Irrigation Control“It's raining and I have a rain sensor. Why are my sprinklers still running? |
The Rain Gage RG-10 measures both rain accumulation and rain intensity. So, unlike conventional absorbent-disk style rain sensors, the RG-10 can be set to inhibit the watering cycle during a downpour, even if not much water has yet accumulated.
Because the RG-10 has a microprocessor, the set points of system disable and re-enable are set precisely and optimally. The “evaporation rate” of the irrigation control algorithm is well matched to typical soil conditions, and unlike a mechanical rain sensor, not affected by wind. Microprocessors have replaced electromechanical systems in irrigation controllers because they are inherently more reliable and versatile. The RG-10 extends these advantages to the irrigation system sensors.
The irrigation control strategy built into the RG-10 is suitable for many applications. You can use the DIP switches to set the system to water more or water less. Alternatively, you can use RG-10 to emulate a tipping bucket and implement a suitable strategy in your own controller.
ATTENTION-- You cannot connect the RG-10
to an irrigation controller without a user-supplied interface.
Specifically, the RG-10 has an open collector output
suitable for driving a relay, while most commercial irrigation
controllers expect relay or switch contacts for the rain sensor
input. Further, most irrigation controllers are powered from
AC power sources, and the RG-10 requires a DC source. Thus,
most interfaces to commercial irrigation controllers will require a
relay-and a DC power supply. We do not offer such an interface
at this time.