Manitowoc Indigo ice thickness probe light on the control board.

[Jabarco]

I ran into my first Indigo (M#IY0606A) ice machine service call and I can't find the answer to my question regarding the ITP (Ice Thickness Probe) light on the control board. We know that on the Q & S models that the ITP will make the red light (Harvest light) flicker whenever water touches the ITP and it will initiate the harvest cycle when the harvest light stays on for 10 consecutive seconds. However, that is not what the Indigo ice machine control board’s ITP light does. My questions, which I can’t find in the 270 page Technician's Manual is: When should the ITP light on the control board be on, when should it be off and should it flicker when water splashes on to it? Thanks for any info regarding how the ITP light on the control board works.

Jabs

[danbb]

I don't think the indigo's will even have an ITP light. Go to the main menu, go to service, and i believe you can see if it detects ice or not by looking in the sensor inputs section. Otherwise, I believe you can see numbers for 70 and 90hz, which should change if you move the probe, but I don't know what they should be or anything like that. The indigo units use a sonar probe, so I just use the menu. I don't even look at the control board. I'm sure Jon Bailey can enlighten us more on the subject though

[Jabarco]

I don't think the indigo's will even have an ITP light. Go to the main menu, go to service, and i believe you can see if it detects ice or not by looking in the sensor inputs section. Otherwise, I believe you can see numbers for 70 and 90hz, which should change if you move the probe, but I don't know what they should be or anything like that. The indigo units use a sonar probe, so I just use the menu. I don't even look at the control board. I'm sure Jon Bailey can enlighten us more on the subject though

Thanks for your reply danbb,
I think you've got me moving in the right direction. There is an ITP light on the control board but I’m certain it does not react to water splashing on the ITP. However, I think the info you are referring to is on page 82 of the Technician’s Handbook and now you've got me moving in the right direction. I will go back and check the 'Real Time Data". Thanks again for your reply.

Techinician's Handbook: http://manitowocice.com/docs/uploade...ech_STH025.pdf

[vzenuh]

keep your flash drive handy and keep in on your keychain with updated software for the indi. it will save you a return visit from when you call tech support and they tell you to update the software.

[codgy]

yet another reason to sell hoshi.

[danbb]

Until you have to clean and service the ones you sold, I hate working on Hoshis. The only machine that you can trash the evaporator by one freeze-up

[itsiceman]

Thanks for your reply danbb,
I think you've got me moving in the right direction. There is an ITP light on the control board but I’m certain it does not react to water splashing on the ITP. However, I think the info you are referring to is on page 82 of the Technician’s Handbook and now you've got me moving in the right direction. I will go back and check the 'Real Time Data". Thanks again for your reply.

Techinician's Handbook: http://manitowocice.com/docs/uploade...ech_STH025.pdf

Its a bear to set up like you are used to. If you watch the real time date there is no warning or guessing like you are used to. The values run in a close range and only when ice contacts the tit on the sensor the number spike and immediately goes into harvest. Also you cant be making adjustments to the sensor while the board is setting thresholds or you'll be there all day

[danbb]

Its a bear to set up like you are used to. If you watch the real time date there is no warning or guessing like you are used to. The values run in a close range and only when ice contacts the tit on the sensor the number spike and immediately goes into harvest. Also you cant be making adjustments to the sensor while the board is setting thresholds or you'll be there all day

Yep, as soon as the status changes from no to yes for detecting ice, the machine kicks into harvest. No 10+ second warning, but they seem to be set pretty accurately at the factory

[jonbailey19808]

OK i am not going to give you a textbook reply as you can read that in a book.

It can be confusing as it has changed from the S,Q,J,B series.

Basically it does have an ITP light but it does not work the same as the others. As soon as it goes into harvest the ITP light will stay on, then after harvest the ITP light will stay on for 6 mins solid in freeze while it is setting its thresholds. Just as stated you do not want to touch it in this 6 min period.

A good way i use it is when the itp on i do not touch it.

To read it you need to go
menu
service
Real time data
time & Temp

scroll down until you see 100hz & 120Hz range. This will give you a db reading next to it. Scratch the back pointy probe part and the numbers should go up.

Sorry i didnt see this until late

[codgy]

i've sold and serviced Hoshis sent they came to the U.S. and only have a dozen or so that aren't still in service. Can't say the same for Ice-o-matic or mani.

[Jabarco]

I can't tell you who I believe makes the best ice machine because the none of the manufactures will pay me to say. However, I can tell you that Hoshizaki America was established in Los Angeles, California... back in 1981.

[jonbailey19808]

Well i can tell you the Manitowoc Company was established in Wisconsin in 1902 and they built the first Manitowoc Ice machine in 1964!

