Roadrunner Comfort Support

Install & Setup

  • Remove the previous controller (if any), then mount the wall plate, pulling cooler wiring through the center.
  • Be sure to identify the 5 needed connections: ground, power, pump, low fan and high fan.
  • The Controller wire color code shows on a label on the back side.
  • Attach the power (ACL) wire last. The unit should power up immediately.

Remove the two screws that are partially fastened at the controller bottom.

The controller has tabs (1) at the top that hook onto the wall plate (2).

Engage these first, then swing the controller down into place.

Insert the two screws at the bottom.

ONLY NEEDED for (unusual) horizontal installations.

Select   

then

On the Setup screen, select

In the popup,  select YES to complete the rotation.

Voila!

To pair the Controller with the Sensor, first activate the sensor by pressing and holding its ‘button’ until the blue light flashes. If it doesn’t flash within 4 seconds, release and try again.

Set the Controller to automatic operation by selecting 

The controller will now scan for a sensor, showing:

When it has found one, it will show:

“a1b2c3” could be any combination of 6 letters and digits.

Single controller setup: Select “YES”.

Multiple controller installation: Compare the combination shown with any previously installed. Select “NO” if the code shown matches one previously installed, and it will return to seeking sensors. Otherwise note the code shown and select “YES”.

The sensor is designed to clip to the fin of most air vents. It should be located as close as possible to the controller, but should work over a distance of 30 feet or more.

If this clip does NOT attach securely to your air vent, please contact support@roadrunnercontrol.com for alternatives.

Select

then 

then

Enter your network name, then tap

A popup will show “You entered:” with your text and ‘Netname’ OK?

Select YES to move to password entry, NO to go back to the network name screen.

Password entry works just the same. 

If you do not have Wifi, you need to set the clock manually.

Select

then

then

To set the time, just swipe up or down on hours, minutes, and AM/PM, then select  .

First, connect your controller to Wifi. See directions above.

Select

Then

The setup screen shows the controller address on your home network. In the screen image shown here, the address is 192.168.12.345. Write down your address.

On your iPhone, go to the App Store and search for “RoadrunnerComfort”. [note, no spaces] Download and install it on your phone (it’s free).

Open the Roadrunner Comfort app.

It will show “Set Address” with the Name space showing “Cooler” and the Address space showing “xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx”.

In the Address field, enter the address you wrote down from the controller Setup screen. Keep the Name or change it as you wish.

When you’re done, tap Save.

Your iPhone screen should soon reflect the state of your controller.

Select 

then

If the version there is different from the current version…

…then updating is a good idea.

It’s helpful to have a paper copy of these instructions on hand.  Download Instructions

First, set the controller in update mode:

Select then YES.

The controller will reboot to a screen that shows its address and an ABORT button.

Second, on your device (phone, tablet or computer):

Download the latest update: R3-0124

Save it to your device as a file.

Third: Open a web browser on your device:

In its address space (where you might type “www.website.com”) enter the address shown on your controller screen. It may look something like 192.168.54.123 or 10.0.0.5.

Select enter or done, and you should shortly be presented with a page containing this:

Enter the username “RRComfort” and password “APlausible14U“.

Soon this will appear: 

Select Choose File to choose the file you just downloaded (above), then select Update. The update should start immediately. The progress indicator may not be reliable, but the update should complete in a minute or two.

While updating, the controller shows a blue screen. This process should not be interrupted.

When the update is finished the Roadrunner Comfort reboots, restoring all settings. If for any reason the process does not complete after 5 minutes or more, you can press the reset button on the side of the controller and it should reboot into its prior state.

Select

then

In the bottom left corner of the screen, in Yellow, the software version code appears, beginning with “R2-” or “R3-“.

Following that, also in Yellow, “S/N Pxxx” is the serial number, with xxx from 001 to 100.

Operate

Resetting the controller is the first thing to try if there’s a problem. It will NOT erase any of your settings.

The reset button is located on the side of the controller, and appears as shown here.

Just give it a press until you see the screen blank and the controller restart.

You can program the controller to automatically turn on in the morning and off in the evening, or at any other times. Here’s how:

Select 

select   or   

The TimeON and TimeOFF setting screens use familiar roller-type controls.

To set the time, just swipe up or down on hours, minutes, and AM/PM, then select  .

To disable the TimeON or TimeOFF, just select    or  , and you will be returned to the OPTION screen.

Select  to change the fan speed between high and low.

