First time posting here. Found a couple of old threads and then this one which seems to be the newest. Bought a late ‘80s house in Park City, UT that has two Velux powered skylight windows and integrated powered blinds. We typically leave them open during the warm months as it hardly rains here and we don’t have A/C so they allow heat to escape from the main living room which has vaulted ceilings. Windows are about 18’ up from the floor so hard to access as I don’t have a ladder tall enough. The problem is that they won’t shut...
It has rained here recently and although they openings aren’t too much there is still rain coming in. Not to mention winter is coming and it is getting down into the 40s at night so shutting them would be nice.
There are switches on the wall of the living room that control the operation of the windows (open/close) and the blinds (pitch). Since there are two windows there are four switches. The single metallic switch on top (see below images) controls one of the window blinds and the individual switch buttons on the three switch panel on bottom control the other blind pitch and then the two windows open/close.
There is power to the single top metallic switch as the blinds for the single window it controls operate just fine. The entire switch panel with the three switches on it below that seems to be dead as nothing happens when anything is pressed. So I pulled that panel off thinking there was a battery in there that was dead and found it to be hard wired as seen below...
So I disconnected the three blue, red, and yellow wires, cleaned out the terminals, reconnected them, and still nothing.
Down in the basement is where the power supply is located. There are two white boxes that are plugged into a 110VAC power supply. I opened them both up and the first one looked like this:
The second one looked like this with the PCB:
I’m an engineer by trade and consider myself pretty handy but electrical stuff isn’t my expertise... Anyone have any recommendations? I’ve heard of disconnecting blue wires on window motors, rain sensor issues, bypassing power supplies, etc but don’t know where to start. Seems like to window motors are fine and I have a power supply issue. Any help would be appreciated!
First time posting here. Found a couple of old threads and then this one which seems to be the newest. Bought a late ‘80s house in Park City, UT that has two Velux powered skylight windows and integrated powered blinds. We typically leave them open during the warm months as it hardly rains here and we don’t have A/C so they allow heat to escape from the main living room which has vaulted ceilings. Windows are about 18’ up from the floor so they're hard to access as I don’t have a ladder tall enough. The problem is that they won’t shut...
It has rained here recently and although they openings aren’t too much there is still rain coming in. Not to mention winter is coming and it is getting down into the 40s at night so shutting them would be nice.
There are switches on the wall of the living room that control the operation of the windows (open/close) and the blinds (pitch). Since there are two windows there are four switches. The single metallic switch on top (see first image) controls one of the window blinds and the individual switch buttons on the three switch panel on bottom control the other blind pitch and then the two windows open/close.
There is power to the single top metallic switch as the blinds for the single window it controls operate just fine. The entire switch panel with the three switches on it below that seems to be dead as nothing happens when anything is pressed. So I pulled that panel off thinking there was a battery in there that was dead and found it to be hard wired as seen in the second picture below...
So I disconnected the three blue, red, and yellow wires, cleaned out the terminals, reconnected them, and still nothing.
Down in the basement is where the power supply is located. There are two white boxes that are plugged into a 110VAC power supply. I opened them both up and the first one looked like the third picture below...
The second one looked like the fourth picture below with the PCB:
I’m an engineer by trade and consider myself pretty handy but electrical stuff isn’t my expertise... Anyone have any recommendations? I’ve heard of disconnecting blue wires on window motors, rain sensor issues, bypassing power supplies, etc but don’t know where to start. Seems like to window motors are fine and I have a power supply issue. Any help would be appreciated!
Hi, did you figure out how to make it work? I have exactly the same system, except that the power supply is missing - hunting around the internet to find a replacement.
Power supply failure was very popular with these systems.
The first picture is a single window control. Very basic and reliable.
The second picture is a three window communication switch. It talks to the board in the fourth picture.
The third picture is a linear power supply. It is very robust and not likely bad.
The fourth picture is a logic control board.
If the logic board is not working..... it's basically useless unless you have someone with technical knowledge troubleshoot it.
If the blinds and the windows use two wire connections.... they can be manually controlled.
