DIG ECO1 ILV-075 Ambient Light Powered Smart Irrigation Controller Instruction Manual

DIG ECO1 ILV-075 Ambient Light Powered Smart Irrigation Controller

Thank you for purchasing DIG’s ECO 1™ ambient light powered irrigation controller.

ABOUT THE CONTROLLERS

The ECO 1™ is a one-station, ambient light (solar) powered smart controller that uses a patented energy management system to power the controller day and night. The controller requires no batteries, AC power or direct sunlight and can be installed above grade anywhere in the landscape.
The controller employs the latest in water conservation features and can be
pre-set to automatically adjust the watering durations according to regional seasonal changes.

COMPONENT IDENTIFICATION

1. Solar PVM
2. LCD screen
3. 7 button keypad
4. Rain sensor connection
5. Quick reference label
6. Collapsible solenoid wire
7. Manual flow control
8. DC Solenoid

SYSTEM COMPONENTS

LCD Display

1. Time and Date – Indicates current time and day
2. Set Watering Days – Choose either specific days, odd/even days, or up to once every 30 days
3. Start Time – Up to 5 start times per day available
4. Run Time – Watering duration from 1 minute to 6 hours
5. Manual Run – Appears when manual button is pushed
6. Set ET – Used to set one of the 20 SimpleSmart™ presets
7. Set Monthly Budget – Seasonal adjustment setting (0%-200%) in 5%increments or to fine-tune SimpleSmart™ programming
8. Rain Delay – Delay irrigation setting from 1 to 99 days with automatic restart
9. Events Off – Suspends watering for any month or any specific day within the month.
10. Power Level – Represents current charge level
11. Sensor – Appears only when sensor is connected and active
12. Watering – Appears when valve is open

Control Buttons

VALVE INSTALLATION

The ECO 1™ controller is designed for the automation of drip and sprinkler systems. The ECO 1™ controller with valve features female-threaded inlet and outlet. The ECO 1™ is generally installed above the ground to allow the controller to power itself using light.
Recommended operating pressure: 10 to 80 PSI (.7 to 5.5 BAR)
NOTE: Wrap all fittings with Teflon tape.
Do not use pipe cement on the valve as this will damage the valve and void the warranty.
Thread inlet, outlet fittings and pipe into the valve with swivel fitting or a union. Make sure when wrapping fittings with Teflon tape that no excess gets into the internal assembly. Tighten the fittings with a wrench, but do not over tighten.
NOTE: Additional control valves must not be installed downstream of the valve. Consult local codes for specific details.

1. Flush main line until water runs clear before installation.

2. Shut off main water supply.

3. Install the ECO 1™ with in-line valve directly to the main line and above the ground. The arrow on the valve body indicts direction of water flow and the solenoid with the controller should be on the downstream side of the valve.

4. Turn the main water supply on and pressurize the system; the valve may discharge water momentarily and then shut off.

5. The valve features manual bleed that can be used via the solenoid, which enables the valve to be operated without the use of the ECO 1™.
   To turn the valve on via the solenoid, lift the ECO 1™ controller from the solenoid and turn the solenoid counter clockwise ½ to ¾ of a turn, or until you hear or see water flowing through the valve. To turn the water off, turn the solenoid clockwise ½ to ¾ of a turn and wait for the a few seconds for the valve to close.

6. Program the ECO 1™ controller (see section 5).

PROGRAMMING

In order to program the ECO 1™, you must first let the unit sit out in the light to charge. In bright light conditions (full sun) this will take under 30 minutes.
In shaded conditions this could take up to 2 hours.
This section explains the programming features, and the steps necessary to assign irrigation schedules. To program the controller use the to select the desired programming mode, the to make the entry flash and the buttons to change the value.
NOTE: Only a flashing value can be changed.
NOTE: If the last data entered stops flashing, press again to resume programming and repeat the steps.

SETTING TIME AND DATE

The controller can display the time in either a 12 or 24 hour format. To change the time format, from the home screen:

1. Press and hold the button for three seconds until the display switches format (AM/PM disappears).

SETTING THE CURRENT TIME AND DATE
To enable the controller to operate properly, the current time and date must be set.

