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Rain Bird MDC2 Troubleshooting guide

1. gis 39 Finding a short in the system 40 Viewing the Log Data 40 Creating Irrigation Schedules 00 00 ccc cece eee 41 Setting the Steps for Each Program 0 cece eee eee eee tenet nme 42 Setting Up segnes treten Ue UA wien 42 Inserting a step between two 0 cece eect Ine 43 Deleting StepS i 44 Selecting the Days rex rem itest aes 44 Selecting a Start TIME en 45 Setting the Water Budget WB 46 Setting the Programs for Active or Passive ne 46 Scheduling to Run on Specific Days and 47 Repeating and pausing e 47 Setting Up an Automatic Test Program enn 48 Operating the Irrigation Programs cnet Hem 49 Starting automatic irrigation PrograMS 0 Hen 49 Activating a Decoder in Auto Mode cece cece eee eee eee eee eee 50 Activating an Irrigation Schedule in Auto een eens 51 Manually Starting an Irrigation Schedule 0 ccc cece cece eee cnet enn e need 52 Manually activating a D
2. Select OK to Erase the Data and return to the Set up Data menu The minus label cancels the action and returns to the Set up Data menu without erasing any data PAN 3 BIRD Programming and Operation continued Testing of Line Decoders Once you install and program the line field decoders into your system you can then test to make sure they are working properly The MDC2 Controllers have a built in decoder test that tries each decoder in sequence Testing the operation of the decoders 1 From the Main Menu move the indicating arrow to 4 Test and select OK 2 Move the indicating arrow to 1 Test of Line Decoders and select OK to reach the Decoder Test screen Test Menu 12 37 PM Test of Line Decoders Test of Sensor Decoders Short Finding Line Survey Return V Note The controller tests the decoders in the order you entered them into the system The blinking markers and box show the field is active 3 Scroll up or down until you reach the decoder you want to start the test and select OK to setup the test The controller will not test any decoder that is listed before the one you select to start the test VIL Decoder Test OK Next Finish 14 02 30 Start with Decod gt 5 lt 4 Select OK to start the test After a few seconds the screen displays the test results in
3. Select Pause Pausing appears on the display showing the command registered Irrigation continues until the next full minute At the full minute mark all activated sprinklers stop and the display reads Paused Select Resume to continue irrigating The display asks if it is OK to Resume Current Schedule Cancel returns the controller to the Pause state Select Resume to return to the Manual Display Screen and continue with the scheduled irrigation Program Once the irrigation is over the screen again asks you to Select a Program or Decoder for manual activation 10 11 To resume the normal automatic mode after the manual irrigation is over B 10 32 AM Select Program or Decoder 0 Active Dec A Vv Pause Prog Dec Manual 9 Press Manual to return to the Main Operating Screen Press Auto to put the controller back in the Auto mode PA 3 BIRD Creating Irrigation Schedules continued Manually Activating a Decoder The MDC2 Controller allows you to activate programmed decoders manually From the Main Operating Screen select Manual The Manual label is highlighted and you are asked to Select Program or Decoder The display also shows the number of Active Decoders Select Dec Scroll through the list of programmed decoders Choose a decoder and select OK Usethe up and down arrows to program how long you want th
4. REP A 1 The Controllers OC EL bap epe onis 1 Introduction 2 0 0 cece 1 Special Features os feet ket 2 Packing 3 Mounting the Controller nites semen a dines 5 Before YOu Begin E ES E EE EEE ONTAS 5 Choosing a locaton 5 Installation eee eee 5 What you will MT ATH 7 Preparing the Controller Cabinet for the Power and Field 8 Mounting the Controller on the Wall csse 9 Connecting the Conttollet Luiz E ERU PURA Sb RU Ce a 10 Connecting to the Two wire Communications 10 Grounding the Controller 11 Connecting to the Main Power Source isses 11 Connecting an Optional SensOfis lt 0 enia rr ka E EEIE OTEA REA eR E 13 Installing Program and Expansion Modules sss 14 Replacing the durus bonis 15 Programming and Operation llseseeseeseee nnne 17 Familiarizing Yourself with the MDC2 18 Getting Started pera densa 19 Main Operating
5. 4 Click OK to return to the Test of Sensor Decoders screen and use the up and down arrows to choose another sensor decoder to test and select OK 5 Repeat Step 4 as necessary to test all the sensor decoders or select to return to the Main Menu Finding a short in the system You can use the MDC2 Controller to help trace and locate shorts in the lines 1 Attach a clamp from a Clamp Amperemeter to one of the communications wires connected to either L1 or L2 terminals in the controller 2 Tum on the controller and navigate to the Test menu 3 Move the indicating arrow to 3 Short Finding and select OK to reach the Short Finding screen In Short Finding Mode the MDC changes the frequency of the line voltage from 1 to 50 Hertz Hz VIL Short Finding Mode JL vy JH A cK Er 4 Check that the Clamp Amperemeter reads the current supplied by the controller If the reading is higher than you expected you have either a short or an overload in the system Note If the short takes a high current the MDC2 Controller automatically limits the current to a safe value of 200 mA When this happens the controller will go into the 50 Hz mode and a Short Circuit Warning shows on the display Please see Sensing a Short Circuit on page 55 5 To locate the short follow the current from the controller to the decoders in the field 6 Watch the reading on the Clamp Amperemeter closely The reading disappe
6. Otectid Cond Deisy 0 Message E co 2 Set up the alarm information including Action Object Type Object ID Flow Limit Conditions Delay and Call Setup for outbound paging Please note that you can define two 2 alarm conditions per On Off Sensor Decoder 3 Click Next to define alarms for another On Off Sensor Decoder or Finish if you are done Note When setting up an action to activate a decoder please note the duration of this action will default to 999 minutes Also setting up an action to deactivate a pump or master valve will not deactivate decoders associated with it Note When setting up Irrigation Prevent as an action please note that this willl be applied to schedules in Auto Mode but not those that are manually started RAINY BIRD s Using the Controller with a PC continued Configuring Generic Sensor Decoders Generic sensors refer to analog sensors other than flow sensors The Sensor Wizard also gives you the option to have sensor data in the MDC s log To select this option click on Log to File in the Monitor Data column 1 On Sensor Decoder Wizard click on Generic 2 Gente e Genenc Each ra can Made two alarm You set up a pager telephone call Dodom in controller Require tive when the is in Auto Mode ef e eC Generic Sensor 5 505 Fui samet Acton Cepet Type _ Object id ee o
7. 3l lt Deck Ned Cancel 6 Set up the alarm information including Action Object Type Object ID Flow Limit Conditions Delay and Call Setup Please note that you can define only one alarm condition per Flow Sensor Decoder These options can also be set up for summed flow if that was previously selected in the Sensor Decoder Wizard Note For Flow Control set as below condition and alarms management the following should be considered 1 When the flow has a transition from a value above the limit to below an alarm will trigger 2 If no decoders are running for a period of time the MDC will be in non irrigation mode and thus look for leak flow if set up to do so 3 When decoders are started again it will then look again for a transition from above the limit to below and an alarm will trigger 7 Click Next to define alarms for Main Pump Failure RAIN Note Flow limits can be set up to a maximum of 50 Note See Appendix IV for information on sensor decoder alarm parameters and values Main Pump Failure Alarm In case irrigation does not start you can protect your pump by setting a minimum flow limit The MPF alarm will stop currently running schedules but not new schedules 1 Specify this Limit minimum flow and if desired call setup information for outbound paging on the Main Pump Failure Alarm screen shown below oecoder zj Main Pump Falura MPF je ca
8. If it is still active there is no Out time Warning sign displays as long as Alarm condition exists Note If a rain sensor activates irrigation stops but the Program keeps running If the rain sensor is the self emptying type irrigation continues as programmed once the sensor changes to Non Active Selecting OK removes the message As long as the sensor is Active the message will appear again every time you select an Automatic or Manual function Following are key warning indications that will appear on the screen and in logs AL where is from 1 to 10 is alarm 1 occurs while irrigation is in process for flow sensors This can also be set up to provide a flow alarm or as a generic or on off alarm al where is from 1 to 10 is alarm 2 occurs while not irrigating This can be set up as a flow alarm or as a generic or on off alarm ALS indicates a flow SUM alarm that occurs while irrigation is in process alS indicates a flow SUM alarm that occurs while not irrigating SEF indicates SEUF Seek and Eliminate Unexpected Flow overflow seF indicates SEUF underflow MPF is master pump failure If this is detected currently running programs will be automatically stopped RAINY BIRD Creating Irrigation Schedules continued Sensing a Short Circuit If the MDC2 Controller senses a short circuit on the lines it will automatically limit the current to a safe value change the line frequency fro
9. 17 2 cm 9 1 2 24 2 cm minimum 9 1 2 minimum 24 1 cm lt A Cabinet is 4 3 8 11 1 cm gt Deep 10 1 4 To Fuse 26 cm Box 120 Volt AC Wiring in Conduit Locate for easy access and for comfortable viewing lt Wall Typical Wall mount Installation RAINY BIRD Installation continued What you will need Before you begin installation you may need the following tools and materials lt S S lt lt lt lt lt lt lt lt lt lt lt Slotted Head Screwdriver Phillips Head Screwdriver Thin Blade Screwdriver Lineman s Pliers DBY Connectors Hammer Grounding Strap Two wire MAXI Cable 14 AWG wire Two wire MAXI Cable 18 AWG wire 8 AWG or 10 AWG Bare Ground Wire Tape Measure Wire Stripper Wire Nuts Marking Pencil Electric Drill or Hammer Drill if installing in masonry or concrete wall RAINY BIRD 7 Installation continued Preparing the Controller Cabinet for the Power and Field Wires Note You can remove four knockouts from the controller cabinet making it easy to route the wires You will find two of these knockouts on the back for routing wires through a wall and two on the underside for feeding wires through the cabinet s bottom To tap out a knockout place the cabinet on a firm surface with the groove facing you Work your way around the groove with a slotted screwdriver firmly tapping out the knockout BACK Knockout 5 e
10. s activity The memory holds a 1500 line log Adding a new line after you reach the maximum erases the first line in the log 1 From the Main Menu move the indicating arrow to 5 Log Data and select OK Note The display shows five lines at a time a page The page number is on the top of the page 2 Use the up and down arrows to scroll from page to page VIL 14 02 30 99 09 27 11 03 00 V2 Start 0 99 09 27 11 04 00 V2 Stop 0 99 09 27 11 04 00 StopAll Decoders 99 09 27 11 04 00 Start 0 T 99 09 27 11 08 00 A3 Stop 0 V Y OK 3 Select OK or select minus to return to the Main Menu RAINS BIRD Creating Irrigation Schedules Once you customize the MCD2 Controller to the specific equipment and options in your system the next step is to create irrigation Schedules to best suit your turf needs A Schedule is a series of events you wish to have happen in the field at specific times It is a watering plan that includes the days to water times to begin and end watering the various decoders you wish to operate and how long you want them to operate You can set up 10 standard irrigation Programs which will start pumps and one auxiliary Program Program 11 which does not start pumps Programs 1 9 only run one at a time You cannot run them together However you can run Programs 10 and 11 simultaneously with any one of the other 9 Programs RAINS BIRD Creating Irrigation Schedules contin
11. Finding a short in the system on page 40 In he AC range the voltmeter typically reads on the high side from 33 40 V This is acceptable With the voltmeter set go into the field and measure the two wire communications cable line at easy access points either at a branch or inside a valve box where decoders connect Remove the DBY connectors and measure the cable If you need to measure in the middle of a cable use a sharp knife to cut the insulation off the cable and measure between the bare wires Use DBY connectors to repair any cuts in the cable The field decoders are not responding If several field decoders are not responding and they are located on the same branch the fault is probably with the cable Please see the problem Finding a break in the two wire communications cable on page 93 If a single field decoder or field decoders on separate branches is not responding you should first test the field decoder to determine if the fault is in the decoder or the valve Please see Testing the operation of the decoders on page 37 If the test results show the field decoder is not responding all three current readings are the same or very close check the following reasons There is a fault in the cable leading to the unresponsive field decoder Measure the voltage on the decoder s input wires If the voltage is in the acceptable range 33 40 VAC then check the input connection to the decoder There is a fault in t
12. Station Location Description As valves are wired to the decoders the column should be used to write a short description of what and where the valve irrigates This needs to be done in order to make the walk through of the system quick and simple It also provides a great reference to the irriga tion system when the system is turned over 5 Column 5 Plant Type This is used to distinguish turf zones from plant zones or any other specialty needs zones This helps when programming the controller so that proper run times can be assigned to various irrigation zones 6 Column 6 Irrigation Types This column helps further refine the input of proper run times by describing the type of irrigation equip ment on each valve Since each type has significantly differently precipitation rates it is important to de velop specific run times to maximize efficiency Column 7 MDC Valve Name This is the user generated name for each valve A good valve name would be a name that describes the irriga tion zone Each valve must have its own valve name When operating and programming the controller you will be prompted to enter commands for the valves based on these valve names This is also why this sheet is important as a whole so you do not have to rack you brain trying to remember what irrigates what when operating and programming the controller Column 8 Run Time This is used to enter the run times for each irrigat
13. T Every First Repeat Pause Next Note arrow label next to Every shows the direction you are scrolling Press the button pointing to the arrow label to change the direction you are scrolling 5 Select Next to return to the Main Operating Screen Setting Up an Automatic Test Program The MDC2 Controller allows you to set up a Test Program to automatically activate and test all decoders from the first one you installed to the last one by one You can adjust the Decoder Activation Time between 10 and 240 seconds 240 seconds is especially useful if you wish to walk through and visually inspect each decoder as they activate 1 From the Main Operating Screen press the button pointing to the Sch down label to reach the Test Program TFSSMTWTFSSMTW 1 Auto 2 Select Manual to reach the Select Program or Decoder screen The Manual label is highlighted PA 3 Creating Irrigation Schedules continued 3 Select Prog to reach the test screen and select OK Valve Active Time 120 Seconds appears on the display screen 7 10 31 Valve Active Time gt 120 lt Seconds Sch A Sch V OK 4 Use the Sch up and Sch down arrows to set the valve active time Change the Valve Active Time anywhere between 10 240 seconds 5 Select OK The Testing Display Screen appears and the Program
14. returning to the Test menu Note To set up the MDC2 Controller to automatically activate and test each decoder in sequence please see Setting Up an Automatic Test Program on page 48 Testing the Sensor Decoders Once you install and program the sensor decoders into your system you can then test to make sure they are working properly The MDC2 Controller has a built in sensor decoder test that enables you to test each sensor decoder 1 From the Main Menu select 4 Test and select OK The Test Menu screen appears 2 Select 2 Test of Sensor Decoders and select OK 2 Test Menu 01 36 PM 1 Test of Line Decoders gt 2 Test of Sensor Decoders 3 Short Finding 4 Line Surv T 5 Return ws VCS The Test of Sensor Decoders screen VIL Test of Sensor Decoders 01 37 PM Sensor Decoder SD1 50085 OK run test for exit T or Up Down for Prev Next OK 3 Use the up and down arrows to choose sensor decoder to be tested and select OK The Communicating with the SD please wait message appears PAN 3 BIRD Programming and Operation continued After a few seconds the screen displays the test result as seen below This is a raw reading that verifies the sensor decoder is working B Test of Sensor Decoders Sensor Decoder SD1 50085 Got answer 32 Use to Cancel
15. select Controller and then Controller Status You will be presented with the status information retrieved from the controller as seen below Note While the PC is retrieving status data from the controller the Communications Status pop up window appears visually showing the progress The window disappears once the status data is retrieved Total currert flow 00 GPM Total expected flow 00 GPM Next Schedule expected Schedueno 1 Start Sst Feb 21 01 46 PM Schedule 1 Start Sst Feb 21 01 58 PM Schedule 1 Start Set Feb 21 02 10 PM Sensor status All ok Selecting Disconnect from the Controller pull down menu disconnects the PC connection to the Controller RAINS BIRD Using the Controller with a PC continued Using the MDC PC Software The MDC PC Software lets you retrieve installation and irrigation data information about decoders valve types pumps sensors and irrigation programs from the controller You can then edit the data and send it back to the controller Retrieving the Data 1 From the Rain Bird Remote Access window select Retrieve data 2 Select Retrieve all data from the pull down menu All data includes installation and irrigation data schedules Retrieve irrigation data schedules retrieves only the irrigation data from the controller Retrieve monitor information retrieves the monitoring information which is covered in detail on page 72 No
16. up and down arrows Holding in the button pointing to the double arrows quickly scrolls through the characters 6 Change each character one at a time OK accepts the change and moves to the next space Continue to select OK until the markers stop blinking deactivating the field The up and down arrow labels will also switch to left and right arrow labels Note The controller will not allow you to enter a duplicate name If you do the message Decoder already exists appears briefly and the controller returns you to the beginning of the field Note Selecting minus while you are still in an active field cancels the changes you made and returns the field to non active 7 Move the markers to the Type field Here you will select the type of valve solenoid connecting to the decoder Note The decoder s Type correlates directly to the valve type used to set the switch codes N PAN 3 BIRD Programming and Operation continued 8 Select OK to activate the field and then scroll through the choices to either an irrigation valve values 1 5 or a non irrigation valve valves A E OK accepts the valve Type B Name Type Address Bst Flow 15 04 10 E5 gt 4 lt 0 OK Finish 9 Select OK to deactivate the Type field and move the markers to the Address field OK activates the Address field Note The Address is the REC No Record Number for each decoder and solenoid connec
17. 2 Select the schedule that you want to start manually 3 Click Execute Communication status will be displayed Manual Operations 1 xj Communicating with the controller Please wait Status Connecting to Controller Another Close 4 ClickAnother to manually start another schedule or Close to exit the Manual Operations window PA 3 BIRD 5 Retrieving Monitoring Information The controller stores information about every irrigation event that occurs These events include every time a valve or pump starts or stops flow measurements etc You can retrieve and store this information on your PC 1 From the Rain Bird Remote Access window select Retrieve data 2 Select Retrieve monitor information from the pull down menu Note While the PC is retrieving data from the controller a Communications Status pop up window appears visually showing the progress The window disappears once the data is retrieved Note If the PC has lost or is unable to establish communications with the controller an Error message appears asking to make sure the Connection Information is correct Note The data stored on your PC is in a binary format To set up a monitoring information data file stored in an file format you need to Create a Log File Failed Decoder List This is a list of valve decoders that have failed due to triggering SEUF Seek and Eliminate Unexpected Flow and have been
