Rain Bird PC-204, PC-206, PC-204-PS, PC-206-PS Owners Manual / Operating Manual / Installation Manual

Dual Program

Sprinkler Timer

Owners Manual / Operating Guide / Installation Guide

For Model Numbers:

PC-204 4 Station
PC-206 6 Station

PC-204-PS 4 Station with Pump Start
PC-206-PS 6 Station with Pump Start

Rain Bird National Sales Corporation

Customer Support Center

6991 E. Southpoint Rd., Bldg. #1

Tucson, AZ 85706

1-800-RAIN-BIRD

1

Introduction

Congratulations! Your new dual program Rain Bird sprinkler system timer makes

automated watering a reality for you. The state-of-the-art features will enable you to
precisely program how you want your sprinkler system to operate.

The Rain Bird PC-200 series timer allows you to match your landscapes watering
needs in four ways:

Dual programs

You may require different frequencies of watering in different parts of your yard. For
example, your lawn may require watering three times per week but your garden may
only need water twice per week. This water-conserving feature is called "Dual Pro­grams" and it allows you to assign any station to either the “A” program or the “C” pro­gram or both programs. Each program can have its own watering day schedule, its
own daily start times, and each station can have different run times on each program.

Flexible watering days

In this era of water restrictions, you may have to water every other day and other times
you may have to water only on certain days. Fortunately, Rain Bird PC-200 series
timers have a built-in program called “Flexible Watering Days” which allows you to
switch from cycling (i.e. every third day) to day of the week watering (i.e. Mon-Wed­Fri). The “A” and “C” programs can have different watering cycles or watering days.

Watering run time per station

Since different types of landscapes -lawns, shrubs, flowers, ground cover, etc.- re­quire different amounts of water, Rain Bird timers are designed to allow each station to
water its own length of time, from 0 minutes to 99 minutes in one minute increments. A
“station” is made up of one valve plus the sprinklers that the valve operates. If you
want to assign a station to run on both the “A” program and on the “C” program, you
can assign different amounts of run time for the same station.

Daily start times per program

The PC-200 timer can start watering the "A" or "C" programs once, twice or three
times per day, at any hour you select. The "A" start times can be different from the "C"
start times. For example, the "A" program could start once per day at 8:00 am and the
"C" program three times a day at 7:00 a.m., 2:00 p.m., and 7:00 p.m. The timer keeps
track of the particular start times for each day.

Special features

§ Solid state design for digital accuracy,

§ A 9-Volt battery (not included) holds programs for up to 24 hours and remembers

time during a power outage,

§ A built-in emergency program of 10 minutes per day, every day for each station au­tomatically starts if the power is out and the battery is dead,

§ A System Off button to shutdown the system in the event of rain.

Important: The PC-204 and PC-206 are designed for use with standard 24 volt AC
electric valves regardless of brand. However, some older brass valves and commercial
duty valves have power requirements higher than this timers capability (1/2 amp for
PC-204 and PC-206 and 3/4 amp for PC-204-PS and PC-206-PS) and should not be

2

KEYPAD FUNCTIONS

Press to set
the current time
and to select pro­gram A or C

Press to set
the watering
duration for each
station

Use to set the
days to water

SET

CLOCK &

PROGRAM

STATION

TIMING

Press to operate
system manually

DAYS TO

MANUAL
START &

ADVANCE

WHICH

WATER

Use to set the
daily start times

TIME OF

DAY TO
WATER

SYSTEM

OFF

/

AUTO

Press to put timer in
rain shutdown mode

PGM A/

Press to adjust
time up, days to
on, and change

C

program A to C

Press to adjust
time down and
days to off

If you're already familiar with this Rain Bird timer, here's a quick guide to what each
key does when programming the PC-200 series. For step by step explanations, turn to
the following pages. Note: use the ARROW keys to adjust any of the following func-

Quick Programming Guide

SET

CLOCK &

PROGRAM

Sets current time and program

£ Press once to set current day
£ Press again to set hours
£ Press again to set minutes
£ Press again to select program

WHICH

DAYS TO

WATER

Sets the day watering schedule

£ Press once to set Sunday
£ Press again to set Monday
£ Press again to set Tuesday
£ And repeat this for other days
£ To water on a variable day cycle (like

every 3rd day), press the down arrow
and hold.