Small yellow text just to the right of the button will indicate whether the fan is set to High or Low.

To control your cooler’s pump and fan separately:

From the OFF screen, select

 

 

General Questions

When the Controller is reading the temperature and humidity from the sensor, or trying to login to Wifi, it is unable to service the touchscreen, so it displays a message letting you know that it’s busy. It should finish its task shortly, please be patient.

Normally it reads the temperature once a minute.

While reading the temperature, it displays the message “Reading Temperature Please wait“. When this is showing, it can’t respond to your touch.

When the Set Temperature is changed, it will recheck the temperature within about 5 seconds.

When the controller is OFF, it does not check the temperature.

The Roadrunner Comfort (RRC) maintains the temperature of the air coming out of your cooler by controlling the wetness of the cooling pads. To do this, it samples the temperature of the incoming air, then compares the temperature to your set temperature. It also determines whether the temperature is rising or falling. Based on this information, it may choose to not run the pump at all, or to run it for 1-55 seconds before fetching the next sample 60 seconds later.

The display goes black after no touch for several minutes between 8pm and 7am to avoid unwanted nighttime illumination.

It also goes black when the controller is OFF and there is no touch for several minutes.

Any touch will turn the display back ON, except when the controller is ON and reading the temperature sensor (once a minute). When this is happening, the display shows a dimmed “reading Temperature Please wait” message. Once that message disappears, the screen can again be turned on with a touch.

The sensor battery should last at least 5 years.

The controller will display a flashing alert when the battery gets low, and an audible beep once a minute when it is about to die.

The Roadrunner Comfort controller is unconditionally guaranteed for a year from the date of installation. In 2022 all installations will be performed by TLC Plumbing and any problem units will be replaced free of charge.

Absolutely. Components are sourced worldwide, but enclosures are 3D printed in Los Ranchos and electronics are assembled in Los Ranchos, except for the sensor circuit which is purchased from a Shenzhen manufacturer of Bluetooth sensor modules.

Issues

The first thing to try is the reset button on the lower right side. It’s more of a strip of plastic than a button, but you can press on the end that isn’t attached to the housing until you feel a click or see the screen go blank.

Sorry, it isn’t supposed to work outside the home. Later versions may include access from anywhere but for security and because of development resource limitations we do not yet support access from outside your home Wifi network.

This is normal operation. Some amount of fan on-off cycling is unavoidable, and the amount will vary.

To avoid nighttime fan cycling, set the “OFF time” to turn the unit off at night, and the “ON time” to turn it on again in the morning.

Why it happens: When the temperature outdoors drops a few degrees below your Set Temperature with the fan ON, the controller will see the air coming in as too cold, and turn off the fan. Then the indoor air warms from residual heat plus any new heat being generated. When the temperature rises above the Set Temperature again the fan restarts. The incoming air is too cold again, and the fan soon turns off again. And so on. The Roadrunner Comfort limits how often it can turn the fan on and off, but the slower this happens, the more the temperature indoors will stray from the Set Temperature.

The Roadrunner Comfort uses your home Wifi network to go online and fetch the time of day after power failures. It also fetches the time at least once a day to correct any drift in its internal clock. If you do not have Wifi and internet service, you may lose your clock setting if there is a power failure or when you reset the controller. When this happens, you MUST set the clock.

Select 

Then 

Then 

The Set Clock screen looks like this:

Features

Automatically adapts to your new or existing cooler type, whatever the pump or fan size or capacity. Really!

The Roadrunner Comfort uses a sensor clipped to your air vent to measure the incoming air temperature. It uses that measurement to vary the pump operation and control the wetness of the cooling pads. By doing this it can achieve a near-constant temperature on the incoming air, mostly within +/- 1 degree Fahrenheit.

Thoughtful use of color and simple controls makes using the Roadrunner Comfort a no-brainer.

Sensor battery life expectancy is 5+ years.

  An early low battery warning gives you plenty of time to acquire a replacement so you can enjoy uninterrupted cooling.

Touch control of fan on/off, fan hi/lo, and pump on/off.

Free app with similar controls. Because of security considerations and limited development resources, the remote control app works from within your home Wifi network only (at least for now).

The pilot production of 100 units was made right here in New Mexico.  Enclosures are 3D printed of compostable PLA plastic, and the electronics are hand-assembled and tested, all in our pilot production shop. We also do extended life testing and extensive quality testing to make sure that every unit performs as our customers expect and deserve.