bad date on reboot or main supply failure

[ottorino]

Hi all,
I’m assembling my irrigation system with the OpenSprinkler v2.1u and I wonder if what I experience is a feature, a bug or a misfunctioning.

Every time I turn the OS off (for firmware update, assembling the wires, turn the AC main supply of my home for repairing or improving things) it reboots, all the settings are as before (except for firmware update, of course) but the date is on january 2000 1st.

I do not have the wifi connected yet (I bought it and it should be on the way), so I’m forced to use an uncomfortable ethernet cable to connect the OS to my ADSL, through an open window.
Since I’m leaving for vacation, I’ worrying about the fact that the main supply could fail during storms and then get back. In this case, if the date is wrong and the OS cannot have access to a NTP server, all the accuracies in the programming are pure nonsense. And you easily imagine that I cannot leave my backyard window open for 15 days !!

My question is;
is this bad date on reboot a feature ?
a bug ?
a misfunctioning of my paricular unit ??

Sholud this be a feature, it would be fine to have the correct date on reboot instead, rather than january 2000.

Also I see on some other commercial units that,
after a prolonged period of lack of AC main supply, they are programmed to run all the stations once.
This could be a feature to add to OS.
After all we are all using all this automation to have healty plants, not wilted ones.

All the best from an unusual rainy Italy
Ottorino

[Ray]

The only reason I can think of, if the RTC does not remember time when the power is off, is either a loose connection on the CR1220 battery, or the battery is plugged in reversely.

[ottorino]

… Or simply a bad battery!! Thanks for the suggestion. A new cell solved the problem. The old one measured only about 0.2 V

[Author]

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