18. ES 102 Appendix V i ies foie satan cece a AGER AUN RO RUE 103 Freedom System Interface 103 FREEDOM System Commands sss 103 Appendix cise RR ieee RUN EON RUN eee 105 Field Transmitter Interface eco teste o EC E ER ER DUE SE EET be 105 Field Transmitter nent ened 106 Appendix 107 Instructions for Upgrading Existing MDC s to Version 2 0 csse 107 Appendix VIII RR REB eked sae eee eens 109 MDC Controller Information Sheet Descriptions sess 109 GIOSSANY R 113 Service Information 0 00 cece ee eee 115 Warranty m RR sete ee eee a inside back cover RAINY BIRD Introduction Welcome to Rain Bird Thank you for purchasing your new state of the art Rain Bird Controller For more than six decades Rain Bird has led the irrigation industry in meeting all of your water management needs by providing the highest quality products and services available Your new Rain Bird Controller is designed to give you a lifetime of on site watering control The MDC Controllers The MDC line of controllers are systems that completely manage your landscape and turf needs by letting you control all your irrigation functions fro
19. Irrigation Schedules continued Setting the Water Budget WB Water budget lets you increase or decrease the operating time for each decoder in your Schedule from 0 to 250 The water budget default setting is 100 The total run time also changes when you change the water budget 1 From the Main Operating Screen scroll to the Program you want 2 Select Sched then WB to activate the water budget field Alternating blinking markers show the field is active The WB label is highlighted 3 Use the up and down arrows to set the WB between 0 and 250 7 18 4 0 30 14 02 30 115 M W F S M W E S 1 11 40 150 P Repeat 0 times T NN 4 Select WB to return to the Schedule Set up Screen gt Setting the Programs for Active or Passive A P You can set each Program to be active A or passive P Active means the Program 1 11 responds to all automatic starts and stops if the controller is in the Active Mode Passive means it will not respond to any automatic settings If you do not wish to use a Program at this time but may in the future set it to Passive 1 From the Main Operating Screen scroll to the Program you want to set as Active or Passive and select Sched 2 Press the button pointing to the A P label to switch the Program between Passive and Active B Program 4 0 20 14 02 30 15 M WF S M W E S 1 11 40 150 A Repeat 0
20. Screen Paw te IPM Ert 20 Setting Up Yout System 42 occa ones o 22 Selecting a County Red S oS UU 22 Setting the Date Time mee 23 Selecting Valve Types exonerat cha Red Uh LEA Rt lb beca PS de 25 Naming the Field Decoders hne ene he haa er eee 25 Decoders Failed COM aie 28 Entering the Pump Master Valve Information sse 28 Activating Rain or Alarm Sensors sss 29 Setting Up a Sensor Decoder ie oeo her ee t etes e pa belle 30 Programming a Sensor Decoder sss 30 Setting up an auxiliary sensor I 32 No Irrigation WindowW een Hes 33 RAINY BIRD Contents continued ened 34 Switching the 34 Turning on an installed rain 150 I 34 Turning on an installed alarm sensor sss 35 Setting Up Sum Flow 1 Ime 35 Erasing All noel RR 36 Testing of Line D code ts re hh Re Rr he ERR RR RESTE GI DERE Ea es 37 Testing the operation of the decoders 0 37 Testing the Sensor Decoders sess 38
21. WB Water budget 250 3 Change the Water budget percentage and select OK Note You must send the water budget changes to the controller before updates to the Global Water Budget can take affect Sending Data to the Controller Once you edit the controller information you must then transmit or send the new information to the controller From the Send data pull down menu you can Send all data which includes set up and irrigation data Send irrigation data only or Send water budget data The sending procedures are identical 1 From the Rain Bird Remote Access window select Send data 2 Select Send all data from the pull down menu 3 Ifyou have changed the Global Water Budget Send the water budget data to the controller Note While the PC is sending data from the PC to the controller Communications Status pop up window appears visually showing the progress The window disappears once the data is sent Note If the PC loses communications with the controller an Error message appears asking to make sure the Connection Information is correct Note If an irrigation Schedule is running or the controller is set in the Automatic mode when you send data you will be asked if you want to Take the controller out of manual or auto mode to send set up data Select Yes to send the data or No to continue the irrigation Schedule If you select No no data will be sent Manual Operations You c
22. and dust and that your hands and arms are clean This will avoid contaminating the controller s internal parts Warning Do not let water or other liquids come in contact with any part inside the cabinet Choosing a location When choosing the best location to install your wall mounted controller please consider the following You must install this controller in compliance with local electrical codes CAUTION v The MDC2 Controller cabinet is water resistant so you can mount it inside or outside V Select an area protected from vandalism where the user can easily reach the controller Rain Bird recommends placing the controller at eye level in a utility room Warning To minimize electromagnetic interference select a location that is at least 15 4 6 m away from high draw motors such as air conditioners refrigerators or pool pumps v Select a location that has access to 120 Volt AC electrical power or the proper electrical supply voltage outside the United States v Mount the controller a flat stable vertical surface Allow sufficient conduit clearance for the electrical connections at the bottom of the cabinet v Allow 9 1 2 24 2 cm minimum clearance for the hinged cabinet door to swing fully to the left v Allow atleast 6 1 4 17 2 cm minimum clearance above the cabinet door so you can easily remove the hinge pin to service the controller RAINY BIRD 6 Installation continued 6 1 4
23. can cause a fault Because the controller sends the voltage in both directions on the ring field decoders can still operate one at a time even with a break However a break in the ring increases the cable s resistance and there may not be enough available energy to open more valves To eliminate the fault you must connect both ends of the ring cable to the L1 and L2 terminals inside the controller Disconnect the ring cable at one end and measure the resistance of both wires from one end ofthe cable to the other If the cable measures 2 5 square millimeters the resistance should be about 7 0 Ohms per kilometer of cable In other words if your ring cable measures 6 kilometers you should be able to measure about 42 Ohms for each wire in the cable The resistance is inversely proportional to the square A cable measuring 3 1 square millimeters will have a resistance of 7x 2 5 3 1 5 6 Ohms per kilometer If the resistance you measure is too high then the cable is defective Please see the problem Finding a break in the two wire communications cable on page 83 RAINY BIRD Troubleshooting continued Problem Solution Finding a break in the two wire communications cable Measure the line voltage on the 11 and L2 terminals inside the controller If the voltage is correct then the fault is a result of a break in the two wire communications cable To locate the break you will need an as built irrigation drawing showing the comp
24. connection Serial cable hiro aked 8 Select Finish Use Modem Setup to install Communications Port you used to connect the and setup a new modem Done exits you from PC to the controller qune e cs Connection wizard and Back returns you to the previous window Connection Wizard PAN 3 BIRD Using the Controller with a PC continued Verifying the Time and Date Once you establish a communication link between the controller and PC you then need to verify the controller s time and date Time and date directly affect irrigation Schedules If either is incorrect the irrigation Schedules are also incorrect 1 From the Rain Bird Remote Access window select Controller 2 Select Get Set Time Date from the pull down menu to reach the Edit Controller Time pop up window This can be set up for either US or international 24 hour time formats Edit Controller Time m 3 Select Get Controller Time and verify that the Controller Time matches Time is PC time 4 If necessary adjust the date and time and select Send time to Controller 5 Select OK once the two times match Controller Status Observation You can get information about the current status of the controller including the Start and Stop times of the Current and Next Schedule Total Current Flow Total Expected Flow and Sensor Status 1 From the Rain Bird Remote Access window
25. continue naming decoders PA 3 BIRD x Programming and Operation continued Note Rain Bird decoders that have more than one output FD 202TURF FD 401TURF and FD 601TURF are considered multiple decoders You must list the separate Address REC NO for each solenoid master valve connection i e brown 40216 red 40217 etc Treat each Address REC NO as a separate decoder and give each a separate name 15 Once you identify each decoder in your irrigation system move the markers to Finish and select OK to return to the Set up Data menu Decoders Failed This is a list of valve decoders that have failed due to triggering SEUF Seek and Eliminated Unexpected Flow and have been blacklisted A decoder on the list will not be activated during irrigation 1 From the Main Menu select 1 Setup Data and then select OK The Setup Data Menu appears 2 Select 3 Decoders Failed to conduct an audit of your valves YIL Set up Data Menu 11 23 AM 1 Valve Types 2 Decoders gt 3 Decoders Failed 4 Pumps Master Valves T 5 Sensors v Y Any valve decoders that have caused SEUF and are blacklisted shall be listed on the display window If any of them have been found to be working properly or have been fixed the user must take them off of the black list for the valves to run again Entering the Pump Master Valve Information The MDC2 Controller supports m
26. five ohms To connect the ground wire 1 Loosen the screw on the copper earth ground terminal and slide the end of the ground wire into the terminal Tighten the screw to secure the wire 2 Feed the ground wire through the same conduit you used for the communications cable and connect it to ground Connecting to the Main Power Source The three Main power input wires for a standard 120 Volt AC transformer are black white and green You will find these wires in the high voltage compartment in the lower left corner of the controller cabinet To prevent electrical shock make sure all supply power is OFF before connecting these wires Electrical shock CAUTION can cause severe injury or death All electrical connections and wiring runs must be made according to local electrical building codes CAUTION To feed the power wires 1 Locate the high voltage compartment cover remove the screw and swing open the cover RAINS BIRD Installation continued 2 Feed the Mains 120 Volt AC power wires into the high voltage compartment through a separate conduit Note You can also connect the Mains 120 Volt AC power and transformer wires inside a junction box located outside the controller cabinet OR Feed the Mains 120 Volt AC power wires through the 1 4 knockout hole on the back of the cabinet You also need to cut out the scored hole in the high voltage compartment s fiberboard liner To connect to
27. list of decoders Note The indicating arrow points to the first available space If you want to change information about a specific decoder already programmed move the indicating arrow to the decoder you want to change RAINS BIRD Programming and Operation continued 3 Select OK to add or change a decoder The screen now shows four columns or fields with the titles Name Type Address Booster and Flow A pair of markers points to the Name field Use the buttons pointing to the left and right arrow labels to move the markers from one field to the next and back again B Type Address Bst Flow 12 27 PM 1 0 0 OK Finish T 4 Position the markers under Name and select OK to activate the Name field The left and right arrow labels now switch to up and down arrows and the two markers alternate blinking indicating the field is active 5 Usethe up and down arrows to change each character one at a time from left to right A blinking box shows the position of the first character you are changing The box disappears when you begin scrolling through the characters An arrow then points to the character you are changing Note The double arrow label lets you move through the alphanumeric characters quickly Pressing the button pointing to the double arrow label one time increases or decreases the characters by five numbers or letters To switch the direction of the double arrow press the button pointing to the
28. opens to a broken pipe the controller turns off all active decoders displays and logs an alarm Note For Flow Control set as below condition and alarms management the following should be considered 1 When the flow has a transition from a value above the limit to below an alarm will trigger 2 If no decoders are running for a period of time the MDC will be in non irrigation mode and thus look for leak flow if set up to do so RAINY BIRD M Programming and Operation continued 3 When decoders are started again it will then look again for a transition from above the limit to below and an alarm will trigger Sensor Decoder Set up 15 04 10 Addr Val Units Sum SD1 Flow 50000 20 100 mA NA Alarm Cond Limit Action Obj Obj ID ale gt Above lt 100 Deact Decod All 2 Below 12 Deact Decod All v Y 12 Move the markers to the Condition field and activate Use the up and down arrows to choose a threshold and select OK to save it 13 Move the markers to the Limit and activate Use the up and down arrows to set the numeric limit value and select OK to save it 14 Move the markers to the Action and activate Use the up and down arrows to decide what shall happen when the alarm occurs and select OK to save it 15 Move the markers to the Condition field for the second alarm definition and repeat steps 12 to 14 skipping the Obj and Obj Id fiel
29. select Setup and then Backup database The Select File for the Database Backup window appears for you to name the backup database file and decide on its location in your system 2 CorelDRAW 11 LED Concept POF Network Places lk060we pd Acrobat Reader 5 1 Backup xs Yolo View Express MOC_Marual_Original_Fle_Characte ApCentral IMDC Back xis 86 doc Microsoft Visio P Bugs 139 doc a NewBackup PE a Copy of MOC Controller Eng By File name 2 Files of type Fest 4 7 Cancel My Network 4 2 Give file a name 3 Choose a location to save it 4 Click on Open You will be presented with the message below confirming your successful saving of the backup file Database backup xj Backup to file C Documents and Settings sakkan Desktop NewBackup succesfully completed 5 Click OK Restoring Database 1 From the Rain Bird Remote Access window select Setup and then Restore database The Select File for Database Restore window appears for you to locate the backup database file to be restored into your MDC system 2 Look in Desktop 7 eset CorelDRAW 11 LED Concept POF R06 Owe odF 3 Badup xis Manual Orignal File Characte 3 moceack xls Microsoft Visio NewBackup Open read only 2 Choose the file and click Open Database restore pop u
30. specific faults and to aid in troubleshooting Finding the Cause This chapter of the manual is written for you the Service Technician in the field It is your responsibility to localize problems with the Rain Bird MDC2 Controller and Rain Bird Decoder Irrigation System and determine their cause You should always find the fault and correct it in the field at the box level In other words if you find the fault in a field decoder replace the field decoder If you find a fault inside the controller replace the controller Only highly qualified Rain Bird Service Technician Specialists should find and correct problems inside a box replace worn out or defective components inside a controller decoder solenoid etc The purpose of this chapter is to teach you basic troubleshooting techniques that you can easily do in the field This chapter does not cover faults that were caused by using the wrong size cable wires that are too thin or cable lengths that are too long or faults caused by entering incorrect data into the controller PAN 3 BIRD Troubleshooting continued Understanding Basic Troubleshooting Techniques Using a systematic approach is perhaps the best way to troubleshoot any MDC Controller system In other words start at one end test and replace components one at a time until you find and fix the problem Understand too that a set of troubleshooting procedures cannot cover every conceivable situation It is yo
31. stop Once the irrigation of period is over the controller needs to be manually put back to auto mode Turns the system off by taking the MDC out of Auto PAN 3 BIRD Appendix IV continued Activate Activ Turns on a decoder pump or schedule depending on the specified alarm action type and ID The schedule will start on next full minute if possible or else it will be stacked Deactivate Deact Turns off a decoder pump or schedule depending on the specified Alarm Action Type and Alarm ID Deactivation can apply to all decoders pumps and schedules The schedule shall stop immediately and its active decoders will be deactivated Object ID Defines the ID of what to activate deactivate depending on the alarm action and alarm action type PAN 3 BIRD Appendix V Freedom System Interface Your MDC2 Controller can work with the FREEDOM System a member of Rain Bird s family of irrigation products The FREEDOM System uses the available COM port on your MDC Controller to access command based functions like Turn On Turn Off Advance Pause Resume Customized schedule based functions The tables below list the commands and their actions that are understood by the MDC2 Freedom driver System Mode Commands Command Command Outcome Beep Answers OK Err USA Europe 00 Stops All Decoders 2 4 1 Command Action Outcome Beep Answers OK Err USA Europe 20 0 Auto o
32. the Main power source 1 Strip about 1 2 of the insulation off the ends of the power wires Using code approved wire nuts connect the black HOT wire to the black transformer wire the white neutral wire to the white transformer wire and the green ground wire to the green transformer wire Tug on the connections to make sure they are tight then close the high voltage compartment cover and replace the screw RAINS BIRD Installation continued Connecting an Optional Sensor The MDC2 Controller allows you to connect an optional sensor The controller works with any open or closed switch sensor Warning The wires you use to connect the controller to the sensor must be approved for underground use Rain Bird recommends using a two wire 18 AWG maximum gauge cable long enough to easily reach the controller Warning Install the sensor wire in the same conduit you use for the two wire communications cable and ground wire The conduit for the power wires should only contain the power wires To connect the sensor s wires to the controller 1 Remove about 6 of the cable s outer sheathing and strip about 5 8 of the insulation from the ends of the two wires 2 Using wire nuts connect the two wire cable to the sensor wires inside a valve box 3 Protect all underground splices with DBY connections Insert the wire nuts into the DBY connectors and close the gap tightly Place the connect
33. three current measurements mA 1 Active Dec OK Next Finish 14 02 30 ES 999 Min Before Inrush Hold 50 525 70 T A IOK Note The Before current refers to the standby current Inrush is the current the solenoid needs to open and Hold is the holding current the solenoid needs to stay open The Before value depends on the number and type of decoders your system uses Inrush should fall between 290 to 700 and Hold should be 15 to 20 milliamps higher than the Before value If the decoder is connected to two or more solenoids the Inrush will be slightly higher and Hold currents will be double in proportion 30 40 mA PA 3 BIRD R Programming and Operation continued Example If your system uses 100 FD102TURF Field Decoders each operating one solenoid output then test results should show a Before reading of about 50 mA Inrush of 525 mA which is within the 290 700 range and a Hold of 70 mA which is 20 mA higher than the Before reading Note If the Before Inrush and Hold values are close the decoder is not responding Locate the decoder in the field and make sure that it is wired properly to the solenoid and communications cable You should also make sure you programmed in the right Decoder Addresses REC NO 5 Press the button pointing to the OK label twice to activate and test the next decoder in line 6 The minus label cancels the test at any time
