Specifications
Parameter
Value
Input Voltage
9 – 30VDC or
9 – 26 VAC
50V surge
Reverse polarity protected to 50V
Current Drain
15 mA nominal. (No outputs on, not
raining, no heater)
about 1.5 mA in micro-power sleep
mode.
50 mA with output on.
55 mA - With heater on, 24V dc
input.
Output
Relay closure, Normally Open and
Normally Closed contacts.
Max load 1A, 24 VDC.
Operating
Temperature range
-40 C to +60C
DIP Switches
Set the DIP switches for the application according to the
table below. DIP Switch settings below correspond to
software part number: 45-005-006 (SW 006)
OUT LED--
The LED in the center of the circuit board turns
on when NO is on, as an aid to debugging.
Condensation--
Generally, the RG-11 will sense
condensation as if it were rainfall, but this seldom amounts
to a significant accumulation of water.
Ambient Light Interference--
The RG-11 is almost
completely immune to the effects of ambient light, and may
freely be mounted in direct sunlight.
Heater Notes--
A built-in low power (0.25W) heater extends
operation of the device to freezing (32 F or 0C). Note that
this is a very modest amount of power; it will tend to drive
off a modest amount of frost, but will not melt ice.
Mode 4: Irrigation Control
Rain Gage output on means inhibit watering.
Switch
Behavior
7 6 5 4 3 2 1
1 0 X X 0 0 0 Typical Water Control. Inhibit watering for
up to 5 days.
0 0 1 Water More
0 1 0 Water a lot more
1 0 0 Water Less
1 0 1 Water a lot less
0 X X X Inhibit irrigation during a storm
1
Allow irrigation during a storm
0 X X X X Inhibit irrigation during freeze
1
Allow irrigation during freeze
In the table above, 1 = Switch on, 0 = Switch off, X =
switch in either position.
The RG-11 may be set to provide precise control of an
irrigation system. Typically, the installation will connect to
the COM and NC relay contacts to interrupt the valves when
watering should be inhibited. Note that the RG-11 also
requires 24 VAC (or other suitable supply.)
The nominal irrigation profile is set so that the ground
receives an inch of water per week. It will inhibit watering
upon the accumulation of 0.2 inches of water, and re-enable
the system after that water has evaporated. This can be as
short as less than a day, or as long as six days, depending
on rainfall. Additional DIP switch settings are provided for
allowing more or less watering, as shown in the table.
Nominally (Switch 4 off), the RG-11 will inhibit watering
during a storm, even if not much water has accumulated.
The reasoning is that if it is raining hard now, the rainfall is
likely to deliver enough accumulation to justify inhibiting at
least the current cycle of watering. This prevents the “it's
pouring, but my sprinklers are still running” objection from
the customer, and the accompanying excessive runoff and
muddy ground. The feature may be defeated by turning
switch 4 on.
Normally, the RG-11 will inhibit irrigation if the temperature
drops below freezing, or nominally about 34 degrees. If
SW 5 is on, the RG-11 will allow irrigation below 34
degrees. Micro-power mode is disabled in irrigation control.
