Irrigation Controller Product Specification

Table of Contents

PART 1 - Irrigation Controller with V17 Firmware.................................3

1.1 Operating Specifications..............................................................................................................3

PART 2 - Warranty......................................................................................4

2.1 Standard Warranty........................................................................................................................4

2.2 Extended Warranty.......................................................................................................................4

PART 3 - Controller Firmware...................................................................4

3.1 Device Assignments.....................................................................................................................4

3.2 Programming................................................................................................................................5

3.3 Zone Settings................................................................................................................................6

3.4 Specialized Soak Cycles...............................................................................................................6

3.5 Messages and Alerts.....................................................................................................................6

3.6 Reports and Graphs......................................................................................................................7

3.7 Flow Monitoring and Management..............................................................................................7

3.8 Water Management......................................................................................................................9

3.9 Hydraulic Layout..........................................................................................................................9

3.10 Soil Moisture Sensor....................................................................................................................9

3.11 System Backups.........................................................................................................................10

3.12 Diagnostics.................................................................................................................................10

3.13 Manual Operation.......................................................................................................................10

3.14 Start, Stop, Pause........................................................................................................................11

3.15 Event Scheduling........................................................................................................................11

3.16 Smart Watering Modes...............................................................................................................11

PART 4 - Central Control and Remote Control......................................11

4.1 Central Control and Remote Control Functionality...................................................................11

4.2 Information Security Controls....................................................................................................12

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PART 5 - Hardware....................................................................................12

5.1 Display........................................................................................................................................12

5.2 Ethernet Jack..............................................................................................................................12

5.3 Power Specifications..................................................................................................................12

5.4 Surge Protection.........................................................................................................................13

5.5 Environmental Specifications.....................................................................................................13

PART 6 - Controller Enclosures................................................................13

6.1 Enclosure Options......................................................................................................................13

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PART 1 - Irrigation Controller with V17 Firmware

1.1 Operating Specifications

A. Each controller shall support:

1. Up to 200 zones along a two-wire path and/or a conventional wire path

2. Up to 25 moisture sensors

3. Up to 8 temperature sensors, which monitor and control program operation based on temperature thresholds

4. Up to 8 devices with contacts that alternate between open and closed

5. Up to 8 water sources

6. Up to 8 independent mainlines for control and management of separate water delivery systems

7. Up to 8 hydraulic components known as “control points.” The control points shall accept input from:

a. Up to 8 normally open or normally closed master valves b. Up to 8 pump starts c. Up to 8 flow sensors or meters, including indoor flow sensors and

hydrometersd. Up to 8 pressure decoders, which shall be used to accept 4-20 mA inputs

from pressure transducer devices

8. Up to 110 device loads on the two-wire path

a. 1, 2, and 4 station decoders = ½ loadb. 12 to 24 station Powered decoders = 2 loadsc. Soil moisture sensor = 1 loadd. Flow decoder = 3 loadse. Event device = 1 loadf. Pressure decoder = 3 loads

9. Up to 99 completely independent programs

10. Up to 8 available addresses for TCP/IP-based connections.

a. These addresses shall be used to connect the following performance components:

1) Shared flow controller

2) TCP/IP-based irrigation system extender

3) Compatible pump station

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B. The controller shall support concurrent zone operation.

1. In stand-alone operation, the controller’s transformer shall support a maximum of 15 concurrent zones.

2. When operated in conjunction with a TCP/IP-based irrigation system extender, the number of concurrent zones shall increase by 15 zones with each additional TCP/IP-based irrigation system extender.

a. With 8 TCP/IP-based irrigation system extenders, the controller shall support a maximum of 99 concurrent zones.

3. Over conventional wire, the controller shall operate up to 2 typical solenoids per 12-station powered decoder or up to 4 typical solenoids per 24-station powered decoder plus 2 additional solenoids using the VE00001 and VE00002 ports.

C. The controller shall display on-screen help. The on-screen help shall be available in both English and Spanish. The help text language shall be user-configurable.

D. The operator shall be able to establish 3 levels of security for operators of the controller: Operator, Programmer, and Administrator.

