Question and Answers for Selecting the Correct Circuit Board for your Spa

When searching for the correct replacement circuit board for a spa, many spa owners believe that if they find a board with the matching or closely matching “part number” then that is the correct replacement. This also often appears to be confirmed by the fact the board they’ve located looks almost identical to their old circuit board.

Unfortunately, locating the correct circuit board for your spa is never that easy, for a number of reasons. Moreover, purchasing the incorrect board and attempting installation usually voids the board’s returnability. This is because the parts seller can now never sell this board as new again after installation has been attempted. Also, if the consumer attempted installation using the wrong board for their spa, there is a possibility that some damage may have occurred due to incorrect voltage, incompatible components, or other factors, which make the board unreturnable, as well.

To avoid any of these outcomes and ensure you select the correct replacement circuit boards, the best thing you can do is to email us pictures of your circuit board, showing the “microchip number” which is normally located on a small white sticker – often overlaying a small black microchip – but can also be found on other places on the circuit board, such as the transformer (see below)

Microchip Number Examples:

Q: What is the significance of a Circuit Board Microchip number?

A: The chip number is related to the PC board software. The software (also called firmware), is what informs the behavior of the PC board. It relates to how your components operate and what features your spa has. Your Upper Control Panel/Keypad also has software that is often designed to specially communicate only with the PC board software. This is why you cannot go off of the “appearance” of the circuit board. The circuit board part manufacturer, Balboa, for example, will make a generic version of a PC board, and then the Spa Manufacturers will assign specific software behavior to a circuit board, that makes it proprietary to only the Manufacturer/Spa Brand.

Q: What isn’t a part number or model number enough?

A: Occasionally, a board can be matched using only the manufactured part number, but as stated above, if a customer chooses a circuit board with the part manufacturer number only, then it’s possible that the board software will not communicate at all with Upper Control Panel, and the board may be missing features and functionality.

Q: The board I purchased is identical in appearance to my old board. Why won’t it work?

A: It’s possible that dozens of different Spa Manufacturers are using the same “model or series” of board, made by the same circuit board manufacturer. The Spa Manufacturers don’t need to change the appearance of the board to have their specific software/firmware installed, so this is why so many boards “look” the same, but are not compatible with certain spas.

Q: I bought a board that you recommended, but why does it look entirely different than my old board?

A: Again, the boards need to match the chip number software, and the “appearance” of the board is irrelevant to the matched software. If you look at the schematic on your board for when the system was manufactured, you will likely see a date that might be 10-15 years ago. Just as technology updates over the years and things change in appearance, so too do hot tub circuit boards. A difference in board appearance is simply related to the part manufacturer making updates and improvements to the board, or, it is possible the updated board is now made to be compatible with more spas than the older counterparts, so the appearance/layout of the board may have been changed to simply accommodate more compatibility options.

Q: I bought the correct circuit board but it isn’t working after installation.

A: Even if you have the correct board, no circuit board is considered “plug and play”. All circuit boards will require correct board voltage install, and component voltage set-up by moving the component wires on the board, in addition to setting dipswitches correctly. Some configuration on the topside may also be required. For this, you need to reference the wiring schematics

Examples of two different set ups with the same board: