XCI Smart Sprinkler Controller User Manual version 1.0 Cloud Configuration and Hardware Installation Guide If you are experiencing difficulties with your Cyber-Rain System, please contact our Technical Support Department: Telephone: (877) 888-1452 ◦ Email: support@cyber-rain.com Copyright © 2011 Cyber-Rain, Inc. All rights reserved.
Table of Contents Introduction ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................. 4 Package Contents ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................
Installing and Using a Flow Sensor (Pro Model Only) ............................................................................................................................................................... 57 Controller Alerts (Pro Model Only) ........................................................................................................................................................................................... 61 Zone Page .............................................................
Introduction Thank you for choosing the Cyber-Rain XCI, the smart sprinkler controller that saves you time, money, and helps the environment. Package Contents A. B. C. D. E. F. G.
Installation Pre-Installation Checklist The following hardware and software is required to configure the Cyber-Rain XCI controller and run the web-based interface: Broadband Internet access (DSL, cable, etc.
2. Connect the Controller The controller must be connected to your sprinkler valves. If you have an existing sprinkler controller, the sprinkler valves are connected to the controller with the wires typically inserted into numbered slots, which are called zones. Often these wires are in multiple colors. Before disconnecting an existing controller, make note of which wire runs to each sprinkler valve and mark them accordingly. There should be a single wire for each zone plus a common wire.
Harness 1 (8, 16, and 24 Zone Controllers) # Color Description 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Harness 2 (16, 24 Zone Controllers) 9 10 11 12 Harness 2 (16, 24 Zone Controllers) # Color Description 13 14 15 16 Harness 3 (24 Zone Controllers Only) 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 If your irrigation system uses a master valve or pump (usually to draw water from a source such as a well or to provide additional water pressure) you will also need to use the master valve lead marked “M”.
Gateway Access Point Installation Connect one end of the provided Ethernet cable to the Cyber-Rain Gateway Access Point. Connect the other end of the Ethernet cable into an available Ethernet port on your router or modem. Connect the access point (AP) into a power socket using the provided AC adapter. The LED lights on the AP should momentarily illuminate, and yellow LED light should remain illuminated.
The access point LED lights represent the following: Yellow Illuminates when the access point is connected to power. This light should stay on as long as the access point is connected to a power supply. White Illuminates when the access point is connected to Cyber-Rain server. This light should stay on as long as the access point is connected to your router and has internet access.
Set Up Access Point In order to access the web interface to set up your gateway access point, please go to the section below that corresponds with your computer’s operating system: Windows 7 and Vista, Windows XP, or Mac OS X. Windows 7 and Vista 1. Open the Network folder. This can sometimes be found in the Start Menu, or by opening Windows Explorer and clicking the Network link on the left hand side.
2. In the Network folder an “Other Devices” dropdown should appear, with the Cyber-Rain Gateway shown along with its IP address. Double-click on the Cyber-Rain Gateway icon.
3. This will prompt a web browser window to open and the Cyber-Rain Gateway's home page will appear. The gateway's web interface is used during the initial setup of the device, and can be used later for troubleshooting or reconfiguring the device. The Gateway home page shows information about the access point, and also contains a link to the Cyber-Rain Cloud server. Click the link for the Cyber-Rain Server at the bottom of the page to continue installation.
Windows XP 1. Open up My Network Places. This can usually be found on the Start Menu, on the desktop as an icon, or in the “Other Places” menu in the My Computer folder.
2. Under the Network Tasks menu, click Show icons for networked UPnP devices. 3. If Windows Firewall is enabled, you may receive a warning that UPnP has been disabled. Click Yes to allow Windows to detect the Cyber-Rain gateway.
4. A brief installation process should occur to install UPnP support for Windows XP. A Cyber-Rain Gateway icon should display, followed by the device’s IP address. Double-click on the icon.
5. This will prompt a web browser window to open and the Cyber-Rain Gateway's home page will appear. The gateway's web interface is used during the initial setup of the device, and can be used later for troubleshooting or reconfiguring the device. The Gateway home page shows information about the access point, and also contains a link to the Cyber-Rain Cloud server. Click the link for the Cyber-Rain Server at the bottom of the page to continue installation.
Mac OS X 1. Download and open the gateway finder program from http://cyber-rain.com/downloads/mac/Cyber-Rain.dmg. The Cyber-Rain icon will appear on the desktop and automatically open in Finder. 2. Double-click on the Cyber-Rain Gateway Finder icon inside Cyber-Rain disk image.
3. Click Open on the warning message that appears. 4. The gateway should automatically show in the list.
5. Double-clicking on the listed gateway opens the gateway’s settings and configuration page in your default browser. 6. The gateway's web interface is used during the initial setup of the device, and can be used later for troubleshooting or reconfiguring the device. The Gateway home screen shows information about the gateway, and also contains a link to the Cyber-Rain Server. Click the link for the Cyber-Rain Server at the bottom of the page to continue installation.
Upgrade Existing Installation If you currently have the Cyber-Rain system installed and are upgrading from the software version to the Cloud version, you will have to put your controller into “pairing mode” in order for your gateway access point to bind with it. Pairing mode allows the controller to be paired with a new computer: When in pairing mode, the controller will display a “>” symbol in the top right corner of its display indicating that it is ready to be detected by the Cyber-Rain system.
Cyber-Rain Server Login 1. A web browser should now be open displaying the Cyber-Rain Server Login screen. Click Register now to create a new login account. 2. After clicking Register now, the following window will appear: Fill out each field. If you hover your cursor over “i” buttons, it gives information about the related field’s requirements. Make sure that all of the password requirements have been met before proceeding. When finished, press the OK button.
Site Registration Wizard 1. The Cyber-Rain site will now ask for your location so it can retrieve weather information to use when adjusting your watering time. You may modify the existing site name or leave the default. If you access the site from the gateway interface, the Gateway Mac Address and Gateway Serial Number fields will be automatically populated. Enter your address information, zip code and email. Your email address is needed to notify you of controller alerts and product updates.
Controller Discovery When logging in for the first time, the user will be required to set up at least one controller at the site. The Cyber-Rain Controller Discovery screen will open and ask the user to supply information regarding the setup of each controller detected by the access point. Cyber-Rain automatically finds and binds to your controllers. If this is an upgrade of an existing software installation of Cyber-Rain, see the Upgrade Existing Installation section.
Adding Additional Controllers If you require more watering zones than the capacity of your controller or controllers need to be installed at different locations, you will need to purchase an additional Cyber-Rain XCI controller available from Cyber-Rain or your local authorized reseller. Multiple controllers can be operated using the same account and gateway wireless access point included in the complete system.
Follow these steps for each controller: 1. Confirm that the serial number of your controller matches the serial number on the Discovery screen (also on the back of the Cyber-Rain controller). If there is a discrepancy, contact Cyber-Rain Technical Support. 2. Give your controller a name (such as “Cyber-Rain Controller 1” or “Joe’s Cyber-Rain”). 3. Select the total number of zones that you want the controller to manage. Each controller can manage up to 8, 16, or 24 zones (depending on the model). 4.
After times are entered, click Save Schedule in the Schedule for Controller panel on the Controller page. YOU WILL NEED TO CLICK THE SAVE SCHEDULE BUTTON FOR EACH CONTROLLER.
Basic Operation Cyber-Rain strongly recommends that you monitor your landscape conditions over the next two weeks after setting up your schedule and adjust your baseline watering schedule if your plants are looking too dry or too wet. Congratulations! You have finished installing your Cyber-Rain XCI Controller. You can now set your schedule and manage your controllers. See the following sections for step-by-step instructions.
Some panels are collapsed by default. You can expand/collapse a panel at any time by clicking on the arrow in the top-right corner of the panel. Each page and the panels contained in it are described in detail in the Detailed Operation section. Set Up Your Schedule Just a couple more steps to finish setting up your Cyber-Rain Cloud Controller: 1. Enter Watering Day/Time Preferences on Site page: You can restrict Cyber-Rain’s irrigation to certain days of the week or within specific times.
Check the days you would like watering to occur and adjust the start/end times, if needed.
If your watering days differ depending on the time of the year, you can add “seasonal periods” in the Site Details panel to the left of the Watering Day Preferences panel.
