Toro ECx User Manual
TM
MANUAL
START
SET TIME / DAY
SEASON
ADJUST
OFF
RAIN
DELAY
SET
WATERING
DAYS
SET
PROGRAM
START
TIMES
ON
NEXT
OFF
AUTO / ON
SET ZONE
RUN TIMES
R
PROGRAMS
ECx Features:
• Expandable Up To 8 Zones
With Plug-In Modules
• 3 Watering Programs With:
- Calendar and Interval Days
- 1 Min. to 4 Hrs. Zone Run Time
- 4 Start Times Per Day
• Battery Back-Up
• Automatic Pump Start
• Seasonal Run Time Adjust
• Rain Delay
• Rain Sensor Ready
• Snap-In Wire Connectors
TM
Automatic Sprinkler System Timer
User’s Guide
ECx Introduction and Set Up
■ Timer Components.........................................2-5
■ Sprinkler System Basics....................................6
■ Watering Program Basics..................................7
■ Watering Program Details ..............................8-9
■ Planning Your Watering Schedule...................10
■ Filling Out The Watering Schedule Form ...10-11
❚ Watering Schedule Form..............................12
■ “Remote” Programming...................................13
■ Installing The Battery.......................................13
■ Selecting Optional Control Features................14
❚ 24-Hour Clock Mode.....................................14
❚ 15-Second Run Delay ..................................14
■ About The Timer Memory................................14
■ Resetting The Timer Memory..........................15
❚ To reset The Permanent Memory.................15
❚ To Clear The Memory ..................................15
Programming The Timer
■ Setting The Current Time And Day..................16
■ Setting The Watering Day Schedule ..........17-19
❚ Setting A Calendar Schedule........................17
❚ Setting An Interval Schedule.........................18
❚ Turning A Program Off..................................19
■ Setting Program Start Times ...........................20
■ Setting Zone Run Times..................................21
Installation
■ Mounting The Timer.........................................22
■ Connecting The Valves....................................23
■ Connecting A Pump Start Relay......................24
■ Connecting The Transformer...........................24
■ Connecting A Toro Rain Switch.......................25
Timer Operation
■ Automatic Operation.....................................26
■ Manual Operations ........................................27
❚ Starting Programs Manually..........................27
❚ Watering Control Features............................28
❚
To Pause Watering.....................................28
❚
To Resume Watering..................................28
❚
To Cancel Watering....................................28
❚
To Skip Zones.............................................28
❚
To Adjust The Zone Run TIme ...................29
■ Turning Off The ECx........................................29
■ Using The Rain Delay Feature ........................29
■ Using The Season Adjust Feature...................30
Service and Specifications
■ Replacing The Fuse.........................................31
■ Adding A Zone Module....................................32
■ Troubleshooting...............................................32
■ Specifications...................................................33
■ Warranty Information.......................................33
■ FCC Rules.......................................................34
Table of Contents
1
Timer Components
ECx Introduction and Set Up
2
+
SENSOR
FUSE
ALK
SENSOR
NiCad
DELAY 24HR
12HR
9V Battery
ON
OFF
24 VAC MV/ PUMP COM
12
34 56 78
3
1
MANUAL
START
AUTO / ON
SET TIME / DAY
SET ZONE
RUN TIMES
SEASON
ADJUST
OFF
RAIN
DELAY
SET
WATERING
DAYS
SET
PROGRAM
START
TIMES
ON
NEXT
OFF
PM
AM
PGM A B C
SU MO TU WE TH FR SA
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
1 2 3 4
%
A
B
C
D E
F
G
H
I
J
K L
2
PROGRAMS
Timer Components
The following are brief descriptions of the ECx components and display elements. Each of these items will be
explained in further detail within the appropriate programming, operating and installation sections of this
guide.
1 - LCD Display
A -
“Start Time” symbol – Alarm clock is displayed
when setting the program start times.
B - Program start time identification numbers 1–4.
C - Main display of various time values and prompts.
D - Program A, B and C identifiers.
E - “Watering On” symbol – Water droplet indicates a
watering zone is running. Droplet flashes if water-
ing is paused.
F - “Watering Off” symbol – Water droplet with slash
indicates all watering activity is Off.
G -“Power Off” symbol – Displayed when 24 VAC is
disconnected and timer is on battery power only.
H - “Low Battery Voltage” symbol – Indicates low bat-
tery voltage (when transformer is disconnected).
I - Watering Zone identification numbers.
J - “Percent” symbol– Indicates the Season Adjust fea-
ture is in use.
K - Day of the week identifiers.
L - “Run Time” symbol – Hourglass is displayed when
setting the watering zone run times.
2 - Control Buttons
+/ON button – Increases the time display, scrolls for-
ward through the program information and selects
watering days.
