NLC-100D Installation & Troubleshooting Manual
Contents
1. 49 NLC 100D Installation and troubleshooting Connecting a Moisture sensor Connecting Configuring and Using Moisture Sensors This section describes how you actually get the moisture sensors ready for use and how they can improve your irrigation 50 NLC 100D Installation and troubleshooting The NLC works with the following moisture sensors e SMS 100 single sensor Connecting and configuring a moisture sensor Before you can enjoy the benefits of moisture sensor input you must connect it to the moisture sensor wire obtain a license from your distributor and perform some basic configuration Follow this procedure to get your moisture sensor up and running Assigning an ID to a soil moisture sensor 1 Connect the soil moisture sensor to the RS232 port on the controller via an SMI 100 interface 2 Turn the dial to apvance iw 51 NLC 100D Installation and troubleshooting AUTO PAUSE RESUME STOP MANUAL SET DATE amp TIME a Ne ee e PROGRAM RAIN OFF RUNTIME RAIN ALARM STATUS WATER DAYS VIEW ALARMS START TIME VIEW ET amp RAIN WATER BUDGET ET VIEW MOISTURE SENSOR e e PROGRAM STATUS SETUP SENSORS ADVANCED SOLENOID AMPS Now the display looks like this N NETAFIM Advanced Setup 1 FloStack 3 Use the item selectors to select 3 Intelliset and push the ENTER button Now you ll see the following screen 52 NL2. cccccccccccccccsssseeeececeeseeecseeeeeecesseaeeeeecesssaeneeeeees 11 Marking up the Mounting holes ccccccecccccceeseseecceeeeeeeecceeeseeeeceeeeeees 12 Connecting the Controller ccccccccseseeeccceeseseeeeeeeseeeeeeeeeeeseeeeeeeeseeeeeeeeaeaes 14 Grounding the Controller ccceeecccccccsseesccccceeeeecceseeeecceessseaeaceeseeeuenses 15 Connecting 2 WITE cc ccunvecncocevcdetevcasdncesscheuctuevennesueasvesece acsasavestdenedseveds HEESE 16 Connecting SENS ONS satiini ranirea a a A a E E EEE EE EECA Eaa Eaa 17 Connecting an ET De VICE sisisiiriseirrisiririrriersineiieirisdiian iieiaei kenisi iaiia 17 Using a Connected Device weather station ccccccccsscesesssssseeceeceeeeeeeeeeees 18 CONTISUNING ET INPUT cescscccacdenesdcccsvecnves cdsvedercedscedenteccacrdeawnnecssdeadercdsnceantess 18 Checking the Current Aggregated ET and Rain ccccccccssssseeececeeteeeeceeeeeees 26 Reading current aggregated ET and Rain figures cccccssseeeeeeeeeeeees 26 Connecting a Rain SOMSON soassa eeo ction cusisetiertvdscnshvcussuanessdeecwesccdedscnsesess 29 Configuring for a Rain Sensor ceccccccccesseeceeceeeseeceeeceusceeeeseaensceeeseeaen ees 30 Setting Hourly Maximum Rain and Rain Alarm Level ccccccsssseseeeeseeeeeees 35 Setting the Hourly Max Rain and Rain Alarm Level cccccccessseeeeeees 36 Connecting a Flow Sensor ccccsecescccceeeeseeccceeeeeeecceeeseeeeeceeeeeeee
3. 76 NLC 100D Installation and troubleshooting Chapter 5 Troubleshooting in the field You discover problems with the installation in the field in a number of ways The following four sections walk you through how to deal with the most frequent scenarios Checking Power and Current Readings In a healthy system you should see power and current readings for the two wire path along these lines Idling Heavy Usage many decod ers running Power 33 35V 31 34V Current 0 3mA no decoders attached 600 650mA To get a more precise idea of how your current reading should be you should add the standby usage and the usage for any running units using these rules of thumb Standby Usage When idling all connected decoders this includes master valves and booster pumps will consume around 0 5mA each This is not an exact number and will vary by 20 30 percent in each direction it s normal to see idle consumption in the 0 4 0 65mA range 77 NLC 100D Installation and troubleshooting So for example 20 connected decoders will consume around 8 13mA and 100 units will consume some 40 65mA Add to this the standby usage of any other devices connected to the two wire Active decoders When active any decoder controlling a valve master valve or booster pump will consume around 25mA This means that when running just one decoder a master valve and a booster pump on a system with 100 connect
4. N NETAFIM Flow Sensor Setup 1 Flow Sensor Type 3 Choose 2 Flow Sensor Adjustment Now you ll see the screen for adjusting the flow sensor input N NETAFIM Flow Sensor Adjustment Adjustment factor 0 4 Use the item selectors to set your adjustment factor Push the ENTER button to save your selection Viewing the Current Flow Given that you have configured your flow sensor correctly the NLC lets you see the real time flow directly in the controller display 47 NLC 100D Installation and troubleshooting 1 Turn the dial to apvancep use the item selectors to scroll to item number 3 FloGuard and push the enter button Now you ll see this display 4 NETAFIM FloGuard 1 Station Status 2 Select 4 Flow Sensor Setup and push the ENTER button Now you ll see this display N NETAFIM Flow Sensor Setup 1 Flow Sensor Type 3 Select3 Current Flow Pulses and GPM and you ll see the current system flow in both pulses per second and gallons per minute 48 NLC 100D Installation and troubleshooting N NETAFIM Gallons per minute 0 Pulses per second 0 Connecting an Alarm The grey terminals labeled AUX are intended for a regular auxiliary alarm eile area eee E Qc M202 M203 M204 M205 K 25 5 wor eloo oloo olo Qq z 8 8 eo co O a a z
5. Advanced Setup 1 FloStack 2 Use the item selectors to select 3 Intelliset and push the ENTER button Now you ll see the following screen N NETAFIM OER Moisture LS 1 E 3 Select 1 ET Now the display will look like this N NETAFIM Intelliset 1 Current Accumulated ET and Rain 37 NLC 100D Installation and troubleshooting 4 Select 3 Max Hourly Rain and Rain Alarm Limit from the menu and push the ENTER button Now you ll see the following screen N NETAFIM Hourly Max Rain Rain Alarm Level Use the item selectors to set the desired values and push the ENTER button to save your settings 38 NLC 100D Installation and troubleshooting Connecting a Flow Sensor A traditional flow sensor is connected to the Aux terminals 100mA 5V 9V Dip switch voltage selector DECODER PROGRAMMING A photo diode type flow sensor is also connected to the Aux terminal and via the VDC terminal through a resistor 100mA 5V 9V Dip switch voltage selector DECODER PROGRAMMING Resistor Recommended resistor values e 9V 330 Ohm 0 25 Watt e 12V 470 Ohm 0 5 Watt 39 NLC 100D Installation and troubleshooting Enabling Flow Sensor Input pulses By default flow sensor input is enabled in the NLC To enable flow sensor input to accept pulses follow this procedure Enabling flow sensor pulse input in
6. NETAFIM N GROW MORE WITH LESS NETAFIM LANDSCAPE CONTROLLERS NLC 100D INSTALLATION amp TROUBLESHOOTING MANUAL NLC 100D NLC 100D Installation and troubleshooting Copyright January 2014 All rights reserved No part of this publication may be reproduced stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means electronic mechanical photocopying recording or otherwise without the prior permission of the publisher Netafim USA 5470 E Home Ave Fresno CA 93727 Phone 888 638 2346 559 453 6800 Fax 559 453 6803 Email communications netafimusa com 450 230 0005 A NLC 100D Installation and troubleshooting Table of Contents Chapter Ts IMtFOUUCTION isa 0cccacseevednccncchccenvenecnasdevanwcaccaadecsesnsancteseasesestansechsdeccuvennceevenadcrenneeavenoes 7 The TWo wire Technology cccccccccsssseccccceeeeececceeeseeccsseeeeeeeceseeeeeeecessaeeseeeeees 7 TWO2WIPE AVOUT cocas iana eaaa a EE AEEA 7 Conventional layout cccccccccesssssscecececeeseseeeececseseeaeeeeeceseaaeaeseeseeeees 8 THE Controller seese i eia iaia 8 THE AE COMES soins eciicacinsishestanecanedencotnnesavacsanaseass aaenshatcncadessasensspaaie E EERE 9 irrigation Features csssecccescccassded Wicsaveatanestiessieessnesedoadencdeveadducacseavedearucsnbacs 9 Chapter 2 System Installation cccccesssccccecsesessceececseseeaeseeececseesaeeeeceeseaesaesecsceseeasaeeeesees 11 Mounting the Controller
7. ENTER 31 NLC 100D Installation and troubleshooting NETAFIM Current status Open 4 Now you can choose between three settings Rain gauge Pulses If your rain sensor provides dynamic data in the sense that it sends a pulse for each unit of rain it detects select Pulses Rain contact N O or N C If your rain sensor simply tells the controller whether to irrigate or not if it s raining or not you need to tell the controller if the input is normally open or closed Whenever the device is in the opposite mode the controller will not irrigate Disabled Don t use the Rain input Use the item selectors to locate the setting you want and if you chose anything but Rain gauge Pulses push the ENTER button to save your selection and the SENSORS button to exit sensor configuration If you do chose Rain gauge Pulses you need to tell the controller how many inches of rain each pulse corresponds so please continue to the next step 32 NLC 100D Installation and troubleshooting 5 Turn the dial to ADVANCED PAUSE AUO RESUME STOP MANUAL SET DATE amp TIME OFF e PROGRAM o J RAIN OFF RUNTIME RAIN ALARM STATUS WATER DAYS VIEW ALARMS START TIME VIEW ET amp RAIN WATER BUDGET ET VIEW MOISTURE SENSOR d PROGRAM STATUS e SETUP SENSORS e ADVANCED SOLENOID AMPS Now the display looks like this N NETAFIM Advanced Setup 1