2. Set Irrigation Schedule: This should be the watering schedule for the hottest time of the year. Cyber-Rain will automatically adjust this schedule based on the weather. There are two ways to set the schedule: a. Input Schedule Directly in Controller page: On the Controller page, enter zone names and the number of watering minutes for the hottest time of the year for each day in the Schedule for Controller panel. Press Save Schedule to send this to your controller.
b. Use Cyber-Rain Suggested Watering Times in Zone page: Cyber-Rain can recommend a water-wise irrigation schedule customized to your yard on the Zone page. First name each zone in the Zones panel.
Then tell Cyber-Rain about each zone by using the buttons in the Zone Details panel. Press each button and select the option that best describes your landscape.
To the right in the Schedule for Controller panel, Cyber-Rain will recommend watering based on your entries. Press Adjust My Schedule Based on These to automatically schedule your controller. Repeat for the remaining zones.
3. Set-Up Other Irrigation Devices: If your system includes a rain or flow sensor, these can be set up in the bottom left panels on the Controller page. Your Cyber-Rain system will now do the rest. Each day it will check the weather and automatically adjust watering times. You can view upcoming water savings from the Site page, track past water savings on the Stats page, manually run zones from the Controller page, and you can even download the Cyber-Rain Cloud app from the Apple App Store.
Detailed Operation The sections below describe each page of the Cyber-Rain Cloud in detail. Home Page The Home page is currently being developed and more features will be available shortly after launch. The Home page has the following panels: 1. Getting Started: This panel displays 3 quick steps for setting up your new Cyber-Rain Cloud system, once you have installed your controller and gateway access point, and created a user account for the system.
Site Page The Site page is where you control options related to your site(s). A “site” is a specific location that has a gateway access point installed and one or more controllers paired with it. Some examples would be if you had multiple homes, or multiple school or HOA locations that you were managing all from the same Cyber-Rain user account. The information displayed on all the panels in this page changes depending on what site you have selected in the Your Sites panel.
The Site page has the following panels: 1. Your Sites: This panel lists all the sites are registered in your account. Clicking a different site changes the display of all other information on this page. 2. Site Details: This panel lists all the details associated with the selected site, including how many controllers and the physical location of the site.
3. Customer Info: This panel lists all the details about your account, including name, address and email address (used for receiving controller alerts and product updates from the Cyber-Rain system).
4. Advanced Settings: This panel lists settings for your weather savings for the selected site. They determine how sensitive your watering will be to precipitation, temperature and humidity. Change as appropriate for your site’s weather conditions. Typically these settings do not need to be adjusted, as they have been calculated to deliver the optimal amount of water under varied conditions. Some contractors and advanced users may wish to fine tune these values. 5.
6. Weather Forecast: This panel displays the 5-day weather forecast for your selected site.
7. Watering Day Preferences: This panel displays options for restricting watering based on days/seasons or other watering restrictions for the selected site. Water municipalities sometimes restrict the days of the week or the hours of the day that sprinklers can be turned on. Cyber-Rain offers a simple way to comply with these watering restrictions by allowing you to select the days or time periods during which landscape watering is permitted in your area.
Controller Page The Controller page is where you access settings related to your controllers and their schedule. All the panels and settings are shown for the currently selected controller (you can select different controllers from the Controllers for Site panel on the Controller page).
The Controller page has the following panels: 1. Your Sites: This panel lists all the sites are registered in your account. Clicking a different site changes the display of all other information on this page. 2. Details for Controller: This panel displays detailed information and options for the selected controller, including the following fields: Controller Name: Here you can specify a name for your controller.
3. Start Times: This panel displays the number of start times for the selected controller. You can have up to 4 separate start times set per controller. Any changes made to the start times need to be saved by clicking the Save Schedule button in the Schedule for Controller panel.
4. Current Sensor Alert Settings (Pro Model Only): Cyber-Rain automatically measures the electrical current flowing through each valve while it is in use, and will alert the user of abnormally high or low measurements. Current alerts can be helpful in determining if a valve wire hasn’t been inserted properly or is failing. The default settings for over/under current alerts are set to a wide range to avoid unwanted alerts.
This panel expands when you have checked that a rain sensor is installed. The time delay (in hours) before the system resumes watering after the rain sensor hold is no longer active can be adjusted. The user must also select the type of rain sensor installed (normally open/closed). Most rain sensors are normally closed when not activated, so this is Cyber-Rain’s default setting. Consult the rain sensor’s manual to determine its connection type. See the Using a Rain Sensor section for more information. 6.
