Tutor for Gatsby and Imperial Spa Boards

WELCOME TO PC Board TUTOR

What Can cause a pcboard to fail? PCboards fail because of power outages, surges, and brownouts. Lightning is a common cause of pcboard failure. The spike or surge of volts can destroy the board. Also the relays on the board can fail or even connections. It's most common to replace the board than to try to fix or work around features of the board and make the board unsafe or unreliable.

How Do I tell which board I have? Basically, you ID the board by the label on the upper left corner of the board. There are only 3 types of pcboards. The most common are the 1042 and 1044. See the "How to ID link" for telling which is which. The exception to this is the Winchester Spa. It has it's own pcboard.

Is it easy to install a new board? Spa boards are much like replacing a pcboard on your computer. All you have to do is be systematic with your approach. Even after replacing many boards since 1995, I still disconnect as few wires as possible noting which I am removing, swing the old board out, install the new board, and move wire by wire from old to new.

What if my new board has parts or connections moved? This is common. As boards are upgraded, the OEM will move relays or connections. They are labeled. IF you are connecting a wire to a relay, just look at the old relay and match the spot on the new relay that is the same. IF you are in doubt, contact us before you proceed.

What are jumpers? Most PCboards have jumpers. They are the manual way to tell the board how this board to operate your spa. Since boards can work in a number of configurations, it's important to make sure these jumpers are adjusted correct for you spa. The easiest way is to ID this jumpers on the old board and match the new board to equal. Most boards have small little black pieces that jump the wires either together or separates them.

The 1044 and 1042 boards require cutting wires instead of jumpers. If it doubt, contact us before installing and turning on power. Do this wrong can harm the board permanently and is not covered under any warranties.

Any more questions, go to: Ask the Expert