PART 2 - Warranty

2.1 Standard Warranty

A. The controller and installed equipment shall carry a standard warranty of 5 years from the date of installation.

1. The customer shall be responsible for reviewing the full Warranty Statement.

2.2 Extended Warranty

A. The user shall have the option to apply for an extended warranty of 10 years from the date of installation.

1. Approval of the extended warranty shall be based on:

a. Fully completed extended warranty application

1) The Extended Warranty application form shall be available online.

b. Successful site inspection

1) The site inspection shall be completed by an authorized company representative.

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B. The extended warranty shall include coverage of surge damage, even from direct lightning strike.

1. Surge protection equipment shall be installed according to specification.

PART 3 - Controller Firmware

3.1 Device Assignments

A. The controller shall search for and identify all devices connected to the two-wire and list them according to device type and serial number.

B. The controller shall be capable of addressing or re-addressing any two-wire decoder from the controller by re-assigning the device’s serial number to a new zone address.

C. The controller shall assign any station or terminal number on a multi-station decoder from the controller to any zone address in any order, in any program.

D. The controller shall allow any device to be removed, replaced, or reordered.

E. The controller shall support full two-way communication with all devices and monitor two-wire voltage and communication integrity, solenoid voltages, current, and status (reported as open/short/OK).

3.2 Programming

A. The controller shall be capable of managing 99 programs, including up to 8 start times per program with overlapping run times.

1. The controller shall automatically stack overlapping programs. The system can run any number of programs concurrently if permitted by the concurrent zone settings.

B. The controller shall support program prioritization and progression to allow control of which landscape areas get watered first, and/or to prioritize water rations during restricted water allocations.

1. Program priorities shall be set from 1 – 99.

C. Each program shall allow from 1 – 15 concurrent zones.

1. The operator shall be able to configure a program to ignore concurrent zone settings, which enables the program to run even when the maximum number of

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concurrent zones are running as long as the system does not exceed electrical and hydraulic limits.

D. The operator shall be able to configure a program to ignore global controller settings such as a rain delay, which enables the program to run even when even when the controller is in rain delay mode.

E. The controller shall be able to adjust seasonal water budget from 25% to 200% by program.

F. The controller shall allow an operator to set a “water window” by program on a per hour basis for each day of the week, which suspends watering beyond a set time and resumes watering when another window opens.

G. The controller shall allow a program to be started by the following conditions:

1. Start time

2. Moisture percent

3. Temperature value

4. Event switch contacts open/closed

5. Pressure sensor readings

H. The program shall be capable of using the following schedules:

1. Day intervals in even days

2. Odd days

3. Odd days excluding the 31st

4. User defined interval

5. Custom 7-day calendar

6. Historical day interval calendar with customizable half-months

I. The controller shall be able to irrigate in the following modes:

1. Timed (standard time-based watering)

2. Soil moisture-based

3. Weather-based

a. For weather-based watering to be enabled, the controller shall have an active central control subscription at the appropriate level.

3.3 Zone Settings

A. The controller shall allow run times for zones from 1 minute to 23 hours 59 minutes.6

B. The controller shall allow an operator to enable or disable each zone.

C. The controller shall be able to group zones into scheduling groups as follows:

1. Primary – Primary zones can be time based or soil moisture based.

2. Linked – The settings for a linked zone match the settings of the assigned primary zone.

D. A zone shall be assigned to both a program and a mainline, or just to a program.

3.4 Specialized Soak Cycles

A. The controller shall have the ability to perform specialized soak cycles to prioritize cycles for zones that have already started to water over zones that have not started.

B. The controller shall have the ability to program cycle times and soak times between 0 minutes and 23 hours 59 minutes.

3.5 Messages and Alerts

A. The controller shall display all pause and stop conditions in message screens that are accessible from the main screen. The system displays one message for each condition, and the operator can clear each message.

B. The controller shall display high flow alerts, low flow alerts, pause messages and conditions, and rain delays, wire faults, as well as other operating conditions.

C. The controller shall display messages generated from diagnostic tests initiated by the controller and by the operator.

3.6 Reports and Graphs

A. The controller’s main screen shall be able to display water usage, soil moisture graphs, design flow or actual flow, two-wire current, program reports, pause reports, and zone status by program (shown as a color representing watering, soaking, waiting, paused, disabled, and error) without affecting any active programs.

