SUPERIOR CONTROLS STERLING CONTROLLERS User manual

OWNERS MANUAL
FOR
STERLING CONTROLLERS
INCLUDING MISTING APPLICATIONS
23201 NORMANDIE AVE., TORRANCE, CA 90501
PHONE [phone] FAX [phone]

TABLE OF CONTENTS
Selecting the Location for the Controller..................................................................3
Mounting the Controller ..............................................................................................3
Wiring..............................................................................................................................4
Remote Control Interface ............................................................................................5
How the Backup System Works..................................................................................5
Changing the Battery...............................................................................................5
Electronic Circuit Breaker............................................................................................6
Features List ...................................................................................................................8
Erasing Current Programs.........................................................................................10
Basic Programming Instructions ..............................................................................11
Set Current Time ...................................................................................................11
Set Today.................................................................................................................11
Set Water Days .......................................................................................................12
Set Station Water Time .........................................................................................12
Set Cycle Start Times ............................................................................................13
Incomplete Program Alert ...................................................................................14
Operating the Controller Manually...........................................................................14
Station Advance .....................................................................................................15
Terminating a Watering Cycle..............................................................................15
Manually Turning a Station On and Off............................................................15
Manually Turning Master Valve/Pump Start Station On and Off ................15
Activating a Station for its Programmed Time .................................................16
Activating a Watering Cycle .................................................................................16
System Check Cycle ..............................................................................................16
Rain-Off..................................................................................................................17
Programmable Rain-Off.......................................................................................17
Programming a Block of Stations with a Single Entry .........................................18
Displaying Current Program Settings ......................................................................19
Water Budgeting ..........................................................................................................20
Programmable Watering Calendar............................................................................21
Loop Watering .............................................................................................................22
Delay Between Loop Cycles ................................................................................23
Manually Starting the Loop Cycle.......................................................................24
Programmable Delay Between Stations...................................................................25
Option 0: Single Program ..........................................................................................26
Option 1-6: Seconds Mode........................................................................................26
Option 7: Seconds Mode in System Check.............................................................27
Option 8: Frost Override Cycle ................................................................................27
Option 11-16: Disable Master Valve/Pump Start Circuit.....................................28
Sensor Activation of Program 6...............................................................................28
Programming Instructions for Misting Applications ............................................29
Manually starting Loop cycle.....................................................................................34
Program Review ..........................................................................................................35

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3
SELECTING THE PROPER LOCATION FOR
YOUR CONTROLLER
Indoor Wall Mount
If possible, always select an indoor location for your controller where you are
assured of maximum protection from environmental hazards, accidents, and van-
dalism. Mount the controller on a solid, smooth surface shoulder high so the
operator can easily see the display and read the faceplate graphics.
Outdoor Wall Mount
The most desirable location is shoulder high on the shady side of a suitable wall.
Avoid concealing the controller behind a shrub or near ground level where it will
be in the direct path of a sprinkler head.
MOUNTING THE CONTROLLER
Wall Mount
Select suitable fasteners such as molly bolts in plaster board, wood screws in
wood, etc. Check to see that the head of the screw will pass through the keyhole
slot in the rear of the case. Use the enclosed template to locate mounting screw
holes.
If additional support is desired, remove lower plate on the enclosure by removing
the screws that hold each side and mount one additional fastener through the
lower hole in rear of housing.
Pedestal Mount
If the unit is to be mounted on a pedestal, follow instructions supplied with the
pedestal.

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4
WIRING
1. Screw a 1/2” condulet to the threaded transformer mounting at bottom of
case feeding transformer leads into condulet. Install and secure rigid conduit or
armored cable as may be required by local electrical codes.
2. Route two wires from 110 VAC source through condulet and connect one
to black transformer lead and the other to the white transformer lead using
approved wire nuts.
To ground the controller, connect the green lead from the transformer (which is
slightly shorter than the black and white leads) to a grounding wire. Grounding
can also be achieved by securing metal conduit to the1/2” condulet.
3. Route the 24 VAC wiring from the valves through the large hole in the
bottom of the case. (NOTE: Check local code for approved method).
Sterling 4, 8, and 12:
One wire is routed from each valve to the correspondingly numbered station
terminal. Valve #1 corresponds with station terminal #1, valve #2 with station
terminal #2, and so on. One common wire is connected in parallel with each
valve and then to the “Common” terminal.
If a master valve or pump start circuit is required, connect one wire to the
“Common” terminal and the other to the terminal marked “Master Valve or
Pump Start”.
Sterling 18, 24, 30, and 36
Route the 24 VAC wiring from the field valves through the large hole in the
bottom of the case. (NOTE: Check the local code for approved method.) One
wire is routed from each valve to the correspondingly numbered pigtail. Valve
#1 corresponds with pigtail #1, valve #2 with pigtail #2, and so on. One com-
mon wire is connected in parallel with each valve and to the pigtail labeled “Com”.
If a master valve or pump start circuit is required, connect one wire to pigtail la-
beled “Com” and the other to pigtail labeled “Master Valve or Pump Start”.