1. Press the button, until the icon appears along with the time and the day of the week.
2. If the current time has not been set and needs to be updated press and the hour digit starts flashing.
3. To set the current hour, press (note AM and PM designations).
4. To set the minutes, press again and the minute digit starts flashing. Press the to set the current time in minutes.
5. Repeat the steps to set the current date including, month, day and year. When the date is selected and updated, the day of the week will be updated at the same time to correspond with the date.
6. Press to proceed to the next step SET DAYS or review the program.
   Press to move backward.

SETTING WATERING DAY SCHEDULES

Option 1 – Setting Specific Days of the Week:
This setting determines which days the ECO 1™ controller will operate. Choose either watering on specific days of the week, EVEN/ODD days or cyclical from daily up to once every 30 days. The controller’s default setting is to water on all specific days of the week.
For example, if you want to water every Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday:

1. Press the button until the icon and the days of the week appear on the screen.
2. Press once and M (for Monday) starts flashing.
3. Press , and underscore under M (Monday) disappears. Monday is de-selected.
4. Press twice and W (for Wednesday) starts flashing.
5. Press and the underscore under W (Wednesday) disappears. Wednesday is de-selected.
6. Press twice and F (Friday) starts flashing.
7. Press and the underscore under F (Friday) disappears. Friday is de-selected.
8. Press and the underscore under Sa (Saturday) starts flashing.
9. Press and the underscore under Sa disappears. Saturday is de-selected
10. Press the button to proceed to the next step or de-select all of the days of the week to set even/odd days.

Option 2 – Setting Even or Odd Days:
To select EVEN days, ODD days or cyclical days from one day up to every 30 days refer to the following example.
Example: setting the controller to water every 10 days:

1. Press the button until the icon and the days of the week appear.
2. Press and to skip all the days of the week (underscore must be removed beneath all days).
3. Press and EVEN appears flashing. (To select ODD days press )
4. Press again and 1 DAY appears flashing. To select the number of days between watering of 10 days, press until 10 appears on the display
5. To return to a weekly schedule, Press and the program returns to the weekly schedule for selecting the day of the week.
6. Press the button to proceed to the next step START TIME or to review the program.

SETTING WATERING START TIME

The ECO 1™ smart controller can have up to five separate irrigation start times per day.
To set a start time,

1. Press the button until the icon appears. START 1, displays OFF or the last start time programmed in START 1 appears.
2. Press and OFF (or the first start time programmed) begins flashing.
3. To set the desired first start time hour (note AM and PM designations), press .
4. Press and the minutes start flashing.
5. Press and set the desired start time minutes
6. Press again, the second start time and OFF (or the last start time programmed) appear flashing
7. To set the desired second start time hour (note AM and PM designations), press or .
8. Press again and the minutes begin flashing, press to select the watering start time in minutes. Repeat the steps to set the third and if needed the fourth and fifth start times. During programming, the screen also shows which days the controller will operate.
   Press the button to proceed to the next step RUN TIME or to review the program.

SETTING WATERING RUN TIMES

Note: If you have already set a SimpleSmart™ ET preset (example: SP02) and then change the run time, your SimpleSmart™ program will be turned OFF. You must reactivate the SimpleSmart™ programming each time you adjust your run time (see section 10).
This setting determines the length of time the ECO 1™ smart controller will allow the valve to remain open (duration is from 1 minute up to 6 hours). For example, setting watering run time to 10 minutes on certain days of the week will program the controller to turn the water on for 10 minutes on each of the days chosen and at every start time selected.
To set the watering run time :

1. Press the button until the icon appears and OFF or the last run time setting appears.
2. Press the button, and OFF (or the last run time programmed) appears with hours flashing.
3. To set a desired watering run time in hours, press and select the number of hours
4. If only watering duration in minutes is required, press to skip the hour digit, and the minutes will start flashing.
5. To set the desired watering duration in minutes (example of 10 minutes), press r to select minutes. When programming the watering duration the screen will also show the days the controller will operate.