This panel expands when you have checked that a flow meter is installed. If a compatible flow sensor is installed and connected to the Cyber-Rain controller, this feature will monitor the flow of water through the irrigation system and provide under/overflow alerts and automatic watering holds. For the flow metering to function correctly, the sensor type, calibration settings, fill time, and over/underflow conditions settings must be set.
8. Schedule for Controller: This panel displays your baseline watering schedule for the hottest days of the year. Cyber-Rain will automatically adjust this baseline watering schedule each day based on the forecasted temperature, humidity and rainfall for your zip code. On the left you will see the names of the zones as you assigned them. On the right, you will see the watering times in minutes for each start time for each day and zone.
To put the controller on a manual hold, click on the Hold button and choose an end date for the hold will put the controller on manual hold. If you have more than one controller at your selected site and want all controllers to be on hold, click the Global Hold check box, then click OK. It will then display the hold in the Run Status panel. Click Resume to cancel the hold before the scheduled resume date.
If rain is in the forecast for tomorrow, the system will automatically stop all watering for the next day. If you wish to override this rain hold, you can click the Override button. This will override the rain shutoff until the following day when it will check the forecast once again. When the controller is on a rain hold due to rain in the forecast, the display on the controller will indicate that all watering has stopped until tomorrow’s date due to rain.
On the Run Status panel you can also perform a manual zone run. Click on the Manual Run button (A). Move the slider bar at the top of the menu (B) to change the duration of the cycle. Check the box to the left of each zone name (C) to activate the corresponding zone. The Check All and Clear All buttons (D) on the bottom allow you to quickly select or deselect all zones. Click the Run/Cycle button (D) to begin the manual run.
If a controller is offline, this will be shown in the Run Status panel. Check to ensure that the controller is powered on, and the gateway access point is powered on and within range of the controller. See the Connectivity Issues section of the Troubleshooting Guide for more information. 10. Controller Status: The Controller Status panel shows the System Alerts traffic light, the Current mA (milliamps) gauge and the Controller Temperature Gauge.
The System Alerts traffic light indicates the status of alerts. A green light means no alerts have been triggered. A yellow light means that an alert has been triggered but Cyber-Rain is continuing to water all zones. A red light generally means that an alert has been triggered and watering has been held for one or all zones. Details on what alerts have been triggered can be found in the Event Log on the Stats page. Alerts can be cleared by pressing the Clear Alerts button.
Using a Rain Sensor Any “dry contact interface type” rain sensor can be attached to your Cyber-Rain controller. The rain sensor will provide a double layer of protection against watering when it is raining. If it senses rain, it will stop all watering regardless of whether the rain has been forecast. Watering will not resume until the rain sensor is no longer activated and the rain sensor countdown has completed. The rain hold length can be changed by setting the delay until watering resumes.
4. Activate the rain sensor within Cyber-Rain by selecting the Rain Sensor Installed check box on the Controller page, indicating that you have connected a rain sensor to your controller. 5. Set the rain sensor type and desired delay hours. The default is set to 24 hour delay after the rain sensor has dried. Rain sensors are sold in two different varieties, normally open, and normally closed.
After it has rained and a rain hold has occurred, the hold will remain until the rain sensor dries. Then you will get a countdown as per your rain sensor delay settings. You can click alternatively click Override to manually cancel the rain hold. Installing and Using a Flow Sensor (Pro Model Only) Cyber-Rain Pro controllers are compatible with Data Industrial, ARAD/Netafim, Bermad and other flow sensors that have a magnetic reed (dry contact) interface.
4. Insert: Insert the flow sensor harness into the connector located on the bottom of your controller labeled “FLOW”, making sure that it is properly aligned. (Note: This is the 2-wire harness on the RIGHT in Pro models.) 5. Setup Parameters: On the Controller page in the Flow Sensor Settings panel, select the Flow Sensor Installed check box indicating that you have connected a flow sensor to your controller.
b. DI Type: Select this option if you have a “Data Industrial” impeller type flow sensor. The K Value and Offset parameters should be provided with your meter and allow you to calibrate the system to your specific flow sensor. 6. Set Thresholds: The thresholds are used for setting the alert levels of too much or too little watering flowing through your valves. If Cyber-Rain detects overflow, it will shut off your watering and send you an email.
