Radion Gen2 making strange chirping noises

[dabob79]

So I bought this light used but appears to be in great condition. When I plug it in the light comes on and the fan is running, but the LED light on top keeps flashing and the light is making some kind of chirping noise. Any ideas?

 

[mattgumaer]

I could be wrong but, I'm not sure there is anything in the light that would make a chirping noise besides the fan. The fans can get gunked up and make noise (although I haven't had mine 'chirp' before). I'd do a couple of things: 1) clean the fan either by just taking off the fan guard and cleaning or actually removing the fan; and 2) do a factory reset (and a fresh calibration) of the light. You might also want to disable the buttons for the light inside Ecosmart Live. The capacitive buttons also seem to be the origin of a number of issues when people are having problems. I disable mine (and have some that have been disabled for a couple of years) and haven't missed them.

If its the fan causing the noise and cleaning doesn't help, you may need a new fan. I don't know how the fans are constructed but, chirping may be indicative of a bad bearing(?)

Ecotech has great customer service. I wouldn't be afraid to give them a call either.

Good luck.

Matt

 

[dabob79]

It's definitely not the fan, I know what a bad fan sounds like. Not sure how to explain it exactly, but it sounds like something that would come from a small piezoelectric speaker or something. Definitely not the fan though. I was hoping the Ecotech rep would chime in.

 

[mattgumaer]

Have you tried disabling the buttons? This can be done through Ecosmart Live. I think the capacitive buttons have a tendency to act as if they are constantly/repeatedly being pressed sometimes. Honestly, it's been so long since I used the buttons that I can't remember if they make a sound when pressed or not but, maybe the chirping is the sound associated with one or more of the buttons repeatedly being activated. In any event, it's a relatively simple thing to try to see if it resolves your issue.

Matt

 

[dabob79]

I haven't tried that yet, I'll give it a try when I get home later. Thanks!!

 

[Alex Y EcoTech]

I haven't tried that yet, I'll give it a try when I get home later. Thanks!!

Dabob,

Disabling the buttons will resolve the issue for you. You can disable them by following the steps below:

1. Power down all Radions for 30 seconds
2. Power on All Radions
3. Connect via USB to a single Radion - If NOT using a ReefLink*
4. Open the Connection Manager - If NOT using a ReefLink*
5. Log in to EcoSmart Live using either Google Chrome or Safari as your web browser
6. Select the "Devices" tab
7. Select the "Gear" icon next to "Light 1"
8. Check the box to disable the Radion buttons
9. Repeat steps 7 & 8 for each Radion
10. Select the "Done" button to save changes
11. Once the page refreshes select the "Program Aquarium"

 

[dendrite]

I've had the same thing happen with my group of five. The constant blue light pn the top of one would flash white along with an intermittent chirp. Resetting the program through esl or resetting the lights cleared the problem. Why it occurred is unknown. The manual has some info on the top warning lights but it's been so long that I can't remember the details

 

[drew930]

I had some Gen 1s chirp when I had them mounted with a DIY hanging kit with U channel ... I was told that if they are near metal they can act up a bit . So I disabled like said above ^

 

[dabob79]

Thanks guys, disabling the buttons fixed it!!