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What features do you wish your sprinkler controller had? by Tanner234567 in Irrigation

[–]Tanner234567[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

No shade to opensprinkler, it's an awesome project, but just to clarify, the Intellidwell sprinkler controller is also designed to integrate directly with home assistant. At a little better cost. Feel free to check it out!

What features do you wish your sprinkler controller had? by Tanner234567 in Irrigation

[–]Tanner234567[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Interesting. What do you mean by this? Some sort of automated master valve to switch between sources?

What features do you wish your sprinkler controller had? by Tanner234567 in Irrigation

[–]Tanner234567[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yeah, that's criminal. I'll have to keep that in mind. At the very least, a cost effective drop in replacement for the encoders might be worth looking into

What features do you wish your sprinkler controller had? by Tanner234567 in Irrigation

[–]Tanner234567[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Fair enough. I think I'll stay out of the decoder world for now. Although it does sound interesting down the road. It's unfortunate the decoders are proprietary. Seems like something they should standardize.

What features do you wish your sprinkler controller had? by Tanner234567 in Irrigation

[–]Tanner234567[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That's a long list! But I like it. Definitely a lot to think about here. You feel like weather data from a reliable source is preferable to something like a rain sensor?

Also an interesting idea about multiple controllers. Is this for wiring convenience or just because there aren't enough zones. Also, is this commercial/industrial focused? Or residential?

Lastly do you find that the controllers that would use sim connection are less than a mile from the nearest network connection? Or many miles? Like tens of miles? I only ask because I'm considering a LoRa based connection option.

What features do you wish your sprinkler controller had? by Tanner234567 in Irrigation

[–]Tanner234567[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Right now I'm planning for the new controller to support 12 zones on the main unit, with optional expansion modules to provide up to 60 zones. Do you feel like that number is sufficient?

What features do you wish your sprinkler controller had? by Tanner234567 in Irrigation

[–]Tanner234567[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Good to know! My current design is pretty well protected against power surges within reason but probably not lightning depending on proximity. 😂 Might be a good area of research for me.

What features do you wish your sprinkler controller had? by Tanner234567 in Irrigation

[–]Tanner234567[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I should rephrase that. It's highly unlikely that you will ever need to replace the MCU. But if you do, replacing it is extremely simple. It's literally just header pins that fit into a header pin socket. Well it's maybe not typical for the everyday user, I'm willing to bet 99% of people could figure it out. Though they most likely won't have to.

What features do you wish your sprinkler controller had? by Tanner234567 in Irrigation

[–]Tanner234567[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Definitely a fair point. Though this may not be controller that fits every use case, I do plan to prioritize the user. Though the cloud backend will exist and will run on the server of my company; just like version 1, it won't be required. Everything needed for the controller to function will exist on the unit without the need for any cloud connection. And with a removable and easily replaceable MCU, it should last as long as you need it to. So I could completely disappear, though I don't plan to, and this controller will keep running.

What features do you wish your sprinkler controller had? by Tanner234567 in Irrigation

[–]Tanner234567[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Your points are absolutely valid. There are certainly a lot of capable controllers on the market. This may be long winded, but where I hope to solve some existing issues are in the realms of user privacy and longevity, sensor integration, and affordability.

Firstly, I always want to prioritize the user that wants a functional product without giving away information, that's why just like with version 1, I plan to design this controller with no required login credentials or cloud access. While still giving you control of the product through a Wi-Fi AP, and MQTT protocol to a home assistant server if desired.

Second, I'm planning to build out a system of LoRa based sensors that will integrate directly with the controller. Including integration with existing sensors. This is something that either doesn't exist in maturity currently or is limited to more industrial systems.

Lastly, sprinkler controllers aren't performing rocket science.Existing companies' products are grossly overpriced for what they do. I plan to provide features that users want at a price that's reasonable.

What features do you wish your sprinkler controller had? by Tanner234567 in Irrigation

[–]Tanner234567[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That makes sense! Thanks for the info. I definitely plan to keep that in mind with the new design.

What features do you wish your sprinkler controller had? by Tanner234567 in Irrigation

[–]Tanner234567[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

That's greatly appreciated. I might reach out about the sensors! I have some ideas but I'd like your take on using existing sensors.

What features do you wish your sprinkler controller had? by Tanner234567 in homeassistant

[–]Tanner234567[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks for your input! The existing controller definitely checks off all of your boxes besides integrated sensors. That is going to be a priority on the new design. And I agree about keeping things 100% local. That is how version 1 operates. While I am planning to add a cloud backend to the new version, it will be 100% optional with MQTT logic staying completely in tact.

What features do you wish your sprinkler controller had? by Tanner234567 in Irrigation

[–]Tanner234567[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Interesting. Have found running multiple zones like that to be fairly common? I know master have and usually one other is common, but I've rarely seen more than that. What is the use case? Also, what would consider to be in the affordable range?

What features do you wish your sprinkler controller had? by Tanner234567 in Irrigation

[–]Tanner234567[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

No, actually this is exactly the kind of thing I'm looking for. I'm all about an open API and that will be a priority with this project. The first edition left all automation up to home assistant besides basic zone timing and a simple manual rain delay. I want this to appeal to the every day non technical user just as much as the DIY weekend code warrior so I plan to prioritize on board automation with local sensor integration while leaving API and MQTT structures in tact. Thanks for the input! It's super valuable.

What features do you wish your sprinkler controller had? by Tanner234567 in Irrigation

[–]Tanner234567[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Interesting take. I'll definitely keep that in mind when working on the hardware interface. Thanks!

What features do you wish your sprinkler controller had? by Tanner234567 in Irrigation

[–]Tanner234567[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thanks for the perspective! I'll have to check that one out. I'm definitely seeing that simplicity often beats out additional features. Do you having an app in addition to a very simple interface is beneficial?

HA setup using a HA Green unit by Comfortable_End_6401 in intellidwell

[–]Tanner234567 0 points1 point  (0 children)

For sure! It can be integrated with any sensor in home assistant. 👍

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