NOTE: If the last data entered stops flashing after 10 seconds, press again to resume or to move backward.
Press the button to proceed to the next step SET ET or to review the program.

SETTING THE SIMPLESMART™ OPTION (SET ET)

The ECO 1™ smart controller’s main feature includes twenty preset programs for sprays and drip irrigation based on three years of historical evapotranspiration (ET) from various climate regions.
How DIG’s ECO 1™ smart controller operates using Historical Evapotranspiration (ET):
After programming the watering schedule, watering start time and watering duration, the user can select one of the preset SimpleSmart™evapotranspiration (ET) programs for spray or drip irrigation systems. Reference CHART A on page 16 and choose from the region description.
Selecting SP01 through SP20 sets the ECO 1™ controller to water a predetermined number of minutes per month. The amount to water is pre- programmed into the controller and is determined by which program (SP) is selected and by the month.
If you have already set a SimpleSmart™ ET preset (example: SP02) and then change the run time, your SimpleSmart™ program will be turned OFF. You must reactivate the SimpleSmart™ programming each time you adjust your run time (see section 10).

NOTE: If using one of the SimpleSmart™ presets we recommend evaluating the plants’ health for the first month and making adjustments to the system as needed. If an adjustment or fine tuning of the SimpleSmart™ programming is required, this adjustment can be made for each month in the SEASONAL ADJUSTMENT (%) SETTING (see section 11). ET Zone data can be updated with Australian data
CHART A – SELECTING HISTORICAL ET PROGRAM

For example:
The user entered watering run time will be adjusted monthly based upon the forecast ET pattern for the selected region.
By selecting SP02, the controller may adjust the programmed run time of 10 minutes in the month of January to 3 minutes, or less. This reduces the irrigation run time by 7 minutes, providing a water savings of nearly 70% for the month of January.
To activate the SimpleSmart™ ET feature:

1. Press the button until the icon appears and OFF appears.
2. Press and OFF (or the last SP program #) appears.
3. To select a desired SimpleSmart™ preset press and select one of the twenty programs from the list using one that is similar to your climate region and irrigation method (see map in centerfold or reference Chart A).
4. To deactivate the preset program, press and the program # appears flashing.
5. Press until OFF appears.
   Press the button to proceed to the next step SET BUDGET or to review the program.

SETTING SEASONAL ADJUSTMENT (MONTHLY BUDGET)

The amount of water required by plants varies throughout the year. The Seasonal Adjustment percentage feature can be utilized to alter the programmed watering run time on a monthly basis.
This program features two options:

• It can be used as an adjustment to the programmed run time by altering the programmed watering duration on a monthly basis.
• It can be used to modify the total run time setting of the SimpleSmart™ programming per month by percentage.

To set seasonal adjustment in %:

1. Press the button until 100% and the current month # appears.

2. Press the button and the 100% appears flashing.

3. To set the desired seasonal adjustment % (0-200%), press
   Example, if a 20 minute duration is programmed, and then the monthly budget is changed from 100% to 50%, the duration will now be 10 minutes for the selected month.

4. Repeat the steps to set the desired seasonal adjustment % for each month by pressing and following the previous steps for each month.
   Press the button to proceed to the next step RAIN DELAY   or to review the program.

RAIN DELAY SETTING

The Rain Delay setting is used to temporarily suspend all irrigation for a defined number of days. For example, during rainy weather regularly scheduled programs can be turned off from 1-99 days. At the end of the designated period, regularly scheduled programming will resume automatically.
To set a temporary suspension of the program:

1. Press the button until the icon appears and OFF appear.
2. Press the button and OFF starts flashing.
3. To set the desired temporary suspension of the program (1-99 days), press or .
4. The temporary suspension of the program can be canceled at any time by re-entering Rain Delay screen and changing the setting to OFF. (Press until OFF appears.)
   Note: OFF appears in between the numeric value of 99 and 1.
   Press the button to proceed to the next step EVENTS OFF or to review the program.