B. The controller shall display an on-screen, historical-run-time chart that includes the time watered for last 6 days by program.

C. The controller shall display an on-screen historical water used chart that includes the actual water used for the last 6 days by the flow meter.

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D. The controller shall display a 6-day scalable soil moisture history graph with integrated run-time bar chart.

E. The controller shall be able to log data collected from each flow meter, moisture sensor, temperature sensor, pressure sensor, and zone run time.

F. The controller shall have the ability to report:

1. The last date a program ran

2. The next run date of a program

3. Water consumption used by program per run estimation

4. 14 days of moisture readings displayed graphically

5. Water flow estimation in gallons per minute (gpm)

6. Total daily, current month, and previous month’s water consumption estimation in gallons

7. Actual water used and flow rate for each flow meter

8. A report for every pause condition event

9. Monthly water budget

3.7 Flow Monitoring and Management

A. The controller shall support the following flow monitoring and management devices:

1. Up to 8 flow sensors or meters

a. Flow meters shall be assigned to control points.b. Flow meters shall take flow rate readings twice per minute.c. Flow meters shall take water used readings one per minute.

2. Up to 8 master valves

a. Each master valve shall be assignable to any control point. b. The controller shall be able to operate normally open and normally closed

master valves.

3. Up to 8 pumps

a. The controller shall have the ability to manage a pump or other loads switched with a relay on a per program basis.

4. Up to 8 pressure sensors

a. The controller shall have the ability to react to high- and low-pressure settings on the mainline with a pressure sensor.

b. The controller shall have the ability to ramp up or down the delay between zones starting and stopping with a pressure sensor.

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B. The controller shall support the following flow management components.

1. Up to 8 control points, to which any of the following devices can be assigned:

a. Flow meterb. Master valvec. Pumpd. Pressure sensor

2. Up to 8 mainlines

a. The controller shall allow a zone to be assigned to any one mainline.

C. The irrigation controller shall support a connection to the shared flow controller.

1. The shared flow controller and up to 20 irrigation controllers shall become a shared flow group where water is shared and managed among all controllers.

D. The irrigation controller shall support the following flow monitoring and management functionality:

1. The irrigation controller shall display real-time flow updated every 15 seconds when watering.

2. The irrigation controller shall be able to learn flow for programs and sets of zones.

a. The operator shall be able to perform the learn flow operation while normal irrigation continues.

b. The operator shall be able to schedule learn flow cycles for individual zones or for programs during a time when the system is not irrigating.

3. The controller shall intelligently schedule watering based on available flow or design flow to maximize concurrent valve operation and minimize total water time by mainline.

4. The controller shall be able to limit the number of concurrent zones using the design flow.

5. The controller shall detect flow variance at the control point level and/or the mainline level.

a. In an “overflow event,” the controller shall halt all irrigation on the faulty control point or on the mainline.

6. The controller shall be able to dynamically allocate flow by turning on only those control points needed to supply water to a mainline with running zones.

7. When a pressure sensor is associated with a control point, the controller shall be able to respond to high/low limits.

8. The operator shall be able to set a separate variance percentage in 4 GPM ranges.

a. The system shall not act until the flow variance reaches the specified limit.9

9. The operator shall be able to set delays based on time or pressure before and after running zones on a mainline.

3.8 Water Management

A. The controller shall support 8 water sources.

1. A water source shall be assigned to a control point.

B. The controller shall support water source prioritization and intelligent secondary water source management to control which water sources are used first.

C. The controller shall support empty and full indicators from moisture sensors, switches, and pressure sensors to optimize management of cisterns, ponds, rainwater catchment, and other water storage systems.

1. The controller shall support a settable wait time after an empty condition is met.

D. The controller shall support a monthly water budget per water source.

1. The controller shall be able to shut down the water source when the budget has been exceeded.

E. The controller shall support daily water rationing across multiple water sources.

3.9 Hydraulic Layout

A. The operator shall be able to model their actual hydraulic system on the controller.

1. The operator shall be able to connect a water source to a control point.

2. The operator shall be able to connect a control point to a mainline.

3. The operator shall be able to assign zones to their mainlines.

3.10 Soil Moisture Sensor

A. The controller shall support up to 25 individual soil moisture sensors.

B. The controller shall have the ability to automatically adjust run times and/or day intervals based on soil moisture readings.