8. ET ai AUX 1A 1B 2A 2B DECODER PROGRAMMING 29 NLC 100D Installation and troubleshooting The NLC can accept input from an external rain sensor or a tipping rain bucket and react in three ways e Simply stop irrigating if it rains at all works with sensors and tipping rain bucket e Stop irrigating if the rain level exceeds a certain threshold works with sensors and tipping rain bucket e Adjust irrigation based on the amount of rain only works with a tipping rain bucket The following procedure walks you through configuring the controller for rain sensor input it is identical to parts of the procedure for ET Configuring for a Rain Sensor 1 Before moving on make sure you have connected the rain sensor For more information refer to the separate Installation and Troubleshooting manual 2 Turn the dialto SETUP SENSORS 30 NLC 100D Installation and troubleshooting AUTO PAUSE RESUME STOP MANUAL cE Q RAIN OFF RAIN ALARM STATUS VIEW ALARMS VIEW ET amp RAIN VIEW MOISTURE SENSOR e SETUP SENSORS SOLENOID AMPS Now the display looks like this SET DATE amp TIME PROGRAM RUNTIME WATER DAYS START TIME WATER BUDGET ET PROGRAM STATUS ADVANCED N NETAFIM eee Sensor Setups ESF I FLEE 3 Use the item selectors to select 2 Rain and push the button Now the display looks like this
9. FloStack 6 Use the item selectors to select 3 Intelliset and push the ENTER button Now you ll see the following screen 33 NLC 100D Installation and troubleshooting N NETAFIM w ET Moisture IWE 7 Select6 Device Setup Now the display will look like this N NETAFIM t Device Setup 1 ET Input Method 8 Select2 ET Rain Setup andthen 2 ET and Rain Inch Pulse settings Now you ll see something like this N NETAFIM ET Inch per Pulse Rain Inch per Pulse 0 01 0 01 9 Use the item selectors to set your values and push the ENTER button to save your settings 34 NLC 100D Installation and troubleshooting Setting Hourly Maximum Rain and Rain Alarm Level The NLC allows for two precautions when you experience rain You can set a threshold value for how much it should rain before the rain alarm will be activated Here is how this calculation is done e Based on historical ET data for the area the controller knows how much water is evaporating per day during the current season e The NLC assumes that 75 of the daily ET is evaporating between 8AM and 8PM and the remaining 25 between 8PM and 8AM e When the amount of rain exceeds the rain alarm level you define the rain alarm is activated e Now based on the historical ET data the controller will calculate how much rain will evaporate and mapping this number against the known amount of fallen rain
10. Low current lt 9mA lt 17mA lt 25mA lt 34mA lt 42mA It is possible that one or Less than more decoders are not 15 connected correctly Try running the test program See Chapter 4 Running the Electrical Test on page 63 Normal 9 12mA 17 24mA 25 36mA 34 48mA 42 60mA Everything is fine the current system is looking healthy 15 20 High current 12 15mA 24 30mA 36 45mA 48 60mA 60 75mA You might have a problem 20 somewhere on the two wire 50 causing an excess consumption This is no more than the NLC can handle but you could be looking at problems that dramatically increase under more moist conditions see Chapter 5 Problems on the Two wire on page 81 Excessive gt 15mA gt 30mA gt 45mA gt 60mA gt 75mA This is a risky situation that current can interfere with the More than functionality of the NLC and 50 you should locate the problem in the field right away It will typically be a bad connection or a cable left open ended in the field Troubleshooting is identical to when locating short circuits in the field Chapter 5 When there is a Short Circuit in the Field on page 88 but the current will not be as excessive as when a short occurs 80 NLC 100D Installation and troubleshooting Problems on the Two wire It only takes seemingly innocent cracks in the cable insulation or connections to cause big problems If you remove the insulation on
11. TWO WIRE SHORT FINDING e SETUP SENSORS o SOLENOID AMPS DECODER PROGRAMMING 63 NLC 100D Installation and troubleshooting Now the display will look like this N NETAFIM Station Test Start frome STL 2 Use the item selectors to select a decoder and push the enter button to start the test If the decoder is ok the display will look something like this N NETAFIM Test of Station STL Station OmA 238mA In this case the decoder is pulling a current of 238mA to keep the valve open which is ok since this is typically in the 200 400 mA range If the decoder fails the display will look something like this 64 NLC 100D Installation and troubleshooting 4 NETAFIM Tast of Station STL Station OmA OmA If the decoder is not working correctly it is typically not pulling any current at all the current reading is 0 mA Special current readings from the decoder test Reading Meaning lmA 1mA There is a short on the terminal on the controller Important If you experience a short on the terminal and fix it you must restart the electrical test or all following decoders will appear to have a terminal short 2mA 2mA There is a situation of overload more than 2A for more than five minutes 3mA 3mA There is a blown fuse on the connect board Regardless of whether the decoder fails or turns out ok you move on t
12. button to save your selection and the SENSORS button to exit sensor configuration If you chose ET device Pulses you need to tell the controller how many inches to the current ET figure per pulse it receives please proceed to the next step default setting is 0 01 15 Turn the dial to ADVANCED PAUSE AIU RESUME STOP MANUAL SET DATE amp TIME OFF e e PROGRAM e e RAIN OFF C ee a RAIN ALARM STATUS WATER DAYS VIEW ALARMS START TIME VIEW ET amp RAIN WATER BUDGET ET VIEW MOISTURE SENSOR e PROGRAM STATUS SETUP SENSORS gt ADVANCED SOLENOID AMPS Now the display looks like this 24 NLC 100D Installation and troubleshooting N NETAFIM Advanced Setup 1 FloStack 16 Usethe item selectors to select 3 Intelliset and push the ENTER button Now you ll see the following screen N NETAFIM te te woe ET Moisture 1 ET 17 Select 6 Device Setup Now the display will look like this N NETAFIM t Device Setup 1 ET Input Method 25 NLC 100D Installation and troubleshooting 18 Select 2 ET and Rain Inch Pulse Settings Now you llsee something like this 4 NETAFIM ET Inch per Pulse Rain Inch per Pulse 0 01 0 01 19 Use the item selectors to set your values and push the ENTER button to save your settings Checking the Current Aggregated ET and Rain Every now and then you might want to check out h
13. in short test from the controller and if something seems wrong you can inspect the two wire in the field using either a clampmeter or the current tracker that ships with your NLC The Built in Short Test If you suspect your system to have a short somewhere in the field you can validate your suspicion by using the built in short test in the controller This test won t tell you anything you can t see if you ve configured the controller to display voltage and current in the display but it s the first step in the troubleshooting process Running the short test 1 Turn the dial to TWO WIRE SHORT FINDING 71 NLC 100D Installation and troubleshooting PAUSE AUTO RESUME STOP MANUAL SET DATE amp TIME OFF o PROGRAM J e RAIN OFF C RUN TIME RAIN ALARM STATUS WATER DAYS VIEW ALARMS START TIME VIEW ET amp RAIN WATER BUDGET ET VIEW MOISTURE SENSOR e PROGRAM STATUS e e SETUP SENSORS Se ADVANCED TWO WIRE SOLENOID AMPS SHORT FINDING DECODER PROGRAMMING 2 Now you ll be asked which test mode to run N NETAFIM Choose Short Finding Mode TCurrent tracker 450 Hz If you just want to view the voltage and current without following up with a field test it doesn t matter which you choose But if you want to follow up with the current tracker or a clampmeter in the field select the setting for the tool you are going to use 3 Inspect the measurements in the di
