Can I limp through with a quasi-nixie setup?

[dnikles]

I've been running nodejs-poolController for several years in docker connected to my Pentair easytouch over a usb rs485 dongle. A month or so ago everything stopped communicating after a storm one night. My easytouch no longer talks to my pump, chlorinator, heat pump heater (never did but that's another story), or nodejs-poolController. It still reads temps and controls the relay for my lights.

I'm wondering, can I connect the rs485 wires from the VS pump, heatpump, and chlorinator to my rs485 dongle in a nixie setup and at least be able to control those in the meantime? I wouldn't be able to read air temp, water temp, or control my lights. I don't have any valves or anything else that uses a relay other than the lights. I have a spare pi3b I can use for this as well.
If I went this route, I'd be looking at a building automation hat in order to read the temps, and a relay to control the lights? Is that all I'd need?

[tagyoureit]

I've been there. Check out my Revive dead OCP's adventure.

You can absolutely convert your system to Nixie. There's a lot of great info in this wiki as well as the REM wiki.

See the wiki about the Sequent cards (although not necessarily current with the boards you can buy today).

The only advice I have is to disconnect the Easytouch rs485 because a dead chip can act like a resistor and mess with the bus. The pumps are pretty resilient. I would start with that and then add the chlorinator. If you go through my top link, you'll see that I had to replace that chip as well. If you had a power surge, it's possible both chips were victims.

[dnikles]

Thanks for the response!
I hooked the rs485 from my pump up and was able to get that set up no issue.
I then hooked up the com from my heater. I connected the green & yellow cables. Do the red and black need to land anywhere? I think I have the heater set up right but I can't get it to turn on. But I think that might be because I'm not reading any temperatures. This is a snippet from the log:

[25/07/2025, 07:46:43] warn: The body temperature for Pool cannot be determined. Heater status for this body cannot be calculated.
[25/07/2025, 07:46:43] debug: Heater Type: ultratemp Mode:ultratemp Temp: undefined Setpoint: 88 Status: 0

Beyond that, after reading through your links and a few others here, is it possible I just need to replace the IntelliChlor surge board? Looks like I can get a replacement for $40. Pool company is quoting me $2k to get my system back online. I'd take that risk. My symptoms are no communication from my easy touch to anything rs485 related. Thanks for any insight you can provide!

edit: I disconnected the heater and now get an error showing in dash panel that it can't communicate with the heater. So I believe it was communicating, but wouldn't tell it to turn on because it didn't have the current temperature.

[tagyoureit]

You are correct in assessing the heater communications. We only know to turn it on based on the actual temperature and set point.

You don't need the red/black wires for the heater, as you probably guessed by now.

Regarding the Intellichlor surge board, you do need to supply ~12v power to get it to work. #293. If you hook power up to it (and you may be able to use the red/black from the EasyTouch so long as you don't also connect the data lines) and it doesn't work, then $40 sounds like a really good deal for a replacement board.

[dnikles]

Oh man, even if it's using rs485 and not relay for control?
Nevertheless, looks like I gotta get temperature reading hooked up. If I get this ads1115 hat do I also need to wire in a resistor? I was a little confused on the directions if that applied to the hats as well.
Beyond that the only thing left for me to control would be my 12v microbrite lights. I should just be able to get any 5v relay for that right? What I'm saying is the 8 relay hat that is suggested seems overkill for me. Am I over-simplifying?

[tagyoureit]

Yes, you need a thermistor with the ads1115. And yes, you can go with cheaper relays.

[dnikles]

You mean resistor, right? I ask because this thread doesn't mention wiring that in.

[tagyoureit]

Yes, a resistor for the thermistor. The Sequent boards have on-board resistors (and jumpers or settings depending on the version) for 10k thermistors, hence you don't need them with those boards. If you go with the cheaper ads1115 option then you need to provide your own as part of the divider circuit.