There would be no automatic functions.
PJmax, I would be keen to try it with a replacement power supply, hoping that the control board is fine. Any idea which model the power supply is, or what the specs are. In this photo, it is labeled '1.2 A', so then I need a voltage. I read somewhere else 19 V, but not for this exact model. And that they used 'switching' power supplies, not sure if that would be very specific to the controller, or if a generic one would work?
Any help appreciated, seems like a waste to rip out the whole system and replace it.
Is there a part or model number on the controller ?
Some took a basic transformer for 24v in.
Some had terminals for an external DC supply.
Can you post a picture of your controller.......... how-to-insert-pictures.
If you want to do some troubleshooting, I suggest you get a cheap 24VDC power supply from Amazon (ALITOVE 24V DC Power Supply 2A 48W AC/DC Adapter 100~240V AC to DC 24 Volt 2 Amp Converter 24 vdc 2000mA 1.8A 1.5A 1.3A 1.2A with 5.5mmx 2.5mm 2.1mm Plug for LED Strip Light CCTV Camera DC Pump Fan $12.99). If your Velux internal DC power supply is bad, you can just hook this external supply to the "BATT" inputs on your ebox.
Getting Legacy Velux Skylights Working Again (Better than New)
Our five, 24 year old, Velux skylights are now working with brand new Liwin (Comunello) linear chain actuators, using the original KES 310 keypads. In summary, I connected the motor outputs of the old Velux E-boxes to the "L1 and L2" terminals of 5 Qubino " Flush Shutter DC," Z-Wave relays. The five relays have a common 10A 24VDC power supply. The outputs of the relays go to the Liwin chain actuators. A momentary press of the KES 310 button completely opens or closes the skylights. Holding for more than two seconds allows manual control of opening and closing. I got an Ezlo Plus Z-Wave hub to set up the Qubino relays (setting delays and motor standby watts, etc., and calibrating for opening and closing time). The WLC100 E-boxes are essentially a bridge between the keypads and Qubino relays. But, one motor output in each E-box still controls the blinds.
The skylights can be controlled via the iOS Vera app, and ultimately could be integrated into our home automation (linked to thermostat, voice control, etc.), but for now I am satisfied just being able to operate the windows reliably again.
The relays really are the key. And the Liwin operators play nicely with the Velux window screens. Very minor modification of the window frame is needed to fit the motors.
Called Velux tech support, they told me the hex screw inside one motor might be torn, causing the motor kept spinning even though the window has been closed. In normal condition, it would create a much stronger force that would increase the current and control box will sense it then stop the motor automatically. The torn screw would not produce that force. Eventually burn out the power supply.
they also told me the solution would be change the skylight. Because they do not carry those parts any more. What a pity to change the whole thing! Maybe I should look at the alternate linear accurater above instead of finding a installer for the whole skylight.
I strongly recommend the upgrade I posted earlier. It's been a couple of years now, and all five of our windows operate flawlessly. The Italian motors are quieter and much, much faster than the old Velux. Here's a link with more information:
Velux is awful, in my book, for not providing parts and support. I was able to repair one for a client by finding a power supply and controller on Ebay - a gamble that worked. I like the italian fix noted above, but the ones in our own home are installed 26' off the ground and (of course) the woodwork framing around the one that's most broken was mis-installed so it has to be ripped to pieces to get the mechanism out. I was also interested in creating a smart home interface for existing Velux for Control4, etc - either relay, serial, or IP - but they were no help at all - unless you buy all new windows/actuators/etc. They seem to own the market, and planned obsolesce is their religion of profit. If only there was a young circuit hacker who wanted to leap into the breach ...
I also inheritied a system from the 80s. My powerpacks are good, but the control boxes are fried. I am comming to terms with retrofitting the entire system. I like the Comunello LIWIN, but would need a control system to go with it. Does anyone have any recommendatons for an RF or Zwave based system, so that I don't have to run control wires. I plan on providing the 24VDC via the existing wire runs and new 24VDC transformers.