14. just 1 3 of an inch ona AWG14 cable both wires and immerse the cable in water the current can increase by 30mA If you immerse into salt water the current increases by as much as 170mA Obviously this means that just a handful of minor cracks in the insulation can add up to a substantial increase in the current reading and the problem in detecting these kinds of problems is that they seem to come and go depending on how moist the soil is Dealing with Unstable decoders If a decoder seems to fail randomly typical reasons include e The faulty decoder is not connected and placed in the field according to the instructions e You have increased the power used to activate decoders see Chapter 4 Increasing decoder Power on page 74 This means that you need to lower the number of simultaneously running decoder or all decoders might not work as intended giving a seemingly random problem depending on which schedule you are running e There are leaks in the insulation on your two wire when the soil is dry everything works just fine but when it gets more moist decoders seem to fall out randomly See Chapter 5 Checking Power and Current Readings on page 77 for more details e Incase you have a loop installation problems may occur if the loop is broken as the resistance between a decoder and the NLC can increase pushing up the power consumption 81 NLC 100D Installation and troubleshooting Normal Loop Broken
15. lug Ss Skul hei hw ic 0600 ee tee ne ie 2 Wire 2 Wire VDC ET Rain AUX 1A 1B 2A 2B DECODER PROGRAMMING Warning NLC 100D Installation and troubleshooting Connecting 2 wire There s room for connecting two cables directly to the controller the other line can be connected to the terminals labeled 2a 2s Both wires will receive the same signals when the controller is up and running 100mA SV 12V ov 16V i Dip switch voltage selector A 2B DECODER PROGRAMMING Master Valve cAc Gel cap 16 NLC 100D Installation and troubleshooting Connecting Sensors The NLC takes input from different sensor types ET devices rain sensors flow sensors and regular auxiliary alarms This sections shows you how to connect these sensors to the controller Connecting an ET Device The NLC supports ET in two ways 1 ET Enabled mode in which the controller just lets an external device tell it when to irrigate and when to stay passive In this mode the controller supports a WS ET device To make the controller receive instructions from an ET device connect the ET enable A from the device to the green terminals labeled ET 2 ET Pulses mode where you connect a weather station that continuously tells the controller how much water is evaporating Combined with the input
16. the NLC 1 Turn the dial to SETUP SENSORS PAUSE RESUME STOP SET DATE amp TIME OFF PROGRAM e e INN Ke aa e RUNTIME RAIN ALARM STATUS WATER DAYS VIEW ALARMS START TIME VIEW ET amp RAIN WATER BUDGET ET VIEW MOISTURE SENSOR e PROGRAM STATUS e SETUP SENSORS ADVANCED SOLENOID AMPS Now the display looks like this 40 NLC 100D Installation and troubleshooting N NETAFIM Sensor Setup krt SISET 2 Use the item selectors to select item number 3 Alarm Flow and you ll see the default setting for sensor setup Flow Pulses N NETAFIM ATZFI Sensor Setup Flow Pulses 3 Push the enter button to save your selection Now the NLC is ready to accept input from your flow sensor but before you can use it to anything meaningful you need to configure threshold values and actions read more in the next section Configuring for Flow Sensor Input In the previous section you enabled the NLC to accept flow sensor input now you need to configure what to do with it and this section walks you through the relevant procedures 41 NLC 100D Installation and troubleshooting Selecting Sensor Type By telling the NLC which type of sensor you are using the controller can calibrate the input it receives from the input terminals The NLC knows the calibration profiles for 12 different sensor types if you re not using one of these you ll have to skip to the next p
17. to that limit and the remaining water will be added to the ET figure for the following day 12 Turn the dial to SETUP SENSORS PAUSE AUO RESUME STOP MANUAL SET DATE amp TIME OFF o e o e PROGRAM RAINOFF RUNTIME RAIN ALARM STATUS WATER DAYS VIEW ALARMS START TIME VIEW ET amp RAIN WATER BUDGET ET VIEW MOISTURE SENSOR d PROGRAM STATUS 3 e SETUP SENSORS ADVANCED SOLENOID AMPS Now the display looks like this 22 NLC 100D Installation and troubleshooting N NETAFIM tt Sensor Setup 1 ET 13 Use the item selectors to select 1 ET and push the Now the display looks like this N NETAFIM ate she w ET device Pulses 14 Now you can choose between four settings ET device Pulses ENT ER button Select this if you use a connected ET device that provides dynamic ET data for the controller ET 300 W weather station ET enabled N O or N C If your ET device simply tells the controller whether to irrigate or not you need to tell the controller if the input is normally open N O or normally closed N C Whenever the device is then in the opposite mode the controller will hold its irrigation This is typically a WR7 Receiver 23 NLC 100D Installation and troubleshooting Disabled Don t use the ET input Use the item selectors to locate the setting you want and if you chose anything but ET device Pulses push the ENTER
18. C 100D Installation and troubleshooting N NETAFIM ET Moisture aa a 4 Select 4 Moisture Sensor Id Assign and push the ENT ER button Now the display looks like this N NETAFIM tkt Mo 1 Moisture Pro 5 Select 4 Moisture Sensor Id Assign and push the enter button Now the display looks like this e Moisture Select ID 4 53 NLC 100D Installation and troubleshooting The number of sensors available in the list depends on your license 6 Use the item selectors to choose the ID you wish to assign to the newly connected moisture sensor and push the ENTER button Now the controller will first check that there are no existing moisture sensors with the ID you chose 4 NETAFIM Programming moisture sensor with id 1 Checking existing Please Wait If no clashes in ID numbers are found the controller moves on to detect the new sensor 4 NETAFIM Programming moisture sensor with id 1 Checking new Please Wait If all goes well you will see the following message in the display 54 NLC 100D Installation and troubleshooting 4 NETAFIM Moisture Sensor Id Assign Assigning ID to sensor Once your moisture sensor has an ID you need to tell the controller what type of sensor it is and in which type of soil it is placed Follow this procedure to make the sensor known to the NLC Configuring a soil moisture sensor 1 Turn t
19. Checking for Problems at the Controller on page 95 Chapter 5 Phase II Locating a Faulty Branch in the Field on page 96 and Chapter 5 Phase Ill Performing a Binary Search on a Faulty Branch on page 98 Phase Checking for Problems at the Controller 1 Select which which type of probe Current Tracker or clampmeter you wish to use for troubleshooting See Chapter 4 The Built in Short Test on page 71 for instructions 2 Measure the current at the point where the two wire path is connected to the controller Measure on both wires in the two wire path and the entire two wire if you re using the Current Tracker Note down your readings as you ll use these for comparison if you 95 NLC 100D Installation and troubleshooting need to locate a faulty branch in the field Chapter 5 Phase II Locating a Faulty Branch in the Field on page 96 e If one of the cables connected to the NLC loops back to the controller you must open the loop before measuring e If more than one non looped cable is connected to the NLC you can already now determine which cable holds the short it will be the one with the highest current reading e f more than one non looped cable seem to hold a short detach all of them and connect and fix one cable at a time e If there is a significant difference between the reading on the two wires in a two wire the one wire might have a leak to earth or to the chassis of the NLC 3 If all readings in t
20. Loop R Resistance of two wire R Resistance of two wire D Decoder D Decoder The resistance between the decoder The resistance between the decoder and the NLC is 0 75 R and the NLC is 3 R To find out whether your loop is broken follow this procedure 1 Open the loop in one end if the loop goes all the way back to the NLC just detach one of the two wires on the controller 2 Perform an electrical test as described in Chapter 4 Running the Electrical Test on page 63 This will activate each in turn if you see decoders failing chances are that they are on a stretch of the two wire that has been orphaned by a break of the loop in the field 82 NLC 100D Installation and troubleshooting 3 If everything is still OK close the loop and open it in the other detach the opposite two wire of the one you just tried end and re run the test If the same decoders keep failing you should look at the instructions in Chapter 5 Dealing with Failing decoders on page 83 Dealing with Failing decoders More often than not what seems to be a faulty decoder is really a problem on the two wire between the decoder and the NLC since this is the most vulnerable part of your system The approach to troubleshooting failing decoders vary a bit depending on whether you just have one or several failures the following two sections talk about each scenario A Single decoder Fails If the failing decoder h