12 GPM or greater will cause an overflow condition. Likewise, if the underflow threshold is set to 20%, a flow rate of 8 GPM or less will cause an underflow condition. The Cyber-Rain Cloud system sets the default threshold values of 50%, but these can be adjusted as needed. 7. Set Fill Time: Fill time is the amount of time that it takes the irrigation pipes to reach a steady state flow of water. Irrigation pipes tend to flow water more rapidly when first they are first opened as the pipes are pressurized.
Controller Alerts (Pro Model Only) Cyber-Rain continually monitors your controller and sprinkler system to make sure everything is working correctly. When the system is working normally, the traffic light on the Controller page will be green. However, if Cyber-Rain detects something outside the thresholds for normal operation, an alert will be triggered and you will be notified in the following ways: The LCD display screen on the controller will indicate an alert.
o Outside air temperature is close to 32 degrees. How to clear alert: o This alert will automatically clear itself when the controller temperature returns to the normal range. o Manually clear the alert by pressing Clear Alerts under the stoplight in the Controller Status panel on the Controller page. (Note: The alert will return if the temperature continues to be too low.) Current Alerts Current Alerts are triggered when the current running through the sprinkler valves is too high or low.
o Your threshold for over current alerts is set too low. Adjust the Over Current Threshold in the Current Sensor Alert Settings panel on the Controller page. How to clear alert and resume watering for the affected zone: o This alert will automatically clear itself when the current going through the valve returns to normal levels. o Manually run the zone from either the controller or computer after the underlying cause has been addressed.
Over Flow Alert Indicates: More water is flowing through a valve than the overflow alert threshold for that zone. Cyber-Rain response: Alert triggered and THE CONTROLLER WILL NOT WATER THE AFFECTED ZONE until the alert is cleared. Potential causes of alert: o A sprinkler head is broken. o A sprinkler line has a leak. o A sprinkler valve is failing and is opening too much. o Your threshold for over flow alerts is set too low.
Zone Page The Zone page can be used to adjust the settings of a particular zone. This is where you can input details about your zones and receive Horticulture Reccomendations. This is particularly helpful if you’re not sure how long to water your each zone in your landscape.
The Zone page has the following panels: 1. Your Sites: This panel lists all the sites are registered in your account. Clicking a different site changes the display of all other information on this page. 2. Site Controllers: This panel displays information about all the controllers at the selected site. Clicking a different controller changes the display of most of the other information on this page, including the Controller Zones and Zone Details panels.
3. Controller Zones: These fields list all the zones on your selected controller. Here you can edit the zone names if desired, which will automatically update Controller page and also the controller itself to show the new name.
4. Zone Details: This panel lists options based on your selected zone. This is also where you can adjust the various horticultural settings to get horticultural recommendations for the selected zone. Note that the horticultural recommendations assume only one sprinkler start time per day. If you have selected multiple start times, you can manually spread the recommended watering minutes by zone across the start times.
Plant Type: Category of plant from the pop-up menu that best describes the zone. An average crop coefficient, which signifies the plant’s water use, is generated. If you wish to manually set this to a precise value, select Custom under Plant Type. This will enable the Crop Coefficient field. Your value can be entered directly or you can use the arrows.
Sprinkler Type: Type of sprinkler/emitter that is being used in this zone (utilizing the pictures provided). A default precipitation rate (in inches per hour) is generated based on typical values for the type of sprinkler you selected. If you wish to manually set this rate, select Custom under Sprinkler Type. This will enable the Precipitation Rate field. Your rate can be entered directly or you can use the arrows.
Sun Exposure: How sunny most of the zone is for the majority of the day.
Slope Type: The slope of the majority of the zone. If your landscape is sloped, Cyber-Rain will automatically cycle your watering by sprinkling a little and then waiting (cycle and soak). This reduces runoff by giving the water a chance to soak in. (Refer to the Cycle and Soak section for more info.