34. 008 0 250 914 508 Not Installed 50007 Pulse 10s 250 914 509 Not Installed 50008 Pulse s 250 914 In EZ Not Installed 50009 0 250 914 Value is the logical value used when receiving measure from the Sensor lt Back Done 14 Edit information specific to each Sensor Decoder including Name Type Address Units Value and measure Note Digital pulse output flow sensors are most common Please see the manufacturers specifications to determine the sensor type maximum flow and sensor output Choose Pulse 10s if your digital flow sensor uses a higher pulse rate 30 200 pulses per second and counts the number of pulses in 10 second intervals Choose mA if you are using an analog flow sensor To establish a conversion ratio the controller uses to calculate the flow you only need to program the Value flow output and sensor output Rain Bird recommends you enter the maximum flow which determines the pulse type 15 Click Done when you complete your installation set up process Note Edit Installation Wizard is particularly important when you are setting up your MDC system for the first time It helps you go through the installation data and guides you through the setup process making sure all the possibly applicable components of your MDC system are covered However anytime you need to change setup information for a particular component of your MDC system yo
35. 2 0 Only Description 5wIN 2 EX o N 2 w 2 2 2 2 o 2 N o N e N N N w N 2 N N a N N N w w w N w w w A w w a w N w w gt o A A N A w A gt A 2 a 2 2 o o PAN 3 BIRD 111 Appendix VIII continued 112 MDC Programming Guide Edit Irrigation Data Irrigation Schedule Status Active Passive Days M T Ww T F 5 5 CJ M T Ww T F 5 5 Start Time 1 2 3 4 5 6 Step Run Time Min Dec 1 Dec 2 Dec 3 Dec 4 Dec 5 Dec 6 Dec 7 Dec 8 Dec 9 Dec 10 RAINY BIRD booster pump activates when the demand for water pressure exceeds the capabilities of the master pump circuit board one of the etched copper clad sheets of insulating material onto which electronic components and terminals are assembled Controllers contain circuit boards controller a device that sends a 24 VAC power signal to the f
36. 85706 Phone 520 741 6100 Fax 520 741 6522 Rain Bird Technical Services 800 RAINBIRD U S and Canada Registered Trademark of Rain Bird Corporation 2008 Rain Bird Corporation 3 08 Rain Bird Corporation 970 West Sierra Madre Avenue Azusa CA 91702 Phone 626 812 3400 Fax 626 812 3411 Specification Hotline 800 458 3005 U S and Canada Rain Bird International Inc Box 37 Glendora CA 91740 0037 Phone 626 963 9311 Fax 626 852 7343 www rainbird com PN 635603 N C
37. NES BOTTOM t 1 1 Knockout A hole on the underside of the cabinet fits a 1 2 6 cm PVC male adapter for installing PVC conduit You can increase its size to 1 1 4 3 2 cm by tapping out the knockout around the hole If you are using 14 AWG wire or larger you may need the larger hole If you run the wires through the bottom holes you will need to install conduits Slip the conduit through the hole and secure it with a male adapter or other conduit fittings 12 1112 2 Sensor 37 MC m Male Adapter RAINY BIRD Installation continued Mounting the Controller on the Wall Note The MDC2 Controller has four mounting holes on the back on the cabinet three keyhole slots near the top and one circular hole at the bottom Note To install the controller on a flat wall surface use the left and right keyhole slots at the top of the cabinet To install the controller on a narrow stud use the center keyhole slot 1 Place the mounting template onto your mounting surface Make sure it is level and mark the top drill holes If mounting to a stud mark the drill hole in the center of the stud 2 Drill the holes and use the appropriate plugs or fasteners 3 Screw in the appropriate mounting screws leaving about 3 8 between the screw heads and wall Note The mounting materials and specific screws you need will vary according to the mounting surf
38. RAINS BIRD Controller Unit MDC2 Safety Information Warning Important safety information including caution and warning messages appear throughout this manual To ensure correct operation and to avoid additional expense read this manual thoroughly before you begin installing or operating the controller Operating this equipment in a residential area can cause interference to radio and television reception The radio frequency energy emitted by this device complies with limits for a Class B computing device described in FCC Rules Part 15 Subpart J Safety Information and Icons Used in This Manual To quickly help you find identify and understand important information this manual uses the following icons and notations This icon indicates critical information This specific icon alerts you to an electrical CAUTION telling the installer or operator that he or she may be exposed to dangerous high voltages CAUTION This icon indicates non electrical but critical information This specific icon alerts you to a general CAUTION that if you do not follow may result in severe personal injury or death CAUTION Warning This designates a Warning indicating actions that may damage the equipment Note This designates a Note which helps clarify a specific instruction RAINS BIRD Safety Information and Icons Used in This Manual esse ii Welcome to Bird pas
39. Using the Municipal Water Supply With a Master Valve NC or NO In this installation a field decoder attaches to a Normally closed or Normally open master valve installed as a pump Please see the illustration below When setting up the controller enter the decoder address in the pump Address field and change the switch code to 49F350 which is the setting for a standard 24 VAC 2 3 W irrigation valve L1 L2 L1 L2 L1 L2 Sensor MDC Controller Sensor N A Master Valve NC or NO Water Supply Two Wire Communications Cable Municipal Water Supply With the above setup the flow sensor monitors the flow rate If during irrigation the flow exceeds its maximum rate the controller sends a signal shutting off a Normally closed master valve A Normally closed master valve is open when a Program is running If the master valve is Normally open exceeding the maximum flow will shut off all valves Because none of the valves are open any additional flow detected is considered a leak in the system Once the flow surpasses the alarm leakage schedule the field decoder activates closing the Normally open master valve PAN 3 BIRD Appendix IV Sensors and Alarms Your MDC2 Controller can work with the following type of sensors Flow Sensor Defines an analog sensor on the logical level The input can be analog or digital Flow can be summed Generic Sensor Defines an analog sen
40. ace i e wood cement masonry drywall etc 4 Slide the MDC cabinet over the top screws 5 Ifmounting to a stud swing open the cabinet door and faceplate Mark the position of the bottom drill hole and then lift off the controller Do not attempt to drill the bottom hole through the cabinet 6 Drill the bottom hole and remount the cabinet 7 Secure the bottom of the cabinet with a screw tightening it all the way 9 9 01 0 0 Lt L2 Lt L2 Lt L2 Sensor 2 RAINS BIRD Installation continued Connecting the Controller There are three types of connections you must make to your MDC2 Controller They include Connecting to the Two wire Communications Cable Grounding the Controller and Connecting to the Main Power Source Note You may also connect an optional sensor which prevents irrigation during rainfall or when the Soil is moist This section of the manual contains instructions for all three types of basic connections and the optional sensor connection Note If you are installing a field or sensor decoder please see the MDC2 and Decoder Installation poster for more information All wiring must be installed and connected in accordance with local CAUTION electrical codes Note You can run wires through the holes at the bottom of the cabinet or through the knockout holes at the back of the cabinet If you use the knockout holes make sure you seal the unu
41. ach Pump Master Valve as necessary including Address On Delay Off Delay and Switch Code Note On Delay means that the MV Booster start will be delayed XX seconds after activation of the decoder Off Delay means that the MV Booster will remain activated XX seconds after deactivation of the decoder 9 Hit Next to reach MDC Decoders configuration MDC Decoders 53 information Note The MDC software does not allow deleting decoders Alternatives are to either erase or change d data IRD 63 Using the Controller with a PC continued 10 Edit information specific to each MDC decoder including Name Address Valve Type Flow Value and Description Value lets you assign a Flow Value that is used for SEUF calculation 11 Hit Next to reach Alarms configuration information C Active c Alarm C Passive 5 Active 12 Choose to make rain or alarm sensors passive or active as necessary Note The software will allow only one rain or alarm sensor to be active 13 Hit Next to reach Sensors configuration information Edit Installation 501 On Off Sensor 50000 Norm Open 1 1 502 Flow Sensor 50001 Pulse i0s 250 914 Sensors 503 Generic Sensor 50002 Pulse 10s 250 914 504 Not Installed 50003 Pulse 10s 250 914 505 Not Installed 50004 Pulse 10s 250 914 5 Not Installed 50005 0 250 914 sor Not Installed 50
42. alarm sensor Once you install the sensor you must change the sensor status from Passive to Active Note The MDC Controller supports only one Rain Sensor or one Alarm Sensor Activate only one sensor leaving the other Passive Setting both sensors as Active actually changes the status of both to Passive 1 From the Main Menu move the indicating arrow to 1 Set up Data and select OK 2 Move the indicating arrow to 5 Sensors and select OK to reach the Rain and Alarm Sensor screen 3 If your system uses a Rain Sensor press the buttons pointing to the arrow labels and change sensor status from Passive to Active Note If your system does not use a Rain Sensor keep the status Passive RAINY BIRD 2 Programming and Operation continued 4 Select OK to move the markers to the Alarm Sensor field 5 Ifyour system uses an Alarm Sensor change the status from Passive to Active Rain Sensor Alarm Sensor Passive gt Active lt 6 Select OK to lock in your setting and return to the Set up Data menu Setting Up a Sensor Decoder The MDC2 Controller can control a variety of sensors Flow On Off Generic which are powered by a Sensor Decoder through the two wire communications cable Note Please refer to Appendix IV for detailed information about the terms and units of measure mentioned in this section Programming a Sensor Decoder 1 From the Main Menu sele
43. als for 3 communications cables Communications cables to support flow and auxiliary sensors Slots provided for 3 expansion modules supporting up to 200 single output decoders MDC2 Easy to use menu tree system Diagnostics to test decoders schedules and short findings The option to choose between 5 languages U S English British English Spanish French and German Backlighting that makes the liquid crystal display LCD easy to read A serial communication port and modem allowing you to program the controller from PC Software to allow for remote programming and monitoring from a PC PA 3 BIRD Introduction continued Packing List Please check to make sure that you have all the items on the list If any item is missing or damaged contact your Rain Bird distributor 1 Pre assembled Controller in a Plastic Wall Cabinet 2 Keys 1 Installation and Operating Instructions Manual 1 Mounting Template 1 Three year Warranty Card 1 MDC Software CD Warranty RAIN BIRD E D d p 127mm 5 t1 ere RAINS BIRD 3 Installation This chapter of the manual explains how to mount your new MDC2 Controller on the wall how to connect the wiring install program and expansion modules and replace the battery Mounting the Controller Before You Begin Warning Before installing your controller make sure that the area around you is free from dirt
44. ammed other Steps you can use the up and down arrows to scroll through each programmed Step The Step label is highlighted 7 18 Program 3 Total 0 00 14 02 30 gt 1 lt 000Min OK Insert Delete Repeat 0 times Y AOK Sm 3 Select OK and OK again to activate the Decoder field 4 Scroll up and down through the list of programmed decoders Select OK to choose the first decoder you want to include in this Step PAN 3 BIRD Creating Irrigation Schedules continued 5 Move to the next field and continue until you select all the Step 1 decoders You can select up to 10 decoders for each Step Total 0 00 14 02 30 i amb 59 gt 10Min lt OK Insert Repeat 0 times Note Selecting the minus label while in a non active decoder field indicated with right and left arrow labels or an active Minute s field indicated with up and down arrow labels deletes the information you programmed into that field 6 Move to the Min field and select OK to activate it 7 Scroll up and down to select a run time or how long up to 999 minutes you want the decoders to open each valve 8 Select OK to accept the minutes 9 Move the markers to the OK field and select OK to enter the Step into the Schedule The Step label is highlighted and the blinking markers return to the beginning Step 1
45. an start any schedule or activate any decoder manually when your MDC2 controller is in Auto mode From the Rain Bird Remote Access window select Controller and then Manual Operations The Manual Operations screen appears Manual Operations Choose action to perform Start Stop Decou gt sees Close n PAN 3 BIRD Using the Controller with a PC Starting a Decoder Manually 1 Choose Decod gt from the Manual Operations window Start Decoder Select Decoder _GRE Run Time ey gt 999 lt Back Execute Close 2 Select a decoder that you want to start manually from the pull down menu 3 Set Run Time Please note that a station can be set up to run from 1 minute to 999 minutes 4 Hit Execute 5 Repeat for other decoders as necessary Starting a Schedule Manually When you manually start a schedule running schedules will be paused and the remaining steps of the schedule will be stacked to run after the manually started schedule s finish Your MDC2 PC Software allows you to start up to three schedules manually and they will be stacked in the order that they are entered but all will take place prior to the stacked auto schedules To start a schedule manually continued 1 Choose Sched gt from the Manual Operations window Manual Operations Sasekala Schedule ON 4 lt Back Execute Close
46. and Manual labels are highlighted B Test Total 1 47 10 33 AM ORANGE 001 Min Remaining 0 0MPF 1 Active Dec Before Inrush 0 7 5 JL Y Prog o Note The controller is now testing all active decoders The screen displays the three current measurements Before Inrush and Hold for each decoder it tests 6 You can cancel the test at anytime by selecting Prog Operating the Irrigation Programs You can operate the MDC2 Controller completely automatically completely manually or by a combination of both Starting Automatic Irrigation Programs When you start Automatic Irrigation all Active Programs will run according to the Schedule you set up The controller only runs Active Programs not Passive 1 From the Main Operating Screen scroll to the Automatic Program you want to start and select Auto 2 Total 0 20 14 02 30 E5 010 Min Tuesday 11 40 100 A 1 Active Dec Repeat 3 times MTWTFSSMTWTFSS Pause 5 Min i 0 6 12 18 24 Pause Auto RAINS BIRD Creating Irrigation Schedules continued The Auto Display Screen shows the Program the Total run time the current time the name of the Active Decoder s during a Schedule the number of minutes the decoder is active during a Schedule the day and time of the first Scheduled start time the WB se
47. ars the moment you pass the short 7 Once you locate the short press any button on the controller to return to the Test menu RAINY BIRD Programming and Operation continued Line Survey Line survey allows the user to perform an amperage draw and display those values on the main screen 1 From Main Menu screen navigate to 4 Test and press OK You will be taken to the Test Menu 2 Navigate to 4 Line Surv and press OK Test Menu Test of Line Decoders Test of Sensor Decoders Short Finding Line Surv T Return Ix 1 Nm 3 Press OK when you are asked Activate Line Survey You will observe the VL and VG values on the display Test Menu 15 04 10 Test of Line Decoders Test of Sensor Decoders Short Finding Line Surv VL 35 7V 11 1mA Tr Return VG 2 1V 12 5mA v Y Note VL indicates voltage on line and normally ranges between 34 37 V VG indicates voltage to ground and should be slightly negative and indicate currents in each of the lines in the two wire path and should be nearly identical If these measurements deviate much from each other this could indicate that one of the two wires has a ground leakage There may be slight variations between values indicated on the Line Surv screen and those that appear on the Test Menu Viewing the Log Data The Log Data shows you a complete list of the controller
48. asp it by its tab and wiggle it back and forth while pulling up 3 Hold the new module by its tab so the back of the module faces the top of the cabinet 4 Firmly plug a 10 pin expansion module into one of the three corresponding sockets on the circuit board The program module is larger and fits only in one socket Warning When plugging a program or expansion module into an MDC socket please note its orientation Make sure the back of the module s mini circuit board is facing the top of the cabinet and not the display screen Plugging the modules in backwards will not damage the controller but the controller will not work properly 5 Once you install the modules replace the guide rail PAN 3 BIRD Installation continued Replacing the Battery The MDC2 Controller has a built in lithium battery to backup and store the program memory During normal use the battery should last for 10 years Replace the battery when the MDC2 Controller no longer holds the programmed information Warning The components inside the MDC2 Controller are sensitive to electrostatic discharge By using a grounding strap you can help avoid electrostatic discharge which can damage the units To replace the battery 1 Remove the controller cabinet door from its hinges by opening the door then pushing the metal pin up and out of the hinge Set the door and pin aside 2 Unscrew and remove the faceplate Set the facep
49. aster valves master pumps and up to nine booster valves or pumps Rain Bird recommends you use one Relay 100 pump start relay for each pump in your system However in place of a pump start relay your irrigation system may start pumps using a field decoder plus an external pressure switch or use a master valve with a field decoder For the controller to recognize and associate a field decoder to the master valve and pumps your system uses you must program in the decoder s Address and verify or change the switch code 1 From the Main Menu move the indicating arrow to 1 Set up Data and select OK 2 Move the indicating arrow to 4 Pumps Master Valves and select OK to reach the Pumps screen It lists one Master pump or valve and nine Booster pumps and their switch codes VIL Pumps Master Valves 1 Master 4FFA20 0 2 Boost 4FFA20 0 Boost2 4FFA20 0 Boost3 4FFA20 0 3 4 5 Boost4 4FFA20 0 A v Pause 3 Move the indicating arrow to 1 Master and select OK The screen now shows 3 fields with the titles Pump Switch Address and On and Off A pair of markers points to the Switch field PAN 3 BIRD Programming and Operation continued Note If your system uses Rain Bird Decoders and Relay 100 change the Switch Code to 49F390 Note If your system s water supply feeds directly to a master valve or if the system uses field decoders or pressure switches to start
50. ay and press the button pointing to the OK label English US 11 04 AM Danish Swedish German Italian Spanish Vv Note It takes about five seconds for the controller to change the text to the new language before returning to the Set up Data menu displayed in the language you selected Note Wait until the new country is updated before pressing any buttons Otherwise the country may not update 5 Using the button pointing to the Up arrow label scroll to 11 Return and press the button pointing to the OK label or select minus to return to the Main Menu Setting the Date Time Formats 1 From the Main Menu navigate to 2 Date Time Formats and select OK VIL Main Menu Set up Data Date Time Formats Setting Date Time Y You will be taken to the Date Time Formats menu 2 Select OK again The first active field is the Time Hours which is indicated by alternating blinking arrow markers Date Time Formats Time hours gt 24 lt Hours Date Format Year delim 3 Use the up and down arrows to change the Hours format to be either Standard 12 or Military Time 24 and select OK 4 Use the down arrow to move to the Date Format The active field is the Date Format which is indicated by alternating blinking arrow mark