21. ME OFF 8 RAINOFF RUNTIME e PROGRAM e RAIN ALARM STATUS WATER DAYS VIEW ALARMS START TIME VIEW ET amp RAIN WATER BUDGET ET VIEW MOISTURE SENSOR e e PROGRAM STATUS gt e ADVANCED e TWO WIRE SOLENOID AMPS SHORT FINDING DECODER e SETUP SENSORS e PROGRAMMING Now the display looks like this 74 NLC 100D Installation and troubleshooting N NETAFIM Advanced Setup 1 Flostack 2 Scroll down to 9 Power Adjustment and push the ENTER button Now you ll be warned about the consequences of increasing decoder power N NETAFIM Chaning may limit no max active valves Press Enter to Accept Cancel to Reject Push the ENTER button to proceed now you ll see the following screen N NETAFIM Power Adjustments 1 Valve Power Adjustment 75 NLC 100D Installation and troubleshooting Scroll to the decoder type you wish to adjust the power for normal valve master valve or booster pump push the ENTER button and select between these four settings e Highest power e Higher power e High power e Normal power When changing the power setting you can see how may decoders can be run at the same time For example when changing the power setting for regular valves to Highest Power you can run a maximum of five simultaneous valves N NETAFIM Valve Power Adjustment Highest Power Max St on 5
22. P SENSORS e SOLENOID AMPS DECODER PROGRAMMING 2 Push the procram button locate the Test program called T and push the ENTER 3 Now you can set the time each valve should be pulled open and which decoder you wish to start from The interval must be between 10 and 990 seconds N NETAFIM Select program T Start With Station 1 Enter station test time in seconds 010 Once you ve set the interval time push the enrer button to start the test program 67 NLC 100D Installation and troubleshooting 4 Once the test program starts running you ll see each decoder activated in turn starting at the decoder you chose in the last step N NETAFIM Program T Station ST1 08 20 PM Remain 0 09 50 Remain 0 00 10 OGPM Testing Programs The easiest way to test whether a program is running correctly that is it activates the correct decoders master valves and booster pump relays is to try to run the program manually 68 NLC 100D Installation and troubleshooting Testing the Two wire Path When in AUTO or MANUAL mode the first indication that you might have a short or a fault somewhere on the two wire path is that the ine activity indicators the green and red LEDs on the controller will flicker or be not lit at all If the NLC senses a current leak somewhere the two wire path will move to 50Hz mode meaning that the LEDs will flicker extremely fast After a while you ll see an indica
23. as just been installed did you remember to assign an ID to it If the failing decoder has been known to work perform the electrical test Chapter 4 Running the Electrical Test on page 63 on the decoder in question and follow these guidelines If there s little or no reaction from the decoder e Put the NLC in Short Mode see Chapter 4 The Built in Short Test on page 71 go to the decoder in the field and perform these tests e Check wires and connections between the two wire the decoder and the solenoid See Chapter 5 Checking Connections on page 84 e Short circuit the two wire at the decoder and use either the Current Tracker or a clampmeter to check if power is still OK if this is the case the problem is in the decoder or solenoid and not on the two 83 NLC 100D Installation and troubleshooting wire between the decoder and the NLC See Chapter 5 Testing the path to a decoder on page 85 e Detach the solenoid and measure the resistance of the solenoid itself Compare this to another solenoid of the same type the resistance is typically 20 60 ohms If the resistance is significantly higher try replacing it e Take the decoder to the controller and perform a direct test before replacing it If the decoder fails with to high power reading e Check the two wire between the solenoid and the decoder for cracks in the insulation or bad connections e Detach the solenoid from the decoder and measure t
24. cable Using a clampmeter for short finding 1 Follow the first two steps of Chapter 4 Running the short test on page 71 and select Clampmeter 50 60Hz Set the clampmeter to 50 Hz mode or equivalent Setting it to Wide Range or similar modes might not work out Now start measuring the two wire from the controller and out You measure the two wire by placing the clampmeter around one of the wires in the two wire path When the measurement on the clampmeter is substantially lower than what you see in the controller display you ve passed the point of the short Locating the Short Before trying to locate the short in your system make sure you have the following Current Tracker clampmeter or both An as built drawing or equivalent knowledge of the cable layout for the two wire path Notably you need to know of all branches and loops The overall rule of thumb when looking for a short is that the current will move from the controller directly to the short and back This means that you can follow the current and eventually be led to the short 94 NLC 100D Installation and troubleshooting No current No current Short Test Mode No current Faulty decoder Troubleshooting falls into three phases and the following three procedures explain how you should go about locating the problem Walking through each procedure in turn should ensure efficient troubleshooting Chapter 5 Phase I
25. e Setup Now the display will look like this N NETAFIM Device Setup 1 ET Input Method Select 1 ET Input Method Now the display will look like this N NETAFIM reer ET Input Method tritt Local Weather Station Use the item selectors to select Local Weather station and push the ENT ER button 20 NLC 100D Installation and troubleshooting 7 Select 3 ET Base Setup from the menu and push the ENTER button Now you ll see the following screen N NETAFIM TtM ET Base Setup Program TOL 0 20 8 For each program use the item selectors to determine how many inches of water the program will provide when running at a 100 water budget The controller needs this in order to re calculate run times based on ET corrections Push the ENTER button to save the value 9 Push the CANCEL button once to return to the main Intelliset menu 10 Use the item selectors to select 2 ET Limits Min and Max and push the ENTER button Now you ll see the following screen 21 NLC 100D Installation and troubleshooting NETAFIM Minimum ET Maximum ET 0 00 0 00 11 Now use the item selectors to determine the two values and push ENTER to save your settings e Minimum ET The ET figure must exceed this value in order for the controller to irrigate at all e Maximum ET Ifthe ET balance for a program exceeds this value the program will only irrigate
26. eceeeeeeeeceeseeees 39 Enabling Flow Sensor Input pulses ccccccccccceceeeeeeeeeeeseeseeseeeeeeeeeeeeeeees 40 Enabling flow sensor pulse input in the NLC sssssssssssssesseesrerseessrereesssenes 40 Configuring for Flow Sensor Input s s ssssssssnsssrrerrreerrrrrensresressrrrrrrsrrrerreeeree 41 NLC 100D Installation and troubleshooting Selecting Sensor Type zae ee calectulenversducens a gereweendaceasteveeniwcusbeneoodeanenbeetes 42 Using a built in calibration profile s seeessssssessssseneesrerreesssrressssrsrrsssseee 42 Setting the Flow Sensor Adjustment sesssssssssssssrrsesrrrrrresssrreeeseereessss 46 Adjusting the flow sensor input sesssssssseessssseesssrsresssrrrrrresererreesssreessss 46 Viewing the Current FIOW areena eante enaere e etae aeae aaa a e Raae aSr e aeina 47 Saia A aN A EE E A ET 49 Connecting a Moisture Sensor essesssessssssesessessrresrsrrsrressrresresrerresseseereseesreeees 50 Connecting Configuring and Using Moisture Sensors ccccccceeeeeeeeeeeeeeees 50 Connecting and configuring a moisture SENSOF esessssssessssssesssrsresssrseesss 51 Assigning an ID to a soil moisture Sensor ees seessssssesssssrrrrerrrrrresrrereeesse 51 Configuring a soil moisture Sensor s seesssessesssersesssssrnsssrsrrrreerrrrreeeserree 55 Chapter 3 Entering Moisture Sensor LiC NS cccccccccceceessssecececesesssaeseeececeaeseeeesceesesaaeees 59 Chapter 4 Troubleshooting from
