Multiple Sprinkler Device Manager
Posted: Fri Dec 16, 2011 5:03 pm
The Master Irrigation plugin is now available in the User Contributions Library.
Overview:
The Master Irrigation plugin allows you to create virtual Indigo devices that correspond to real irrigation zones connected to an INSTEON or X10 sprinkler controller. The advantages of the plugin are that the multiple controllers can be collectively managed to allow an unlimited number of zones. Also, each zone can be scheduled independently of all other zones allowing you more precise control over your irrigation.
Each time the irrigation schedule is started, it first creates a schedule. The plugin checks each virtual Irrigation device to see if it is scheduled to run, and if so, its irrigation time (possibly adjusted by an Indigo multiplier variable) is added to the schedule. The plugin then starts the schedule running each zone in turn until all zones have run for their scheduled time. While you control the time the schedule starts, you cannot control the order in which the zones are watered or the time the schedule ends. That is all done automatically by the plugin.
The plugin provides complete locking so that regardless of the number of actual controllers, no two zones can be active at one time.
Before installing the Master Irrigation plugin, you should have already installed your irrigation controller hardware and set up maximum zone durations, and optionally pump control. You may wish to name the zones, but that is not required and those names will not be used by the Master Irrigation plugin.

Overview:
The Master Irrigation plugin allows you to create virtual Indigo devices that correspond to real irrigation zones connected to an INSTEON or X10 sprinkler controller. The advantages of the plugin are that the multiple controllers can be collectively managed to allow an unlimited number of zones. Also, each zone can be scheduled independently of all other zones allowing you more precise control over your irrigation.
Each time the irrigation schedule is started, it first creates a schedule. The plugin checks each virtual Irrigation device to see if it is scheduled to run, and if so, its irrigation time (possibly adjusted by an Indigo multiplier variable) is added to the schedule. The plugin then starts the schedule running each zone in turn until all zones have run for their scheduled time. While you control the time the schedule starts, you cannot control the order in which the zones are watered or the time the schedule ends. That is all done automatically by the plugin.
The plugin provides complete locking so that regardless of the number of actual controllers, no two zones can be active at one time.
Before installing the Master Irrigation plugin, you should have already installed your irrigation controller hardware and set up maximum zone durations, and optionally pump control. You may wish to name the zones, but that is not required and those names will not be used by the Master Irrigation plugin.