1 installation and operating instructions controller unit esp-mc 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 meet- ing all of your water management needs by provid...
2 the esp-mc controller the extra simple programming-maxicom compatible series (esp-mc) controller is a stand-alone controller appropriate for residential or commercial use. Its easy-to-use built-in computer offers four programs for up to 40 watering stations. The esp-mc can also be upgraded to func...
3 chapter 1: installation this section of the manual explains how to mount your new esp-mc controller on the wall and how to connect the wiring. Mounting the controller before you begin important:before installing your controller, make sure that the area around you is free from dirt and dust and tha...
4 14” (36 cm) minimum 11-1/4” (28.8 cm) cabinet is 6-5/8” (17 cm) to fuse box wall floor valve wiring in conduit 120 volt ac wiring in conduit 11-3/8” (28.2 cm) locate for easy access and for comfortable typical wall-mount installation.
5 chapter 1: installation (continued) removing the controller’s faceplate in order to mount the controller, you must first remove the faceplate. To do so: 1. Remove the controller cabinet door from its two hinges by opening the door then holding the bottom of the door and sliding up. 2. Pull out gen...
6 connecting the controller there are three types of connections you must make to your esp-mc controller: • connections to the field valves, • grounding connections, and • connections to the main power source. You may also want to connect an optional sensor, which prevents watering during rainfall o...
7 to connect the valve wires: 1. Feed each valve wire up through the large hole on the bottom of the controller cabi- net. 2. Strip 1/2” (1.3 cm) from the end of the valve wire. Insert the wire into the appropriate station terminal. If the wire does not enter securely into the hole, press down on th...
8 grounding connections the esp-mc is equipped with built-in electrical surge protection. For this system to function, the earth ground terminal on the controller must be connected to a ground rod that is driven into the earth. Important: use a #10 (6 mm) or #8 (10 mm) bare wire to connect the contr...
9 to connect the power input wires to the main power source, 1. Connect a junction box to the transformer nipple. To do this, place the junction box on the nipple, then thread the washer on. Twist it to tighten. 2. If you have the standard 117 volt, 60 hz model, use wire nuts to connect the black wi...
10 connecting the sensor’s wires to the controller (continued) 3. Route the wires out of the controller through the large hole at the bottom of the con- troller cabinet 4.Connect the other end of the wires to the sensor’s valve common terminals or wires. 5.Follow the sensor’s directions for placing ...
11 chapter 2: programming & operation using the buttons and dial on the controller's faceplate, you can set up the esp-mc to operate automatically. You can also run the controller manually without making changes in the programs you have set. This section will guide you through the use of the control...
12 buttons and indicators (continued) even day cycle this light is on when the controller’s active program is set to water on even days of the month. Odd day cycle this light is on when the controller’s active program is set to water on odd days of the month. Cyclical day cycle this light is on when...
13 buttons and indicators (continued) even days set the dial here to set a program cycle that waters on even days of the month. Water budget set the dial here to set the water budget percentage for a program. 100% is the de- fault. Cycle + soak set the dial here to break a station’s watering time in...
14 setting up a program there are four program settings available with the esp-mc: a, b, c, and d. You can set each program to operate according to your specifications. When you set up a pro- gram, you: • select the program, • choose a cycle setting for the program, and • assign stations and set the...
15 pgm a to set a custom cycle: 1. Rotate the dial to custom. The display shows the program and custom. The dis- play shows used if the program is active and using a different cycle mode. If so, you can override the previous setting. 2. If the program you want is not displayed, press pgm until it is...
16 setting a cyclical cycle: (continued) 7. Return the dial to auto. The controller re- turns to the time of day display and waters on the days you have specified. To set an odd or even cycle: 1. Rotate the dial to odd days or even days. The display shows the program and odd or even. The display sho...
17 3. Use the arrow keys to display the station number you wish to set. 4. Press man start/adv to toggle to the right side of the display. The length of watering time flashes, indicating that it is ready to be set. 5. Use the arrow keys to set the length of time. If used is displayed, you can still ...
18 note: start times are displayed in chronological order. If a start time is deleted from the order by setting it to off, all later start times are automati- cally moved down one start time number. When a start time is added to any start time number, the controller automatically reorganizes the tim...
19 to set mv1 for a station: 1. Rotate the dial to mv pump start. The display shows the station number and mv on or off. The station number is flashing, indicating that it is ready to be set. 2. Use the arrow keys to select the station num- ber. 3. Press man start/adv to toggle to the right side of ...
20 setting cycle + soak the cycle + soak feature is designed to con- serve water that might puddle in tight soils such as clay, or end up as runoff on slopes. Cycle + soak lets you break up the total watering time of a station into shorter cycles with a soak time be- tween cycles. You set the maximu...
21 7. If you want to set cycle and soak for another station, press man start/ adv again. 8. When you have finished setting cycle and soak, return the dial to auto. The controller returns to the time of day. Setting the water budget the water budget feature allows you to increase or decrease a progra...
22 2. Use the arrow keys to set the day of the month you wish to change. 3. Press man start/adv to toggle to the right side of the display. The on/off setting flashes, indicating that it is ready to be set. 4. If you are setting the day to on press on; if you are setting the day to off, press off. 5...
23 4. If you want to operate more than one pro- gram, press pgm to select another program and press man start/adv again. The sec- ond program runs when the first is complete. You can stack all four programs in this way. Operating a station or stations manually you can initiate one-time operation of ...
24 using the test program the test program allows you to run a test cycle for all the stations on a particular program. It also lets you decide how long the test will last.To set and then start a test program: 1. Rotate the dial to test program. The dis- play shows the program, test, and the length ...
25 using the diagnostic circuit breaker the esp-mc is equipped with a circuit overload protection system. This system causes the controller to skip over a station that has an electrical short circuit, rather than blow a fuse which would shut down the entire system. When the controller tries to start...
26 glossary 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 field solenoid valves. Cpu board the central processing...
27 soil infiltration rate the rate at which soils accept water. Solenoid a portion of a field valve that receives a 24 vac electrical current from the controller. Station schedule the watering schedule for one of the stations controlled by the controller. Valve a manual or electrically operated devi...
28 service information in the unlikely event this equipment should malfunction, all repairs should be per- formed by an authorized rain bird maxicom authorized service center. For information on maxicom authorized service centers, contact rain bird at: b b ird ird r r ain ain preferred by profession...