TIME OF

DAY TO
WATER

Sets up to three start times per

£ Press once to set 1st start time
£ Press again to set 2nd start time
£ Press again to set 3rd start time

3

STATION

TIMING

Sets run time per station from 1 to 99 minutes

£ Press once to set station 1
£ Press again to set station 2
£ Repeat for other stations
£ To remove a station from watering on a

program, set time to "00"

MANUAL
START &

ADVANCE

Allows watering cycle or station to be manually started

£ Press once to set station 1
£ Press again to advance

SYSTEM

OFF

/

AUTO

Cancels any in-process operation and turns system off during rain
(Last digit flashes)

Mounting Instructions

Location

Select an indoor location within six feet of
a grounded electrical outlet.

CAUTION! This is not an outdoor timer.
Do not mount it where it is exposed to wa­ter, moisture or direct sunlight, as
failure may occur.

Tip! To avoid power fluctuations, do not
put the timer on a circuit controlled by a
switch, or on a circuit supplying high
power equipment.

Cover Removal

Remove the front cover by depressing the
bottom tab and lifting as shown in
figure 1.

Mounting

Mount the timer to a wall using two #10 screws installed at centers 3 13/16" apart at eye
level. Use plastic anchors to secure screws if the wall is plastic or masonry. Leave the
screw heads extended ¼" and hang the Rain Clock using the keyhole slots on the
back. Install a third screw through the mounting hole (located below the battery area)

FIGURE 1

Lift

Press Here

4

Wiring Instructions

Running the sprinkler wire (wire not included)

For runs of less than 800 feet long, use 18-gauge plastic jacketed "thermostat" or
"direct burial" control wire, installed alongside your piping runs. Thermostat wire uses
a PVC jacket and is suitable for most indoor and underground installations. Direct
burial wire is similar to thermostat wire, except the jacket is made of a UV resistant
material, and it is suitable for any indoor or outdoor installation, including sunlight ex­posure.

Note: Some areas require by code, the use of UL approved cable. Most "direct burial"
wires have this approval. Most thermostat wires do not.

Your dealer can provide this wire in 2,3,4,5,6,7 and 8-wire color-coded strands. The
number of valves plus one extra wire for the common wire determines the number of
strands. For example, in a three valve installation, a four strand wire is needed.

Tip! Some thermostat wire referred to as "sprinkler wire" may be smaller than the 18­gauge wire we recommend. This wire will not have a UL listing, nor the capacity to run
long distances. In addition, it is more likely to weaken. Be aware of its shortcomings if
this is your choice.

All outdoor wiring connections must be sealed with a water-tight connector. Wire run

FIGURE 2: WIRING CONNECTIONS

FUSE

1

/2 A 250V 3AG

OR

FUSE

3

/4 A 250V 3AG

AS INDICATED ON

THE UNIT

Plug Transformer
into 120 volt AC
electrical outlet

!

YELLOW

RED

BLUE

COM

Mounting Hole

ATTENTION

Battery must be installed to
ensure proper operation

Mounting Holes

Terminals

Key Pad

9 Volt Battery

Station

Output

1

2

3

4

Control

Valve

MV

5

6

To

ONLY ON SIX
STATION MODELS

ONLY ON PUMP START
MASTER VALVE MOD-

5

Connecting to the valves

Each valve connects to the timer through two wires. One wire from each valve
solenoid must connect to the output terminal of the timer through a color-coded strand.
This is the "HOT" connection. Connect valve #1 to terminal #1, valve #2 to terminal
#2, etc. (Figure 2, previous page).

The second wire must connect to the (COM) common terminal of the timer. This is the
COMMON connection. If the valves are grouped closely, it is easier to join the com­mon wires from each valve and run one wire (usually the white wire) to the timers com­mon terminal.

Note: Only one valve may be connected to each station’s output terminal.

Transformer and Battery

Connect the transformer

Refer to Figure 2 and connect the yellow wire to the terminal marked "YELLOW, red
wire to "RED," and blue wire to "BLUE".

Tip! To avoid short-circuiting the transformer, always connect the wires to the terminal
before plugging in the transformer.

Install the battery

A 9-volt battery (not included) is used to maintain the programming for up to 24 hours
if a power failure should occur. The battery will not allow the timer to open any valves.
The timer will remember the approximate clock time and all programs. If the power
outage occurred during a watering cycle, that cycle will resume and be completed, as
will any missed cycles.

If the battery is dead, none of the programming will be retained. In this event, the timer
will revert to the emergency back-up program, which waters once per day, every day,
starting 8 hours after the power is restored. All programming needs to be reset.

Using the pump start circuit

Pump start or master valve capability is available only on the PC-204-PS and PC-206­PS models. This circuit allows the timer to be used in conjunction with a "pump relay
switch" (Rain Bird model PCR-1) which when activated by the timer, will in turn acti­vate the pump. The pump start circuit can also be used to operate a standard 24 volt
"master valve.”

