Troubleshooting the RC Controller
Contents
1. open Remember the button of the micro switch should not be depressed until the program pin is locked into position to activate the switch To adjust the micro switches see baow Adjusting micro switchesin your RC Controller To adjust RC Controller hour day dial micro switches NA L Loosen the two screws holding the switch bracket to the front panel 2 Pull out all but four equally soaced day or hour pins on each dial 3 Set each switch bracket so the four pins remaining barely touch the surface of the switch breaker arm before coming into contact with the ramp 4 Tighten both mounting screws while holding the switch bracket in place to prevent shifting 5 Pull out the remaining four pins on each dial All retracted pins should clear the y 32 switch bracket actuator arm To adjust RC Controller station timing micro switches For course adjustment loosen the righthand mounting screw rotate the station dial to rest position and turn the adjusting screw clock wise until the back of the metal switch actuating arm is 1 32 inch from the switch body For fine adjustment L Adjust each station knob to the minimum timing mark The pointer will not always fall on the center at this mark 2 Turn the controller to the AUTO position 3 Move the station dial clockwise from rest position and allow it to stop at Station 1 After the dial stops at Station 1 immediately rotate it just past Station 1 It should now advan2. Paine BIRD eL cue Troubleshooting the erga meron ap RC Controller ma Learn to Identify and Correct the Most Common Electromechanical Controller Problems When an irrigation system fails the controller is usually the first component to be blamed However in reality 30 50 of controllers returned actually have no defects With a few troubleshooting tips and techniques you can easily save yourself and your customer valuable time and money Rain Bird s RC Controllers are designed with basic functions that minimize mainte nance and provide solutions as simple as the design itself All you need is a basic Day Dial Station Dial knowledge of AC voltage and a volt ohmmeter Covering the Basics Wafer Switch Here are a few basic checkpoints for troubleshooting your RC Series controller e Check the programming This includes the start time time of day that irrigation should begin run time length of irrigation for each station and days on actual days the irrigation will operate If any part of the programming Is miss ing the controller will not activate some or all of the valves e Check the Auto Off switch Make sure the controller is in the AUTOMATIC or ON position e Dtamine whehe the system has ather rain or moisture sensors A sensor cuts power off to the valves The controller will run as programmed but no water gee epee enna ing will occur Assembly e Check for the correct time day The controller should always sh
3. ce and stop at Station 2 Repeat this for all stations Now turn the adjustment screw clockwise in one quarter turn increments until the dial fails to stop at a station When that happens turn the adjusting screw back a quarter turn counterclockwise Make sure that the dial stops at every station and that the gap between the actuating arm and the switch is at least 1 64 inch e Check the wafer switches The wafer switch is the distribution point for the valve voltage As the center hub turns with the station dial the wafer switch is connected to the station dial shaft As it turns a tab on the wafer switch touches the station contact point and powers the valve Problems occur when dirt accumulates on the tabs or contacts You can carefully clean the wafer switch hub with the eraser of a pencil being careful not to bend the contacts To clean the back side of the switch remove the mounting screws and lift the wafer switch off its shaft The wafer switch can also be damaged by lightning Burn marks would indicate this type of damage Noticeon thefront wafer switch that thetab isin contact with Station 1
4. extended time Verify that the motor is receiving proper voltage Then set the hour to the correct time and wait one hour If the hour dial has not moved replace the motor STATION DIAL i WIRE NUT MICROSWITCH YEL YEL E2 WHT GRY WHTBLU A GRAY O a BRN Ad aa ae REST HOURDIAL POSITION WAFER SWITCH BACK aed MICROSWITCH A Arar n BLK OR YEL RAPID ADVANCE MOTOR T P ase eeate a et STATION cme DIAL E P WIRE NUT ESS z S a4 5 lt a WA AUTO OFF m pay Pa a m TIMING DAL WAFER SWITCH J MOTOR 1772 BRN FRONT 43 ohm 5w DAY DIAL O Tar WHT BRN Fi RESISTOR MICROSWITCH ws FUSE z BLK Zinai Zol a OR YEL oc w acy Oj oe cay gt YEL WHT RED 24 VAC TO STATION MASTER VALVE E TRANSFORMER ba VOLTAGE STATION 1 MASTER e Changetheresistor Each RC Controller has a 43 ohm 5 watt resistor wired in series to the timing motor The purpose of this resistor is to limit current and reduce heat in the timing motor Without it the motor will not last long When changing the timing motor you must change the resistor also Part 651137 e Test the gears and clutches The RC Series electromechanical controllers all use gears to transfer the rotation of the clock motor to the hour and station timing If you suspect a problem try to very gently rotate the station dial and hour dial on the face plate in the oppo site direction from the direction
5. ow the correct time and day as long as it is connected to the primary power source If Pivot Shaft ming Rapid the time or day is not correct check the primary power transformer Motor p bain Hour Timing Assembly Advance circuit breaker or fuse Dial Shaft Motor Motor Assembly Resistor a n _ e Check the primary power Verify that 117 volt VAC power is on and cor rectly connected If power is above 129 or below 105 contact a certified electrician i ae EN rs S eens ao z a x e Check thetransformer The output should be between 24 and 28 VAC If 7 a not replace it e Check thecircuit breaker or fuse If it is blown it s most likely caused by a field wiring short The electromechanical controller will stop on the sta tion that caused the problem Reset the controller in rest position replace the fuse or circuit breaker Manually advance to station 1 and allow it to run for one minute If it operates correctly continue to ii ou Microswitch Hour Sa Di r Station 2 and the other stations repeating the process until the fuse reels ane blows Disconnect the wire that operates that valve Be sure to test all Auto Off Fuse itch stations because there could be more than one problem til ae e Check theclock motor or timing motor The clock motor must operate continuously whether the controller is on or off in order to keep proper time therefore this motor may fail after an
6. that the arrows show If it rotates backwards without much force the gear and clutch assembly is stripped and it s time to replace it DO NOT EXERT EXCESSIVE FORCE FOR THIS TEST e Check the advance motor or rapid advance motor This motor operates only when the controller is changing stations or returning to rest position To determine whether or not the motor is receiving proper voltage check the leads with a volt ohmmeter for 24 VAC By turning all stations off and manually rotating the station dial to the OFF or rest position you can apply power to the rapid advance motor If you do not have voltage at the leads the micro switch may have failed Check the micro switch see section below for testing micro switches Another good test is to apply 24 volt AC directly from another source If the motor does not turn it needsto be replaced If it does turn check the primary power and transformer e Test themicro switches Your controller s micro switches are small switches that when activated instruct the controller to perform a certain function If a micro switch fails or is out of adjustment the controller will not perform as programmed Your controller relies on aday micro switch hour micro switch and timing dial micro switch To determine whether or not a micro switch has failed turn off primary power to the controller and conduct a resistance test using a volt ohmmeter Resistance should be below 2 ohms when closed and infinite when
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