Rain Bird ESP-LXD User manual

Rain+Birdt
ESP-LXD Controller
Troubleshooting Guide

2Rain Bird ESP-LXD Controller Troubleshooting Guide Table of
Contents
For product manuals, instructional
videos and FAQs, please visit:
www.rainbird.com/esplxseries
For free professional support for programming and
troubleshooting, please call: 1-866-544-1406
Local Rain Bird Contact Information
Distributor Manager:
Email:
Phone:
Area Specification Manager
Public Agency Manager:
Email:
Phone:
Contractor Account Mgr:
Email:
Phone:
Water Conservation Mgr:
Email:
Phone:

3Rain Bird ESP-LXD Controller Troubleshooting Guide
Contents
Local Rain Bird Contact Information...............2
Useful Tools ...................................................... 4
Controller Features ......................................... 6
Front Panel...............................................................6
Setup Wizards .........................................................7
Test All Stations/Check System.........................7
Cabinet Components ..................................... 8
Basic Programming ........................................ 9
Troubleshooting............................................ 10
Getting Started.................................................... 10
Alarm: No Water Days, No Run Times, ….. 11
Short Finding Mode...................................... 12
System Amperage Calculation ...................... 16
Duplicate Decoder Address ........................ 17
Manual Short Finding Mode ....................... 18
Flow Alarms.................................................... 20
Decoder Test................................................... 22
Decoder Ping Test ......................................... 25

4Rain Bird ESP-LXD Controller Troubleshooting Guide Table of
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Useful Tools
• Milliamp Meter
Recommended Model: Armada Pro 93
• As-Built Drawing
Don’t have it, make it using a cable
locator
• Wire Stripper
For video showing proper wire
splice instructions and other
installation tips, please visit:
www.rainbird.com/landscape/
products/controllers/ESP-LXD.htm
• LXD Troubleshooting Tools
Like the one you are holding in
your hands
We recommend using:
• Rain Bird MAXI
Cable as your 2-Wire
communications cable.
• Rain Bird DBR/Y splice
kits for ALL electrical
wiring connections.
NOTE: If installing or repairing communications
wiring for IQ Software, do not install the
communications cables in the same conduit as the
2-Wire path wiring.
b
Milliamp
Meter
Wire
Stripper

5Rain Bird ESP-LXD Controller Troubleshooting Guide Table of
Contents
NOTE: Rain Bird HV, DV, and JTV Series
residential valves are not compatible with ESP-
LXD decoders.
Use only Rain Bird commercial series valves for ESP-
LXD installations:
• PGA Series
www.rainbird.com/landscape/products/valves/PGA-
series.htm
• PEB Series
www.rainbird.com/landscape/products/valves/PEB_
PESBseries.htm
• EFB-CP Series
www.rainbird.com/landscape/products/valves/EFB-
CP.htm
• BPE Series
www.rainbird.com/landscape/products/valves/BPES.htm
A list of ESP-LXD Controller Troubleshooting Videos can
be found here:
ESP-LXD Controller Troubleshooting
www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLKH-
77cPRcpnuhsym3t_NbUjAqLu1G-9He
b

6Rain Bird ESP-LXD Controller Troubleshooting Guide Table of
Contents
Controller Features
Front Panel
PROGRAMMING
DIAL
WEATHER SENSOR
SWITCH
PROGRAM SELECT
SWITCH
DISPLAY
PROGRAMMING
BUTTONS
ALARM
LIGHT

7Rain Bird ESP-LXD Controller Troubleshooting Guide Table of
Contents
Setup Wizards
Test All Stations/Check System

8Rain Bird ESP-LXD Controller Troubleshooting Guide Table of
Contents
Cabinet Components
OPTIONAL IQ
MODULE
TRANSFORMER
JUNCTION
BOX
STATION EXPANSION
MODULES
INDICATOR
LIGHTS
BASE STATION
MODULE

9Rain Bird ESP-LXD Controller Troubleshooting Guide Table of
Contents
Basic Programming
The ESP-LXD Controller oers Setup Wizards to help
get you started and guide you through each step of
the installation and hardware setup process.
It’s most eective to use the Setup Wizards in the order
in which they appear on the screen, as follows:
1. Valve Types
2. Master Valves
3. Weather Sensors (if present)
4. Station Setup
5. Flow Sensors (if present).
For more information see the
Installation, Programming &
Operation Guide
that came with the ESP-LXD Controller.
Or else download the Programming Guide at:
www.rainbird.com/esplxseries