–/OFF button – Decreases the time display, scrolls
backward through the program information and
removes watering days.
NEXT button – Advances to the next portion of pro-
gram information. Resumes watering if paused.
Advances through stations manually when watering.
MANUAL START button – Selects and starts manual
watering operations.
3 - Control Dial – Selects all timer programming and
operation controls (except Manual Start).
Control Dial Positions
AUTO/ON – Normal dial position for all automatic and
manual operations.
SET TIME/DAY – Enables clock time and day to be set.
SET WATERING DAYS – Enables watering day sched-
ules to be set and reviewed.
SET PROGRAM START TIMES – Enables program start
times to be set and reviewed.
SET ZONE RUN TIMES – Enables zone run time to be
set and reviewed.
(continued)
3
Timer Components
3 - Control Dial Positions (continued)
SEASON ADJUST – Selects the Season Adjust feature.
See page 30 for details.
OFF – Shuts off and prevents all automatic and manu-
al watering activity. See page 29 for details.
RAIN DELAY– Selects the Rain Delay feature.
See page 31 for details.
4 - Program Select Switch – Three position slide switch
used to select watering program A, B or C during the
programming procedures and manual operation.
5 - Fuse – 0.75 Amp, 250V Fast Blow fuse.
6 - Sensor Bypass Switch – Controls input from the
optional Toro Rain Switch (if installed). See page 25
for details.
7 - Battery Select Switch – Alkaline and NiCd position
to select the type of battery installed.
8 - Sensor Connection Terminals – Snap-in connec-
tors for optional Toro Rain Switch control wires.
9 - Transformer Connection Terminals – Snap-in con-
nectors for the transformer wires.
10 - Pump/Master Valve Connection Terminal–
Snap-in connector for the power wire from the pump
start relay or master valve.
11 - Valve Common Terminal – Snap-in connector for
the valve common wire.
12 - Optional 12/24-Hour Clock Feature – A small wire
jumper which can be cut to select 24-hour
(military time) clock mode.
13 - Optional Run Delay Feature – A small wire jumper
which can be cut to select a 15-second delay period
before a zone starts watering.
14 - Plug-In Zone Control Module – Each control mod-
ule has snap-in connectors for two zone control
valve power wires. Up to four modules can be
installed.
15 - 9-Volt Battery – The battery maintains the timer
memory if the transformer power is disconnected.
Either an Alkaline or NiCd battery can be installed.
16 - Transformer – Supplies 24 VAC power to the timer.
Plugs into a standard 120 VAC outlet.
See transformer specifications on page 33.
4
5
+
15
7
SENSOR
FUSE
ALK
SENSOR
NiCad
DELAY 24HR
12HR
9V Battery
ON
OFF
24 VAC
12
34 56 78
3
6
MANUAL
START
AUTO / ON
SET TIME / DAY
SET ZONE
RUN TIMES
SEASON
ADJUST
OFF
RAIN
DELAY
SET
WATERING
DAYS
SET
PROGRAM
START
TIMES
ON
NEXT
OFF
4
5
MV / PUMP COM
10
9
13
11
14
12
8
PROGRAMS
16
Timer Components
The three main components of every automatic sprinkler
system are the timer, zone control valves and sprinklers.
The timer is the brain of the system, telling the control
valves when and how long to supply water to the sprinklers. The sprinklers direct and control the water applied to
the lawn and plants.
Each valve controls a specific group of sprinklers called
a watering
zone. The zones are generally laid out and
installed according to the type of plant material to be
watered, the location plant within the landscape and the
maximum amount of water which can be supplied. Each
valve is connected to a numbered terminal within the
timer, identifying it as Zone 1, Zone 2, etc.
The timer operates the valves in order, one at a time. In
other words, one zone would water completely before
another zone would turn on. This is called a watering
cycle. The information stored in the timer memory which
determines when and how long the zones will water is
called a
program.
The next section of this guide is very important. It
explains what a program is and how the ECx controls the
operation of the sprinkler system.
Sprinkler System Basics
6
Valve 1 - Zone 1 - Parkway Lawn - Fixed Spray
Valve 2 - Zone 2 - Front Lawn - Fixed Spray
Valve 3 - Zone 3 - Front Shrubs - Flood Bubbler
Valve 4 - Zone 4 - Back Lawn - Geared Rotor
Valve 5 - Zone 5 - Garden - Drip
Valve 1
Timer
Valve 2
House
Valve 3
Valve 4
Valve 5
A watering program requires three basic instructions to
operate automatically:
• What days to water –called
watering days
• When to water – called a program start time
• How long to water – called zone run time
The following example illustrates how a typical watering
program could be set for the sprinkler system shown on
the previous page.
