DIP switch 8 To the on position reset the unit ID to 70. Unplug the unit for several hours and re-checked it it was still on the unit 70. 
 

This is the point where the unit has quit responding to the HU.

 

 

 

 

[dibblejr]

If you was trying to set the Unit ID via HU ALL dip switches must be off.

However, with the constant flashing status LED would indicate probable comm chip failure.

Its pretty easy to change. Just ensure the notch is lined up with the notch on the board (looks like a 1/2 moon) and that you get all prongs in the slots lightly before pushing straight down.

They are extremely fragile but knowing this before attempting is a plus.

If you submit a ticket and ask they may send you a comm chip if you tell them you should be able to change it out.

JR

[dibblejr]

For everyone else

You can open a HD ticket as a guest. The front page of the HD asks for some basic info.

JR

[Norcal]

Their sending one… 😬  😩 

hope it come with instructions.

[dibblejr]

5 hours ago, Norcal said:

Their sending one… 😬  😩 

hope it come with instructions.

No instructions, it will more than likely be in a small white box with foam and it will be pressed in to the foam. You will probably receive 2.

When it arrives feel free to contact me. Remember even though it looks very sturdy it is very fragile. 

JR

[Norcal]

I just installed the new Comm chip and good news it’s communication again!!

Thank you so much JR for your expertise!

it came just like you said, plain white box, setting it foam, 2 of them. Install was EZ-PZ and now I have a spare if I screw it up again.

still not sure what I did to it to burn out the chip.

[PhilMassey]

Two of mine died during a thunderstorm last year. Mini trees started acting weird. Connection in the HU was intermittent. Replaced the chips after teardown and all was good again.