51. blacklisted 1 From the Rain Bird Remote Access window select Controller and then Identify Failed Valves Edit Valve Status screen appears x Valve name 1 Glear valve from list 2 Clear valve from list Gear valve from list Ss Clear valve from list Clear valve from list Glear valve from list Gear valve from list Glear valve from list Gear valve trom list 10 Clear valve from list Get valve status oo co Ww Low Cancel 2 Clickon Get Valve Status to conduct an audit of your valves Any valves that have malfunctioned and blacklisted shall be listed on this window If any of them have been found to be working properly or have been fixed the user must take them off of the black list for the valves to run again This is done by checking the Clear Valve From the List box If you do that and then click OK all checked decoders will be sent to the MDC and cleared from the list 3 Click OK 4 From the Rain Bird Remote Access screen select Send Data and Send All Data to send the updated information back to the controller PAN 3 BIRD Operating the Controller continued Creating a Log File 1 From the Rain Bird Remote Access window select File 2 Select Create Log File from the pull down menu to reach the Create Log File pop up window Dates Y Y Y Y MM DD From To 2004 02401 2004 0247 p Data Select
52. cating arrow to 3 Alarm Sensor and select OK The current setting appears between the two markers A blinking black box in the first character position shows the field is active 2 Use the up and down arrows to select between Normally open or Normally closed Note Use Normally open if the Alarm Sensor is open all the time Select Normally closed if the Alarm Sensor opens only when it receives a specific signal 3 Select OK to return to the Switch Setting menu 4 Move the indicating arrow to 4 Return to return to the Set up Data menu Note If you press the button pointing to the minus label after you change the Switch Settings a screen appears asking if it is OK to Restart System If not Press Select OK to restart the system or to cancel 7 18 OK Restart System 14 02 30 If not press A Vv Y OK E Erasing All the Data If you wish to delete all the data such as testing or demo data from the MDC Controller before you install the actual values you can do so quickly and easily Note Be careful when you erase data Once erased you cannot retrieve it again 1 From the Main Menu move the indicating arrow to 1 Set up Data and select OK Move the indicating arrow to 9 Erase All and select OK The display screen now reads OK to Erase All Data Use to cancel OK to Erase All Data 14 02 30 gt Use lt gt to Cancel t
53. cc 67 Deleting a Schedule P TECTA rd 68 Erasing all irrigation ss I 69 Editing the global water budget sss 69 Sending Data to the Controller 69 Manual Operation EPICURI D leoi e inne 70 Starting a Decoder Manually sss 70 Starting a Schedule Manually sss 71 Retrieving Monitoring Information csse 72 Failed Decoder 5 72 Creating a Log Rete ee d eene e pac elle eu diea 73 Viewing a Log Pile Rapp SR Ree ERR PV EURER CEU Ra f eM d 73 Backing Up MDC Database cece eee ene IH ehe 74 Restoring Database eL e rib We oin rd ERR Rot nct leti e gate 74 Printing Set Up and Irrigation ene e enn n teen 75 Firmware Uperade E E Rd a WERE Rehd be hil ETUR ER Rd CAN ade 75 Exiting the Remote Access Window sss 75 Understanding rere E a ere SERRA ER UU QU It ERR 77 Finding th Cause ERES ERE Sd Ar nr PRU ebd oed eer 77 Troubleshootlhg ores oh satin ee el 7 Understanding Basic Troubleshooting 78 Troubleshooting the HR REM et 79 Troubleshooting a Field Transm
54. commends you use Relay 100 Please see the illustration below When setting up the controller enter the field decoder Address in the pump Address field The switch code for the above Relay 100 is 4FFA20 L1L2L1L2L1L2 Sensor 7 MDC Controller L Two Wire A RELAY 100 Communications Cable Master Pump Sensor Decoder With the above setup the flow sensor monitors the flow rate sending the information to the controller Once the flow exceeds the maximum rate during irrigation and an alarm flow or leakage schedule is set the controller will automatically shut off the pump and all the decoders and valves PAN 3 BIRD x Appendix III continued Using a Decoder With a Normally Closed NC Master Valve In this installation a decoder controls a Normally closed master valve with a pressure switch controlling the operation of the pump Please see the illustration below When setting up the controller enter the decoder Address If the master valve is Normally open please see Using the Municipal Water Supply With a Master Valve NC or NO on page 100 L1L2L1L2L1L2 Sensor m MDC Controller Pressure f Switch Sensor nila ud Master 18 AWG Pump IL NC Water Line With the above setup both the master valve and flow sensor monitor the flow rate Once the flow exceeds the maximum rate th
55. conversion ratio the controller uses to calculate the flow you only need to program the flow output and sensor output Rain Bird recommends you enter the maximum flow which determines the pulse type Note Digital pulse output flow sensors are most common Please see the manufacturers specifications to determine the sensor type maximum flow and sensor output 7 Move the markers to the Address field and activate Use the up and down arrows to set the decoder address and select OK to save it 8 Move the markers to the field and activate Use the up and down arrows to set the value and select OK to save it 9 Move the markers to the Value field and activate Use the up and down arrows to set the value and select OK to save it 10 Move the markers to the Units field and activate Use the up and down arrows to choose the units and select OK to save it Note Choose Pulse 10s if your digital flow sensor uses a higher pulse rate 30 200 pulses per second and counts the number of pulses in 10 second intervals Choose mA if you are using an analog flow sensor 11 Move the markers to the Sum field and activate Use the up and down arrows to choose either Yes or No and select OK to save it Now it is time to define the alarm conditions This feature allows you to set specific alarm limits when the controller is in the Auto mode Once input from the sensor decoder goes beyond the set limit which can occur if a valve
56. ct 1 Set up Data and select OK The Set up Data Menu appears 2 Move the indicating arrow to 6 Sensor Decoder and select OK to reach Sensor Decoders screen Sensor Decoders gt 1 551 50000 2 02 50001 3 03 50002 4 04 50003 5 05 50004 Y 3 Move the indicating arrow to any desired sensor row and select OK The Sensor Decoder Set up screen appears PAN 3 BIRD Programming and Operation continued 4 Select OK and the blinking markers are positioned under Name 7118 Sensor Decoder Set up 15 04 10 Addr Val Units Sum gt SD1 lt Flow 50000 20 100 mA NA Alarm Cond Limit Action Obj NA 100 Deact Decod Below 12 Deact Decod Y 5 Select OK to activate the Name field Use the up and down arrows to change the default decoder name Select OK to store the name You will notice that the up and down arrows switch to the left and right arrows to facilitate the navigation through the configuration parameters 6 Move the markers to the Type field and activate Use the up and down arrows to set the decoder type and select OK to save it Note For Flow Sensor Decoders Flow Definition allows you to program a Rain Bird SD 210TURF Sensor Decoder to the type of flow sensor your system uses either digital pulse output or analog 4 20 milliamps To establish a
57. current Program being displayed The MDC2 Controller can store up to 10 irrigation Programs which start pumps and 1 auxiliary or non irrigation Program 2 Total indicates the total irrigation time in hours and minutes you scheduled for that Program 3 Current Time shows in 24 hour military time 4 Step Number each Program supports up to 100 Steps Each Step contains specific programmed information for the decoders and the run time for each decoder and valve 5 MIWTESSMTWTFSS shows a 14 day display Schedule of the programmed days starting with the current day this example assumes the current day is Monday 6 Start Time Indicator shows the time of day you want the Program to start You can have up to six start times for each Program 7 Water Budget Indicator shows the water budget setting which you can adjust from 0 250 Water budget lets you adjust the water application or run times in a Schedule without reprogramming the Schedule Iu Program 1 Total 0 05 09 48 00 4 2 MTWTFSSMTWTFSS 2 13 50 10096 A Run every 5 Day Repeat 6 times gy P 2002 03 26 Pause 1 Min 1 Sch A Sch v Sched Auto Manual Y lii PAN 3 BIRD ji Programming and Operation continued 8 Active Passive 10 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 indicates whether a current Program is Active A or Passive Run Every shows the selected irrigation days fro
58. der Windows Finally you can only run one the MDC software at the time Make sure all programs are closed before you start another Watch the two icons in the task bar PAN 3 BIRD This page intentionally left blank Appendix VIII MDC Controller Information Sheet Descriptions Below you will find helpful information about the MDC Controller decoders and programming information sheets to follow Please refer to the programming sheet when reading the descriptions below 1 Column 1 Order This column is for inputting the order you would like the valves to turn on When programming the MDC Controller this will help determine the order of sta tions to be assigned to the steps of various programs 2 Column 2 Decoder Number This is for inputting the decoder addresses printed on the side of the decoders installed in the valve boxes Decoders are essential in two wire systems since they allow the controller to talk to individual valves even though there is not a dedicated wire path to each valve The decoder number is a five digit address that should not repeat on the same controller The purpose of writing these numbers down is to make programming quick and easy and to save decoder information in case of loss of data 3 Column 3 Valve ID This is for inputting the valve number from the plans so that they are easy to find in the field from the plan or as builts after the system has been installed 4 Column 4
59. ds for now Note Choosing a decoder that operates a Normally open Master Valve shuts off the complete water supply to the system Setting Up Sum Flow Alarms 1 From the Main Menu choose Set up Data and select OK You will be taken to the Set up Data Menu Navigate to 6 Sensor Decoders and select OK The Sensor Decoders list appears Navigate to 11 Setup sum flow alarms and select OK 6 06 Gen 50000 7 SD2 Flow 50001 8 SD3 OnOff 50002 9 SD4 Flow 50003 10 SD10 Gen 50000 11 Setup sum flow alarms Y The Setup sum flow alarms screen appears Usethe up and down arrows to enable Master Pump Flow MPF and select OK Usetheright arrow to move to the Min flow when pump active field and select OK to activate it Usethe up and down arrows to set the flow rate and select OK Now you are going to define alarms for your irrigation system Usetheright arrow to move to the Alarm Type field and select OK to activate it Usethe up and down arrows to choose the Alarm Type and select OK PAN 3 BIRD Programming and Operation continued 9 Use the right arrow to move to the Limit field and select OK to activate it 10 Use the up and down arrows to set the limit and select OK 11 Use the right arrow to move to the second alarm field and select OK to activate it 12 Use the up and down arrows to c
60. e are up to date and have been synchronized with the controller 2 Asabackup print out existing set up data and schedules via the Print functions in the File Ensure this includes Sensor Decoder data as well as all data on Pumps MVs and boosters 3 Install software per the following 1 Install the 2 0 SW in a new directory ii Copy rbt ldb and monitor ldb files from the old directory to the new directory Run the upgradedatabase bat and this will do the update iv Delete the old directory once the update is complete Verify that all set up data and schedules are correct Make any changes if needed On the controller change out the existing memory card with the new Version 2 0 card Connect to the controller via serial cable or phone line oO A Under the Send data menu on the top tool bar select Send all set up and irrigation data This will send all configuration date and schedules from the PC software to the controller 8 At the controller verify that all setup and schedule information has been correctly received Note For running more than one version of the MDC software after installing Version 2 0 ensure that the versions remain in separate directories You may have a conflict using the un installer to remove MDC software when the MDC software is installed more than one time This is just because of the shared DLL Just remove the directory instead of using the remove software function un
61. e controller sends a signal to the pump decoder shutting off the master valve and all other decoders and valves in the system When the water pressure builds up inside the pump due to the pressure switch the pump also stops There cannot be a leak in the system because when no Programs or decoders are active the Normally closed master valve is closed PAN 3 BIRD Appendix III continued Using a Decoder and Relay 100 With a Pressure Switch In this installation the pressure switch attaches directly to the decoder and Relay 100 and the decoder and Relay 100 to the pump Please see the illustration below Please see Naming the Field Decoders on page 25 You will also need to define a separate valve type with the switch code of 4FFA20 The controller circuit from the pressure switch runs through the contacts on the Relay 100 L1 L2 L1 L2 L1 L2 Sensor s7 7 MDC Controller Master Pump RELAY 100 Water Line 18 AWG Pressure Switch With the above setup the pressure switch will provide power to the pump or if the flow exceeds the maximum rate the controller sends a signal to the field decoder stopping the pump and shutting off the valves in the system If the pressure is too high the pressure switch will cut off power to the pump and shut it off With the valves closed any flow in the system is considered a leak RAINY BIRD se Appendix III continued
62. e decoder to be active and select OK G1 2007 lt 4 Active Dec Note The display now shows the number of Active Dec displaying only one at a time The sprinkler icon starts to sprinkle 5 6 54 Follow steps 2 4 to manually activate more decoders Use the up and down arrows to scroll through each Active Decoder Manually Stopping an Active Decoder 1 From the Active Decoder Screen select Dec 2 Scroll through the list of Active Decoders to reach the one you want to stop and select the minus label The Active Decoder Screen now shows one less decoder Ip 14 02 30 013 Min 3 Active Dec tr v Pause Prog DESM METE U 3 Select Manual to stop all the manually activated decoders and return to the Main Operating Screen Note Please note that you do not need to perform Step 3 if your controller is in Auto mode RAINY BIRD Creating Irrigation Schedules continued Understanding Sensor Warning Signs Ifa rain or auxiliary sensor shows an alarm or warning condition a message like this appears on the display Type Date Time Deactivate Warning Rain Sensor 14 02 30 28 5 29 Out A OK Type of Sensor Date and time the Sensor activated In Date and time the Sensor became deactive Out
63. e in the Field Transmitter s installation menu Please see the Field Transmitter User Manual on page 43 Troubleshooting the Controller s Internal Parts The MDC2 Controller does have a thermal fuse that resets itself after a Short Circuit message disappears You should not try to replace the thermal fuse In general it is better to substitute the controller as a whole than try to replace various internal parts that may be interconnected with cables and plugs However there are a few procedures you may try to troubleshoot the controller Problem Solution Problem Solution 88 The display will not come on when the controller receives power Check that the cable connector from the transformer to the main board is correctly inserted in the connector on the board Check also the cable connector from the ON OFF switch The contrast on the display screen is too high low If the contrast is too high low try adjusting the potentiometer in the uppermost left corner of the main board To get access remove the display and control module Please see Replacing the Battery on page 15 RAINY BIRD Troubleshooting continued Problem The controller is functioning but acting oddly Solution If the controller is acting oddly try downloading the Firmware to the program module in the controller Please see the Firmware Upgrade Instructions included with the Firmware Upgrade package Replacing The Controller The MDC2 Controller contai
64. e iris forthe indeidual sensors aed for the Sum Flow High Flow tor the current Ste lap wil ba shed down ard iiguton wl be cantinu ied with the next step SEUF m Se Action Type amp 2 095 a EF depends on the Idem system beyond Next Cancel 3 Setup the alarm information including Action Object Type Object ID Flow Limit Conditions Delay and Call Setup Please note that you can define only one alarm condition per Flow Sensor Decoder These options can also be set up for summed flow if that was previously selected in the Sensor Decoder Wizard 4 Onthe Sensor Decoder Wizard click on Next PAN 3 BIRD Using the Controller with a PC continued 5 If desired alarms can also be set up to operate when not irrigating to detect unexpected flow or leaks Sensor Decoder wizard Flow Alarms when not irigating When controller iz in Auto Mode but not irrigating fow monitoring Can be used to react to wnexpected flaw You may set up alam actions for indiidual Flow Sensors and or for the Sum Flow and a paging shone call Modem in Controur required Action Unt Cond Delay Cals Message 180 Pot uses 5 JP ffe 2 45021 Pit usea Ap Sunes tow Action Object Type Delay Cab Message __ Disable
65. ecoder etn 54 Manually stopping an active Decoder e teen enn e eee eed 54 Understanding Sensor Warning Signs sss 55 Sensing a Short CITCUI s lone i 55 Using the Controller with a PC III mn 57 Linking your PC and Controller 4e et A aad 58 Installing the Ram Bid MDC PC Software 59 Setting Up a Communications s e 59 RAINY BIRD Contents continued Verifying the Time and Date o DR EROR GO b dd 61 Controller Status Observation N 61 Using the MDC PC eissis nisinsin x re eph ERE Ee hA ERI RE COPA id 62 Retrieving the Data besar eed ed ete eure ped ce Fiera 62 Editing Set Up Data 62 Configuring Sensor Decoder Settings 64 Configuring On Off sensor Decoders Alarm 65 Configuring Generic Sensor Decoders sss 65 Configuring Flow Sensor Decoders tenn eee 66 Main Pump Failure et VF eaae 66 Erasing the set up data RE LEER ade 67 Editing irrigation schedules c
66. ed All Date Device type Time Measure Device Action p File Append C Replace C Program Files RainBird 1 3 Enter the From and To dates you want to use 4 Select the type of Data you want to include 5 Select the location of the file and whether you want this data to Append add to or Replace a current file To save the file in spreadsheet format change the file extension from mon to csv 6 Select OK to create the file Example Below is an example of how the information appears in the Log File Each line represents an event We selected the event information to include the Date YYYYMMDD Time Device Device Type and Action 20010919 085000 1 I Started 20010919 085000 T1 D Started 20010919 085000 1 P Started Line 1 tells us that Irrigation Schedule 1 started on Sept 19th 2001 at 8 50 AM Line 2 tells us that D Decoder T1 started on Sept 19th 2001 at 8 50 AM Line 3 tells us that P Pump 1 started on Sept 19th 2001 at 8 50 AM Note You can import the file into a spreadsheet or to a database program To import the file into a spreadsheet save it using the file extension csv Note Specific device abbreviations include Pump B Power Schedule D Decoder S Sensor RAINY BIRD 5 Operating the Controller continued Backing Up MDC Database 1 From the Rain Bird Remote Access window
67. elect Program You will see the following message YIL This will pause all currently running schedules OK to accept to reject T 2 Select OK 1 18 2 lt Total 0 01 02 40 PM 1 Monday 10 50 25 A Repeat 0 times 3 Use the up and down arrows to choose the program that you wish to run manually and select OK The number of active decoders as well as the remaining run time will be displayed and the sprinkler icon will sprinkle Note Your controller remains in Auto mode during the manually run irrigation schedule and resumes its normal course of the stacked irrigation schedules once the manually run schedule is over Please note that it is not possible to pause a manually activated irrigation schedule RAINY BIRD Creating Irrigation Schedules continued Manually Starting an Irrigation Schedule Operating the irrigation Programs Manually overrides all Automatic Programs When you manually start an irrigation schedule the running programs are paused and the remaining parts are stacked to run after the manually started schedule s finish It is possible to start up to three 3 schedules manually and they will all be stacked in the order that they are entered but all prior to the stacked auto schedules 1 From the Main Operating Screen select Manual The Manual label is highlighted and you are asked to Select Program or Decoder 2 Use the u