[Iceman7997]

Hoshizakis, "the ice dragons" / or Cadillac of the ice machine world. Well I guess it more lack of competition than anything. Yeah ok they take a while to clean but they are not even close to as touchy and apt to break down on the weekends than scotsman iceomatic Manitowoc etc. Plain and simple. They may take awhile to drop a batch but when the ice starts dropping its like it never ends. Bigger batches=longer freeze cycle=less cycles per full cycle=less chance of something not operating correctly. They are simple and it don't try to use all sorts of complicated sensors that obviously are gonna screw up with the water quality of all the machines out there. Just make sure you carry a few bin tstats, and a float switch and a control board and you're probably gonna get it up in running in a few minutes.
Yeah separated plates are a problem caused by LOM but hey they still kick out a good amount of ice in most cases that you will get by, and hopefully. Or you can buy a few Manitowoc and tell the customer to buy two so when there touchy ice thickness sensor needs a few trips from a service company to correctly set. Yeah I'm obviously being a drama queen but it fun to pick on ice machines cause I hate watching them make ice unless the waitresses are interested. haha

[danbb]

Hoshizakis, "the ice dragons" / or Cadillac of the ice machine world. Well I guess it more lack of competition than anything. Yeah ok they take a while to clean but they are not even close to as touchy and apt to break down on the weekends than scotsman iceomatic Manitowoc etc. Plain and simple. They may take awhile to drop a batch but when the ice starts dropping its like it never ends. Bigger batches=longer freeze cycle=less cycles per full cycle=less chance of something not operating correctly. They are simple and it don't try to use all sorts of complicated sensors that obviously are gonna screw up with the water quality of all the machines out there. Just make sure you carry a few bin tstats, and a float switch and a control board and you're probably gonna get it up in running in a few minutes.
Yeah separated plates are a problem caused by LOM but hey they still kick out a good amount of ice in most cases that you will get by, and hopefully. Or you can buy a few Manitowoc and tell the customer to buy two so when there touchy ice thickness sensor needs a few trips from a service company to correctly set. Yeah I'm obviously being a drama queen but it fun to pick on ice machines cause I hate watching them make ice unless the waitresses are interested. haha

Yeah, you know, I can hardly find a good thing to say about Hoshizaki's cubers. 99% of problems with manitowocs can be solved by either cleaning the machine (which should have been done anyways, so chalk it up to a lack of maintenance), maybe change a ice thickness or water level probe, and occasionally a curtain switch. Just because a Hoshizaki can run even when the inside looks like a cave with snotsickles hanging everywhere doesn't make it a better machine, it just makes it more likely to not have its regular cleanings, which is understandable, since its nearly an all day affair. I'd rather crawl through a crawlspace full of broken glass and razor blades than clean a Hoshi, since I'll probably come out with less cuts and scrapes anyways. With a Manitowoc, once it slimes up, the thickness probe will usually short out, and then everything is easily accessible in the front of the machine, including the evaporator, water trough, water pump, and all the hoses. Manitowoc has really gotten rid of nearly all the cracks and crevices where slime likes to hide, something that I can't really say for Hoshi. I've never seen a Manitowoc water pump leak either, and a failed water inlet valve won't destroy an evaporator. A lot of "parts-changer" techs will replace the ice thickness probe instead of cleaning it, but most probes and sensors that get replaced really only needed to be cleaned. Sorry about the rant, I just can't stand walking into a service call and finding a Hoshizaki. Don't even get me started on a Scotsman Prodigy though...

[trippintl0]

I actually think Hoshizaki and Manitowoc are both great machines, along with the Scotsman CM3 machines... And I totally agree nothing worse than seeing a Scotsman Prodigy...

[timebuilder]

A lot of "parts-changer" techs will replace the ice thickness probe instead of cleaning it, but most probes and sensors that get replaced really only needed to be cleaned. ...

I just found an ice thickness probe shorted to ground a day ago. A bath in the cleaner, and a take-apart cleaning for the machine (no maintenance contract at this restaurant) and all was good again.

[itsiceman]

FWIW I think they took the Hz info off the display in the latest version of software. I could only find the yes ice or no ice under inputs now.

[jonbailey19808]

FWIW I think they took the Hz info off the display in the latest version of software. I could only find the yes ice or no ice under inputs now.

Nope it is still in there. Just tricky to find.

Go:
Menu
Service
Time & Temperature
Scroll all the way down and you will find it

[J_Bridge]

On the indigo, use a 9/32 drill to set the thickness. That is all it needs to obtain a 1/8 bridge, There is also new books with the diagnostic info in them, last years books are trash. The new books were revised8/12. And do not expose the probe to water above 120 degrees, it will warp it and the microphone won't hear/sense the ice properly.

[GJ-HVAC/R]

At an indigo seminar yesterday, and was told an easy way to test the sensor. While in the hz part of the menu, Just tap on the curtain near the sensor and make sure the hz jumps when u tap it