The hot wire of the relay switch connects to the terminal marked MV. The common
wire connects to the regular system common terminal. See the pump relays instruc­tions for details.

Caution! Be sure the total current draw of the relay switch plus the station valve
doesn't exceed 650 milliamps. If it does, your fuse will blow.

Tip! To avoid possible pump damage during an emergency backup schedule, wire
each unused station to a station being used. This prevents the pump from operating

6

How to set the current time

STEP 1: Set current time and select program “A” or “C”

SET

CLOCK &

PROGRAM

The PC-200 Series holds a seven day program which repeats after the sev­enth day. The days of the week relate to a number as follows:

Day of the week> Sun Mon Tue Wed Thur Fri Sat
Display Number> 1 2 3 4 5 6 7

This timer displays in military time. To convert from AM/PM time to military time, see
the reference chart at the bottom of this page.

1-A: Set the current day of the week

Example To set today to Tuesday adjust the display to read “d 3.”

Press
Once

SET

CLOCK &

PROGRAM

and adjust
the right digit
by pressing:

PGM A/

OR

C

Day Tues.

1-B: Set the current hour of the day

Example To set the hour to 2:00 p.m. adjust the display to read “h 14.”

Again
Press

SET

CLOCK &

PROGRAM

and adjust
the right
two digits by

PGM A/

OR

C

Hour 2:00 p.m.

pressing:

1-C: Set the current minutes of the hour

Example To set the minutes to 20 adjust the display to read “n 20.”

Again
Press

SET

CLOCK &

PROGRAM

and adjust
the right
two digits by
pressing:

Normal Military Normal Military
12:00 Midnight 0000 12:00 Noon 1200

1:00 AM 0100 1:00 PM 1300
2:00 0200 2:00 1400
3:00 0300 3:00 1500
4:00 0400 4:00 1600
5:00 0500 5:00 1700
6:00 0600 6:00 1800
7:00 0700 7:00 1900
8:00 0800 8:00 2000
9:00 0900 9:00 2100
10:00 1000 10:00 2200
11:00 1100 11:00 2300

PGM A/

OR

C

Minutes :20

7

How to select a program

1-D: Select the “A” or “C” program

This step selects which program will be set by completing steps 2 to 4 on the
previous pages.

Example To select program A, adjust the display to read “P A.”

Again
Press

SET

CLOCK &

PROGRAM

and adjust
the right
two digits by

PGM A/

OR

C

Program “A”

pressing:

Example To select program C, adjust the display to read “P C.”

Program “C”

1-E: To display the current time

Again
Press

SET

CLOCK &

PROGRAM

and the current or just
programmed time should
appear:

Time 2:20 p.m.

Tip! Pressing the SET CLOCK key during any other programming operation will return
the display to show the time of day.

How to use two programs in your sprinkler system

More often than not, different areas of your yard need different amounts of water. For
example, a station watering in a shady area should apply less water than stations op­erating in sunny areas. Shrubs require less frequent watering than lawns while tropical
plants require more watering. Drip irrigation needs long but infrequent watering.

Dual programs permit your stations to be assigned to one or both programs. Each pro­gram is completely separate, watering its own days, its own times and its own dura­tions.

Here's some suggestions on how to divide your yard by watering need:

Note: Because program "A" is preset at the factory we recommend setting program "A"
first as your primary program and then set program "C."

Program A Program C

Backyard Frontyard
Sunny areas Shady areas
Lawn areas Shrub areas
Flat areas Hilly areas

Normal sprinklers Drip irrigation

8

How to set the watering days

STEP 2: Set the watering day schedule

When shipped from the factory, the PC-200 series is preset to water every day

WHICH

DAYS TO

WATER

on program "A" and no days on program "C."
The PC-200 series can be set to water either on specific days of the week (i.e. Mon-

Wed-Sat) or on an interval of days (i.e. every third day). The "A" program and the "C"
program can have different schedules, but both have to operate the same way:
specific days or day intervals.

2-A: Watering on specific days

Remember, days of the week are shown as the first digit in the display, and the program is the second
digit.

Press
Once

WHICH

DAYS TO

WATER

and set Sun­day to “on” by
pressing:

or set Sunday
to “off” by
pressing:

PGM A/

C

Sunday

On

Program A

Sunday

On

Program A

To advance through each day of the week, repeat this step.