68. em is in field One field cable Connect one cable at a time Is voltage OK next cable Use Clamp Use Clamp Ampmeter to Ampmeter to trace short trace short PAN 3 BIRD Appendix I Conversion Chart from Standard to Military Time Standard Time Military Time Standard Time Military Time 1 00 am 01 00 1 00 pm 13 00 2 00 am 02 00 2 00 pm 14 00 3 00 am 03 00 3 00 pm 15 00 4 00 am 04 00 4 00 pm 16 00 5 00 am 05 00 5 00 pm 17 00 6 00 am 06 00 6 00 pm 18 00 7 00 am 07 00 7 00 pm 19 00 8 00 am 08 00 8 00 pm 20 00 9 00 am 09 00 9 00 pm 21 00 10 00 am 10 00 10 00 pm 22 00 11 00 am 11 00 11 00 pm 23 00 12 00 pm 12 00 12 00 am 00 00 RAINS BIRD 5 This page intentionally left blank Appendix II Selecting Electrical Codes for Solenoids If your system uses solenoids valves that do not open you may need to extend the switch code activation time To do this change the 4th digit of the code according to the following chart RAINS BIRD Appendix II continued Electrical Requirement Code of Magnetic Solenoid SWITCH CODE DEFINITION 5 9 X 0 Activation Time ms Holding Voltage Volts 30 3 3 1 2 40 4 4 1 7 50 5 5 lt 2 3 60 6 6 2 9 70 7 7 3 5 80 8 8 4 0 90 9 9 46 100 A A 5 2 110 B B 5 8 120 6 3 130 D D 6 9 140 E E 7 5 150 F F 8 1 Use the chart above to select a suitable electrical code for special solenoid valve types Note To find a s
69. er to the Delete field and select OK The previous Step now shows on the display screen and all the successive Steps move back one 7 18 Program 3 2 11 14 02 30 13 Total 013Min OK Insert gt Delete lt Repeat 0 times J Note Selecting the minus label while in a non active Decoder field indicated with right and left arrow labels or an active Minute s field indicated with up and down arrow labels deletes the information you programmed into that field 4 Select Step to return to the Schedule Set up Screen Selecting the Days Each Program runs on a 14 day cycle You can set each individual Program or Schedule to run on any day in the cycle The programming repeats itself after 14 days 1 From the Main Operating Screen scroll to the Program you want 2 Select Sched then Day to activate the 14 day Schedule The blinking markers and box show the field is active The Day label is highlighted 3 Move the blinking box to each day you want to irrigate and select OK to schedule that day Vil Program 4 Total 1 57 14 02 30 152NFSSMTWTFSSMTW 0 100 P Repeat 0 times Se OK pram Example If you want to irrigate every Monday Wednesday Friday and Sunday move the box to those days in the 14 day Schedule and select the days you want or delete the days you do not want to include in the Schedule Select the m
70. ers 5 Use the up and down arrows to change the Date Format and select OK RAINY BIRD Programming and Operation continued 6 Use the down arrow to move to the Year Delimited 7 Use the up and down arrows to change the Year Delimited format and select OK 8 Press to exit Date Time Formats screen Setting the Date and Time 1 From the Main Menu move the indicating arrow to 2 Setting Date Time and select OK The first active field is the year which is indicated by alternating blinking arrow markers VIL gt 2002 lt 03 26 20 33 58 Tuesday 9 2 Use the up and down arrows to change the year Note The double arrow label lets you move through the date and time quickly Pressing the button pointing to the double arrow label once increases or decreases the date and time by five digits To switch the direction of the double arrow label press the button pointing to the up and down arrow labels Holding in the button pointing to the double arrows lets you scroll through the numbers quickly 3 OK moves the blinking markers to the month Scroll to the correct month and select OK to move the markers to the day 4 Scroll up or down to the correct day OK accepts the change and moves the markers to the hour which reads in 24 hour military time Please see Appendix I Conversion Chart from Standard to Military Time on page 91 Note The year month and day you choo
71. es the Field Transmitter cannot contact the controller Heavy leakage currents may cause this in the system Check the line voltage If the line voltage is acceptable there is probably a fault in the Field Transmitter or in rare cases the controller Check the Field Transmitter s installation data Make sure PULSE TIME is set to 0 and INT DELAY is set to 40 Please see the Field Transmitter User Manual on page 43 If these settings are correct replace the Field Transmitter RAINY BIRD Troubleshooting continued Problem Solution Problem Solution Problem Solution If the No Contact message appears only when a specific field decoder or pump decoder is active the fault is in this decoder The Field Transmitter reads Try Again This message can appear if the controller is very busy for example if an irrigation Schedule is running or about to start If the message appears frequently please see The Field Transmitter reads No Contact on page 87 The Field Transmitter reads Unknown Decoder to an existing field decoder The fault is probably in the character string installed in the Field Transmitter If this is not identical with the character string installed in the controller the field decoder s letters will be switched around Check and correct the Field Transmitter s installation Please see the Field Transmitter User Manual on page 43 The Field Transmitter uses the wrong language Select the correct languag
72. he field decoder Check that the decoder address was entered correctly Please see Naming the Field Decoders on page 25 There is a break in the solenoid Measure the resistance in the solenoid Standard Rain Bird solenoids measure about 28 Ohms If the resistance is low replace the solenoid If the field decoder still does not respond replace the field decoder PA 3 BIRD 5 Troubleshooting continued Problem Solution 82 One or more field decoders does not always activate the valve To open a valve a field decoder supplies the valve with energy electricity for a short time If the valve s hydraulic pressure is high then it needs more energy to open There are many factors contributing to the amount of energy available to open a valve These factors include the length of the two wire communications cable to the field decoder and the number of field decoders operating at one time The switch code setting controls these factors The field decoder s valve type defines the solenoid s switch code The switch code tells the field decoder how to operate the solenoid The switch code must be specified correctly for the field decoder to operate the solenoid If the solenoids you are using are not made by Rain Bird you may need to change the switch code settings Please see Appendix II Selecting Electrical Codes for Solenoids on page 93 If the two wire communications cable was installed as a ring cable a break in the ring
73. hedule is Active Red indicates the Schedule is Passive Gray indicates the schedule has no information in it To erase all data for a particular schedule 1 On the Irrigation Schedule Edit window click on the tab of the Schedule you want to view 2 Click Delete Schedule You will be asked to confirm the deletion of the schedule MDC Notice 3 Click OK Note that the color of the tab of the deleted schedule changes to gray Erasing all irrigation schedules You can erase ALL IRRIGATION SCHEDULES and IRRIGATION SCHEDULE CONTENTS stored on the PC 1 From the Rain Bird Remote Access window select Edit data 2 Select Edit irrigation data and Erase all from the pull down menus to reach the Erase Irrigation Schedules window 3 Select Yes to erase the information Select No to cancel the action Editing the global water budget Editing global water budget lets you adjust all the Schedules quickly and easily If you design individual Schedules with a nominal run time for each decoder and valve and set the water budget at 100 you can easily adjust to changes in weather conditions 1 From the Rain Bird Remote Access window select Edit data RAINY BIRD Using the Controller with a PC continued 2 Select Edit Global Water Budget and an Adjust Global Water Budget pop up window appears Global WB may be used to adjust the Run Time for all schedules To revert to local WB set Global WB to 100 and Send Global
74. hoose between the Leak and Disable and select OK Note If you choose Disable select OK and then select to exit the screen 13 Ifyou choose Leak select OK 14 Use the right arrow to move to the Limit field and select OK to activate it 15 Use the up and down arrows to set the limit and select OK 16 Use the right arrow to move to the Action field and select OK to activate it 17 Use the up and down arrows to decide what action you want to take place if the leak threshold is reached and select OK 18 Use the right arrow to move to the Object field and select OK to activate it 19 Use the up and down arrows to choose amongst Decoder Schedule or Pump to be affected by the defined alarm condition and select OK 20 Use the right arrow to move to the Object ID field and select OK to activate it 21 Use the up and down arrows to choose the specific Decoder Schedule or Pump to be affected by the defined alarm condition and select OK 22 Select to return to the Main Menu Setting up an auxiliary sensor An auxiliary sensor works with rain or alarm sensors If the rain sensor is installed far from the controller or if your system uses a pump alarm you will also need an auxiliary sensor activated by sensor decoder Remember auxiliary sensors can only tell if a switch is open or closed Once an auxiliary sensor activates irrigation stops 1 From the Sensor Decoder menu move the indicating arrow to 5 A
75. ht arrow to select OK to return to the Set up menu Selecting minus cancels the change and returns to its previous setting RAINS BIRD 95 Appendix II continued Default Switch Codes Standard Rain Bird 24 VAC solenoids Switch Code 59F350 New Rain Bird 24 VAC solenoids Switch Code 59F370 Normally open Master Valve Close on alarm Switch Code 39F350 Municipal Water Supply Master Valve Normally Open or Closed Switch Code 49F350 Non Irrigation Valve Types Switch Code 3FFA20 Relay 100 Master Valves and Pumps Switch Code 4FFA20 Note Recommended default switch codes are provided for general guidance purposes under normal operating parameters only Due to the potential uniqueness of your MDC2 installation functional operation of the MDC2 Switch code settings must be verified by the end user to ensure the system is functioning as desired x PAN 3 BIRD Appendix Master Valve and Pump Set up Tips To supply water to the various valves located throughout an irrigation area systems use either a master valve or master pump By recognizing a specific Address and switch code the controller sends a signal telling the decoder when to activate the valve or pump The switch code can vary depending on how your system was installed Below we will cover some of the more common installations Using a Field Decoder With a Pump In this installation a field decoder attaches to a pump using a relay Rain Bird re
76. ield solenoid valves controlling when they open and close CPU board the central processing unit circuit board inside the controller default setting the start up settings for the controller GPH used in USA gallons per hour hardwire communications cable used to transmit data between devices irrigation schedule the watering Schedule for one of the Programs controlled by the controller liquid crystal display LCD the illuminated display used on most controllers manual requires user input rather than being automatically performed master pump main irrigation pump controlled electronically that supplies water pressure to the system Not all systems require a master pump master valve MV an electrically operated valve located on the system s main line that controls the flow of water to all other electric and manual valves downstream of it RAINS BIRD Glossary continued M3 h used outside USA cubic meters per hour monitor to observe conditions in and around the irrigation system and send the information to the different components in the system for appropriate action sensor an optional addition to the controller that can disable watering solenoid a coil of copper wire that receives a 24 VAC electrical current from the controller causing a plunger to open a control port in a valve allowing the valve to open and operate the sprinklers valve a manual or electrically operated device used to contr
77. imes add steps and select different decoders PAN 3 BIRD Using the Controller with a PC continued Note Start times must be separated by a minimum of two minutes Note A drop down box appears when you select the Decoder columns Use the drop down boxes to make your selections from the decoders you already programmed into the controller 4 Select OK to save the irrigation Schedule changes Note Please see Creating Irrigation Schedules on page 41 Note To insert or delete a line in a schedule click on the column immediately to the left of the step number An arrow pointing to the right will appear Then press the insert or delete key on the computer keyboard Pressing the insert key will immediately insert a blank line above the step selected Pressing the delete key will cause a warning box to appear To confirm deletion of that line click on Yes Using this method will ensure that the database is properly updated Irrigation Schedule Edit Repent Run every Delete Schodde ox Deleting a Schedule When you delete a schedule all irrigation programming information is erased from that schedule You can return to the schedule at a later time and create a new program under the same irrigation schedule number The Irrigation Schedule Edit screen employs color coding to indicate the status of irrigation schedules The tab of each Schedule will be one of these colors Green indicates the Sc
78. ing from the controller before measuring the current If the controller is using more than one two wire communications cable you can use the Clamp Ampmeter to find the two wire cable that is using too much current When measuring the cables pay close attention to the magnitude of the current If you learn that none of the communications wires are using too much current then the short circuit may be in the controllers lighting protection To check this disconnect all the communications cables and test the terminals If the condition remains after you disconnect the lines the short is in the lighting protection and you will need to replace the controller To locate the short use the Clamp Ampmeter to follow the current from the controller to the decoders in the field The large current will run out from the controller on one wire to the short circuit and back again to the controller on the other The current running beyond the short circuit in the cable will read zero 0 or have a very low reading If the cable splits into two or more branches the current will only continue in the branch where you will locate the short circuit If the fault is in a field decoder you can measure the current in the decoder s connecting blue input wires two wire communications cable shows signs of corrosion To safeguard the two wire cables against corrosion their mean voltage relative to the surrounding ground must be slightly negative The c
79. inus labels to delete days not water on those days or use the right and left arrow labels to move to each day you want to water and select OK to program those days 4 When you are finished select Day to return to the Schedule Set up Screen a PAN 3 BIRD Creating Irrigation Schedules continued Selecting a Start Time You must select at least one start time for each Program You can have up to six start times for each Program for each day 1 From the Main Operating Screen scroll to the Program you want Select Sched then Time to activate the Start Time indicator 1 6 field The blinking marker shows the field is active The Time label is highlighted Program 4 Total 1 57 14 02 30 eS p Repeat 0 times 15 M W F S T T S Scroll up or down to the first Start Time indicator 1 and select OK VIL Program 4 Total 15 M W F S M W F S 1 57 14 02 30 1211 40 10096 P Repeat 0 times i DK umma PA 3 BIRD 4 Usethe up and down arrows to set the first Start Time 5 Select OK to enter the Start Time into the Schedule 6 Scroll to the second Start Time indicator 2 select OK and enter a second Start Time into the Schedule Continue until you are finished up to six 7 Select Time to return to the Schedule Set up Screen Note Start times must be separated by a minimum of two minutes 45 Creating
80. ion zone per watering day Column 9 P This is the program number that each valve will oper ate in as programmed into the controller Each valve can be on several programs There are 10 programs per controller six start times per program and several repeats per start time Repeats should be used to eliminate runoff with shorter run times and more repetition of each zone PAN 3 BIRD Appendix VIII continued IV 1 3 and 2 0 Sensor Setup VI 110 Controller Type Check One MDC 50 MDC 50 100 MDC 100 150 MDC 150 200 Time Window Irrigation Prevented From To vil Vill MDC Controller Edit Set Up Data Software Version Check One 1 3 2 Water Budget Enter Valve Type Switch No of Valves Pump Master Valve Address On Delay Off Delay Switch Master Valve Booster 1 Booster 2 Booster 3 Booster 4 Booster 5 Booster 6 Booster 7 Booster 8 Booster 9 Rain Alarm Check One Passive Passive Active Active Sensor Decoders Name Type Address Units Value RAINY BIRD Appendix VIII continued Name Address MDC Controllers Valve Type Booster Value
81. ithin the acceptable range there is a problem with the field installation Please see the problem The field decoders are not responding on page 81 With the lines L1 and L2 connected use the Clamp Ampmeter to measure the line current Standby current for the FD 102TURF and FD 202TURF Decoder is 0 5 mA Standby current for the FD 401 TURF and FD 601TURF Decoder is 1 mA Based on these values compute the expected line current for your system If the actual current differs more than 20 mA from the value you computed the problem is in the field Voltages or current readings that are too high indicate that something is overloading the two wire communications cable Please see the problem Overloading the two wire communications cable caused a short circuit on page 84 Current reading too low may indicate that there is a break in the two wire communications cable Please see the problem Finding a break in the two wire communications cable on page 83 PAN 3 BIRD Troubleshooting continued Problem Solution Problem Solution Finding a fault by measuring line voltages in the field When searching for a fault you may need to measure the voltage on the two wire communications cable in the field Set the voltmeter in the DC range and measure the voltage at the L1 and L2 terminal strip If the DC readings are erratic changing every half second navigate the MDC Controller to the 50 Hz mode and switch the voltmeter to AC Please see
82. itter Optional sese 87 Troubleshooting the Controller s Internal Parts sese 88 Replacing The Controler 2 es toic eret erede PER ation QU PORTE Obed E Pate tus 89 Troubleshooting Guide for the Decoder System sss 90 RAINY BIRD 5 Contents continued Appendik MUTET 91 Conversion Chart from Standard to Military Time sse 91 Perm 93 Selecting Electrical Codes for Solenoids 93 Changing the Switching Codes cece cece eee een eee m 95 Appendix eh mmm m e ee 97 Master Valve and Pump Set up sss 97 Using a Field Decoder With a Pump 97 Using a Decoder With a Normally Closed NC Master Valve 98 Using a Decoder and Relay 100 With a Pressure Switch 99 Using the Municipal Water Supply with a Master Valve NC or NO 100 Appendix IV ERE EE RE ORE ETE RR A 101 Sensors aos severo DES RB OE nte EUR AGO ORE SIUE Eie E rds 101 Sensor Unit OF Measures re DU INDIES E eid 101 Alan Trliggels x RIO ened 101 Alarm Action denen HET 102 AlarmrActon GU AUR
83. l button restores the full view of all schedules after zooming in on a particular schedule on the bar graph Grid places grid lines over the Schedule and Print prints the Schedule To view a detailed section i e Schedule 5 Monday between 6 10 am and 6 45 am click on the graph With the left mouse button pressed drag the cursor across the section of the Schedule you want to view Dragging the cursor forms a rectangle showing the area of the Schedule you want to detail Release the mouse button to Zoom In The Schedule now shows only the detailed area you selected To return the screen back to normal select the Zoom Out button again Irrigation Schedule Edit X ssf ia fa fe a ef RE Note When you move the cursor to a section on the View window a Values pointer shows you the corresponding Schedule day and time for the section where the cursor points 3 Select the tab of the Schedule you want to change to reach the Irrigation Schedule Edit window Irrigation Schedule Edit Global WB 250 vow UN iem Passive 4212737374542 s 5401 TR Pe SRS co co aE imn mee Note The Irrigation Schedule Edit windows let you add Schedules or change information in current Schedules For example use these windows to change Schedules from Active to Passive change the days adjust the water budget start and repeat times add pauses to Schedules and run t