C. The controller shall override a programmed run time or day interval when it detects a soil moisture reading that exceeds the assigned shut-off value.

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D. Using a moisture sensor, the controller shall be able to determine the water capacity of the soil and establish a lower limit threshold for the sensor.

E. The controller shall be able to respond to a moisture limit that is accurate within ±3% when measured with a soil moisture sensor.

3.11 System Backups

A. The controller shall be able to export all data to a USB flash drive including:

1. All events

2. All programming

3. Run times (including manual run times)

4. Water used

5. Moisture logs

6. Temperature logs

7. Alarm logs

8. Program summary report

9. Test all results

B. The controller shall have the ability to load all programming information directly from a USB flash drive.

C. All programming shall be saved in non-volatile memory.

D. The controller shall save running events and logs every 10 minutes to non-volatile memory.

3.12 Diagnostics

A. The controller shall have the ability to reprogram the solenoid drive current of the decoder from the controller without uninstalling or removing the decoder from the field.

B. The controller shall be able to detect and report a “two-wire over current.”

C. The controller shall be able to read and report the current of the two-wire during normal running conditions.

D. The controller shall be able to test each individual zone and display:

1. Two-wire voltage drop

2. Valve voltage 11

3. Current

4. Decoder serial number

E. The controller shall run a weekly diagnostic test on normally open master valves to help prevent a normally open master valve from “sticking” open.

3.13 Manual Operation

A. The operator shall be able to manually run one zone or all zones of a program with programmable concurrent zones and run times.

B. The operator shall be able to manually start or stop a program.

C. When running a manual zone, the controller shall allow the operator to advance watering to the next zone or return to a previous zone while not affecting the programming of the controller.

D. The operator shall be able to manually operate one or more zones at a time when other program operation is happening or another operator is manually operating other zones.

E. The operator shall be able to run master valves and pumps for individual times.

1. This operation shall pause watering on the entire controller.

3.14 Start, Stop, Pause

A. When a moisture sensor, event switch, or temperature sensor, or pressure sensor is connected, the controller shall be able to:

1. Start a program

2. Stop a program or the entire controller

3. Pause any program or the entire controller

a. The operator shall be able to configure the pause in 1 minute increments from 0-24 hours. Watering will resume when the pause condition is removed and the allotted time has passed.

3.15 Event Scheduling

A. The controller shall be able to schedule 8 controller-wide event dates plus 8 event dates per program during which watering is disabled.

3.16 Smart Watering Modes12

A. In addition to time-based watering, the irrigation controller shall also be operated in the following smart watering modes:

1. With an installed and configured soil moisture sensor, the irrigation controller shall be able to start/stop irrigation cycles based soil moisture readings.

2. When operated in a weather-based mode with an active central control subscription at the appropriate level, the irrigation controller shall be able to start/stop irrigation cycles based on weather data calculations.

a. When operated based on weather data, the irrigation controller shall have the EPA WaterSense label.

PART 4 - Central Control and Remote Control

4.1 Central Control and Remote Control Functionality

A. The controller shall be able to connect to irrigation central control software and virtual irrigation controller access when configured with an approved communication module.

B. The controller shall support the following communication options: built-in Ethernet, Wi-Fi, cellular modem, Ethernet radio, and long haul Ethernet.

C. The operator shall be able to configure, program, and operate all zones from the irrigation central control software.

D. The operator shall be able to receive email and text message alerts when connected to the irrigation central control software.

E. The operator shall be able to perform manual operations remotely with the irrigation central control software.

For more information please refer to the Central Control specification.

4.2 Information Security Controls

A. The controller shall include information security controls that enable secure networking with other compatible products.

To learn more about the controller’s security controls, refer to the Security Controls Technical Specification available on the manufacturer’s website.

PART 5 - Hardware

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5.1 Display

A. The controller display shall have a high-contrast 3.5-inch (8.9 cm) screen with a resolution of 320x240 at 65,536 colors. The LCD brightness shall be a minimum of 200 lumens.