Press
Once

WHICH

DAYS TO

WATER

and set Mon­day to “on” by
pressing:

PGM A/

C

Monday
Program A

On

9

2-B: Watering on an interval of days

Press

WHICH

DAYS TO

WATER

and set day 1
to “on” by
pressing:

Day 1

On

Program A

Now
Press

WHICH

DAYS TO

WATER

and set day 2
to “off” by
pressing:

Day 2

Off

Program A

Now
Press

WHICH

DAYS TO

WATER

and set day 3
to “off” by
pressing:

Day 3

Off

Program A

and remove

Now
Press

WHICH

DAYS TO

WATER

day 4 through
day 7 by
pressing and
holding for 3

Day 4
Program A

None

seconds:

This is now set to water every third day. The timer waters on day 1, does not water on day 2 and 3, and
then goes back to day 1. The same procedure is used to set watering in other cycles (such as every fifth
day). See reference chart 2 below for detailed schedules.

Reference Chart 2: Display Settings for Interval Watering

Day Number and Setting
Desired watering cycle
Every day

Every other day
Every third day
Every fourth day
Every fifth day
Every sixth day
Once per week

1 2 3 4 5 6 7

On

On

On

On

On

On

On

- ­Of
Of
Of
Of
Of
Of

- -

- ­Of
Of
Of
Of
Of

- -

- -

- ­Of
Of
Of
Of

- -

- -

- -

- ­Of
Of
Of

- -

- -

- -

- -

- ­Of
Of

- -

- -

- -

- -

- -

- ­Of

2-C: Return to a specific day watering

To return to day watering from interval watering, you must first advance to the first station showing “- -”
in the display.

Press

WHICH

DAYS TO

WATER

and adjust the
day showing
“- -” to on by
pressing for
2 seconds:

PGM A/

C

Day 4
Program A

On

10

How to set the start times

STEP 3: Set the time of day to start watering

TIME OF

DAY TO
WATER

The PC-200 series can be set to water once, twice or three times per day on
each program. All stations on a program will run in sequence at each start time. For
example, if stations 1,2,& 3 are on program A, and program A has start times of
8:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m., all three stations will run in sequence at 8 a.m. and 1 p.m.

When shipped from the factory, the 1st start time on program A is preset at 8:00 a.m.
All others are blank. Start times can only be on the hour.

3-A: Setting up to three start times

Remember, the start time number is shown as the first digit in the display. The program is the second
digit, and the hour is represented by the last two digits, displaying in military time.

Press
Once

TIME OF

DAY TO
WATER

To water a second time each day, follow this step:

Press
Again

TIME OF

DAY TO
WATER

and change
the 1st start
by pressing:

and change
the 2nd start
by pressing:

PGM A/

PGM A/

OR

C

Start #1

8:00 a.m.

Program A

OR

C

Start #2

1:00 p.m.

Program A

To water a third time each day, follow this step:

Press
Again

TIME OF

DAY TO
WATER

and change
the 3rd start
by pressing:

PGM A/

OR

C

Start #3

6:00 p.m.

Program A

3-B: Removing a start time

Press

TIME OF

DAY TO
WATER

When the right two digits change to “- -” between “23” and “00” hours, the start time is elimi-

and remove
the 3rd start
by pressing:

PGM A/

OR

C

Start #3

None

Program A

Note 1: If "00" shows in the display the timer will start a cycle at midnight.
Note 2: Although Program A and Program C can have different start times, all stations

on A will run on all Program A start times, and all stations of Program C will run on all
Program C start times.

Note 3: Remember to leave enough time between programs for all the stations to
water. If you don't, the timer will simply delay the other start times until the previous cy­cles are completed.

11

How to set station run times

STEP 4: Set the length of watering time per station

STATION

TIMING

Each station on the PC-200 series can be set to water from 0-99 minutes, in
one minute increments. When shipped from the factory, all stations are preset to run
for 10 minutes on program A only. If a station is watering on both programs, you can
set different minutes for the same station on each program.

4-A: Setting the run times per station

Remember, the station number is shown as the first digit in the display. The program is the second digit,
and the run time is represented by the last two digits.

Press
Once

STATION

TIMING

To advance to station two, follow this step:

Press
Again

STATION

TIMING

and change
station 1
by pressing:

and change
station 2 by
pressing:

PGM A/

PGM A/

OR

C

Station 1

10 minutes

Program A

OR

C

Station 2

99 minutes

Program A

Repeat this step for stations 3 through 6.

4-B: Removing a station from a program

This is the step that determines whether a station will run on program A, Program C, or both. If you do
not want the station to operate, you must set the run time to “00.” The timer will then skip this station.

Press
Again

STATION

TIMING

When the right two digits change to 00, the station will be skipped. In this example, Program A
would skip station 3 and go to station 4.