84. l regulations replace the screws lock washers and clip If you mistreat the battery it may 4 Replace the controller s faceplate explode Do not recharge disassemble 5 Screw on the faceplate or dispose of in fire 6 Tum on the Main power supply to the controller and turn on the controller CAUTION Note When you change the battery you will need to reprogram the MDC2 Controller PAN 3 BIRD Programming and Operation Using the buttons on the controller you can set up the MDC2 Controller to operate automatically You can also run the controller manually without changing the Programs you have set This chapter shows you how to use the controller s buttons and gives you step by step instructions for setting up the controller to suit your needs PAN 3 BIRD z Programming and Operation continued Familiarizing Yourself with the MDC2 Controller Before beginning to program or operate your MDC2 Controller take a moment to familiarize yourself with the controller Note that the location of the ON OFF switch is behind the removable panel Once you turn the controller on you can use the buttons to guide you through different display screens and functions on the Liquid Crystal Display LCD Most screens show a row of labels at the bottom These labels indicate the specific function of the buttons under each label As the labels change from one screen to the next so does the function of the button
85. late aside Set the faceplate aside To prevent electrical shock turn off the controller and shut OFF all supply power to the unit at the Main power CAUTION before proceeding Electrical shock can cause severe injury or death 3 Using a Phillips head screwdriver remove the five screws lock washers and metal clip Carefully lift the display and control module as far as the connecting wires allow 4 Disconnect the two wire harness from the board by grasping the connector and pulling straight up RAINS BIRD in Installation continued 5 Open the locking tabs on the three ribbon cables by pushing the tabs away from the cables Disconnect the ribbon cables by grasping the wide sides of the connectors and gently pulling the connector away from the board Set the module aside Using a thin blade screwdriver gently pry the lithium battery out of its compartment and replace it with a new battery positive side To reassemble the controller 1 Reconnect the three ribbon cables by firmly pushing each connector into their slots on the board A small tab on the side of the connector slides into a slot on the socket so each connector fits only one way Firmly push to engage the locking tabs Plug in the two wire harness into its corresponding slot on the board It fits only facing up one way Warning Dispose of the depleted battery in 3 Reposition the display and control module and accordance with loca
86. lete installation and tracking of the two wire communications cable including each field decoder connection point If the break is in a ring cable disconnect one end of the cable from the controller You can now find the approximate location of the break by testing each field decoder to determine which decoders are not responding Please see Testing the operation of the decoders on page 37 If during the test a field decoder activates you will know the break in the cable must be beyond that decoder Field decoders will not respond if there is a break in the cable Before testing you may want to depressurize any pressure controlled pumps and deactivate any pump decoders in your system Please see Entering the Pump Master Valve Information on page 28 This will stop the pumps from activating during the test conserving water Once you localize a break between two decoders you then need to find the exact location of the break manually by measuring its voltage A cable s voltage after a break is not always zero 0 In fact it may only be 10 V lower than the reading before the break First check connections at the two decoders and between the two decoders Measure the voltage on the cable from the last decoder that is working Then measure the voltage on the cable at the non working decoder connection If you cannot find the fault in any of the field decoder connections and there is no specific hint at to where the fault may be you can t
87. lves Sensors Sensor Decoder Non Water Window v Y 3 Select OK to activate non watering starting time The active field is the hour which is indicated by alternating blinking arrow markers VIL Non Water Window 08 48 AM 1 From gt 12 lt 00 AM 8 To 06 30 AM Usethe up and down arrows to change the hour and select OK The alternating blinking arrow markers move to the minutes Usethe up and down arrows to change the minutes and select OK Now you need to set the non water window ending time 6 Repeat steps 4 and 5 to set the ending time 7 Select to exit a PAN 3 BIRD Programming and Operation continued Setting the Switch Settings Switch Settings lets you change from using the Full range of alphanumeric characters to using limited characters to name field decoders The limited characters match the sixteen character keyboard on FT 210 Field Transmitters You also use the Switch Setting to define the rain and alarm sensors Switching the alphabet 1 From the Main Menu move the indicating arrow to 1 Set up Data and select OK 2 Move the indicating arrow to 8 Switch Settings and select OK to reach the Switch Settings menu VIL 12 34 PM Switch Settings 1 Alphabet 2 Rain Sensor 3 Alarm Sensor 4 Return T V P OK 3 With the indicating ar
88. m 1 14 Repeat shows how many times up to 99 times irrigation Programs Repeat First shows the year month and day a Schedule begins Pause shows how many minutes you want a Program to Pause between Repeat Programs before resuming with the next Program Sprinkler Icon sprinkles when an irrigation Schedule is running Sch A Sch v Search Labels use the buttons associated with the Sch labels to move up and down through the 11 stored Programs Sched Schedule Label use the button associated with the Sched label to set up specific irrigation Schedules Menu Label use the button associated with the Menu label to enter the Main Menu Auto Label use the button associated with the Auto label to set the controller to the Auto mode A menu displays allowing you to Pause the irrigation Schedule and manually start the decoders Manual Label use the button associated with the Manual label to enter a menu where you can manually start irrigation programs or decoders and Pause a running Program RAINY BIRD Programming and Operation continued Setting Up Your System The first time you turn on the MDC2 Controller you must program into your system specific set up information decoder and solenoid numbers sensors etc about your irrigation system Before you begin you may need to Select a Country indicating language and unit of measure to read on the display screen Note P
89. m 1 to 50 Hz making it easier to trace the short circuit and display this message Type Date Time Corrected Warning Short Circuit 14 02 30 In 28 15 48 Out A OK Type of problem Short Circuit Date and time of problem In Date and time problem was corrected Out If it still exists there is no Out time Warning sign displays as long as problem exists Select OK to remove the message As long as the problem exists the message will appear again every time you select an Automatic or Manual function PAN 3 BIRD Using the Controller with a PC The MDC comes with its own programming and monitoring software System set up data and programs can be entered in the software They can then be downloaded to the controller The software can also be used to upload data and programs from the controller Additionally it can retrieve log data from the controller and manually run stations and programs You can attach the MDC controller to a PC directly using a nine pin serial cable or through a modem telephone line Both connections are easy to find under the faceplate RAINS BIRD Using the Controller with a PC continued Linking your PC and Controller To link your PC using the serial communication port 1 Open the MDC cabinet and remove the lower panel Note For serial communications you will need two nine
90. m one central location MDC Controllers use Schedules to control the days times and length of time each valve operates Once you program and store irrigation Schedules and other instructions the MDC communicates this information through a two wire MAXI cable communication path to numerous decoders located throughout the irrigation system The decoders act on command from the controller activating solenoids on various valves master valves and pumps The MDC2 Controller uses a program module which supports up to 50 decoder outputs The controller also has slots to hold three expansion modules Each expansion module supports an additional 50 outputs This means you can configure your MDC2 Controller to support 50 100 150 and 200 outputs RAINS BIRD Introduction continued Special Features The MDC2 Controller mounts to a wall and has the following special features v v v lt lt lt S lt lt lt lt lt lt lt 2 Anti rust corrosion resistant design Weather resistant cabinet allowing you to mount the controller inside or outside Stores up to 10 separate irrigation Programs and 1 auxiliary non irrigation Program which does not start pumps Each Program supports up to 100 Steps individual commands that complete a Program Each Program can start up to 6 times a day Each Program runs on a 14 day Schedule Input terminal connections for rain or alarm sensor Output termin
91. ns set up and irrigation data that is stored in a chip soldered to the main board When you need to replace the controller the data will stay in the defective controller However you can use the PC program to transfer data from the controller to the PC If the controller is still able to communicate you can retrieve and transfer the data to the replacement unit Please see Retrieving the Data on page 62 If the controller cannot communicate you must rely on the current PC data or backup disk you made the last time you updated the data RAINY BIRD Troubleshooting continued Troubleshooting Guide for the Decoder System Controller display ON _ Start 50 Hz mode Check line voltage Is reading 33 40 VAC ka Problem is in field Does the line current 50 Hz match decoders lt y One field cable Connect one cable Check valve activation at a time Is Inrush OK Is current OK Take next cable Next valve Is current in GND Is decoder address OK Bad splice Correct address Next decoder Use Clamp Ampmeter to locate problem Is current gt 20 mA Defective solenoid Defective decoder Not possible to trace Connect both wires to the same terminal and trace leak Is switch ON LN Is supply Turn on switch voltage OK 1 Controller is defective Disconnect lines and measure again Is reading OK 3 Controller is defective Check fuses and Mains switch Probl
92. o Out lt time gt This sequence is based on a correct set up and a rain alarm sensor that is Normally closed NC ON open NC ON closed NO Normally open If this sequence does not occur check to make sure the rain alarm sensor is properly installed Please see Connecting an Optional Sensor on page 13 Troubleshooting a Field Transmitter Optional The Field Transmitter is a separate small handheld computer which uses special connectors to connect to the two wire communications cable in the field You use Field Transmitters to manually operate field decoders In the following it is assumed that the MDC Controller and field decoder system is working properly Problem The Field Transmitter s display is dead Solution Check that there is line voltage on the connection sockets inside the Field Transmitter Connection Box Various connection boxes may be located in the field at specific points along the two wire communications line Use the irrigation drawings to find the location of each box Open the Connection Box and measure the line voltage between terminals 1 and 2 Make sure the wires leading into the rear terminals are not corroded If they are cut away the corroded wires and reconnect the wires Check the connection points If the pins of the socket are corroded which can happen if the protective cap is missing replace the socket Problem The Field Transmitter reads No Contact Solution ANo Contact message indicat
93. o fs E fede f Da 2 Set up the alarm information including Action Object Type Object ID Absolute Limit Conditions Delay and Call Setup Please note that you can define two 2 alarm conditions per Generic Sensor Decoder 3 Click Next to define alarms for another Generic Sensor Decoder or Finish if you are done Configuring Flow Sensor Decoders The measurement of flow rate in the mainline is one of the most important measurements in an irrigation system Flows that are out of range either high or low can be reported and acted upon Flow sensors can be read remotely by your MDC system hardware designed with this feature Your MDC control system can continually check on the flow rate in the system and compare it to pre defined acceptable levels It can also be set up to make an outgoing page if the MDC is connected to a phone line You can define the flow alarm thresholds as follows 1 The Sensor Decoder Wizard provides an option to include individual sensor flow readings in a summed flow To select this option click on the box next to the sensor decoder number SD in the Include in Sum column To have data from individual flow sensors recorded in the MDC log click on Log to file in the Monitor Data column Summed flow is always recorded 2 OnSensor Decoder Wizard click on Flow ecodor jarma ee gong Imgalion Yeu may sal th
94. ol flow of water in an irrigation system water budget allows the adjustment of water application times without reprogramming each irrigation Schedule watering cycle the complete cycle of watering for all Programs controlled by the controller RAINSBIRD Service Information In the unlikely event this equipment should malfunction all repairs should be performed by an Authorized Rain Birde MDC2 Controller Service Center For information on Authorized Rain Birde MDC2 Controller Service Centers contact Rain Birdeat Rain Bird Corporation Contractor Division 970 W Sierra Madre Avenue Azusa CA 91702 Phone 626 812 3400 Rain Bird Corporation Commercial Division 6991 E Southpoint Rd Bldg 1 Tucson AZ 85706 Phone 520 741 6100 Rain Bird International Inc 145 N Grand Ave Glendora CA 91741 2469 Phone 626 852 7313 Rain Bird Technical Services 1 866 GSP XPRT 1 866 477 9778 Specifications Hotline 1 800 458 3005 www rainbird com PAN 3 BIRD This page intentionally left blank Warranty This product is covered by Rain Bird s Three year Trade Warranty For details see the Rain Bird Landscape Irrigation Products Catalog Pentium is a Registered Trademark of Intel Corporation Windows is a Registered Trademark of Microsoft Corporation RadioShack is a Registered Trademark of RadioShack CORPORATION RAINS BIRD Rain Bird Corporation 6991 E Southpoint Road Tucson AZ
95. ontroller initially determines this voltage A ground fault means that a current is running from the system s two wires through the ground and back to the ground rod If the mean cable to ground voltage were positive a defect in the cable s insulation would result in a very destructive corrosion of the cable This ground current will not affect the mean voltage of the two wires but it may overload the controller if it gets too high RAINY BIRD Troubleshooting continued Problem Solution Problem Solution 86 You can measure the ground current with a Clamp Ampmeter set in the 50 Hz mode on the wire to the ground rod If the current is 20 mA or less there is no reason to worry But if the current is above 20 mA you can locate the ground fault with a Clamp Ampmeter Turn off any running Programs or Schedules Please see Operating the Irrigation Programs on page 49 Connect both communications wires to the L1 terminal inside the controller Attach the clamp from a Clamp Ampmeter to the L1 terminal With no decoders using power the line voltage should read zero 0 Any reading other than zero 0 is ground current If the reading is above 20 mA track it along the cable until the current disappears Once the current disappears you have passed the leakage point This procedure only works for one or two shorts If there are several minor shorts you will not be able to see the sudden drop in the leakage current when you pass the faul
96. ors inside the valve box 4 Runthe two wire cable leading from the sensor wires through a conduit and into the controller cabinet Use the same conduit you used for the communications cable 5 Usingathin blade screwdriver connect the sensor cable wires to SENSOR terminal 1 and SENSOR terminal 2 inside the controller Tug on the wires to make sure the connections are secure You have now completed mounting and wiring your new MDC2 Controller RAINY BIRD m Installation continued Installing Program and Expansion Modules The MDC2 Controller uses a program module that controls 50 decoder outputs The controller also supports up to three expansion modules MDC M50D each controlling an additional 50 outputs So by adding expansion modules you can configure the MDC2 Controller to control 50 100 150 or 200 outputs 200 is the maximum number of outputs the controller can manage in any combination over one two or three separate two wire communications lines Warning When working with any program or expansion module always use a grounding strap to avoid electrostatic discharge which can damage the modules Warning Always turn off the controller before you add or remove any module To add or replace a program or expansion module 1 Usea Phillips head screwdriver to remove the two screws and lock washers holding the guide rail Be careful not to lose the lock washers 2 To remove a worn out module gr
97. p and down arrows to select an Active Program Program 1 lt Total 0 05 10 31 AM Friday 10 21 100 3 Select OK The display will show the number of the steps in that program and will ask you which step you would like to start the irrigation with iL Program 1 lt Total 0 05 10 31 2 Friday 10 21 A100 A Start with step Sch A Sch V OK 4 Use the up and down arrows to change the step number 5 Select OK Note The Manual Program starts at the first full minute The Program starts by displaying the first decoder in the Step along with the Remaining run time for that Step You will also see the Total Remaining Time for the complete Program The sprinkler icon starts to sprinkle Please note that it is not possible to pause a manually activated irrigation schedule 6 Select Pause to pause the current Program Schedule The display asks if it is OK to Pause Current Schedule If you select Cancel to Abort you will return to the Use Manual Display Screen OK to Pause current Schedule 10 31 AM Use Pause to Confirm Use Cancel to Abort PAN 3 BIRD Creating Irrigation Schedules continued VIL Program 1 Total 0 05 01 48 PM 0 Paused 0 03 0 0MPF 0 Active Dec 1 1 A Dec Manual
98. p shall appear confirming the successful restoration of your backup file Database restore x Restore of database file C Documents and Settings sakkan Desktopifile succesfully completed PAN 3 BIRD Operating the Controller continued Printing Set Up and Irrigation Data Exiting the Remote Access Window 1 From the Rain Bird Remote Access window 1 From the Rain Bird Remote Access window select File select File 2 Select Print from the pull down menu 2 Select Exit from the pull down menu or select X 3 Select either Print set up data or Print in the top corner of the window irrigation schedules 4 Select OK at the Print pop up window for your PC RAINY BIRD This page intentionally left blank Troubleshooting Understanding Faults Faults are error conditions that can occur in any electronic system or equipment no matter how well designed and built Many factors can contribute to faults such as the system s age natural occurrences i e lightning floods frost or heat or human errors When installing the MDC2 Controller and irrigation system human errors can and do occur They happen by overloading cables and sockets adding excessive pressure to decoders solenoids or cables with heavy equipment tractors or cultivators or not taking the necessary care when connecting the systems cables and decoders Fortunately the MDC2 Controller and irrigation system features built in test diagnostics to help pinpoint
99. pin serial cables and an OLK 400 Optocoupler connection 2 Attach one end of the first serial cable to the MDC serial communication port and attach the other end to the Optocoupler 3 Attach one end of the second serial cable to the Optocoupler and the other end to your PC serial communication port Note Rain Bird recommends using the OLK 400 Optocoupler to protect your system against lightning surges However you may use a Null modem cable as a temporary device To link your PC using the modem telephone line connection 1 Open the MDC cabinet and swing open the faceplate 2 Feed amodem telephone line through the two wire communications conduit or through a separate access hole in the MDC cabinet 3 Plug the phone clip into the corresponding jack PAN 3 Using the Controller with a PC continued Installing the Rain Bird MDC Setting Up a PC Software Communications Link Your minimum PC requirements for the Rain Bird 1 Atthe desktop select Start Programs RainBird MDC PC Software are Turf and Turf from the pull up menus to open the Rain Bird Remote Windows 2000 XP Pro required Access window Pentium 3 From Rain Bird Remote Access select File 900 MHz then Connection wizard from the pull down 256 MB RAM MERN 25 MB hard disk space 1024 x 768 screen resolution CD ROM External modem may be necessary if the inter nal modem in the PC is not set up to work at lower
