Skip to main content

Sprinkler Controller

Looking through the kitchen window this morning, I noticed that the basil in the garden looked a bit wilted. I also noticed that the ground looked rather dry for a day that the sprinkler should have run in the morning.
The first thing I thought was that I, or someone, had turned the sprinkler system off and forgot to turn it back on. So I went to check it in the garage.
I was greeted with the view you see in the picture. The same view I had seen once before. The last time it looked like this was when lightning had taken out the first sprinkler controller. I was not happy.
I wondered if perhaps the wall wart had gone on the Fritz. It felt warm. I unplugged it and plugged it back in. No response from the controller. I checked the fuse, no problem there. I checked the specs on the wall wart. It was 24v AC. That means it was exactly the right supply to drive the sprinkler valves. I jumpered the wires for the garden zone. It turned on. I set a timer in the house so I would remember to turn it off.
This was good news for the wall wart, and bad news for the sprinkler controller. I was sure it was burned out. I started wondering if I could make my own controller from my left over robot parts. I wondered how much it would cost to buy a new controller. Checking online, I found a few under a hundred dollars. So I was not as worried. Under a hundred wasn't too bad. Certainly cheap enough that I didn't have to worry about reinventing the wheel with robot parts.
But first I was going to see if there was anything obviously wrong with the unit that I might be able to fix. I unwired it and took it off the wall in the garage. I started taking it apart. I undid the screws on the back, and prepared to pop off the cover and look at the circuit board. Then I noticed a RJ11 (phone-type) connector on the side. I wondered what it was for, so I looked around online. I saw a few references to a remote control for the system. I also stumbled across the full manual for the sprinkler in PDF format. I was wondering if it listed the pinouts on the RJ11. I read through the manual and hit the troubleshooting section. It said that for a dark display you may have a dead battery and not hooked to the line power. I knew I had it on line power before, so it being a dead battery didn't make sense.
Still, I decided to check the battery anyhow. I did the tongue test. It seemed like a good battery. But I could tell it was the battery that came with the unit a number of years ago. So I got another battery. I plugged it in, at to my surprise, the LCD display turned on! I tried plugging in the wall wart. The AC-power missing icon went off. It seems the unit has to have a good battery or the unit doesn't work. Or perhaps it had glitched and it wasn't until I disconnected all power and put on new power that it was happy. Well, I hooked it back up, and reprogrammed the system. It seems to be fine now.
Whew. I prefer being able to fix it with a little time than having to buy a new unit!

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Hiking Blodgett Peak 12/25/2005

So Christmas day Sunday, but we don't do Christmas. And a day off Monday. No real plans until Sunday evening for Channukah. My toe finally feels well enough for a hike. Blodgett Peak has been calling to me for months - especially since I learned there was a geocache on top. So I get up a bit early - early for a day off from work - and head out for a hike. I don't know how far I'll get - but I want to at least get to the top of Blodgett Peak. I've got about 8 geocaches I can try for, depending on how I do. A couple are up in Pike National Forrest, past Blodgett Peak. It is slower going than I expected. I spend more time than I wanted looking for the first 4 geocaches - I only found 2 of them. The trail is Icy and muddy. It is not a great trail - it is not well prepared like the trail going up Pikes Peak. It is very easy to lose the trail - subtle paths seem to go off in many directions. In many places, the trail seems to go up very steep, loose gravel. Step...
2 comments
Read more

1000 Greatest Movies

Found on Misanthropic-Tendencies From the NY Times - The Best 1,000 Movies Ever Made I've highlighted the ones I've seen from the list. As it is a big list, I've set it to be hidden. I've added some favorite quotes to ones I've seen. Show/Hide the list below A À Nous la Liberté (1932) About Schmidt (2002) Absence of Malice (1981) Adam’s Rib (1949) Adaptation (2002) The Adjuster (1991) The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938) Affliction (1998) The African Queen (1952) L’Age d’Or (1930, reviewed 1964) Aguirre, the Wrath of God (1972, reviewed 1977) A.I. (2001) Airplane! (1980) "I picked the wrong week to give up sniffing glue" Aladdin (1992) "Poof! Whaddya want?" Alexander Nevsky (1939) Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore (1975) Alice’s Restaurant (1969) Aliens (1986) '...In space no one can hear you scream.' All About Eve (1950) All About My Mother (1999) All Quiet on the Western Front (1930) All That...
Post a Comment
Read more

Death in the Family

My father passed away on Sunday afternoon. He had Alzheimers for a number of years. I keep explaining to everyone who expects me to be devastated that I've already done a bunch of mourning. I know the service on Friday will be sad and emotional, but so far I haven't cried. I last saw him this past summer. I am sure he recognized me, but he was already showing that he didn't know who I was. So in my mind, I started to say goodbye then. When I went to my uncle's funeral a few months ago, and saw much cousins speaking about their father, I realized that I would be in that same spot in not too long. Sometimes with Alzheimers, the person's body stay much longer after their mind has gone. My dad was just at that point of slipping both complete beyond who he was and beyond the point of living comfortably. He was no longer happy. So it was a very good time for him to have his final rest. I was glad my sister was able to be with him to the end. His lung ...
9 comments
Read more