27. ed units you may use around 115 140mA Here are a couple of practical scenarios and how to deal with them If the power reading is below 25V The field installation is consuming so much power that the NLC has lowered the power on the two wire and you should go locate the problem in the field SeeChapter 5 When there is a Short Circuit in the Field on page 88 If the power reading is between 25V and 31V 78 NLC 100D Installation and troubleshooting This is abnormal The NLC will keep running normally but there s a probability you have a short somewhere you should go locate the problem in the field See Chapter 5 When there is a Short Circuit in the Field on page 88 If the power reading is between 31V and 35V when no decoders are running In this range you must inspect the current to estimate the health of your system Chapter 5 Scenarios with power readings between 31V and 35V on page 80 tries to give you an idea of whether or not your system is behaving as expected You calculate the expected current as 0 5mA x lt number of decoders gt Though no decoder consumes exactly 0 5mA the figures even out the more decoders you have connected to your system 79 NLC 100D Installation and troubleshooting Scenarios with power readings between 31V and 35V Current Current could be in these ranges depending on State the number of connected decoders 20 40 60 80 100
28. electric drill Before you start mounting the controller you should remove the lower front plate inside the controller cabinet 11 NLC 100D Installation and troubleshooting Marking up the mounting holes 1 Make sure the bracket is in level Mark up the mounting holes 12 NLC 100D Installation and troubleshooting Use a pen to put marks on the wall through the hole in the back of the controller cabinet If you re placing the controller on a concrete wall take down the controller drill out the hole put in the wall anchor and put back the controller on the wall Fasten the screw in the wall through the holes in the back of the controller cabinet 13 NLC 100D Installation and troubleshooting Now the controller should be mounted firmly on the wall After mounting the controller it s time to connect the power and connect boards follow the instructions in the next section to do this Connecting the Controller You need to connect two lines to the controller the power line and the two wire path Warning You connect the two wire by running it through a hole in the bottom of the controller cabinet and fastening it to the two wire terminals 1a 18 using a flat head screw driver 14 NLC 100D Installation and troubleshooting Grounding the Controller To secure your NLC against lightning you must ensure that the controller is grounded through a ground rod connected to the ground
29. first two steps of Chapter 4 Running the short test on page 71 and select Current tracker 450Hz 2 Connect the current tracker to your voltmeter Red line to red termnial black line to black termnial 3 Expect to be measuring somewhere in the range 10 200 mV DC and set the voltmeter accordingly the closest higher setting Typical settings are 100 or 200 mV 4 4 Now start measuring the two wire from the controller and out You measure the two wire by placing the cable between the two blades on the current tracker and checking the voltmeter If the voltmeter shows nothing you ve passed the point of the short 92 NLC 100D Installation and troubleshooting Rotating the current tracker around the two wire _ Two wire path ae Current To voltmeter Sd Tracker Ideally you should rotate the current tracker around the individual wires inside the two wire do this if enough plastic is stripped off the two wire Now you can work your way through the entire two wire installation to locate the point where you can no longer pick up the signal Hereby you should be able to locate precisely where the short is at 93 NLC 100D Installation and troubleshooting Using a Clampmeter Instead of the current tracker that ships with the NLC you can use a clampmeter to locate a short You need physical access to the two wire or at least parts of it since the clampmeter measures directly on the individual wires in the
30. from a rain sensor the controller will then on its own figure out how much to irrigate Running in this mode you still just connect the weather station to the ET terminals eeeeeece Saas i oe aes 2 Wire 2 Wire O VDC Rain AUX 1A 1B 2A 2B DECODER PROGRAMMING 17 NLC 100D Installation and troubleshooting Using a Connected Device weather station Connecting an ET device on site gives you the most accurate adjustments as the ET device will monitor the exact weather condition right where irrigation will take place Configuring ET Input 1 Before moving on make sure you have connected the ET device 2 Turn the dial to ADVANCED 18 NLC 100D Installation and troubleshooting AUTO PAUSE RESUME STOP MANUAL SET DATE amp TIME a Ne ee e PROGRAM RAINOFF RUNTIME RAIN ALARM STATUS WATER DAYS VIEW ALARMS START TIME VIEW ET amp RAIN WATER BUDGET ET VIEW MOISTURE SENSOR e e PROGRAM STATUS SETUP SENSORS ADVANCED SOLENOID AMPS Now the display looks like this N NETAFIM Advanced Setup 1 FloStack 3 Use the item selectors to select 3 Intelliset and push the ENTER button Now you ll see the following screen 19 NLC 100D Installation and troubleshooting 4 5 6 N NETAFIM w ET Moisture 1 ET Select 6 Devic
31. hat will open when any program or decoder is run You typically assign master valve status to the valve controlling access to municipal water or pumping decoder Up to 10 moisture sensors that can monitor soil moisture and adjust irrigation accordingly 10 NLC 100D Installation and troubleshooting Chapter 2 System Installation Mounting the Controller Though the NLC is designed to resist both rain and direct sun light you should place it in a friendlier environment if possible Installing the NLC inside a utility room or a shed is the perfect solution but if this is not possible try to place it somewhere dry and out of sight Furthermore make sure that you place the controller in a location that meets these requirements e The controller must have access to 120 VAC e You must be able to connect all cables to the controller at the location e To minimize electromagnetic interference make sure that the controller is placed at least 15 feet away from any high draw motors like air conditioners refrigerators pool pumps etc Once you ve designated a suitable location for the controller you re ready to mount it on the wall or whatever vertical surface you have chosen Here s what you are going to need in order to mount the controller properly e Ascrew driver that matches the above screws e Apen ora marker to mark up where to put the screws e If you re mounting the controller on a concrete wall you will need an
32. he dial to ADVANCED PAUSE AUTO Resume STOP MANUAL SET DATE amp TIME OFF e A PROGRAM RAIN OFF RUNTIME RAIN ALARM STATUS WATER DAYS VIEW ALARMS START TIME VIEW ET amp RAIN WATER BUDGET ET VIEW MOISTURE SENSOR PROGRAM STATUS e SETUP SENSORS ADVANCED SOLENOID AMPS Now the display looks like this 55 NLC 100D Installation and troubleshooting 2 3 N NETAFIM Advanced Setup 1 Flostack w Use the item selectors to select 3 Intelliset and push the ENTER button Now you ll see the following screen 4 NETAFIM te te woe ET Moisture 1587 we Select 2 Moisture and push the ENT ER button Now the display looks like this N NETAFIM Moisture 1 Moisture Program Settings 56 NLC 100D Installation and troubleshooting 4 Select 2 Moisture Sensor Setup and push the ENTER button Now the display looks like this 4 NETAFIM Id Enabled f 1 Enable Type SMS 100 1 andard 5 Use the item selectors to select the ID of the sensor you wish to configure You assigned the ID in the previous procedure For more information turn to Capter 2 Assigning an ID to a soil moisture sensor on page 51 and then adjust each column Column Description Enable Whether the moisture sensor should be enabled or not Type The type of sensor associated with the ID Supported se
33. he previous step seem OK or maybe even a bit lower than expected you could be looking at at error in the controller itself To find out if this is the case detach all two wire paths connected to the controller and check the power and current reading If it is around 32 35V and 0 3mA the controller is OK otherwise it is defect Phase II Locating a Faulty Branch in the Field 96 NLC 100D Installation and troubleshooting Controller 1 Measure in Junction 1 J1 If you get no readings from either branch the problem is on the part of the two wire leading back to the NLC perform a binary search on this part of the cable See Chapter 5 Phase III Performing a Binary Search on a Faulty Branch on page 98 If your readings on one of the branches are the same as when measuring at the controller This is the first thing you do when troubleshooting the two wire see instructions in Chapter 5 Phase l Checking for Problems at the Controller on page 95 you move on 97 NLC 100D Installation and troubleshooting further out one branch at a time measuring in every fork you meet J2 J3 J4 etc until you locate the faulty branch If you reach a branch that is looped back to the two wire elsewhere make sure to open the loop before measuring or you won t detect the faulty branch e If you have a decoder attached to the junction itself make sure you measure on that as well as the decoder and not the tw