Soil Type: Type of soil that best describes the zone. If your soil easily separates it is sandy, if it clumps together it is clay, and if it is in between it is loam. If you are uncertain of the type, select Loam. If you have clay soil, Cyber-Rain will automatically cycle your watering by sprinkling a little and then waiting (cycle and soak). This gives the water a chance to soak in and reduces runoff. (Refer to the Cycle and Soak section for more info.
Estimated GPM: This field is shown when you do not have a flow sensor installed. Here you can manually enter your flow rate for the selected zone. See the Manually Enter Flow Rates section below for more information. Ignore Weather: Checking this option overrides the automatic weather adjustments for the selected zone (it will run the full minutes set in the schedule for that zone).
5. Flow Sensor Options: This panel is shown if you have a flow sensor installed. Here you can set Normal Flow Rates for the selected zone that your flow sensor uses in conjunction with your set threshold values to determine whether you have normal flow, or an underflow or overflow condition. See the Installing and Using a Flow Sensor section for more information. 6. Zone Image: This panel displays a stock image for the selected zone, which can be replaced with your own image of the zone if desired.
Then click in the box that says “Click here to add a new file”. You will then be able to browse your computer for a valid image file to upload for your zone image and then click Open to upload it. You can also select an image from a gallery of preset zone images. Click the arrow to expand the Select zone image from gallery panel, and then click Select Zone Image.
Scroll through until you find the desired image on the left. Clicking an image on the left will show you the image on the right side in its full size. Click OK to save your selection.
7. Schedule for this zone: This panel shows schedule information for the selected zone, including the horticultural recommendations based off of the horticultural settings in the Zone Details panel: Zone schedule table: This table shows your schedule for the selected zone, and the total number of weekly minutes according to your current baseline schedule (per start time).
Adjust My Schedule Based on These: This button will apply the recommendations to your zone’s schedule.
Manually Enter Flow Rates The Estimated GPM (gallons per minute) field of the zone details panel is visible when you do not have a flow sensor installed/enabled. Cyber-Rain defaults this value to 1.50. The feature allows Cyber-Rain to report water savings and usage in gallons in the Usage Grid and Usage Summary Report panels on the Stats page. The flow rate of each zone can be estimated using the local utility’s water meter using the methodology below.
Write down the initial reading. Then perform a manual run on the first zone for 5 minutes (unless the zone is a drip system, in which case 20 minutes is recommended). After the run is complete, write down the new water meter reading. Use the following instructions to calculate the zone’s flow rate (in gallons per minute): 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Subtract the initial meter reading from the final meter reading. Multiply the result by 748 (1 CCF = 748 Gallons). Divide the result by 5 (# of minutes).
Stats Page The Stats page shows various information regarding your system, including a detailed log and graphs showing your water usage and water savings. The Stats page has the following panels: 1. Your Sites: This panel lists all the sites are registered in your account. Clicking a different site changes the display of all other information on this page. 2. Apply Date Range: This panel allows you to change the date range that you want to use in filtering the results of the other panels below.
3. Event Log: This panel shows you a detailed log of the activity of every controller in your selected site. It lists each item in date order by default, but it can be sorted by clicking any of the column names on the top of the log.
4. Usage Grid: This panel shows you a detailed grid of every controller in your selected site. It lists each item in date order by default, but it can be sorted by clicking any of the column names on the top of the log.
5. Usage Summary Chart: This panel graphically represents the water used and water saved by the Cyber-Rain system. The Usage Summary Chart can display the water usage information by minutes (default) or by gallons if a flow meter is used or the flow rate is entered manually (see Manually Enter Flow Rates section). The area of the graph colored orange represents the minutes (or gallons) used, and the area in green represents the saved watering minutes/gallons.
6. Zones Overview: This panel graphically shows you details about your various zones and controllers at the selected site. It can be filtered and sorted using various options, including by controllers, zones, gallons, plant types, slope types, soil types, sun exposures and sprinkler types. It shows you pictures of all zones in all controllers by default. Clicking on a zone image displays detailed information about that zone.
Help Page If you are experiencing technical difficulties with your Cyber-Rain system, or you are having trouble installing a new system, please feel free to use the Help page for assistance. This page contains links to the Troubleshooting Guide as an aide to diagnosing and resolving the issue, as well as other helpful information. The Troubleshooting Guide can also be downloaded from the Downloads section of the Cyber-Rain website.
