Unable to run programs

[dnnn]

I just bought an OpenSprinkler v2.1s (assembled). Be able to setup and configure the device without any problems. Manual & Run-Once functions work great. However none of the scheduled programs work or show on the program preview page. Below is an example of Program1 setup (all other programs are the same with different Start Time to simulate the station delay & alternate odd and even days):

Program1:
-Weekly
-Odd Days
-Days of the week: M,T,W,R,F,Sa,Su – if I don’t select any day the app don’t allow me to save – I thought if I specify the odd days then I should not need to select any day of the week
-Stations: S01 Front Lawn
-Start Time: 3AM
-End Time: 3:10AM – I don’t think we need to enter the End Time. It should automatic calculate from the Start Time + Duration
-Duration: 10 minutes
-Interval: 0 – I’m not sure what is this field using for???

Here are what I need for my programs: Each of my programs needs to run 4 stations; each station needs to have different watering time (duration); Each program needs to run on Odd or Even days; Each program need to have specific station delay because my system is running on well water so it need time to replete the water (the delay time is depending on the duration). Please Help!

[Samer]

The interval cannot be 0 or the program won’t run. What you can do is set it to the max, 1439.

Basically, the interval is the gap to repeat the program. If you set it higher than the program duration (start to end time) it will only run once.

[dnnn]

Salbahra,

Thanks a lot for a quick respond. Changing the interval to a big value works. I don’t think we need the interval with this comprehensive program – it just creates more confusion.

My next questions are:
Why do we still need to select days of the week when I already specify odd/even days for my schedule?
Can we specify duration for each station in a program? Without this I have to create one program for each station

[Samer]

Glad it worked.

In regard to your questions, the first one means the day of the month being odd/even. I believe you can also further classify the program by picking which days of the week you want (or check all).

For the second, this is a feature that is coming soon. Currently, you must do what you described (one program per station) but in the future the firmware will support per station durations.

[Ray]

@dnnn:

Why do we still need to select days of the week when I already specify odd/even days for my schedule?

This is because the odd/even days are used as a constraint. For example, you may only want to water on Monday, Thursday and Saturday, but your town may have a restriction that you are only allowed to water on even days. So you select Monday, Thursday, and Saturday, and also select the even day constraint. Hope this makes sense.

Can we specify duration for each station in a program? Without this I have to create one program for each station

This will be supported soon. For now, you can consolidate your stations, and group all that use the same water time to one program. Unless if each of your station has a unique water time different from all other stations, you can always group them into subsets and create one program for each subset.

[dnnn]

Salbahra & Ray,

Thanks for your replies. It makes sense. I will do odd/even + select all days. I’m playing with the system in the last several days and liking it a lot. A couple more questions though:

1. My system is running on well water so I need to delay each station in a program by 30-60 minutes for the well water to replete. How can I do that? The Station Delay setting is only 4 minutes (240s) which is not even close to what I need.
2. How the rain sensor work? I hooked up my rain sensor with normal open option checked; wet my rain sensor to simulate rain but the program is still kick-in and running as scheduled. Does the Manual Rain Delay setting playing any part of this?
3. Does the firmware keeps a log of past station actives? If it does can we access it?
4. Does the firmware utilizes the weather data to control the future watering schedules? For instance, if the weather predicted to be >50% (a configurable %) rain tomorrow then all scheduled program today should be cancelled…

Thanks,
dnnn

[Ray]

1. My system is running on well water so I need to delay each station in a program by 30-60 minutes for the well water to replete. How can I do that? The Station Delay setting is only 4 minutes (240s) which is not even close to what I need.

If you are comfortable with modifying the firmware code, this is just one or two lines of code change (basically multiplying a parameter by 60), then the station delay time will change from seconds to minutes. I can tell you where to make the change if you want.

The other way is to create multiple programs, essentially putting each station in a different program so you can specify a desired start time for each station. This does not require changing the code, but is certainly very tedious.

2. How the rain sensor work? I hooked up my rain sensor with normal open option checked; wet my rain sensor to simulate rain but the program is still kick-in and running as scheduled. Does the Manual Rain Delay setting playing any part of this?