34. he resistance of the solenoid itself If the resistance less than expected it might be damaged by lightning or it might have a leak Try replacing the solenoid e Take the decoder to the controller and perform a direct test before replacing it Checking Connections 84 NLC 100D Installation and troubleshooting 2 7 A Check circled connections 1 Sae Testing the path to a decoder Short cicuit the two wire here Short Test Controller Mode Several decoders Fail Here is a checklist if multiple decoders fail If two decoders are configured with identical IDs you can get a rather confusing behavior in the system Imagine the following scenario We consider two decoders M and N NLC 100D Installation and troubleshooting e You have configured decoder M to have the ID ST20 e decoder N should have been called ST21 but by mistake you configured this to be ST20 as well When you The following happens Because Try to activate ST20 M and or N might fail to open Since both decoders think they re ST20 they ll both try to open If you re lucky there s enough current on the two wire to pull open both but depending on the current and the resistance in the solenoids one or both can fail to open If Try to activate ST21 Both M and N fail to open None of the decoders react to ST21 s
35. ince they both think they are ST20 If you re dealing with a new installation and the failing decoders seem to be spread randomly in the field you could be looking at solenoids with built in diodes on this type of solenoid it is significant which one of the wires in the cables are connected to what see Chapter 5 A Single decoder Fails on page 83 for more details e If the failing decoders are located on the same dead end branch of your two wire chances are that the connection to the branch is faulty If all decoders from a point on a branch and outwards fail decoders 9 and 10 in the illustration below measure the connection to each decoder until you reach the point of failure 86 NLC 100D Installation and troubleshooting Checking a branch If decoders 7 8 and 9 work fine but decoder 10 and outwards are not working measure the connections to decoders 9 and 10 Pe If entire branch N fails measure in I these two points If all connections seem ok the two wire itself might be damaged things to look for along the two wire e Any signs of digging in the ground Wild animals and staff under equal suspicion here e Has any other kind of machinery been at work and unknowingly penetrated the two wire e Check all transitions where the cable runs from underground to over ground from soil to pipes etc 87 NLC 100D Installation and troubleshooting When there is a Short Ci
36. magine that current is running at decoder 1but no current is running at decoder 25 To start the binary search we measure in the middle at point A 1 You measure in point A and find that the current is running Now you know that the problem is somewhere between decoder 12 and 25 2 You measure in point B and find no current This means that you re in the dead half of the cable the problem is somewhere between decoder 12 and 19 3 You measure in point C and find that the current is running The problem must be between decoder 15 and 19 4 You find no current in point D the problem is narrowed down to between decoder 15 and 17 just one more reading will tell you for sure where the problem is 5 Since you find the current in E to be OK the problem must be between decoder 16 and 17 e If you don t want to replace the entire cable between decoders 16 and 17 it might be a longer stretch you can perform a new binary 99 NLC 100D Installation and troubleshooting search on the cable itself using either a clampmeter or the Current Tracker 100 GROW MORE WITH LESS N NETAFIM NETAFIM USA 5470 E Home Ave Fresno CA 93727 CS 888 638 2346 www netafimusa com
37. nly concerned with two specific commands start and stop Depending on whether they are attached to an irrigation valve a booster pump relay or a master valve the decoders will start and stop the device according to the instructions they get over the two wire path Irrigation Features Here are the main features that the NLC utilizes to help you automate your irrigation Controls up to 100 field decoders attached to valves or relays Provides ET corrected irrigation for optimal adjusted water consumption Measures water flow and raises alarms or halts irrigation on unexpected flow Operates over as much as 6000 feet of AWG16 cable Allows for 10 independent irrigation programs In addition there is a fixed test program that activates all 100 decoders in turn A program can activate up to 100 decoders in named order Each decoder can run for up to 17 59 50 In fact you can boost this even further by increasing the water budget Each program can activate a one or more booster pumps in addition to the decoders All programs have 12 start times per day All programs can run simultaneously You configure each program to run on any selection of days in a 14 day period or on odd even dates You can activate one or more valves or programs manually while one or more programs are running up to a total of 12 simultaneously running valves NLC 100D Installation and troubleshooting A master valve can be selected t
38. nsors are e SMS 100 Soil type The type of soil in which the sensor is placed Options are e Clay e Sand e Loam e Standard 6 Push the enter button to save your configuration 7 Repeat steps five and six for all sensors you wish to configure Now the moisture sensors are ready to use and the next sections go into detail on how you assign them to control your irrigation schedules 57 NLC 100D Installation and troubleshooting 58 NLC 100D Installation and troubleshooting Chapter 3 Entering Moisture Sensor License 1 Turn the dial to apvancep AUTO PAUSE resume STOP MANUAL SET DATE amp TIME OFF PROGRAM ANC A RUNTIME RAIN ALARM STATUS WATER DAYS VIEW ALARMS START TIME VIEW ET amp RAIN WATER BUDGET ET VIEW MOISTURE SENSOR e PROGRAM STATUS d J ADVANCED TWO WIRE SHORT FINDING d SETUP SENSORS e SOLENOID AMPS DECODER PROGRAMMING Now the display looks like this N NETAFIM Advanced Setup 1 FloStack 59 NLC 100D Installation and troubleshooting 4 NETAFIM License setup ID 0200 00F8 14D7 A89E Moisture Sens 3 Keyi FFFFFFFFFF 1 Select 9 License and you will see a display like this your ID will be different 2 If you have a license for moisture sensors push the up arrow key to locate the line for moisture sensor license code 4 NETAFIM License setup ID 0200 00F8 14D7 A89E Moistu
39. o testing the next decoder in line by pushing the ENTER button 65 NLC 100D Installation and troubleshooting Testing Individual Decoders There are two ways to test if a single decoder is working correctly 1 If you have physical access to the decoder you can detach it from the two wire take it to the controller and perform a decoder test as described in Chapter 4 Testing decoders on page 63 If this test fails the decoder must be replaced 2 Ifyou don t have access to the decoder maybe it s buried in the landscape you can run the test program see Chapter 4 Running the Electrical Test on page 63 Start the test at the decoder you wish to test and then exit it afterwards by turning the mode selector to another mode or pushing the CANCEL button Running the Water Test The water test is a built in program that will activate all 100 decoder identities in the system in turn This way you can walk through the landscape and ensure that all decoders are actually pulling the valves open Running the test program 1 Turn the dial to manuat 66 NLC 100D Installation and troubleshooting PAUSE AUTO RESUME STOP MANUAL SET DATE amp TIME p o OFF e PROGRAM J e RAIN OFF RUNTIME RAIN ALARM STATUS WATER DAYS VIEW ALARMS START TIME VIEW ET amp RAIN WATER BUDGET ET VIEW MOISTURE SENSOR e PROGRAM STATUS e e ADVANCED TWO WIRE SHORT FINDING e SETU
40. o wire could be the problem e If you get readings on both branches after the junction but they are significantly lower than at the controller you have problems on the two wire on both the stretch from the controller to the junction and further out as well Detach the junction and start by finding the problem on the stretch from the controller then attach the junction again and work on each branch 2 When you locate the faulty branch move on and perform a binary search on the branch as explained in Chapter 5 Phase III Performing a Binary Search on a Faulty Branch on page 98 Phase III Performing a Binary Search on a Faulty Branch A binary search can help you locate a problem on the two wire in a structured manner The concept of a binary search is this Find a point on the cable where you know for sure current is running Find another point where there is little or no current Now measure in the middle between these two points If you measure current in the middle you know for sure that there is no problem between the middle and the point where you know current is running the problem must be in the other half and you can now repeat this approach at the other half 98 NLC 100D Installation and troubleshooting After measuring in each point you will know that the problem is between the dots e _e D o E eo Looking at the graphic below we i
