Ideal No Connection To Primary PCB
The Vogue's screen has lost contact with the control board behind it. Ideal's first move is to turn the power off and on; if it returns, the lead between the boards is an engineer's job.
Take care
What this means
A Vogue is two computers. The primary PCB in the controls housing runs the burner, the fan and the pump; the user interface PCB behind the colour screen runs the buttons and the display, and a lead joins them. No Connection To Primary PCB is the screen's board saying it has stopped hearing from the other one. It tells you nothing about the state of the burner, only that the display can no longer see it, which is why Ideal treat it as a wiring problem first.
Their chart for the Gen2 and Max asks whether the wiring from the primary PCB to the user interface PCB is securely connected at both ends, then whether turning the power off and on clears it, and if neither does, replaces the lead; the 2014 Vogue's chart ends one step further on, at the main PCB. The first Vogue printed the householder's share on screen: "Turn power off and on — Contact Installer". A power cycle is therefore Ideal's own advice, and the only thing to try before ringing anyone.
What causes it
| Cause | What is actually happening | How likely |
|---|---|---|
| Interconnecting lead disturbed | The lead is unplugged to lift the front panel at every service, and a plug not fully home works loose over the weeks that follow. Ideal check both ends before anything else. | Common |
| Lead failed | Ideal's remedy when re-seating and a power cycle do not clear it. A ribbon or multicore that has chafed on the casing edge gives an intermittent message before it gives a permanent one. | Occasional |
| Primary PCB not responding | The 2014 chart's last box is "Replace Main PCB". If the boiler has also stopped heating, the board the screen cannot reach may be the board that has failed. | Occasional |
What to try yourself
Switch the boiler off at its fused spur or isolator, wait ten seconds and switch it on. This is the step Ideal print on the first Vogue's screen and the second box in the Gen2 and Max chart.
If the normal display comes back, run a hot tap or turn the heating up and confirm the boiler fires. A screen that reconnects and a boiler that heats needs nothing more, though mention it at the next service.
If the message returns, leave the casing alone — the lead runs inside a gas appliance — and contact the installer, or Ideal if the boiler is under warranty.
Get a Gas Safe registered engineer to look at your Ideal boiler
We do not pass enquiries to a repair firm, so there is no form here. Find a Gas Safe registered engineer through the Gas Safe Register, and ask to see their registration card when they arrive — it is the register, not the van, that tells you they are qualified.
What it costs to fix
Typical repair cost
£70–£380
Time on site
15 minutes
Re-seating or replacing the interconnecting lead is a short visit, £70–£120. A primary PCB, the end of the 2014 chart, is £250–£380 fitted.
Typical UK prices including parts and labour, updated September 2026. Your quote may differ.
Parts you may need
We may earn a commission if you buy a part through one of these links. It does not change what you pay, and it does not affect which parts we list.
Ideal Logic primary PCB
£150–£320Authorised Ideal parts distributor
Price checked 28 September 2026
Own this appliance and had this code? . Nothing is published until a person has read it.
Related Ideal fault codes
- F9Get it checkedThe control board has not been told what boiler it is in, or has failed. L9 is the same fault locked out. The 2011 Logic Combi row also covers a gas valve short circuit.Related: electronics and power
- dUUsually simple to fixNot a fault. The diverter valve has been parked in its mid-position for servicing and the boiler is waiting to be told the service is over. Ideal publish the way out.Related: electronics and power
- Blank displayGet it checkedNothing on the screen at all. Ideal's user guides send you to the boiler's switch and the consumer unit first; the installer charts then work from the terminal block to the board.Related: electronics and power
- F7Get it checkedThe mains voltage reaching the boiler has dropped below what the board will run on. Ideal's advice is an electrician or your electricity supplier, not a heating engineer.Related: electronics and power
- C0Get it checkedThe board cannot activate the Boiler Chip Card that tells it what model it is fitted to. Ideal's engineer check is whether the small plastic card is in its slot at all.Related: electronics and power
- L9Get it checkedOn a Logic, L9 is the locked-out form of the unconfigured-board fault F9. On an Isar HE it is something else entirely: a heat exchanger overheat read by the dry-fire thermistor.Related: electronics and power
Own an Ideal boiler? Save it and its codes come first next time.
Related guides
Common questions
Is the boiler still working behind the message?
Sometimes. The message is about the display losing sight of the control board, not about the burner. If the radiators are warm and hot water runs, the primary PCB is alive and the lead is the likely fault; if nothing works either, the board itself may have gone.
Could a power cut cause this?
Ideal do not list one as a cause, but a power cycle is their published remedy, so if the message appeared after a supply interruption the first step here is also the fix.
Is this the same as a blank display?
No. A blank screen means the user interface has no power at all, and Ideal have a separate chart for it starting at the mains supply and the fuse. This message means the screen is powered and talking, and getting no reply.
Technical review
Not reviewed by an engineer
No engineer has read this page. Severity follows what the manufacturer publishes, and we would rather tell you that than let a byline imply a sign-off.
Sources and how we verified this
We establish the facts from the sources below and then write the explanation ourselves. We do not copy manufacturer wording and we do not host their manuals.
- Manufacturer technical and service documentation
This page has not been reviewed by an engineer, and we would rather tell you that than imply otherwise. The severity rating follows what the manufacturer publishes: where they say isolate the appliance and call someone, so do we.