Example: The program start time is set for 5:00
AM. Lawn
zones 1 and 2 each have a run time of 10 minutes and
lawn zone 4 is set to run for 20 minutes. Note that zones
3 and 5 water shrubs and flowers and have been exclud-
ed from this program. (These zones will be set to oper-
ate on separate programs).
As shown in the watering program diagram, at 5:00
AM
the timer starts the program watering cycle. Zone 1
sprinklers run for 10 minutes and shut off. Zone 2 sprin-
klers turn on, run for 10 minutes and shut off. The timer
skips zone 3 and turns on zone 4, which runs for 20 min-
utes and shuts off. Zone 5 is skipped and the watering
cycle ends at 5:40
AM.
As you can see from this example, only one program
start time was needed to operate three different zones.
Because of variations in plant watering needs, the ECx
provides three separate programs. The programs, called
A, B and C, are completely independent of one another
– like having three timers in one housing.
Using more than one program for example, would enable
lawn zones to be watered every day on program
A,
shrub zones to run on on Monday Wednesday and Friday on program
B and drip irrigation to soak the flower
beds every three days on program
C.
Although the ECx offers the multiple program feature,
you may want to have all zones on one program if it
meets your needs. The other programs can remain
turned off until you need to use them.
Watering Pr ogram Basics
7
3
12
9
6
3
12
9
6
3
12
9
6
Zone 1
Program
Starts - 5:00
AM
Program
Ends- 5:40
AM
Zone 2
Zone 4
Watering Program Diagram
This section covers in detail each of the three parts of a
watering program – watering days, program start times
and zone run times.
Selecting Watering Days
The ECx provides three options for scheduling watering
days: Calendar, Interval and Off.
Calendar Schedule
A Calendar schedule enables you to select specific days
of the week to water, for example, Monday, Wednesday
and Friday. This is a seven-day schedule which starts on
Sunday and ends on Saturday.
This illustration shows how a Calendar schedule would
be displayed when the control dial is in the
SET WATER-
ING DAYS position.
In this example, program
A
has watering days set for MO
(Monday), WE (Wednesday)
and
FR (Friday).
Interval Schedule
An Interval schedule enables you to set watering days
without regard to the actual days of the week. For example, if you want to water every third day, you would
select a 3-day Interval.
Interval schedules range from 1-day (watering every
day) to 7-day (watering every seventh day). Once you
have selected an Interval schedule, you can choose
which day of the week will be the first day of the Interval.
The number of days in the Interval determines the available start days. For example, if you have selected a 3day Interval and today is Sunday, you may choose to
start the Interval today, Monday or Tuesday.
This illustration shows how
an Interval schedule would
be displayed. In this example, program
B has a 3-day
Interval schedule which will
start on Monday.
Program Off
Selecting Off suspends the operation of the program
when it is not needed. Turning the program Off does not
alter or erase the Calendar or Interval schedule information of the program, it simply places the program on hold
until it is needed.
This illustration shows how a
program would be displayed
if its watering day schedule
is turned Off. In this example, program
C is Off.
Watering Pr ogram Details
8
PGM A
SU MO TU WE TH FR SA
PGM A B C
SU MO TU WE TH FR SA
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
Selecting Program Start Times
A program start time is the time of day you select to
begin an automatic program watering cycle.
It is important to remember that a program only
requires one start time to operate automatically.
When a program starts, each zone assigned to a program will water in numerical order, one at a time for its
set run time.
Sometimes it is necessary to run a watering program
more than one time per day. For example, when growing
a new lawn. The ECx enables each program to have up
to four separate start times per day.
Program start times are numbered 1 through 4. These
numbers are shown at the top left of the display next to
the start time symbol when the control dial is in the
SET PROGRAM START TIMES position and indicate how
many start times are currently set for the program.
This illustration shows how
a program start time is
displayed. In this example,
program
A has one start
time (start time number 1)
set for 5:00
AM.
Setting The Zone Run Time
A zone run time is the length of time the zone (controlled
by the valve) will water during the program watering
cycle. The run time for each zone can be set from Off
(no run time) to 4 hours, in one-minute increments.
A zone is
assigned to a program when it is given a run
time. If the run time for a zone is turned Off in a program,
it will not operate during the program watering cycle.
This is how the ECx enables you to assign watering
zones to different programs.
All zones assigned to the program are shown on the
lower portion of the display when the control dial is in
the
SET ZONE RUN TIMES position.
This illustration shows how
a zone run time is displayed
for a program. In this example, zones 1–6 are assigned
to program
A. Zone 1 has a
10-minute run time and
zone 2 is set to run for 25
minutes.
The zone run time being
displayed is identified by the
flashing zone number.
9
Flashing
Flashing
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