41. ociation between readings on the controller and the readings from the Current Tracker Little sensitivity when measuring around the entire two wire path typically 50 100mA Reading depends on the angle between the Current Tracker and the two wire Other powered up cables can affect the reading Optimized for 450Hz troubleshooting mode 90 NLC 100D Installation and troubleshooting Strengths Weaknesses Clampmeter Can only measure around Can not measure around current individual wires in the two wire the entire two wire path leakage meter path Relatively expensive Very accurate Optimized for 50 60Hz Good association between mode normal mode readings on the controller and the clampmeter Very sensitive will detect changes in the range of 1mA Doesn t depend on being held in the right angle Not sensitive to other power cables in the surroundings Using a Current Tracker The current tracker is used to inspect the two wire in the landscape in order to locate shorts You need physical access to the two wire or at least parts of it since the current tracker measures directly on the cable NLC 100D Installation and troubleshooting To use the current tracker you need a voltmeter The voltmeter must be able to measure up to 200 mV DC usually an inexpensive model from your local electric supply store is sufficient Locating a short on the two wire 1 Follow the
42. oller aty all si Soe Ste P KS RS 44 gt S als aly A 2 z QF Se Rs S ay ay gt In contrast this is how the above system would look using a conventional irrigation system that needs a dedicated cable to each individual valve NLC 100D Installation and troubleshooting Conventional layout Vp aly av av a a i p p PE A ws we VW Vp Vp X a a Qe e202 aLe Controller Yy Vp al SS Sif gt 02 eS ee we g y Sy aty SE oO oO q dy gt ay I gt SA N The two wire technology has several obvious advantages over a conventional system e Ease of installation You are only handling one roll of wire e Ease of expansion When you need to add a decoder in the field you don t have to dig in a new cable and risk damaging the existing web of cables already in the ground you simply attach the new decoder to the existing cable e Cost reduction You save money on expensive copper cable using 20 compared to traditional cabling The Controller The heart of a two wire system is the controller This is a microprocessor controlled device that stores your irrigation programs and sends signals on the two wire path telling the individual decoders in the field when to activate their valve In the case of NLC the controller doubles as a decoder programmer allowing you to manage the identities of all decoders in your system NLC 100D Installation and troubleshooting The decoders decoders in an NLC system are mai
43. ow much rain has fallen or how much water has evaporated the NLC has a screen that shows you the accumulated values in real time Reading current aggregated ET and Rain figures 1 Turn the dial to ADVANCED 26 NLC 100D Installation and troubleshooting AUTO PAUSE RESUME STOP MANUAL SET DATE amp TIME a Ne ee e PROGRAM RAINOFF RUNTIME RAIN ALARM STATUS WATER DAYS VIEW ALARMS START TIME VIEW ET amp RAIN WATER BUDGET ET VIEW MOISTURE SENSOR e e PROGRAM STATUS SETUP SENSORS ADVANCED SOLENOID AMPS Now the display looks like this N NETAFIM Advanced Setup 1 FloStack 2 Use the item selectors to select 3 Intelliset and push the ENTER button Now you ll see the following screen 27 NLC 100D Installation and troubleshooting N NETAFIM ET Moisture 1 ET 3 Select1 Current Accumulated ET and Rain from the menu and push the ENTER button Now you ll see the following screen N NETAFIM Current Rain Current ET Hour 0 07 Day 0 07 0 00 Corr 0 00 These figures will be reset at midnight when they ll be used to calculate tomorrow s ET budget 28 NLC 100D Installation and troubleshooting Connecting a Rain Sensor You can connect a rain sensor pulse or switch to the NLC via the grey terminals labeled Rain 8899 89 i oo 99 O VDC
44. rcuit in the Field A clean short circuit in the field direct connection between the two wires in the two wire path with zero Ohms resistance will cause the NLC to put up the following warning NETAFIM Short Curcuit sensor 09 58 PM But you can t always be sure that the NLC will be able to detect a short circuit in the field if the short is in the far end of the cabling the controller may just experience it as heavy usage However the current reading will always reveal a short as the current will be significantly higher than normal Could exceed the expected value with 100mA or more 88 NLC 100D Installation and troubleshooting Typically a short circuit in the field is either a problem with the two wire itself cracks in the insulation bad connections etc or consequences of lightning striking the system damaging decoders solenoids or other electronics attached to the two wire Either way you will need a Current Tracker purchased separately or a regular clampmeter current leakage meter Both are good troubleshooting tools but have different strengths and weaknesses 89 NLC 100D Installation and troubleshooting Strengths Weaknesses Current Tracker Can measure around the entire two wire path or individual wires in the cable Very sensitive when measuring individual wires Requires an additional voltmeter a cheap piece of hardware though No direct ass
45. re Sens 3 Key FRFFFFFFFFF Press the ENTER button once and the first license key character starts blinking Now you can use arrow keys to select the right characters and the right arrow to move on to the next character 60 NLC 100D Installation and troubleshooting If your license code is correct you will see a message like the following 4 NETAFIM License verified moisture sensors 3 Press any key to continue In this case the license is valid for three moisture sensors 61 NLC 100D Installation and troubleshooting 62 NLC 100D Installation and troubleshooting Chapter 4 Troubleshooting from the Controller Testing decoders This section describes the various ways you can troubleshoot your controller and decoders Running the Electrical Test The NLC has a built in test that will activate each decoder in turn for just one second in order to check if they are responding correctly The decoders must be connected to the solenoids that activate valves in the landscape and the test can tell whether the decoders and solenoids are working correctly in conjunction Running the decoder test 1 Turn the dial to SOLENOID AMPS PAUSE AUTO Resume STOP MANUAL SET DATE amp TIME OFF A o e Z PROGRAM RAIN OFF RUNTIME RAIN ALARM STATUS WATER DAYS VIEW ALARMS START TIME VIEW ET amp RAIN WATER BUDGET ET VIEW MOISTURE SENSOR d o PROGRAM STATUS e e ADVANCED
46. rocedure to perform a manual calibration for your sensor Using a known sensor type to enable a built in profile Using a built in calibration profile 1 Turn the dial to ADVANCED use the item selectors to scroll to item number 3 FloGuard and push the ENTER button Now you ll see this display N NETAFIM FloGuard 1 Station Status 2 Select 4 Flow Sensor Setup and push the ENTER button Now you ll see this display 42 NLC 100D Installation and troubleshooting NETAFIM Flow l eI Sie Senso 3 Choose1 Flow Sensor Type by pushing the ENTER button Now you ll see this display N NETAFIM www Select Flow Sensor Type 11 5 RS 4 Use the item selectors to select one of the 13 built in profiles e 1 RS e 1 PDH e 1 5 RS e 1 5 PDH e 2 RS e 2 PDH e 3 RS e 3 PDH 43 NLC 100D Installation and troubleshooting e 4 RS e 4 PDH e 6 RS e 6 PDH e Custom 5 Push the ENTER button to save your selection If your sensor doesn t fit any of the built in profiles you have to enter your own manually Using a custom calibration profile 1 Turn the dial to ADVANCED use the item selectors to scroll to item number 3 FloGuard and push the enter button Now you ll see this display N NETAFIM FloGuard 1 Station Status 2 Select 4 Flow Sensor Setup and push the enter button Now you ll
47. see this display 44 NLC 100D Installation and troubleshooting N NETAFIM Flow Sensor Setup 1 Flow Sensor Type 3 Use the item selectors to locate the Custom option and select it by pressing the ENTER button Now you ll see the calibration screen N NETAFIM Flow Sensor Calibration K factor 000 000 offset 4000 000 ActualFlow K Pulses Offset About the two values you need to enter e The Offset value is to correct the input from your sensor 45 NLC 100D Installation and troubleshooting e The K value can be looked up in the data sheet for your sensor 4 Use the item selectors to enter your values and push the ENTER button to save your settings Setting the Flow Sensor Adjustment If you want to calibrate your flow sensor you can use the sensor adjustment to multiply the values from your sensor with anything between 0 00 and 9 99 This comes in handy if you have a standard sensor that behaves slightly different than the built in profile calculates Adjusting the flow sensor input 1 Turn the dial to ADVANCED use the item selectors to scroll to item number 3 FloGuard and push the ENTER button Now you ll see this display N NETAFIM FloGuard 1 Station Status 2 Select 4 Flow Sensor Setup and push the ENTER button 46 NLC 100D Installation and troubleshooting Now you ll see this display