IMPORTANT! On any program, if you do not want a a station to water, you must set the station to “00.”
Any station not set to “00, ” will follow the normal program watering schedule.

After programming the last station, the display will show “0 00.”
Press SET CLOCK to return to the normal time of day display:

and remove
the station
by pressing:

PGM A/

OR

C

Start #3

No time

Program A

12

Step 5: Manual operation

MANUAL
START &

ADVANCE

Press
Once

MANUAL
START &

ADVANCE

Station 1 should
start operating and
the display should
change to:

Station 1
Program A

10 minutes
“blinks”

The timer will now water through the cycle. You can advance to the next station by pressing “MANUAL
START” again and you can stop watering by pressing “SYSTEM OFF/AUTO.”

SYSTEM

OFF

Step 6: To stop watering for rain or shutoff manual start

/

and the system will

Press
Once

SYSTEM

OFF

/

AUTO

shutoff, and the last
digit of the time of

Time 0 “blinks”

day display will
blink

The timer will not operate the clock until this button is pushed again. Do not use this button as a
winterization mode; if the emergency program kicks-in, the timer would try to operate the valves.

General Information

Power failures and back-up systems

In the event of a power failure, a new 9-volt battery (not included) will maintain the wa­tering program for up to 24 hours. However, the battery will not operate the valves.
When the power returns, the clock will have the approximate time and the programs
should be the same.

AUTO

If the power is off for longer than the battery can supply power, the entire program is
lost and when the power returns, the entire display will blink "00 00". The timer is now
in the "emergency back-up" mode: eight hours later, the first station will water for 10
minutes, followed by the next, etc. You'll have to reset the timer’s program from step
one.

When should you water?

The early morning hours just before dawn are the best hours to water. There is low
evaporation, less wind, and higher water pressure. Be careful when watering mid-day,
because water can act as a magnifying lens and "scorch" the grass, and use late
evening watering sparingly because mildew can form overnight in humid areas.

How long should each station run? The length of watering depends on temperature,
humidity, type of soil and type of landscape. Hot and dry climates require up to 2" of
water on lawns per week. Cooler climates may require only 1/2" per week. Sandy soils
need frequent watering, but clay soils need infrequent watering to prevent runoff.
Shrubs and trees require deep but infrequent watering, and new lawns grow best un­der frequent short bursts of watering. See our special brochure entitled “Watering
Tips" at your dealer or check at your local garden center for local conditions.

Also, it is important to remember that different types of sprinklers water at different
rates. Sprayheads water more quickly (>2" per hour) but impulse and rotors water
more slowly (<1/2" per hour). To check your watering rates, place a flat bottom pan at

13

Limits and Troubleshooting

What should be done in the winter?

If you live in an area where you don't use the timer in the winter, we recommend
removing the battery, unplugging the transformer and possibly storing the timer. Do
not use the "Auto/Off" rain shutdown mode because it is possible to have the
"emergency program" kick-in after a power failure. If this happens, the timer will turn
on your valves, which will burn out if no water is in the pipes. In addition, be sure your
lines have no water left in them.

Limitations of the timer

Although the PC-200 series is a very flexible timer, there are things it will not do:

1) It will not operate more than one valve per station, except for the PS models, which
will operate a master valve.

2) It will not run stations independently: all stations are tied to Program A or C.

3) It is not designed for outdoor installation: it is not built in a waterproof case and the

transformer should not be plugged into an outdoor outlet.
If you need these capabilities, Rain Bird manufactures a variety of consumer and

Trouble-shooting

Although problems should be infrequent, sometimes solutions can be found in easily
overlooked possibilities. So before you call your dealer, check here as it could save

IF YOU'RE HAVING THIS PROBLEM: CHECK FOR THIS CAUSE AND SOLUTION

Automatic cycle won't turn on and the manual start won't
operate:

Automatic cycle won't operate but the manual start does: £ If the last digit blinks, the timer is in the

Automatic cycle or station doesn't turn off: £ Check programming

Entire display is blank: £ Check the fuse

Part of the display won't appear: £ Circuit problem, replace timer
Keypad doesn't respond: £ Circuit problem, replace timer
All digits blink: £ Power/battery failure: re-program
Fuse blows often: £ There is a short in the wiring or wires are

£ If the display is blank, check the fuse.
£ If the display is OK, check the wiring.

Shutdown mode.

£ Press "Auto/off" to cancel
£ Check programming.

£ This is probably a valve related problem:

check the solenoid and inside the valve
for obstructions.

£ Check the transformer

not waterproofed

£ Maximum current is being exceeded
£ Check amperage draw of solenoid

14