Irrigation technology has changed over the years, both at the dispensing end of the pipes with better application components – piping, drippers, sprinkler and so on – and at the supply end to control the valves that regulate the necessary water.
The aim is always reducing water wastage with optimal water delivery in all conditions for different plant requirements. However, as Michael Porter, Easy Automation’s CEO, says, “Irrigation controllers have mostly been a compromise in these aims with hard limits to the number of zones, the number of schedules, the number of sensors and the number of pumps and other associated control valves.”
Easy Automation’s latest product removes the practical limits to zone restrictions while providing easier, superior screen-based functionality. The controller can handle hundreds of zones, durations can be set to use seconds (essential for hydroponic or fertigation applications) and schedules (practically unlimited in number) can use local sun events (sunrise, solar noon and sunset) that are useful to minimise the risk of heat stress and fungal infection for sensitive plants such as grapes and roses.
Pumps and diverter valves associated with irrigation zones can be automatically turned on and off. An irrigation zone can also designate a purge value that is initially turned on to purge sun-induced hot water or chemicals in the piping.
Michael sees future controllers as “landscape-control systems for improved control not only of irrigation, but also control for lighting and more — all with the same controller”.
“The future control systems need to be more than a limited irrigation control system, but rather a comprehensive landscape-control system scalable from domestic to large commercial sites.”
The Easy Automation system uses a robust two-core cable to offer a simple, scalable installation enabling various control devices to be attached to control irrigation, lighting, sensors and mains devices.
The Easy Automation “EasySwitch” is wired to the single cable and controls standard 24VAC irrigation valves as well as standard 12-volt LED garden lighting. An “EasySensor” device scheduled for release later this year will enable connection of sensors with signal outputs of analogue voltage or pulse voltage (e.g. moisture, temperature, UV, flow).
The Easy Automation devices can be attached anywhere along the single cable at any time, so a simple system can be expanded to a very complex system.
The single cable can be branched where desired and, with expansion. there is no need for re-laying multiwire irrigation cable (with re-digging) then running out of zones on the old controller. Multiwire irrigation cable is easy to damage and very hard to fault find. but can be used in a retrofit situation before extending with the single Easy Automation cable.
Developed over the past seven years with Federal Government Research and Development assistance, the Easy Automation system is both evolutionary and revolutionary. It is based on advanced computer control – not the traditional electronic box design.
The system employs industrial control technology used in over 36 million devices worldwide. It is entirely screen based (no knobs, no dials) and, being computer based, enables continuing development. Simple multi-user, multi-site control is a side benefit of being computer based and the system can operate stand alone and/or connected to a LAN, wifi or the web. No Easy Automation app is needed.
Fine-tuning irrigation when Mother Nature is unpredictable
Fine-tuning irrigation when Mother Nature is unpredictable is made easier with simple but powerful screens enabling simple or very complex operations. A rainy day can be removed from a schedule with a simple click leaving the rest of the schedule unaltered. Any scheduled start can be removed without affecting the entire schedule and schedules can be altered (e.g.from daily to every nth day) in seconds. Durations can be changed on the fly. To help minimise evaporation and runoff a “Wet and Wait” cycling option helps in providing water to the root zone gradually.
Wasted water is wasted money; for example, a duration could be set to 10 hours in which watering occurs for five minutes followed by waiting for 55 minutes, thereby spreading a total irrigation of 50 minutes over a nine-hour-and-five-minute period. The on-and-off cycling periods are user configurable and can be changed without changing scheduled starts.
For appropriate whole-site irrigation, many zones (for many rows or areas) are often required but scheduling these zones individually using traditional controllers is frustrating to program – especially if pumps must be activated. In the Easy Automation system, multiple zones can be put in a “Series” (with their individual durations) and controlled as if they were one entity – scheduled and/or activated manually. When a series is turned on the system starts one zone after the other but with a configurable overlap minimising potential water hammer. For example, a field may consist of 10 zones but can be controlled manually and/or by a schedule as if it were just one zone and shown on screen as say, “north field”. This greatly simplifies scheduling and manual control. The individual zones can still be controlled- manually or scheduled as normal. Similarly, a “group” allows multiple zones to be treated as one zone where all zones turn on at the same time; useful where water is sourced from different dams or tanks.
The Easy Automation system is a very powerful control system with advanced features. Just new to market it has a growing family of optional devices that will further enhance end user control.
Original Post written by Iaice.com
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