A rain sensor is basically a rain activated switch. Maybe you didn’t wet the rain sensor enough to make it click. You can simulate rain sensor click by use a wire to short the two pins on the Rain Sensor terminal.

3. Does the firmware keeps a log of past station actives? If it does can we access it?

On OSPi, logging is available. On Arduino-based OpenSprinkler, not yet. Samer’s app (installed version) has a features that allows you to log events. But this is not done on the controller itself, rather, it uses an external server to poll OpenSprinkler and log the events.

Since OpenSprinkler 2.x now has SD card slot, it’s possible to use that for logging, although I haven’t implemented this feature yet.

4. Does the firmware utilizes the weather data to control the future watering schedules? For instance, if the weather predicted to be >50% (a configurable %) rain tomorrow then all scheduled program today should be cancelled…

Again, OSPi can do this already. On Arduino-based OpenSprinkler, not yet.

[dnnn]

I can change the code but don’t want to keep making the same change every time the new firmware is released. In general, the station delay time should be in minutes not seconds. Would you make this change in the next release? I’m looking forward for a new release with the features we discussed.

Keep up the good work Ray!

Thanks,
dnnn

[Ray]

In general, the station delay time should be in minutes not seconds.

Well I need to hear confirmations from other users to make this a permanent change. I assume in most cases one only needs a few seconds or couple minutes of delay between stations. I don’t know how often one needs 30 minutes of delay. I can certainly make it more flexible by making the delay time a 16-bit integer, so it can vary between 0 to 65535 seconds.

[dnnn]

99.99% of conventional controllers (Rain Bird, Hunter, Orbit, etc.) all have the rain delay setting in minutes. 0 to 65535 seconds also works, the only drawback with this is the slider bar in mobile app will be hard to use because of the big range.

[Ray]

Sorry, I am confused, I thought you mean ‘station delay time’. Rain delay time on OpenSprinkler is in units of hours.

[dnnn]

No I meant Station Delay Time. Would you change it to 65535 seconds?

Thanks

[Ray]

Sure, this should be an easy change.

[dnnn]

Hi Ray,

I just updated the firmware to 2.0.7 but still seeing the rain delay can only be set to 240 seconds, not 65535 as you promised in this thread. Disappointed :(!

Would you let me know when can you be able to add this. I have been waiting awhile for this change.

Thanks,
dnnn

[Ray]

Rain delay time is in units of hours, not seconds.

[Greenie]

A station delay longer than four minutes would be useful for automatic fall blow-out too. I would like a longer than four minute delay to let the compressor recharge and then cool off before continuing to the next station. Not a big deal for me, of course. But I think dnnn needing a longer than four minute recharge period for his water supply.is not unique to him. A lot of people don’t have city water or a high volume well.
If the delay time becomes 16 bit, perhaps the slider for that value in the smartphone app could be made non-linear.
A thought for dnnn is to investigate mechanically setting the rain flag when the water system isn’t ready. Although I not sure how the scheduler responds to the rain flag turning on and off intraday.

[dnnn]

Hi Ray,

I meant the station delay, not rain delay. Greenie made another good use of the longer station delay. I do need a longer time to recharge the compressor during the blowout process. Would you please make this change in the next release?

Thanks,
dnnn

[Greenie]

Realistically few end users are going to be interested in modifying Rays firmware. But it is easy to control open sprinkler externally. Using the program functionality in OS is probably the safe way, as OS is then responsible for valve closing.

While irrigation wouldn’t normally be run from a pressure tanks, I’m sure some drip systems are configured that way. A drip system could be run many times per day with a long station delay assuring adequate water pressure for other uses.

My previous post said “mechanically setting the rain flag”. I should have said “activating the rain sensor”: As in activating the rain sensor circuit as a system not ready indicator. Perhaps another way would be to programmatically alter the rain flag.

[Greenie]

Looking at the app, many of the values in Options are seldom changed and don’t need a slider bar, IMO. There are quite a few values in the app that should only be changeable with a password, IMO. The need for a slider bars, in some instances, seems to me to be non existent. The need for entering precise values, and the need to protect those values from accidental or malicious changes, seems critical.

[Author]

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