10 Rain Bird ESP-LXD Controller Troubleshooting Guide Table of
Contents
Troubleshooting
Getting Started
Turn the dial to AUTO and
press the Alarm button
Call the
ESP-LX Series
HOTLINE at
[phone]
No Water Days
No Run Times
No Start Times
No PGM will...
More Exit
Short
Finding
Mode
Duplicate
Decoder
Address
Valve Shorts/
Open Circuit
(Decoder
Test)
Flow
Alarms
END - Job
Well Done!
What does
the screen
display?
Is the LXD front
panel Alarm
Light on?
Is the LXD
front panel
Alarm Light
still on?
Go to
page
22
Go to
page
20
Go to
page
18
Go to
page
17
Go to
page
12
Go to
page
11
YES NO
YES NO

11 Rain Bird ESP-LXD Controller Troubleshooting Guide Table of
Contents
Alarm: No Water Days, No Run Times, …
Turn the dial to
Set Current Date and Time
Is the LXD
and installation
working?
Check the display
for Alarms, see
page 10
Troubleshooting
END - Job
Well Done!
NO YES
Test LXD system using
Manual Run or Auto Run
Turn the dial to
Set Watering Start Time,
etc. and follow programming
directions in the User Manual

12 Rain Bird ESP-LXD Controller Troubleshooting Guide Table of
Contents
Short Finding Mode
The controller has automatically entered Short Finding
Mode to protect itself against a short on the 2-wire path
Press the Down Arrow button to select
2-wire Diagnostic, then press Next
Turn the dial to Test All Stations / Check Systems
Press the Down Arrow button to select Line Survey, then press Next
The Line
Survey
screen is
displayed
The display reads Temp OK, Current Not OK and Overload Not OK. This
indicates a dead short in the 2-wire path. Temp could also show Not OK.
Next Page
NOTE: The Voltage1 reading for a normal healthy
system is typically in the +14.0 to +16.0 range for
both A and B. The Voltage 2 reading is typically in the
-20.0 to -21.0 range for both A and B. The Voltage1 and
Voltage2 readings should be approx. equal for A and B.
Milliamperage (mA) varies with the number of decoders
installed and should be approx. equal to the amperage
calculations detailed on page 16.
b

13 Rain Bird ESP-LXD Controller Troubleshooting Guide Table of
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Short Finding Mode cont.
Open the front panel and
check the two inidicator lights
on the ESP-LXD-M50 module.
The top indicator light should
be green and the bottom
indicator light should be
dark. This indicates that the
controller put the module in
Short Finding Mode
If there are more than one 2-wire paths
connected, disconnect the first 2-wire path
Did the
controller exit Short
Finding Mode and are
both Indicator Lights
illuminated?
NO YES
Reconnect the Maxi-Cable to verify the
controller goes back into Short Finding Mode
Disconnect the second/
third/fourth 2-wire path
Next Page
NOTE: In
“looped”
systems, cut the
loop in the middle
to create two
independent paths.
b

14 Rain Bird ESP-LXD Controller Troubleshooting Guide Table of
Contents
Short Finding Mode cont.
Reconnect the
Maxi-Cable to verify
the controller goes
back into Short
Finding Mode
NO
YES
Connect all
2-wire paths at
the controller
and observe
screen
Walk the length of
the 2-wire path and
look for signs of recent
constructions (trenching,
new fence, sign, tree, etc.)
Wires
damaged, or found
repairs of the
Maxi-Cable?
Repair damaged
Maxi-Cable
using Maxi
Cable and DRBY
connectors
What does
the display
show?
Go back to
Troubleshooting,
page 10
NO
Next Page
Go to a decoder approx.
50% the length of the 2-wire
path. Disconnect the decoder
2-wire splice to disconnect the
second half of the 2-wire path.
NOTE: Instead of
physically disconnect-
ing the 2-wire path, you
could instead use a clamp
meter. See page 16.
b