EVENTS OFFSETTING

This mode allows the user to program the timer to not water during specific months of the year, or to program the timer to not water on specific days of the week during a specific month.
To turn off specific days of a month:

1. Push the button until the desired month is selected and DAYS appear above the symbol. The number of the month is on the left (1 = January, 12 = December).
2. Push the button until the desired day of the week flashes.
3. Push the to remove the underline under the day of the week.
   During the selected month, watering will not occur on the days of the week without the underline.

To turn off an entire month:

1. Push the button until the icon appears.
2. Push the button through each day of the week until the MO appears above the  icon.
3. When On is flashing for the desired month to turn off, push the button and the word OFF will appear. The selected month is now turned off, and no watering will occur during the entire month.
4. The controller is now fully programmed.
   Press the button to review the program or to return to the home screen.

Here is an example of the home screen showing all the icons of the programs that are currently set and active, which is the SimpleSmart™ (SET ET), monthly budget, rain delay and events off programs.

MANUAL WATERING

The manual mode allows the user to test the system and water for a specified run time. The controller will automatically close the valve at the end of the defined irrigation period. The originally programmed irrigation schedule continues to function at the times assigned. The sensor condition is disregarded in this mode.
To start a manual run,

1. Press the button, and the appears. ON appears momentarily and then the last watering duration is displayed with . The controller will open the valve and in 10 seconds a count down of the remaining irrigation duration appears, showing when the controller will close the valve.

2. Press the button to end manual run.

3. After 10 seconds the display will revert to the current time screen.

CONNECTING A RAIN SENSOR

Most “normally closed” rain or soil moisture sensors can be connected to the ECO 1™ controller. The function of the sensor is to prevent automatic watering by the set program due to excessive rainfall or when the soil is too moist.

To connect the sensor to the controller, please follow these steps:

1. Cut the yellow wire loop that exits the controller in the middle of the loop.
2. Strip approximately 1/2 in. of insulation from the end of each wire.
3. Splice one yellow wire to each of the wires coming from the sensor. Use waterproof wire connectors to secure the connections.
4. Follow the sensor manufacturer’s instructions for calibrating the sensor.
5. When the sensor is active and preventing automatic operation, a icon will appear on the display.

Recommended rain sensors are the Rain Bird RSD and Hunter Mini-Clik Recommended soil moisture sensor is the Irrometer WEM-B

MAINTENANCE, TROUBLESHOOTING AND REPAIRS

To restore the controller to the default settings

1. Press the button until the START EVERY is displayed and the icon appears on the bottom left of the screen.
2. Press and hold down the for three seconds.
3. The screen returns to the home screen (clock) and all the default settings are restored. The current time and date is retained

PROBLEM : Valve is not opening automatically or manually

• CAUSE : No water pressure
• SOLUTION : Open main water supply valve
• CAUSE : Faulty solenoid
• SOLUTION : Replace solenoid
• CAUSE : Flow control handle is turned down
• SOLUTION : Open flow control handle on valve

PROBLEM : Valve functions in manual mode but not automatically

• CAUSE : Controller is set to OFF mode
• SOLUTION : Verify that controller does not show OFF in current time mode CAUSE: AM/PM not set correctly in current time mode
• SOLUTION: Check current time, change AM/PM if necessary
• CAUSE : AM/PM not set correctly in start time mode
• SOLUTION : Check start time(s), change AM/PM if necessary
• CAUSE : Watering restriction or rain delay is preventing watering
• SOLUTION : Remove watering restrictions or set rain delay to off
• CAUSE : Yellow sensor wires have been cut
• SOLUTION : Re-connect sensor wires together with waterproof connector CAUSE: Sensor is installed and is in a state that prevents watering SOLUTION: Check sensor and wire splices and verify sensor is normally closed

PROBLEM : The display is blank
CAUSE : No buttons have been pushed in the previous 15 minutes
SOLUTION : Push any button