48. sexavesens a E E EER 94 Phase l Checking for Problems at the Controller ccccccseseeeeees 95 Phase II Locating a Faulty Branch in the Field cccccccssesssseeeeees 96 Phase Ill Performing a Binary Search on a Faulty Branch 98 NLC 100D Installation and troubleshooting NLC 100D Installation and troubleshooting Chapter 1 Introduction The NLC is a microprocessor based irrigation control system A central controller and up to 100 field decoders comprise a complete system In addition the controller will accept input from several external sensors in order to adjust its irrigation to the local weather conditions Communication between the controller and the decoders happens over a two wire path Depending on the signal from the controller the decoders each activate or deactivate a valve The controller signals to the decoders based on configurable schedules eliminating the need for human interaction when the park garden or other surroundings need watering once set up the NLC runs on its own The Two wire Technology The NLC uses two wire transmission technology to tell the decoders when to act This means that instead of laying out a cable to each individual valve just one or two single cables are laid out and the decoders all connect to the same cable s Two wire layout 2 gt vy aty aty So sO S02 p aS CNS aye aye Ve Ve Vp gt 92 gt 02 an ay gy gt I gt Contr
49. splay e If the two wire is ok the voltage will be relatively high 34 35V and the current relatively low In a test setup this is what it looked like 72 NLC 100D Installation and troubleshooting N NETAFIM aga 10 90 AM Current tr 450HzZ Line 35V 9mA The voltage is 35V and the current is 9mA In addition the line activity indicator LEDs will be constantly lit e If there is a short somewhere in the system the voltage current relationship is reversed and you ll see a relatively high current and lower voltage instead Now the voltage is OV and the current is 229mA something is causing the system to use a lot of current In addition if the voltage is very low the line activity indicator LEDs will both be out e If the voltage is just slightly lower than normal 31 35V you should consult Chapter 5 Scenarios with power readings between 31V and 35V on page 80 73 NLC 100D Installation and troubleshooting If you find that there s a short in your system you should try to locate it using a clampmeter or the current tracker that ships with your NLC Check out Chapter 5 When there is a Short Circuit in the Field on page 88 for instructions on doing this Increasing decoder Power In case the decoders are not giving out enough power for the valves or pumps to pull open it is possible to increase the power 1 Turn the dial to ADVANCED PAUSE AUG resume STOP MANUAL SET DATE amp TI
50. th power readings between 31V and 35V ccceeeeees 80 NLC 100D Installation and troubleshooting Problems On the TWO WIre ou eeeecesecnecceeeeeeseeessseenaaeeeeeeseeeeseeeseesaeaneeess 81 Dealing with Unstable decoders cccccsssseececeeeseeceeceeeeeeeeseeeeeeeesseeeeeeseeees 81 Dealing with Failing decoders ccecccccccsesscccceeeeseecceeeeeeecceeeeseeeeeeeeaeees 83 A Single decoder Fails emeari ari aii 83 If there s little or no reaction from the decoder eere 83 If the decoder fails with to high power reading c ccccccccsessseeeeeees 84 Checking CONNECTIONS c ccccccccesssssececececeessseseeccecsesesaecesceesestaaeeeeees 84 Testing the path to a decoder ooo ceccccesssecececeessssseeeeeceeseaseeeeesceeee 85 Several decoders Fail iss tsossculecciscsosssusbbesteiethocatdveds E E E OTER A 85 C elke a Dra nh awicececscevecedhed sisieseeen cdesscduissunwesis socgestnncra casey stundensesents 87 When there is a Short Circuit in the Field ee eeeeeeeeeeessnneeaeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeees 88 Using a Current Tracker ceser eneren ierre iire arkaa t E iea 91 Locating a short on the two wire ee esssssesssesissserserrsssesrrereesesrsereese 92 Rotating the current tracker around the two wire ssessessessssseere 93 Using a Cla MPMete lr sutsnccnraenecnn ne ea u a e a a aeie 94 Using a clampmeter for short finding ccccccsssseceeecessessaeeeeeeeees 94 LOCating th E SHOFis 4 ssasductescececoess
51. the Controller ssesssssssssesssererssssserersessrsererrsssesreesessesreee 63 aE A Eae E EA E A M E A AA A A ET 63 Running the Electrical Test ccccccccccssssecccceeeseeecccseeeeeecceceeeseeeceesenees 63 Running the decoder test cccccccccecsesssseceeceeseseeeeseeeceeseeeeaeeeeceeees 63 Special current readings from the decoder test ccccessseeeeeeeeeees 65 Testing Individual Decoders ccccceeeeececceeeeeeeecceeeeseeeceseeeeeeeeesseeeesceeeees 66 Running the Water Test asic desetetish der eee i veahaein ee aves 66 Running the test Program cccccccssecccccececsecccceeeeseeecceeseeeeceeeseeeeeceeeeeees 66 Testing Programs wise cershscdsdedonvecbeedoadsccactusncduhescendvondduececdbtce tats geduesdcusedweatenstdees 68 Testing the Two wire Path ccccccccscsssscccccceeeeeceesseeeescceeseaeesceeesseaaeceeesseaaesees 69 Making the controller display voltage CUrrent c ccssceeseeeseceeeees 70 The Built in Short Test 3s sistas eteacdiei aac eeca ved meettcenteecavendbbaevavecdheacde 71 RUNNING THe short TEST as renren e r r EEEE EE E E et 71 Increasing decoder POWED ee sssssssssssreseesrerseessssrresssesrrssrsrrrrsssterreessrereeseseeeesss 74 Chapter 5 Troubleshooting in the field snoseensensnssesseesessesssereesssssressssesererersrssesererssseerrees 77 Checking Power and Current Readings cccccccccssseseececceeeeeccseaeeeeeeceseeeees 77 Scenarios wi
52. the controller will intelligently know when it is safe to turn off the rain alarm i e when enough rain has evaporated that we are below your defined alarm level e The soil holding value is also a parameter since you can never benefit from more rain than the soil is capable of holding the rain alarm will not stay on forever after a few days of intensive rain e If it rains intensively for more than an hour you may get so much water that the soil can not benefit from all of it the excess water will simply run off the surface So if you run programs in ET 35 NLC 100D Installation and troubleshooting corrected mode the controller won t subtract all of the rain from tomorrow s ET figure it will cut off the amount of rain to subtract at the hourly maximum Example If the hourly maximum is 0 02 and it rains 0 03 per hour for three hours only 0 06 and not 0 09 will be subtracted from tomorrow s ET budget See more in the NCL User Manual Setting the Hourly Max Rain and Rain Alarm Level 1 Turn the dial to ADVANCED SE Resume STOP MANUAL OFF RAIN OFF RAIN ALARM STATUS VIEW ALARMS VIEW ET amp RAIN VIEW MOISTURE SENSOR SETUP SENSORS SOLENOID AMPS Now the display looks like this SET DATE amp TIME PROGRAM RUNTIME WATER DAYS START TIME WATER BUDGET ET PROGRAM STATUS ADVANCED 36 NLC 100D Installation and troubleshooting N NETAFIM
53. tion in the lower part of the display that a short occurred 4 NETAFIM Short Curcuit sensor 09 58 PM If the leak is severe current more than 600 650mA the LEDs will turn off due to the loss of power However current will still be running on the two wire 69 NLC 100D Installation and troubleshooting Making the controller display voltage current 1 Turn the dial to ADVANCED PAUSE AUO resume STOP MANUAL SET DATE amp TIME OFF e e RAIN OFF RUNTIME RAIN ALARM STATUS WATER DAYS o PROGRAM e VIEW ALARMS START TIME VIEW ET amp RAIN WATER BUDGET ET VIEW MOISTURE SENSOR e PROGRAM STATUS J D SETUP SENSORS e J ADVANCED TWO WIRE SOLENOID AMPS SHORT FINDING DECODER PROGRAMMING Now the display looks like this 4 NETAFIM Advanced Setup 1 FloStack 2 Select 8 Enable Disable line V mA display and push the ENTER button 3 Use the item selectors to select Enable and push the ENTER again 70 NLC 100D Installation and troubleshooting When you return to either auto or manuaL mode you ll see the line status in the upper right hand corner N NETAFIM Manual Operations 35V 10m Select Program or Station Unfortunately there isn t enough room in the display to list the current with the full mA suffix only an m could fit in There are two stages of testing the two wire for shorts you can run a built
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