5.2 Ethernet Jack

A. The controller shall have a 100 Base-TX Ethernet jack.

1. The jack shall accept RJ45 connectors.

2. The jack shall be compliant with CAT5, CAT5e, and CAT6 Ethernet cable.

3. The jack shall be RoHS compliant.

4. The jack shall meet or exceed IEEE 802.3 standards.

5. The jack shall have indicator LEDs.

5.3 Power Specifications

A. The controller shall come standard with a 120 VAC transformer, which has apparent power of 40 VA.

B. The controller shall not exceed 30 VAC RMS output on the two-wire.

C. The controller shall be able to support up to a 1.45 amp output current.

5.4 Surge Protection

A. The controller shall have 3 levels of surge protection built into the controller including a replaceable and fusible surge protection PC board.

B. The controller shall have a minimum of a 1 picosecond surge response time.

5.5 Environmental Specifications

A. The controller shall be able to operate in environments ranging from 32°F to 140°F (0°C to 60°C) ambient temperatures.

PART 6 - Controller Enclosures

6.1 Enclosure Options

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A. Standard Pedestal

1. The pre-assembled enclosure shall be 17.38″ W x 36.25″ H x 12.63″ D (44 cm W x 92 cm H x 32 cm D).

2. The pedestal enclosure shall be a NEMA type 3R rainproof enclosure manufactured entirely of 16-gauge 304-grade stainless steel. The main housing shall be louvered for cross flow ventilation. Filter screens shall cover all louvers to help protect internal components from water spray, insects, and dust. A stainless steel backboard shall be provided for the purpose of mounting electronics and other types of equipment. The backboard shall be mounted on 4 stainless steel bolts that will allow for removal of the backboard.

3. A stainless steel cam-style lock shall be mounted in the door for security.

4. The pedestal shall come complete with lightning and surge protection and all terminals shall be factory labeled. The pre-assembled enclosure shall come with an on/off switch to isolate the controller along with a GFI receptacle.

B. Super Strong Pedestal

1. The pre-assembled enclosure shall be 16″ W x 38″ H x 15.5″ D (40.64 cm W x 96.52 cm H x 39.37 cm D).

2. The welded enclosure shall be manufactured entirely of 16-gauge 304-grade stainless steel.

3. The pedestal enclosure shall be a NEMA type 3R rainproof enclosure. The main housing shall be louvered for cross flow ventilation. Filter screens shall cover all louvers to help protect internal components from water spray, insects, and dust. A stainless steel backboard shall be provided for the purpose of mounting electronics and other types of equipment. The backboard shall be mounted on 4 stainless steel bolts that will allow for removal of the backboard.

4. The top entry lid shall be assisted by two gas springs for easy access. The edge of the lid shall be hemmed to eliminate any sharp edges.

5. A stainless steel cam style lock shall be mounted in the lid and a provision for a padlock shall be included within the locking mechanism.

6. The pedestal shall come complete with lightning and surge protection and all terminals shall be factory labeled. The pre-assembled enclosure shall come with an on/off switch to isolate the controller along with a GFI receptacle.

C. Large Capacity Powder Coated Wall Mount Enclosure

1. The pre-assembled vandal resistant enclosure shall be 15.50″ W x 12.38″ H x 6.40″ D (39.4 cm W x 31.45 cm H x 16.26 cm D) and shall come complete with lightning and surge protection and all terminals shall be factory labeled.

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2. The wall mount enclosure shall be zinc plated and then powder coated 16-gauge steel.

3. A nickel-plated cam style lock shall be mounted in the door for security.

D. Large Capacity Stainless Steel Wall Mount Enclosure

1. The pre-assembled vandal resistant enclosure shall be 15.50″ W x12.38″ H x 6.40″ D (39.4 cm W x 31.45 cm H x 16.26 cm D) and shall come complete with lightning and surge protection and all terminals shall be factory labeled.

2. The wall mount enclosure shall be manufactured entirely of 16-gauge 304-grade stainless steel.

3. A nickel-plated cam style lock shall be mounted in the door for security.

REV 5.15.2023

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