100. pumps you may need to change the switch code Please see Appendix Master Valve and Pump Set up Tips on page 97 4 Move the markers to the Address field and select OK The left and right arrow labels now switch to up and down and the two markers alternate blinking indicating an active field 5 Use the up and down arrows to enter the field decoder Address marked on the irrigation drawings VB Pump Switch Address Off 12 31 PM Master 4FFA20 gt 284 lt 0 10 OK Finish 6 OKaccepts the Address and the markers stop blinking The up and down arrow labels also change to right and left arrows The next set of options let you enter On and Off delays for a MV Booster activation or deactivation The On Delay means that the start will be delayed XX seconds after decoder activation The Off Delay means the MV Booster will remain activated XX seconds after deactivation of the decoder This prevents the MV Booster from stopping between two steps To enter additional Booster pump Addresses move the markers to the OK field and select OK to return to the Pumps screen 7 Move the markers to Finish and select OK to return to the Set up Data Menu Note To deactivate a pump master valve for repair or maintenance procedures change the address to zero 0 Activating Rain or Alarm Sensors The Rain Bird MDC2 Controller has one sensor input allowing you to install an optional rain or
101. r Manual OFF 2 4 1 20 1 Auto ON 2 4 1 21 0 Manual or Auto OFF 2 4 1 21 1 Manual ON 2 4 1 RAINS BIRD 103 Appendix V continued Command Action Decoder Commands Command Decoder Time Outcome Beep Answers OK Err USA Europe 1 1 200 1 999 Activate Decoder 2 4 1 2 1 200 0 Deactivate Decoder 2 4 1 Command Decoder Time Schedule Commands Command Schedule Outcome Beep Answers OK Err USA Europe 71 1 10 Activate Schedule 2 4 1 72 1 10 Deactivate Schedule 2 4 1 73 1 10 0 Pause schedule or all if 0 2 4 1 74 1 10 0 Resume schedule or all if 0 2 4 1 Command Schedule Notes Entering any command other than those listed in tables above result in an audible error message in the form of a long beep Pause and Resume are not immediate actions Both Pause and Resume commands take effect with the next full minute Entering anytime during a session will for both FREEDOM interface types will result in reset of the received command string and for the US FREEDOM will also hang up the line PAN 3 BIRD Appendix VI Legacy Field Transmitter Interface Your MDC system can accommodate the use of a field transmitter to start valves regardless which state the MDC controller is in If the MDC is in Standby state usage of the Field Transmitter will make it change to Manual state When the Field Transmitter is plugged in it fir
102. ressing the button pointing to the minus label returns you to the previous menu Selecting a Language The default language is English US However you can choose between English UK British spelling and m h cubic meters per hour setting English US American spelling and GPM gallons per minute setting German m h Spanish m h or French m h 1 From the Main Operating Screen press the button pointing to the Menu label to reach the Main Menu An indicating arrow points to the menu category You control the indicating arrow with the buttons pointing to the up and down arrow labels Main Menu 10 15 AM Set up Data Date Time Formats Setting Date Time Test Log Data 2 Move the indicating arrow to 1 Set up Data and press the button pointing to the OK label Note Pressing the button pointing to either the up or down arrow labels changes the direction of the double arrow label The double arrow label lets you quickly scroll through the categories PAN 3 BIRD Programming and Operation continued 3 Move the indicating arrow to 10 Select Language and press the button pointing to the OK label VIL Sensors Sensor Decoder Non Water Window Switch Settings Erase All Select Language pA fv 4 Using the buttons pointing to the up or down arrow labels scroll to the language you want to read on the displ
103. rivers lineman s pliers wire stripper wire nuts and DBY connectors PAN 3 BIRD Troubleshooting continued Troubleshooting the System Problem Solution Problem Solution Problem Solution Problem Solution A fault occurs the first time the system was started You will probably find the fault in the cabling between the different units i e two wire cable and field decoder field decoder and solenoid pump decoder and pump etc Check that the hook up from unit to unit is done properly A fault occurs after the system is serviced You will probably find the fault around the serviced area It is rare for two faults to occur at the same time Astrong smell heat buildup or smoke develops in the controller during a fault Switch the controller off immediately and replace the unit The fault is probably in the controller Nothing works when you turn on the controller the system is dead The controller is either defective or there is no power reaching the controller High Voltage CAUTION Check the Mains 120 Volt AC power line leading into the controller Make sure the Mains power is turned on Check the Mains cabling Make sure it isn t severed kinked or showing a short Check for burned out fuses or tripped circuit breakers in the Mains cabling line if applicable There are no fuses inside the MDC Controller except for a non field replaceable thermal fuse which automatically resets once a shor
104. row at 1 Alphabet select OK The current setting appears between the two markers A blinking black box in the first character position shows the field is active The current controller Software Firmware Versions also appear on the display screen RAINY BIRD 4 Use the up and down arrows to select either the Full or 1234567890CTFGV the limited alphabet setting B Alphabet 12 36 PM 28234567890CTFGV Versions Firmware 1 26b4 MDC 50 RBT SensDec 1 15 A 5 Select OK to return to the Switch Settings menu Selecting minus cancels the Alphabet change and returns to its previous setting Turning on an installed rain sensor 1 From the Switch Setting menu move the indicating arrow to 2 Rain Sensor and select OK The current setting appears between the two markers A blinking black box in the first character position shows the field is active 2 Use the up and down arrows to select between Normally open or Normally closed VIL Rain Sensor gt Normally closed lt 35 Programming and Operation continued Note Select Normally open if the Rain Sensor is open all the time Select Normally closed if the sensor opens only when it rains 3 Select OK to return to the Switch Setting menu Turning on an installed alarm sensor 1 From the Switch Setting menu move the indi
105. ry using a cable tracer to locate any irregularities along the cable If you do not have access to a cable tracer you can either replace the complete length of the questionable cable or follow the systematic approach we will outline next RAINY BIRD Troubleshooting continued Problem Solution Problem Solution 84 Using a systematic method to find a break in the two wire communications cable There is a systematic method to find a cable break but it can be time consuming Measure the voltage midway between the field decoder that is working and the one that is not If the voltage is out of the acceptable range 33 40 VAC you can locate the break between the field decoder that works and the point where you measured the line voltage Measure the line voltage again at the middle of this section of cable If the voltage is still out of the acceptable range you have narrowed the area of the break even further Continue to narrow the sections this way until you find the break Overloading the two wire communications cable caused a short circuit If the two wire cable is damaged or a field decoder develops a defect a short circuit can occur on the cable A short circuit can mean that nothing in the system works or only parts of the system work If the MDC Controller senses a short circuit on the lines it will automatically limit the current to a safe value by changing the line frequency from 1 to 50 Hz and display a Shor
106. s Labels with tabs contain submenus A backlight lights the display while you operate the buttons Once you stop the backlight remains on for about 70 seconds then turns off The information is still on the display but the display is not lit Pressing any button turns the backlight on again Note You must first turn on the backlight press a button before you can operate the controller Program 1 Total 2 MTWTFSSMTWTFSS Run every 5 Day First 2002 03 26 Pause 1 Min Sch Sch v Sched Menu PA 3 BIRD 4 PAN 3 BIRD Programming and Operation continued Getting Started Remove the lower panel Turn on the controller and replace the panel The display briefly shows the software version and controller type MDC2 A Power Returned message displays along with the current date and time 24 hour military time Please see Appendix I Conversion Chart from Standard to Military Time on page 91 The message prompts you to Press OK the button pointing to the OK label This message also appears when power returns after a power failure Note You need to press the button pointing to the OK label twice to reach the Main Operating Screen Power Returned Press OK Twice 16 16 10 2002 03 26 16 16 10 RAINY BIRD Programming and Operation continued Main Operating Screen 1 Program indicates the
107. sa imgstion doas not start you can protect your pump by setting a mirimum fow If flow doss not exceed the lit wehin 60 120 seconds tha pump will be shut doan Note you should protect the Pump by ad tional independant means Lint D to disabte me WPF Note The MPF will stop your pump if flow is too small BUT in addition you protact your pump against possible severe damage by addeional independert maans 4 such temperature o pressure alam aed or a pressure Bock Frish Cancel 2 Click Finish Erasing the set up data You can erase ALL SET UP DATA and IRRIGATION SCHEDULE CONTENTS stored on the PC 1 From the Rain Bird Remote Access window select Edit Setup data 2 Select Edit set up data and Erase all from the pull down menus to reach the Erase set up Data pop up window BIRD m Using the Controller with a PC continued 3 Select Yes to erase the information Select No to cancel the action Editing irrigation schedules 1 From the Rain Bird Remote Access window select Edit data 2 Select Edit irrigation data and Irrigation schedules from the pull down menus to reach the Irrigation Schedule Edit View pop up window Note The Irrigation Schedule Edit View window shows you an overview of each Program schedule Use the numbered tabs on top 1 11 to reach the actual edit windows for each of the 11 Programs The View window features three additional control buttons The Zoom Out contro
108. scrolling 4 To change the date you want to start the sequence press the button pointing to the First label Continue to press the button to reach the start date you want B rogram ota 3 02 5 W S T F M 1 20 00 100 P Run every 3 day Repeat 2 times First 2002 04 21 Pause 5 Min t Every First Repeat Pause Next Note arrow label next to Every shows the direction you are scrolling Pressing the button pointing to the arrow label changes the direction you are scrolling Repeating and Pausing Programs Once you set up a Program you can repeat it up to 99 times and set timed pauses in minutes between each repeated Program 1 From the Main Operating Screen scroll to the Program you want to repeat 2 Select Sched and Next to reach the Repeat label RAINS BIRD Creating Irrigation Schedules continued 3 Press the button pointing to the Repeat label to set the number of times you want the Program to repeat Holding down the button lets you scroll quickly up to 99 repeat times Vil Program Total 1 57 14 02 30 W S T F M 1 20 00 100 P Repeat 2 times T Every First Repeat Pause Next 4 Select Pause to set a timed pause between each repeated Program B Program 5 Total 1 57 14 02 30 15 W S T F M 1 20 00 100 P Repeat 2 times Pause 5 Min
109. se directly affects the day of the week Monday Sunday Changing any of those variables also changes the day of the week The number next to the day of the week represents the specific day in the 14 day calendar 5 Scroll up or down to the correct hour OK moves the markers to the minutes Change the minutes the same way then move to the seconds OK locks in the new date and time and returns you to the Main Menu 2002 03 26 20 33 gt 58 lt Tuesday 9 n PAN 3 BIRD Programming and Operation continued Selecting Valve Types Valve types refer to the electric requirements of magnetic solenoids There are 10 Valve Types already programmed into the MDC2 Controller The first five Valve Types are used by decoders controlling irrigation Programs and will start master valves and pumps The last five control non irrigation Programs such as activating auxiliary alarms etc and will not start pumps Irrigation Valve Types use switch code 59F350 If setting up a normally open master valve that needs to close on an alarm the switch code is 39F350 Non irrigation Valve Types use a switch code of 3FFA20 when using a relay These default switch codes are used for Rain Bird 24 VAC solenoids B Valve Types 14 02 28 gt i 592350 59F350 59F350 59F350 59F350 Note The number of solenoid valve outputs varies wi
110. sed bottom holes If you run the wires through the bottom holes you will need to install conduits Slip the conduit through the hole and secure it with a male adapter or other conduit fittings Connecting to the Two wire Communications Cable Note You can connect up to three separate two wire communications cables paths The communications cable you use must be approved for underground use Rain Bird recommends you use MAXI Cable 14 AWG as your two wire communications cable Warning Do not install the communications cables in the same conduit as the wires to the Main power source To connect the cable 1 Feed the two wire communications cable through the conduit and into the controller 2 Remove about 6 of the cable s outer sheathing and strip about 5 8 ofthe insulation from the ends of the two wires 3 Using a thin blade screwdriver connect the wire ends to a set of L1 and L2 terminals Tug on the wires to make sure the connections are tight o PAN 3 BIRD Installation continued Grounding the Controller The MDC2 Controller is equipped with built in electrical surge protection For this system to function you must properly ground the controller Warning Connect the controller to the grounding grid using at least a 8 AWG 10 mm or 10 AWG 6 mm bare wire The wire should be as short and as straight as possible You will void the warranty if you do not ground the controller to a maximum reading of
111. showing you the complete Step on the display screen 10 Scroll to the next Step Step 2 and program it the same way You can program up to 100 Steps 11 Once you finish setting each Step press the button pointing to the highlighted Step label to return to the Schedule Set up Screen Inserting a Step Between Two Steps 1 From the Main Operating Screen select Sched then Step 2 Scroll up or down to the point you wish to insert the Step If you want to insert a Step between Steps 3 and 4 scroll to Step 4 3 Move the marker to the Insert field and select OK Program 3 Total 0 31 14 02 30 4 TS 010Min OK Insert Repeat 0 times 4 Program the Step as you normally would and select OK to enter the new Step into the Schedule The inserted Step moved Step 4 and all successive Steps up one So Step 4 is now 5 Step 5 is 6 and so on Note Selecting the minus label while in a non active Decoder field indicated with right and left arrow labels or an active Minute s field indicated with up and down arrow labels deletes the information you programmed into that field 5 Select Step to return to the Schedule Set up Screen RAINS BIRD Creating Irrigation Schedules continued Deleting Steps 1 From the Main Operating Screen select Sched then Step 2 Scroll up or down to the Step s you want to delete 3 Move the mark
112. sion module RBT 150 for two modules and RBT 200 for three expansion modules PAN 3 BIRD Using the Controller with a PC continued 4 Ifyou wish for irrigation not to take place for a certain period of time on your site Non Water Window specify this timeframe on the Time Window Irrigation Prevented area During the Non Water Window schedules will continue but with no decoders being turned on dit Installation xj Valves ei p m 5 Hit Next to reach Valves configuration information 6 Confirm Valve Type Valve Switch Code and No of Valves and edit them as necessary the software will allow you only to select 1 or 2 for the number of valves Note Valve types refer to the electric requirements of magnetic solenoids The default Switch Code settings are 59F350 for irrigation Valve types and 3FFA20 for non irrigation Valve types If your System uses Rain Bird 24 VAC solenoids do not change any of these settings If your system operates solenoids that are not Rain Bird do not change the default Switch Codes before verifying if the solenoids open If the solenoids do not open you may need to change the Activation Time and or Holding Voltage Please see Appendix II Selecting Electrical Codes for Solenoids 7 Hit Next to reach Pumps Master Valve configuration information RAINS Edit Installation Pumps Master Valve 8 Edit information specific to e
113. sor on the logical level The input can be analog or digital On Off Sensor Defines a sensor on the logical level The input can only be digital Sensor Unit of Measures Depending on the type of sensors listed above your sensor will be using one of the following unit of measures Pulse 10sec A digital input in terms of pulses counted per 10 seconds mA An analog current measurement 4 20 mA Alarm Triggers Alarm triggers define what will happen when a pre defined alarm condition is realized These are independent of the sensor type Your MDC system shall take one of the following actions in an alarm situation Pause Resume Irr Prevent Irr Allow Irrigation Off IrrOff System Off Pauses the schedule specified by alarm action ID or all schedules The pause shall take effect immediately This feature works only if a schedule s is running Resumes the schedule specified by alarm action ID or all schedules The resume will take effect immediately This feature works only if a schedule s is running Prevents all irrigation The schedules will continue within the controller but no decoders will be activated Currently active decoders will be stopped Allows previously prevented irrigation The decoders will be activated on the next schedule step start Decoders that were active on the time of cancel inhibited irrigation will not be reactivated Sets the controller out of auto mode Any running schedules will
114. speeds 2400 bps Insert the MDC PC Software CD into your PC s CD ROM Drive The CD ROM software is set to install automatically However if your PC does not support this feature you must then install it manually Please see your PC Operations Manual to learn how to add new software to your PC It is recommended to back up the database rbt 1db before upgrading from previous versions of the MDC software The first Connection wizard pop up window gives you the option to name the installation Direct for direct connection is the default name Change the name if you wish and select Next to advance to the next window Done exits you from Connection wizard while saving any changes you made to the default settings RAINY BIRD Using the Controller with a PC continued 4 The Connection wizard now asks you to pick the type of connection your system uses either a Direct connection Serial cable Modem telephone line Choose the connection and select Next Done exits you from Connection wizard and Back returns you to the previous window 6 Select Finish Done exits you from Connection wizard and Back returns you to the previous window Ifyou selected Modem telephone line as your PC controller connection you are then asked to supply the telephone number for the controller At this point you can also verify the modem settings by selecting Modem Setup 619 663 4555 m 5 Ifyou selected Direct
