Blinking green LED?

anlan · 07/21/2004, 12:16 PM

I have a 5016 controller. With no sensors connected (or both sensors high) it lights green. When the level sensor goes low it starts blinking the green LED and stops if the sensor goes high again. It should go red without sensors, right?

It worked a while ago when I tested it, but now when mounting the sensors in the tank it was like this... Anything I can do to fix it?

rvitko · 07/21/2004, 12:51 PM

Green Blinking LED is an error message. One of the sensors is bad. With an Ohm meter you can find out if the Ohms change when you raise and lower the float on the sensor. A reading of infinite ohms or 0 indicates a bad sensor.

anlan · 07/21/2004, 01:14 PM

Thanks for your reply!

Both sensors range betwen 1 Ohm and several Mohm. What is the proper range?

How do these seemingly solid and stable sensors break, by the way?

rvitko · 07/21/2004, 01:34 PM

How they break, I don't know. Everything breaks though, eventually. I don't know the proper range but if they are clearly switching between two levels they likely work. When I have seen broken ones there is some corrosion stains or swelling to the plastic. It sounds like a connector couild be bad and you can unscrew the plugs and check the wiring for corrosion or bad connections. You could also open the controller and see if there is any salt damage and that when the plugs are inserted they make good contact. The blinking green light means one sensor is telling it that it is correct and the other is saying it isn't so the two information signals make an error. This could happen if the floats are upside down too. If the top one says correct and the bottom one says too low that is an error.

There is one other possibility- a bad pump. On the 5016 if the pump was dying it took so much power to run the circuit board couldn't get enough power and went crazy.

07/21/2004, 12:16 PM	#1
anlan Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: Sweden, Linköping Posts: 2	Blinking green LED? I have a 5016 controller. With no sensors connected (or both sensors high) it lights green. When the level sensor goes low it starts blinking the green LED and stops if the sensor goes high again. It should go red without sensors, right? It worked a while ago when I tested it, but now when mounting the sensors in the tank it was like this... Anything I can do to fix it?

07/21/2004, 12:51 PM	#2
rvitko RC Sponsor Join Date: Apr 2000 Location: Austin Texas USA Posts: 35,785	Green Blinking LED is an error message. One of the sensors is bad. With an Ohm meter you can find out if the Ohms change when you raise and lower the float on the sensor. A reading of infinite ohms or 0 indicates a bad sensor. __________________ Roger Vitko Tunze USA "He's for every one of us, stands for every one of us, he'll save every man, woman and child in a mighty Flash!" Current Tank Info: 210 gallon planted tank with Altum Angelfish

07/21/2004, 01:34 PM	#4
rvitko RC Sponsor Join Date: Apr 2000 Location: Austin Texas USA Posts: 35,785	How they break, I don't know. Everything breaks though, eventually. I don't know the proper range but if they are clearly switching between two levels they likely work. When I have seen broken ones there is some corrosion stains or swelling to the plastic. It sounds like a connector couild be bad and you can unscrew the plugs and check the wiring for corrosion or bad connections. You could also open the controller and see if there is any salt damage and that when the plugs are inserted they make good contact. The blinking green light means one sensor is telling it that it is correct and the other is saying it isn't so the two information signals make an error. This could happen if the floats are upside down too. If the top one says correct and the bottom one says too low that is an error. There is one other possibility- a bad pump. On the 5016 if the pump was dying it took so much power to run the circuit board couldn't get enough power and went crazy. __________________ Roger Vitko Tunze USA "He's for every one of us, stands for every one of us, he'll save every man, woman and child in a mighty Flash!" Current Tank Info: 210 gallon planted tank with Altum Angelfish

07/21/2004, 01:14 PM	#3
anlan Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: Sweden, Linköping Posts: 2	Thanks for your reply! Both sensors range betwen 1 Ohm and several Mohm. What is the proper range? How do these seemingly solid and stable sensors break, by the way?