Hi,
I am a newb at replacing windows. I did replace my kitchen window a two years ago, but that replacement was also a resizing, so I was much more flexible with picking a size for the window and I reframed it on the outside and inside.
This time, I am looking to remove an existing repcacement window:
[img]https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.doityourselft.com-vbulletin/640x480/img_2084_14d20a8fc1f7bc7ef4c08d4166e6688c7655cf21.jpg[/img]
[img]https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.doityourselft.com-vbulletin/640x480/img_2088_8386f5b11f1c9d2fc7e6833b330669f1c3fa6f02.jpg[/img]
So I measured that the width of the new one needs to be between 29'' and 30'' and height 36''-37''. I would not fit if more in any direction and it would create gap with outer frame if less.
So those are my margins. But my problem is that I cannot find a replacement window with that size! I have tried Home Depot and Lowe's. Do you have any other suggestions??? Online searches yield no good results so far.
Thankful for any advice!
Hey I’ve been trying to figure out how to get my slider out without cutting a thin piece of vinyl on the inside bottom of the frame which prevents it from tilting in at the bottom to be removed.
I’ve pulled the screen door off but am also unsure how to get the fixed door off (it appears the fixed portion has caulk on the seam about 3/4” from the frame, but other than that I can’t see any screws). Not sure if the thin piece on the side is made to pop off, but when I tried it was very stiff.
Ultimately I’ve been waiting most of the winter for warmer weather to get the door off to clean and assess the rollers as it’s been sticking (I assume the dog hair from 3 dogs and dirt from 2 kids is the issue) and getting harder and harder to open and close. I’ve tried vacuuming out the tracks as well as taking a wire brush to them with it not helping a ton.
[img]https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.doityourselft.com-vbulletin/2000x1504/d4f98b6e_ba2f_4ce2_b2c0_7253656aa55d_553fd408bcce62845a048668e90c556e82971a5c.jpeg[/img]
[i]Label, not sure the brand[/i]
[img]https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.doityourselft.com-vbulletin/2000x1504/cb0a170e_fcbd_4f29_832e_abbb1329e0d7_83e4b980a24e4abe1dd889e7390c501f5c5828dc.jpeg[/img]
[img]https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.doityourselft.com-vbulletin/2000x1504/ae201956_f337_4437_98e5_3124b9f78003_d61e6593882a093a21d7a802661ef512ff4a7163.jpeg[/img]
[i]Vinyl lip appears to be part of the door as far as I can tell.[/i]
[img]https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.doityourselft.com-vbulletin/2000x1504/dbb49caa_a0c2_430d_8932_9a1545795fa4_e478b52093487c745d654acf2329608dd1212bab.jpeg[/img]
[img]https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.doityourselft.com-vbulletin/2000x1504/58cbfa4a_f691_46a3_a629_2465dabe664f_f97e1d92c15f371217748fc215f3752d4ee5efe6.jpeg[/img]
[i]Not sure if this piece can be removed without it breaking or bending, tried without much luck.[/i]
[img]https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.doityourselft.com-vbulletin/2000x1504/bf8beab5_bae6_4dad_bb1d_7f231cbdd74c_971745616938d7d35f6984a9261cf9c1f524e8d4.jpeg[/img]
[img]https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.doityourselft.com-vbulletin/2000x1504/503f5a3d_f196_4fe3_ab3d_e653bf862589_2ee48038dbd1cef3f29467a07b2defd7a3bbcfae.jpeg[/img]
[img]https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.doityourselft.com-vbulletin/2000x1504/33c006b3_c630_40d0_8e73_4d83f044a1cb_5f5b5a2f3b45b6090db86a3cf879c96264ed88a9.jpeg[/img]
[img]https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.doityourselft.com-vbulletin/2000x1504/5c1bcf8e_2faa_4b7f_bb1f_9943e52b2b99_4e2e059d9fa19bd73ecc8595e55a07fcfd34546e.jpeg[/img]
09-10-19, 09:08 PM
Getting Legacy Velux Skylights Working Again (Better than New)