115. st shows the version of the built in software After that it enters the menu system shown below START DECODER DECODER STOP DECODER HEJ DECODER LIE T WORKING UNKNOWN DECODER ALREADY STOPPED STOP ALL DECODERS E ARE You sune __HE WORKING a H n CORRECTION lt h KEY IN DATA RAINS BIRD Appendix VI continued Field Transmitter Installation The following figure illustrates the Field Transmitter installation process Press and hold while plugging in FT 210 VERSION ox NUMBER 1 2 7 LANGUAGE ENGUSH DANSK SVENSKA NORSK DEUTSCH ITALIAN ESPAGNOL Press E FRANCAIS to selecta CHARACTER STRING menu Y Press TA to go to next t menu item ivi 1234567890FGTVC INT DELAY 0 PULS TIME 0 MAIN MENU Reset will set all values to factory default Tf more than one Field Transmitter is used each must be set to its own number Up to 10 Field Transmitters may be used simultaneously After a delay the menu on the previous page is active Please refer to your Field Transmitter User Manual for more information on the use of the field transmitter PAN 3 BIRD Appendix VII Instructions for Upgrading Existing MDC s to Version 2 0 1 Prior to installing the new software ensure that the existing data and schedules in the existing softwar
116. t The clock shows an incorrect time after a power outage When the power goes out a back up battery powers the controller s clock The battery is in a battery holder on the main board The clock and the memory use the battery only when the controller is turned off or without power The battery life is normally around 10 years If the time is incorrect replace the battery Please see Replacing the Battery on page 15 If the fault is not in the battery either the main board or the power supply is defective Replace the controller The controller is loosing installation data and irrigation schedules The controller s installation data and irrigation schedules are stored in S RAM which needs power to hold data When the Mains power is off the battery supplies the power for the memory If it can no longer do this replace the battery Please see Replacing the Battery on page 15 If you replace the controller you will need to retrieve the installation and irrigation data from the old board Please see Replacing the Controller on page 89 PA 3 BIRD Troubleshooting continued Problem The optional rain or alarm sensor is not responding Solution Disconnect the two wire sensor connection from the terminals inside the controller After a few seconds a message should appear on the controller s display screen reading Rain or Alarm Sensor In lt time gt Next connect a piece of wire between the terminals The message should change t
117. t Circuit message Please see Sensing a Short Circuit on page 55 When this happens you must check the line voltage If the line voltage reading is between 24 and 34 V a field decoder using too much power is probably causing the fault If the system is still operational you should test all the decoders If all the decoders pass the test please see the problem A two wire communications cable shows signs of corrosion on page 85 If the line voltage reading is less than 24 V you will not be able to use the field decoders to locate the fault This type of short circuit affects all parts of the cable by dropping the voltage below the controller s minimum operating voltage Here you will need to use a Clamp Ampmeter to locate the short circuit A Clamp Ampmeter allows you to measure the current running in a cable without cutting the cable Attach the clamp to one of the two communications wires and measure the resistance If you clamp both wires the reading will be zero 0 PA 3 BIRD Troubleshooting continued Problem Solution Clamp Ampmeters normally measure only rapidly alternating currents Navigate the MDC Controller to the 50 Hz mode causing the Controller to send 50 Hz voltage and current through the two wire cable Please see Finding a short in the system on page 40 You can measure this current directly on the Clamp Ampmeter If the two wire communications cable is installed as a ring you must disconnect one end of the r
118. t circuit is cleared If the system uses a power disconnect switch make sure it is not engaged Measure the supply voltage in the AC range in the wire nuts The voltage should be around 120 V The controller should work with no problems at a nominal voltage of 80 of the Mains If the voltage you read is lower the fault is in the controller and you should replace the controller RAINY BIRD Troubleshooting continued Problem Diagnostics indicate there is a fault with the field decoders Solution There is a break in the two wire communications cable the connections are loose the decoders are supplying too much or too little voltage or the controller is defective To check the line voltage and decoders you will need a voltmeter and Clamp Ampmeter Navigate the MDC Controller to the Short Finding Screen this switches the controller to the 50 Hz mode Please see Finding a short in the system on page 40 This enables you to measure line voltage in the AC mode and currents with the Clamp Ampmeter Start by measuring the line voltage between L1 and L2 on the terminal strip Nominal voltage is 34 V but because the voltage form is non standard standard sine your reading will probably be higher Acceptable values are from 33 40 V If the value is too low disconnect the line wires L1 and L2 and measure again If the voltage is still too low the controller is defective and you will need to replace it Ifthe voltage is w
119. te While the PC is retrieving data from the controller a Communications Status pop up window appears visually showing the progress The window disappears once the data is retrieved If the PC is unable to establish communications with the controller an Error message appears asking to make sure the Connection Information is correct Note When retrieving data from the controller the following steps should be followed 1 Back up data in the PC 2 Clear all data in PC 3 Retrieve data from the controller Editing Set Up Data You can edit the installation data you retrieved from the controller or set up all installation data using your MDC PC software and send it to the controller Both editing or setting up brand new information are done on the Edit Installation screen The Edit Installation screen acts as a wizard walking you through the installation steps and lets you set up data specific to each component To edit installation data 1 From Rain Bird Remote Access window select Edit Data 2 Select Edit Set up Data and Controller Type pet instalation MDC Controller Tene Window Irrigston Provertod From 1200M To 1200 lt Back Next gt Done 3 Choose Controller Type Note The controller type depends on the number of expansion modules installed inside the controller If your MDC2 Controller is not using any expansion modules then select RBT 50 Select RBT 100 if it is using one expan
120. th the Rain Bird Decoders in your system For example FD 102TURF and FD 202TURF can operate one or two solenoids on each output Whereas FD 401TURF and FD 601TURF can only operate one solenoid on each output Note If your system uses Standard Rain Bird 24 VAC solenoids do not change any of these settings For the New Rain Bird 24 VAC White strip wires solenoids the recommended settings are 59F370 Please move to the next section Naming the Field Decoders Note If your system operates solenoids that are not Rain Bird do not change the default switch codes before verifying if the solenoids open If the solenoids do not open you may need to change the Activation Time and or Holding Voltage Please see Appendix II Selecting Electrical Codes for Solenoids on page 93 Naming the Field Decoders You must give each field decoder in your system a name up to six characters so that you can easily identify that decoder and pinpoint its location For example MAPLE or the shorter M1 could represent the first decoder facing Maple Street and ELM5 or E5 could identify the 5th decoder Elm Street It is easier if you make the name as short and descriptive as possible VIL Decoders gt 1 From the Main Menu move the indicating arrow to 1 Set up Data and select OK to reach the Set up Data Menu 2 Move the indicating arrow to 2 Decoders and select OK to reach the
121. times T Ste Da Time WB A P Next 3 Select Next twice to return to the Main Operating Screen PAN 3 BIRD Creating Irrigation Schedules continued Scheduling to Run on Specific Days and Dates You can program your controller to irrigate on a selected day s and date s in a 14 day period instead of on the 14 day cycle which begins on the day you initially program the controller You can also set the first date you want to begin irrigating 1 From the Main Operating Screen scroll to the Program you want 2 Select Sched then Next to reach the Run every and First labels Note Run every refers to which days you want a specific Program to run Run every 1st day Run every 2nd day etc First which shows the year month and day refers to the date you want the sequence to begin 3 To change the Run every day press the button pointing to the Every label Each time you press the button the day increases by one up to Run every 14th day in the 14 day Schedule B Program 5 Total 1 57 14 02 30 15 W S T F M 1 20 00 100 P Run every 2 day Repeat 0 times First 2002 02 12 i V Every First Repeat Pause Next U Note You can see the 14 day Schedule change each time you press the button Note An arrow label next to Every shows the direction you are scrolling Pressing the button pointing to the arrow label changes the direction you are
122. tion in your system You will find this number on the decoder which should also be recorded on the irrigation drawings 10 Scroll up or down to enter the complete 3 4 or 5 digit Address REC NO OK accepts the number B Name Type Address Bst Flow 15 04 10 E5 4 gt 40216 lt OK Finish OK Note The controller will not allow you to enter a duplicate Address If you try the message Address already used appears briefly and the controller returns you to the beginning of the field 11 Select OK to select the Address and move the markers to the Booster Pump field Note If the solenoids connected to the decoder use Booster pumps to start irrigation you must associate the Booster pump number to the decoder 12 Select OK to scroll between Booster Numbers Once the desired Booster is selected move the markers to the Flow field name Type Address Bst Flow 15 04 10 5 4 40216 gt 2 lt 0 OK Finish 13 Select OK to activate the Flow field and then scroll up or down The feature lets you assign flow values that are used for SEUF Seek and Eliminate Unexpected Flow see pg 65 Name Type Address Bst Flow 15 04 10 ES 4 40216 2 gt 30 lt OK Finish 14 Select OK once the flow has been set and then move the markers to the OK field to return to the decoder listing and
123. tow Select the Flow Sensors to be mchaded in the Su Flow Select the montonng date to be logged te Install Confidence fie Sensors are Active when the controller is in Manual Mode or in Aute Mode fum Morte ote Pow Sorso 1 501 F Log tow to te Pow Serao 2 801 F Log tow to fie Pow Seras F 3 501 F Log tow to me Pow Soraa F 804 Log tow to te Pow Saroa F Log fow io te Pow Sensor F e poe F Lop tow to fie Pow Serao 7 807 F Log tow te fie F e poa F Log now to te Pow Sorsa F snow Log tow to te F 30 1040 F Log tow Ve te 2 Click on the applicable button either On Off Generic or Flow to set up the alarm condition for each sensor decoder Note Specific definitions for sensors units of measure and alarm triggers Actions are contained in Appendix IV Configuring On Off Sensor Decoders Alarm Condition On Off Sensor Decoders act as switches that indicate whether an on or off condition exists These sensors are useful for indicating thresholds such as the opening and closure of devices such as valves and for alarms 1 On Sensor Decoder Wizard click on On Off ONOF Sensor On Off Sensors are active when the controller is i Auto Mode You may defne two alarms per OON Sonsor Alarm 1 wil ba triggieed when the state of the OOd Sensor changes from Noema state Alarm 2 will be triggered when the state retums to Norma Sensor 10 150101 Action
124. tting the number of Active Dec during a Schedule the number of times this Schedule Repeats the length of Pauses between repeats the Scheduled irrigation days in the 14 day cycle a time line separated in six hour increments showing the Active time period of the Program indicated by a black block a sprinkler icon that sprinkles during irrigation and the Auto label is highlighted Note If none of the 11 Programs are Active the message No Active Programs appears on the display screen Note If no irrigation Schedule is currently running while the controller is set in Automatic 0 active Decoders shows until the first Schedule starts The Dec and Auto labels are highlighted and the sprinkler icon sprinkles when a Schedule starts 2 Selecting Pause temporarily stops the Automatic irrigation Schedule Select Pause again to return to Automatic 3 Pressing the button pointing to the Auto label stops the irrigation Program and returns you to the Main Operating Screen Activating a Decoder in Auto Mode While the controller is set in Automatic you can manually activate decoders before or in between programmed irrigation Schedules 1 Select Dec and scroll through the list of installed decoders to find the one you want to activate and select OK 2 Scroll up and down to select how many minutes you want the decoder to be active Vi Program 2 Total 0 20 14 02 30 Ti gt 015 Min lt T
125. u the technician responsible for finding and repairing the faults who must mold these procedures to the situation Also when a fault occurs try to learn the circumstances that led to the fault This can often times lead you to a good starting point Before you attempt to troubleshoot a system it is important for you to have a good understanding of how the complete MDC Controller system works electrical terms such as current voltage and resistance howto use the right tools and the actual installation First familiarize yourself with the installation of the complete system Review and study the as built irrigation drawings of the system These drawings should show you the locations of each field decoder solenoid master valve and pump You should be able to use these drawings to trace the exact course of the two wire cables their connections and termination points Next gather your tools and equipment Specific tools you may need to troubleshoot and repair an MDC Controller system may include an instrument such as a Fluke 10 digital Multimeter that measures minimum AC DC voltages from 0 50 V Volts with a 0 1M meter ohm resistance a Clamp Amperemeter such as a Kyoritsu 8112 Clamp Meter that measures 0 2A amps with a minimum resolution of 5mA milliamps a cable finder if you do not know the exact location of the two wire cable an extra MDC2 Controller and standard tools such as screwd
126. u can directly jump into the setup screen for that specific component For instance Edit Data gt Edit Set up Data Decoders as shown in the figure below will take you to the Decoders Edit Installation Screen Rain Bird Remote Access File Retrieve data Edt data Senddata Controller Setup E gt gt 6 dit set up Edit erigation data gt Sensor Decoder wizard Edit global water budget Sensors PAN 3 BIRD Using the Controller with a PC continued Configuring Sensor Decoder Settings Sensor Decoders monitor dry contact switches e g moisture sensor pressure switch and security systems for open or closed conditions and inform the MDC system of switch status Your MDC system supports up to 10 sensor decoders Sensor decoders can be Flow Sensors On Off Sensors or Generic Sensors Please note that the type of sensor decoders are set up on the Edit Installation gt Sensor Decoders screen After you decide what type of sensors you have in your MDC system in the Edit Installation Wizard you can now do the Sensor Decoder Type specific settings through the Sensor Decoder Wizard 1 From the Rain Bird Remote Access window select Sensor Decoder Wizard You are presented with a list of all the sensors in your MDC system Please note that this first screen in the Sensor Decoder Wizard also asks you if you want to include any of the Flow Sensors in the Sum Flow lt lt amp xf Monitoring and summing of
127. ued Setting the Steps for Each Program You can set between 1 to 100 individual Steps for each Program Each Step contains decoders which operate valves and run times You can have up to 10 decoders running at the same time as long as the hydraulics in your system can handle it The controller prevents you from including more than 10 decoders for each Step Completed Steps could look like this Step Decoders Run Time 1 T1 12 T3 10 2 T4 T5 TG 10 3 T7 T8 T9 10 4 T10 T11 T12 10 5 T13 T14 T15 10 6 T16 T17 T18 10 In this example the Program begins with Step 1 activating Decoders T1 T2 and and running the valves run time for 10 minutes After 10 minutes Decoders T1 2 and T3 switch off and Step 2 begins It continues until all the Steps are done Note You may include the same decoder in as many Steps as you want Note If you want to stop irrigation between Steps you can set up a Step without naming a decoder To do this simply program in a Run Time or how long you wish to Pause the irrigation Schedule Setting Up Steps 1 From the Main Operating Screen select Sch to reach the Program you want 1 2 3 etc 7 18 Program 3 Total 0 05 14 02 30 0 MTWTFSSMTWTFSS 0 100 Repeat 0 times Sch A Sch_v Sched Menu_ Auto Manual 2 Select Sched then Step to activate the Step number Alternating blinking markers show the field is active If you have already progr
128. uesday 11 40 100 A 1 Active Dec Repeat times MTWTFSSMTWTFSS Pause 5 Min En SSS 0 6 12 18 24 V A OK 3 Select OK to lock the decoder in memory and return to the Automatic Display Screen Both Dec and Auto labels are highlighted and the sprinkler icon sprinkles PAN 3 BIRD Creating Irrigation Schedules continued 4 Follow steps 1 3 to activate additional decoders 5 You can now use the up and down arrow labels to scroll through all the Active Decoders Note When the time you set for each Active Decoder runs out the sprinkler icon stops and the controller returns to the Automatic mode with only the Auto label highlighted Activating an Irrigation Schedule in Auto Mode Just like starting a schedule manually by switching the controller to the Manual mode it is also possible to start an irrigation schedule manually when your controller is in Auto mode When you manually start an irrigation schedule the running programs are paused and the remaining parts are stacked to run after the manually started schedule s finish It is possible to start up to three 3 schedules manually and they will all be stacked in the order that they are entered but all prior to the stacked auto schedules Unlike in the Manual mode you do not need to switch the controller s operating mode To start a schedule manually when the controller is in Auto mode 1 S
129. ux Sensor Decoder Address and select OK The two alternating blinking markers indicate the Sensor Decoder Address field is ready for you to program in the Address 2 Use the up and down arrows to match the Decoder your system is using for the Auxiliary Sensor Note The Address should be recorded on the irrigation drawings 3 Select OK to store the Address and move the markers to the Active field A blinking black box indicates the field is ready for you to program Not Install is the default setting 4 Use the up and down arrows to select either Normally open or Normally closed Note Select Normally open if the auxiliary sensor is open all the time Select Normally closed if the auxiliary sensor opens only when it receives a signal 5 Select OK to return to the Sensor Decoder menu 6 Moving the indicating arrow to 6 Return and selecting OK or selecting minus returns you to the Set up Data menu RAINY BIRD s Programming and Operation continued Non Water Window It is possible to enter a Non Water Window where irrigation is inhibited This means the schedules will run but the decoders will not activate To select a specific time frame that does not allow irrigation 1 From the Main Menu choose Set up Data and select OK You will be taken to the Set up Data Menu 2 Navigate to 7 Non Water Window and select OK The Non Water Window appears Decoders Decoders Failed Pumps Master Va
130. witch code that works with your valve you may need to use the trial and error method Example Activation Time 40 ms milliseconds Arrows in chart show Holding Voltage 2 3 volts Switch Code 59F450 If the solenoid opens but will not stay open the holding voltage may be too low Here you would change the fifth digit of the code Example Activation Time 50 ms Holding Voltage 5 2 Volts Switch Code 59F5A0 If the solenoids are still not operating properly after repeated attempts contact your Rain Bird Distributor to guide you in adjusting this number for proper operation E PAN 3 BIRD Appendix II continued Changing the Switching Codes 1 From the Main Menu move the indicating arrow to 1 Set up and select OK 2 Move the indicating arrow to 1 Valve Types and select OK 3 Scroll to the Valve type you need to change 4 Select OK and OK again to activate the Switch field A blinking box shows the position of the first character you are changing 5 Select OK to move to the next character The box is replaced with an arrow pointing to the character you can change B V type Switch No of Valves 14 02 30 1 OK 1 2598350 Note Change only the numbers and letters you need to change Note You need to continue selecting OK until the up and down arrow labels switch to left and right arrows Only then is the Switch field no longer active 6 Use the rig

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