15 Rain Bird ESP-LXD Controller Troubleshooting Guide Table of
Contents
Check the
controller display to
see if it has exited
Short Finding
Mode
Short Finding Mode cont.
YES NO
The problem is
upstream between this
point and the controller
Re-connect the 2-wire path
and go to a decoder approx.
50% between this point and
the controller. Disconnect
the decoder 2-wire splice to
disconnect the second half
of the 2-wire path.
The problem is downstream
between this point and the
end of the 2-wire path
Re-connect the 2-wire path
and go to a decoder approx.
50% between this point and
the end of the 2-wire path.
Disconnect the decoder
2-wire splice to disconnect the
second half of the 2-wire path.
Next Page
For video instructions on Automatic Short
Finding Mode, please visit:
https://youtu.be/khFodRFUOXs

16 Rain Bird ESP-LXD Controller Troubleshooting Guide Table of
Contents
Short Finding Mode cont.
Alternatively, if you have a clamp meter you can also measure the
amperage:
NOTE: Before measuring the amperage, calculate the
approximate current that the 2-wire path is consuming.
b
System Amperage Calculation
Quantity of single address station decoders X0.5 mA
+Quantity of multiple address decoders X1.0 mA
+Quantity of active decoders X17.5 mA
+Quantity of other SD210 decoders X8.0 mA
=Approximate total system amperage in mA
*Single address station decoders include the FD-101 and FD-102 decoders
** Multiple address station decoders include the FD-202, FD-401 and FD-601
decoders
For video instructions on Locating a Short
on the Two-Wire Path, please visit:
https://youtu.be/6qDx-0K0aC0

17 Rain Bird ESP-LXD Controller Troubleshooting Guide Table of
Contents
Duplicate Decoder Address
The controller will Alarm if duplicate decoder
addresses are entered for one or more weather
sensors, flow sensors or station decoders.
Go to page 11 and follow the Basic
Programming Wizards: Station Setup
to enter the correct decoder address
NOTE: Only the first two
duplicates will be shown, so
you may need to repeat
this process until all
of the duplicate have
addressed.
b
Test LXD system using
Manual Run or Auto Run
Check the dis-
play for Alarms,
see page 10
Trouble-
shooting
END - Job
Well Done!
NO YES
Is the LXD
and installation
working?
Enter a different
decoder address
for one of the
decoders

18 Rain Bird ESP-LXD Controller Troubleshooting Guide Table of
Contents
Manual Short Finding Mode
If you think a station is shorted:
Press the Down Arrow button to select
2-wire Diagnostic, then press Next
Turn the dial to Test All Stations / Check Systems
Press the Down Arrow button to select Line Survey, then press Next
The Line
Survey
screen is
displayed
The display reads Temp OK, Current Not OK and Overload
OK. This indicates a possible short in the 2-wire path.
Next Page
NOTE: The Voltage1 reading for a normal healthy
system is typically in the +14.0 to +16.0 range for
both A and B. The Voltage 2 reading is typically in the
-20.0 to -21.0 range for both A and B. The Voltage1 and
Voltage2 readings should be approx. equal for A and B.
Milliamperage (mA) varies with the number of decoders
installed and should be approx. equal to the amperage
calculations detailed on page 16.
b

19 Rain Bird ESP-LXD Controller Troubleshooting Guide Table of
Contents
Manual Short Finding Mode cont.
Cancel Short
Finding Mode?
NO YES
See page 13 Short
Finding Mode and follow
the steps starting with:
Open the front panel/face
plate and check the two
indicator lights on the
ESP-LXD-M50 module.
Press the Back button and select
Short Finding at the next screen
Select On to turn
on Short Finding
Confirm the selection by pressing and
holding the Yes button until the next screen
shows Irrigation Functions are Disabled
Turn the
dial to Auto
For video instructions on Manually Putting
ESP-LXD Into Short Finding Mode, please visit:
https://youtu.be/BT8UgNxhSCU

20 Rain Bird ESP-LXD Controller Troubleshooting Guide Table of
Contents
Flow Alarms
Next Page
The display shows the following:
Press the Alarm button
Press the Exit button
Turn the dial to Module Status
CONTINUED
FROM NEXT
PAGE (21)