RAIN BIRD TBOS User Manual

Rain Bird Corporation

Contractor Division
970 West Sierra Madre Avenue, Azusa, CA 91702
Phone: [phone] Fax: [phone]

Rain Bird Corporation

Commercial Division
6991 East Southpoint Road, Tucson, AZ 85706
Phone: [phone] Fax: [phone]

Rain Bird International, Inc.

145 North Grand Avenue, Glendora, CA 91741
Phone: [phone] Fax: [phone]

Rain Bird Technical Service

[phone] (U.S. only)

www.rainbird.com

Rain Bird. Conserving More Than Water.

® Registered trademark of Rain Bird Corporation.
© 2004 Rain Bird Corporation 1/04

P/N 635097

TBOS™One, Two, Four and Six Station

Control Module

Módulos de control TBOS de una,

dos, cuatro,y seis estaciones

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español

TBOS is a trademark of Rain Bird Corporation

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TBOS

™

Control Module

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23

A

B

D

C

=

red

black

1.25 cm

0.5 in

• Infrared data transmission (even if the
module is submerged in water)

The Control Modules operate within a 32˚ to
140˚ F (0˚ to 60˚ C) temperature range in a valve
box and up to 150 psi (10 bars).

Connecting the Control Module

Installing the battery

The Control Modules are powered by a 9-volt
alkaline battery (not included), type 6AM6 or
6LR61. We recommend you use a high-quality
alkaline battery, such as Energizer. A high-quali­ty battery will last up to one year.

To install the battery:

1. Unscrew the cap to the battery compart­ment.

2. Remove the battery connector from the bat­tery compartment.

(continued)

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TBOS

™

Control Module

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Welcome to Rain Bird

The TBOS™One, Two, Four and Six Station
Control Modules, part of the TBOS irrigation
system family, store programming information
and relay it to the solenoids.

The Control Modules allow:

• One minute to 12 hour irrigation run times
per station in one minute increments

• Three independent programs: A, B, C

• Up to eight start times per program per day

• 365-day calendar (adjusts for leap year)

• Even, odd and 1 through 6 day cycles available
using TBOS Field Transmitter

• Seven-day programming and manual func­tions available using TBOS or UNIK

™

Field

Transmitter

• Manual irrigation start or stop capacity

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To replace the solenoid:

1. Turn the water off.

2. Unscrew the existing solenoid from the valve.

3. Screw the latching solenoid onto the valve
and gently tighten it by hand. Do not use a
wrench or any other type of tool to tighten
the solenoid. (See fig. B.)

4. Turn the water back on.

To connect the latching solenoid to the Control
Module, use the supplied King wire connectors.

1. Strip approximately 0.5 in. (1.25 cm.) of the
insulation off the wires (see fig. C) and twist
the wires together.

2. Push the twisted wires into a King connector
and twist the connector to secure the wires.
Gently pull on the wires to make sure they
are secure.

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TBOS

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Control Module

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3. Remove the small tube of grease from the
battery compartment. (Replacements are
available from your Rain Bird®distributor.)

4. Follow the instructions printed on the tube to
apply grease to the terminals of the battery
and the battery connector.

5. Attach the battery to the connector.

6. Insert the connected battery into the battery
compartment, connector side first (see fig. A).

7. Screw the cap back on to the battery com­partment. Make sure the cap is tightened
securely by hand to seal the compartment
and prevent water from damaging the
battery.

Installing and connecting the latching solenoid

You must replace the existing solenoid on the
valve with a TBOS latching solenoid.

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Automatic Self-Cleaning
Solenoid Plunger Feature

Every night at 3AM, the Control Module sends a
signal to the solenoid to turn it on and then off.
This cycle lasts about three seconds. This pre­ventative maintenance feature is intended to
keep the solenoid plunger clean for maximum
reliability.

Maintaining the Control Module

To keep your TBOS Control Module in working
order:

• Replace the battery once a year. We recom­mend you use a high-quality alkaline battery,
such as Energizer.

Note: If the Control Module battery is dead,
any programs stored in the Control
Module are lost. If the battery still has
power, when you change the battery any

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TBOS

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Control Module

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If the wires slip out of the connector, get a
new connector and repeat steps 1 and 2.

Maximum wire run between the control mod­ule and the solenoid should be as follows:

Wire Size (AWG) 18 16 14
Maximum Distance (ft) 32 50 80

Wire Size (mm2) 0,75 1,5 2,5
Maximum Distance (M) 10 15 24

3. Check the system by using the manual start
command on the TBOS Field Transmitter. If
the irrigation system does not start, tighten
the latching solenoid by hand.

Mounting the Control Module

To mount the Control Module to the valve box:

1. Screw two mounting screws (not included)
into the side of the valve box. (See fig. D.)

2. Slide the Control Module’s mounting key
holes over the screws; press down to secure.

3. Tighten the mounting screws.

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Troubleshooting

The following list contains possible problems
you may encounter and some solutions.

Most of the problems involving the TBOS
Control Module can be classified as transmis­sion/reception malfunctions usually caused by a
dead or improperly connected battery. Other
common causes of malfunction could be a dirty
optical connector and poor wire connections.

These problems are easy to fix. If you experience
transmission/reception problems, try using a
Control Module that operates properly to deter­mine if it is the Field Transmitter or Control
Module that is the source of the problem.

Before calling Rain Bird, check this list. If you
cannot solve the problem yourself, call our
Technical Service Hotline at 1-800-247-3782
(U.S.) or 626-963-9311 (outside the U.S.) and we
will be glad to help you.

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Control Module

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stored programs will be lost within approx­imately two minutes. To avoid this:

1. Connect the Field Transmitter to the

Control Module.

2. Press to retrieve (upload) stored pro-

grams into the TBOS Field Transmitter.

3. Change the battery and firmly hand tight-

en the battery compartment cap.

4. Press to transmit (download) the

program into the Control Module.

• Make sure the optical connector is clean
when you are transmitting data to the
Control Module with the TBOS Field
Transmitter. If necessary, clean the optical
connector with water.

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