OpenSprinkler Pi Not Working

[tfboulder]

Hi,

I have an OpenSprinkler Pi (and extension). I tested the setup on the bench measuring 24 VAC on each of the terminals as I “Turned On/Off” each station. Both the main unit and extension appeared to be working fine.

I then connected the OSPi to the sprinkler system. One difference between my setup and others is that I use Zap Controls between the OSPi and valves. (http://tmanufacturing.com/surgeprotection.html).

I was able to open/close stations just fine from the main unit. I then tried to interact with stations on the extension and nothing happened. So I tried the main unit again but this time opening several stations at once. A few engaged and then everything stopped working. I tried the obvious reboot and such but no luck. My other controller works fine (not connected at the same time). The Pi itself appears to be working just fine. I ran the “selftest” code and didn’t receive any errors.

Any ideas on how to debug this issue? I do have a multimeter but very limited hardware experience.

Thanks,

Tim

[Ray]

I haven’t used Zap Controls so I am not sure if that could be the cause of the issue.

One thing you can try is to unplug the expansion board (detach the extension cable), and then retest the main unit. See if this makes any difference.

[tfboulder]

Thanks for the reply. I have the unit back on the bench and now I’m really confused.

I connected a second Pi to help eliminate the Pi as the problem.

After a fresh start from power off I measure voltage between each zone and common I received something around 4vac. Is this expected?

I then run ospi_selftest. Sometimes one of the zones will measure 24vac when activated but there doesn’t appear to be a pattern. Furthermore, in any one run of self_test usually only 1 zone appears to operate normally (though sometimes 2) and it doesn’t tend to be the same zone.

Thanks for the help,

Tim

EDIT 1: I just reconnected the original Pi and after 5 runs of self_test I didn’t measure 24vac on any of the zones.

EDIT 2: Hum, and now it seems to be working as expected with the 2nd Pi. I’ll continue testing on the bench, then attach the extension, and then reattach to actual valves.

EDIT 3: The extension is now working properly on the bench as well. I still measure ~4vac on closed zones, is that correct?

[tfboulder]

The saga continues. I’ve left my setup running for > 6 hours on the bench. The Pi appears to be operating as expected. Running the demo programs ospi.py and ospi_manual.py results in some pretty strange behavior. The expansion unit is attached. I haven’t tested every pair of zones but I’m seeing some strange interaction when turning on zones 1 & 16. For example, when running ospi_manual I turn on zone 1 but don’t measure a voltage change. I then turn on zone 16; zone 1 now measures 24vac. Then some clicking on/off between zone 1 and 16 will ultimately result in one or both zones turning off. No rhyme or reason that I can discern. Is there a way to “reset” the “shift registers”? Other ideas on how to debug or proceed?

Thanks,

Tim

[tfboulder]

I just powered off the OSPi and rebooted. I continue to received “random” results when running sudo ./ospi_selftest.

Recommendation? Should I return the units? I don’t want to wait for my 30 days to pass.

[Ray]

Not sure why this happens, but you are welcome to return the product. Just send me an email at [email protected]

[Ray]

Forgot to say that I can also send you a replacement. But I would like to check your returned board first to figure out what’s causing the issue. Thanks.

[Author]

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