This article is about the need to find replacement control stations (digital) for the ControlKeeper Relay Panel Systems that has been manufactured by PCI, Leviton, Cooper, and Eaton. The panels can be labeled with any of these manufacturers and applies to all of them.
For additional technical support, please contact Knight Sound & Lighting Inc at 866-457-5937. In addition, you can reach us at www.goknight.com or through e-mail at info@goknight.com.
Recently, we have been receiving increased calls from customers trying to find replacement Leviton CN225, and other Leviton CN digital switches (can be branded as PCI, Leviton, Cooper, or Eaton) for PCI ControlKeeper systems and I wanted to take a moment to discuss the options customers have for replacement parts. PCI ControlKeeper systems have been manufactured by PCI, Leviton, Cooper, and Eaton. While each owned the rights to their branded system, they created digital control station capabilities. This involved using Leviton CN225, or other Leviton CN digital control stations, to control loads within the ControlKeeper Relay Panel. The Leviton CN225, and other Leviton CN switches were wired in daisy-chain fashion over a 4-conductor cable. The digital switches where then wired into a Leviton digital switch interface using the same 4-conductor cable. The interface itself was connected to the PCI ControlKeeper logic card with an RJ11 cable, more commonly known as a telephone cable.
If you need a replacement for a Leviton CN series digital switch, you have probably discovered that these are no longer manufactured. Your options are to find a replacement that works with the ControlKeeper system or to replace the entire system (!) control, switches and all.
Good news! There is no reason to start ripping out your existing PCI ControlKeeper Relay Panel System. In a previous blog I discussed that all the components of the PCI ControlKeeper Relay Panel are still manufactured and even updated and modernized to fit the 21st century. This includes: Logic Cards, Override Cards, Power Supplies, Relay Cards, Transformers, etc. In addition to these standard parts for the ControlKeeper Relay panel, there are also replacements for those who are using the Leviton CN digital switches.
Option Number 1: Customers can use the terminal blocks on the PCI ControlKeeper Logic card itself to wire in physical toggle switches. This option, however, does require some work in order to have a functioning switch. A physical cable would have to be installed from the logic card to wherever the toggle switch would need to be located. We would also need to move a jumper on the logic card itself to provide those terminal inputs with 24VDC power. There would also be some programming involved that and Knight Sound & Lighting would be happy to assist. This option would be recommended for sites on a tight budget or sites that may only be looking to replace 1 or 2 digital switches total.
Option Number 2: This would involve replacing all of the
Leviton CN digital switches with Greengate Digital Switches while also replacing the digital switch interface with a Greengate Digital Switch Interface. It is very unlikely that all the Leviton CN digital switches fail at once
unless the interface or the logic card fails. Unfortunately, there is no way to
replace just one Leviton CN Digital Switch. If making this swap, you would
need to replace ALL the old switches with the new Greengate Digital Switches and
you would also need to replace the old interface with the new Greengate Digital Switch
Interface. On the plus side, you should be able to get away with using the old
4-conductor cable that was pulled for the old
Leviton CN switches. Just like Option Number 1, there would be some programming that would be needed to in order to get the new Greengate digital switches working.
Although these solutions aren’t necessarily “plug-and-play” they are certainly easier and much more cost-effective then replacing an entire system. Knight Sound & Lighting is happy to help you navigate the options and decide which route may be best for your facility. Please do not hesitate to call (866-457-5937).