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DIGITAL MODELS - Cy voltS Error - Unit Starts & Shutsdown

PATENT 7721360
Contactor Coil Short Detection

Patent #7721360 issued May 10, 2010 to United States ThermoAmp Inc. includes amoung other features a special remote method of detecting a contactor coil open or shorted condition.

Heat Siphons Digtital Player will detect a contactor coil short circuit and display the HSS error code and prevent the unit from starting.

This has worked on and SAVED many Heat Siphons where a contactor which may have been overloaded due to a voltage brownout or surge.

This faulty contactor was prevented from starting which would eventually ruined the compressor. A very expensive repair.

As it turns out, this circuit design also detects incorrectly wired GFI breakers.

Don't let GFIC mis-wiring
rob you of this protection.

Cycle Volts - NORMALLY - POWER SUPPLY ERROR DETECTION

Cycle Volts error code means the Digital Player Control has repeatedly (at least 3 times in 20 minutes) detected voltage from the transformer that is either above (Hi voltS error code) or below (Lo voltS error code) the normal 24 volt range. Each error will display either Hi or Low volts error code until the third time within 20 minutes.

Note: If the voltage is restored to normal before three errors in 20 minutes then the error is "self-correcting", count is reset to zero and normal operation resumes.

The CYCLE VOLTS error SHUTS DOWN THE UNIT UNTIL YOU PRESS EITHER BUTTON. It does this to protect your compressor etc from damage which can be caused be endless on/off cycling.

The voltage is monitored to prevent operation in a utilty supplied power brownout condition or when a power surge of high voltage occurs.

Cycle Volts -ALSO - DETECTION OF FAULTY CONTACTOR COIL

Left is a picture of a typical Heat Siphon control box with a Contactor.

The contactor is the "MAIN POWER SWITCH" that starts and stops the Heat Siphon by turning power to the fan motor and compressor on or off.

It does this using an electromagnet coil that is energized by the Digital Player Controller when heat is required. The magnetic forced of the coil pulls the contacts closed. When power is cut off by the Player a spring forces the contacts open to shut off your Heat Siphon.

If anything interferes with the contacts pulling in so they are only partially contacted or irratically operating, the Digital Player is "smart enough" to detect the problem using voltage sensing and it will then display a Cycle Volts error. If this error occurs on older units - the cause of this is usually due to debris created by an insect or other pest such as a mouse family building a nest in the warmth of the transformer when you don't shut the breaker off for the winter. Sometimes if high chlorine levels are present in a confined area rust of the contactor may be the cause.

If you are seeing a CYCLE VOLTS ERROR where the unit will try and start but then shutoff immediately or irratically - this is almost always due to a bad contactor - CALL US and we will help you remedy the problem