PROBLEM : Valve fails to close
CAUSE : Valve is installed backwards
SOLUTION : Check flow arrow and verify arrows points away from water source CAUSE: Debris is blocking solenoid port
SOLUTION : Shut off water supply, unscrew and remove solenoid, then open water supply and flush out solenoid port, re-install solenoid

PROBLEM : Rain sensor does not prevent watering
CAUSE : Rain sensor is normally open, malfunctioning, or not wired correctly SOLUTION: Verify that sensor icon appears on display when pin is pushed down & check all wire splices

PROBLEM : Controller waters more than once per day
CAUSE : More than one start time has been programmed
SOLUTION : Change start time 2,3,4, and 5 to OFF

PROBLEM : Solenoid is not fully closed after using manual operation.
SOLUTION : Lift the controller and turn solenoid clockwise to fully closed position.

PROBLEM : Solenoid or adapter O-rings are damaged or twisted.
SOLUTION : Turn off the water supply. First turn the solenoid counter- clockwise to remove and inspect the O-ring, and then turn it counter-clockwise and repeat the inspection. Clean any debris or replace the O-ring as necessary.

WARRANTY

DIG CORPORATION warrants these products to be free from defects in material and workmanship for a period of three years from date of purchase. This warranty does not cover damage resulting from accident, misuse, neglect, modification, improper installation or subjection to line pressure in excess of 80 lbs. per square inch (5.5 BAR). This warranty shall extend only to the original purchaser of the product for use by the purchaser.
The obligation of DIG CORPORATION under this warranty is limited to repairing or replacing
at its factory this product which shall be returned to the factory within three years after the original purchase and which on examination is found to contain defects in material and workmanship.

DIG CORPORATION SHALL IN NO EVENT BE LIABLE FOR ANY INCIDENTAL OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES OF ANY KIND; THE SOLE OBLIGATION OF DIG IS LIMITED TO REPAIR OR REPLACEMENT OF DEFECTIVE PRODUCTS. SOME STATES DO NOT ALLOW THE EXCLUSION OR LIMITATION OF INCIDENTAL OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES, SO THE ABOVE LIMITATION OR EXCLUSION MAY NOT APPLY TO YOU.
Unattended use for prolonged periods without inspection to verify proper operation is beyond the intended use of this product, and any damage resulting from such use shall not be the responsibility of DIG CORPORATION. There are no warranties, which extend beyond the description on the face hereof. In the case of purchase of the product for use other than, for irrigation purposes, DIG CORPORATION hereby disclaims any implied warranties including any warranties of merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose. In the case of the purchase of the product for personal, family or household purposes, DIG CORPORATION disclaims any such warranties to the extent permitted by law. To the extent that any such disclaimer or implied warranties shall be ineffectual, then any implied warranties shall be limited in duration to a period of three years from the date of the original purchase for use by the purchaser. Some states do not allow limitations on how long an implied warranty lasts, so the above limitation may not apply to you.

In order to obtain performance under this warranty, the unit must be returned to the factory, along with proof of purchase indicating the original date of purchase, shipping prepaid, addressed as follows:
DIG CORPORATION, 1210 Activity Drive, Vista, CA 92081. Repaired or replaced units will be shipped prepaid to the name and address supplied with the unit returned under warranty. Allow four weeks for repairs and shipping time. Repair of damaged units not otherwise within warranty may be refused or done at a reasonable cost or charge at the option of DIG CORPORATION.
This warranty gives you specific legal rights, and you may also have other rights, which vary from state to state.

TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE

Should you encounter any problem(s) with this product or if you do not understand its many features, please refer to this instruction manual first. If further assistance is required, DIG offers the following customer support:

TECHNICAL SERVICE USA

• DIG’s Technical Service Team is available to answer questions from 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM (PST) Monday-Friday (except holidays) at 0011-1-760-727-0914.
• Questions in English and Spanish can be emailed to questions@digcorp.com or faxed to 0011-1-760-727-0282.
• Specification documents and manuals are available for downloading in English and Spanish at www.digcorp.com.

www.digcorp.com

email: dig@digcorp.com

References

• Drip Irrigation System - DIG Corporation

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