Finding the Issue
To check what is wrong with your system, begin by checking the controller for alerts. Once you have found an alert, click here and navigate to the article related to your alert. If you cannot find a relevant article, search the KnowledgeBase for the alert using the searchbar. If you want to read an overview of the most common troubleshooting techniques and when to use them, read the “General Overview" section of this article.
Important Note
The most common cause of 2-wire system failures is improper electrical connections or grounding. When troubleshooting your system, ensure that all splices use DBRY-6 connectors and have been correctly installed. You can learn about how to properly use a DBRY-6 connection here. Additionally, make sure that the site has enough surge protectors for your configuration, and that all surge protectors have not been blown. You can learn more about proper surge arrestor installation here.
General Overview
Bicoder issues
If you suspect that a specific bicoder is malfunctioning, you can test it using the BaseManager app or your controller. This process is most commonly used when a station or group of stations that uses a bicoder is not working as expected, but the remainder of the two-wire path is still operable. You can learn about how to test your bicoders here.
System-Wide Issues
When a two-wire system encounters electrical issues that impact the entire entire two-wire path, such as an overcurrent alert, you will need to systematically test the two-wire path to find the issue. We recommend that you use a milliamp clamp meter to do this process. You can see an overview of the system testing methods below.
The Easy Way: use a milliamp clamp meter, examples include:
- BK Precision 316 (BL-BKCM)
- Armada Pro 93
The Hard Way: break connections at valve boxes/decoders to find the jump in current.
- A note about breaking connections: If you do not have a clamp meter, you can manually break the 2-wire connections systematically to isolate the wire segment or device that is generating the Over-Current message. This method is effective, but costs more and takes longer.
Other Issues
If you have an issue with your two-wire system that is less common, it is important that you troubleshoot it using the correct technique. Click the link below and select the issue that you are having. If your issue is not listed, we recommend searching the KnowledgeBase using the searchbar before calling support.