Have minisplit condenser need ideas for evap...

Elcam84 · 07-19-15, 02:04 PM

Well I installed a minisplit for a room I built at a church a couple years ago. Had issues with communication between inside and outside unit and the rep said the issue was in the condenser. Well they sent me another and still no go. I ended up finding the problem I the inside unit which was a miswire at the factory.

So I have a brand new 18000 btu pridiom condenser... It's an aos181hx. The inside unit needed is an aws181hx .

Have contacted pridiom and they said they may still have one in stock but it's been discontinued for about 2 years. Got the distributor talking to them to see if it's here and how much they want for it.

Looking for ideas on what to do with it if I can't get that inside unit. Pridiom used to be amcorair which wasn't the greatest... But that pridiom unit I installed has ran flawlessly, heats and cools quickly as well.

I had found an article way back with info on how the communication works on various brands and most of these low end ones used the same communication. Will have to find it again.

The unit is an inverter with a variable speed Sanyo compressor.

Looking for brilliant ideas on what to use for an inside unit if I can't get one. Maybe another brand that can possibly work on the same communication or.......

Thoughts are to use this unit in the kitchen if not there the garage or another in the shop. Shop needs more than 2 tons of cooling and has no heat so heat pump would be nice.

AC_Hacker · 07-19-15, 05:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Elcam84

...I had found an article way back with info on how the communication works on various brands and most of these low end ones used the same communication. Will have to find it again...

By all means, do try to find that information again! and post a link to it.!!

There have been several inverter-minisplit hacking project here on EcoRenovator, that stalled out, simply because that information was not available.

Sincerely,

-AC_Hacker

Elcam84 · 07-19-15, 07:17 PM

I wish I could find the link for it. Was pretty interesting. One thing I did learn on the first 3 wire 220v minisplits I installed was that he communication wire does not carry all he communication. It I'd Aldo carried on one of the hog legs. So if they don't talk to each other swap the hot legs and try that.

Also the caps in he power supplies are prone to going bad. Usually cheap brand caps and too low temp rated. Regardless of machine brand. Even the high end units are known to cheap out on caps especially since they are big and numerous on a 380v dc supply.
Luckily I also have a spare power supply for it as well.

jeff5may · 07-20-15, 07:41 AM

I believe acuario has a thread in here somewhere, where he tried to decode comms on a mini split he had. The thread kind of petered out with no real closure. It has lots of useful information on the inner workings of the unit if you can hunt it down.

Edit: found it!
http://ecorenovator.org/forum/geothe...r-machine.html

07-19-15, 02:04 PM	#1
Elcam84 Apprentice EcoRenovator Join Date: Jun 2013 Location: TX Posts: 275 Thanks: 2 Thanked 31 Times in 24 Posts	Have minisplit condenser need ideas for evap... Well I installed a minisplit for a room I built at a church a couple years ago. Had issues with communication between inside and outside unit and the rep said the issue was in the condenser. Well they sent me another and still no go. I ended up finding the problem I the inside unit which was a miswire at the factory. So I have a brand new 18000 btu pridiom condenser... It's an aos181hx. The inside unit needed is an aws181hx . Have contacted pridiom and they said they may still have one in stock but it's been discontinued for about 2 years. Got the distributor talking to them to see if it's here and how much they want for it. Looking for ideas on what to do with it if I can't get that inside unit. Pridiom used to be amcorair which wasn't the greatest... But that pridiom unit I installed has ran flawlessly, heats and cools quickly as well. I had found an article way back with info on how the communication works on various brands and most of these low end ones used the same communication. Will have to find it again. The unit is an inverter with a variable speed Sanyo compressor. Looking for brilliant ideas on what to use for an inside unit if I can't get one. Maybe another brand that can possibly work on the same communication or....... Thoughts are to use this unit in the kitchen if not there the garage or another in the shop. Shop needs more than 2 tons of cooling and has no heat so heat pump would be nice.

07-20-15, 07:41 AM	#4
jeff5may Supreme EcoRenovator Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: elizabethtown, ky, USA Posts: 2,431 Thanks: 431 Thanked 619 Times in 517 Posts	I believe acuario has a thread in here somewhere, where he tried to decode comms on a mini split he had. The thread kind of petered out with no real closure. It has lots of useful information on the inner workings of the unit if you can hunt it down. Edit: found it! http://ecorenovator.org/forum/geothe...r-machine.html Last edited by jeff5may; 07-20-15 at 11:51 AM..

07-19-15, 07:17 PM	#3
Elcam84 Apprentice EcoRenovator Join Date: Jun 2013 Location: TX Posts: 275 Thanks: 2 Thanked 31 Times in 24 Posts	I wish I could find the link for it. Was pretty interesting. One thing I did learn on the first 3 wire 220v minisplits I installed was that he communication wire does not carry all he communication. It I'd Aldo carried on one of the hog legs. So if they don't talk to each other swap the hot legs and try that. Also the caps in he power supplies are prone to going bad. Usually cheap brand caps and too low temp rated. Regardless of machine brand. Even the high end units are known to cheap out on caps especially since they are big and numerous on a 380v dc supply. Luckily I also have a spare power supply for it as well.