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5
REMOTE CONTROL INTERFACE
The Sterling is designed for direct interface with TRC2remote control system
from Remote Control Technology, Redmond, Washington. The DC1-1 cable in-
cluded with TRC2connects directly to the six pin connector labeled Remote on
the Sterling for quick and easy installation.
When using the TRC2, set the dial on the Sterling at the Rain-Off position. The
controller will disallow operation if the dial is set at any other position.
HOW THE BACKUP SYSTEM WORKS
The Sterling is equipped with a non-volatile memory that retains programmed
information during power outages of any length. There is no need to reprogram
when power is restored.
The controller is also equipped with a time-keeping circuit. A lithium battery en-
ables the time-keeping circuit to maintain accurate time during power outages of
any length.
If the power is restored during the time a watering cycle is normally under-way,
the controller will resume operation at the station normally running at the time
of power restoration.
Changing the Battery
Although the lithium battery has a potential life of 10 years, a high temperature
environment may necessitate that it be replaced more frequently. If the controller
fails to maintain current time during a power outage, the battery should be re-
placed.

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6
The battery is kept in a clip holder that is mounted to the rear side of the circuit
board and is easily replaced as follows:
1. Shut off the power supply to the controller.
2.
3.
4.
5. Re-fasten the main panel and the lower plate to the enclosure.
6. Re-apply power to the controller
7. Enter current time and day.
ELECTRONIC CIRCUIT BREAKER
The Sterling is equipped with an electronic circuit breaker. If the controller de-
tects a short circuit at a station (valve), it will shut the station off and the dis-
play will alternately flash “FUSE” and the station number or “0” for the master
valve. The controller will continue automatic operation at the other stations.
During future watering cycles, the controller will skip over the short¬ed station
until the short is repaired.
To clear the electronic circuit breaker, press the CLEAR key after you have in-
vestigated and corrected the cause of the short.
Remove the lower plate by removing the two screws that fasten it to the
controller enclosure.
Remove the four screws that fasten the main panel to the enclosure. Then,
maintaining a grasp on the panel, lower it about one inch and tilt the top
toward you to gain access to the battery holder on the rear side.
Remove the battery from the clip holder and replace it with a Panasonic 3M
BR2325, or equivalent.

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7
Common conditions of the electronic circuit breaker include:
CONDITION:
CONDITION:.
CONDITION:
Fuse and one or more stations alternately flash.
Cause: Shorted solenoid coil and/or a short in the valve
wires.
Cause: Too many valves are operating at the same time.
No more than three valves (including master valve) should
operate simultaneously.
Fuse displays without any station numbers.
Cause: A transient surge has spiked the line. Press
CLEAR.
Cause: An overload has occurred for too short a dura-
tion for controller to determine the station number. Press
CLEAR. If condition repeats during future cycles,
activate a System Check short duration cycle and mon-
itor display to determine which station is energized when
Fuse appears on the display. Carefully check valve wiring
for broken insulation and other conditions that may cause
intermittent short.
Fuse is alternately displayed with 0and none of the
stations are operating automatically.
Cause: Short in master valve or pump start circuit. Check
solenoid coil of master valve, pump start relay, and/or
wiring. Press CLEAR after repair is made.

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8
FEATURES LIST
In order to take full advantage of the Sterling’s versatility and programming
flexibility, we recommend that you become familiar with the features listed below.
• Six independent programs that can run concurrently.
•
• Any station can be assigned to more than one program (all six if desired).
•
•.
•
•.
•
Up to nine cycle starts per day in all six programs; or loop watering optional
in all six programs for unlimited cycles.
Station timing adjustable from 1 minute to 24 hours in one minute incre-
ments. Seconds/minutes time base optional in all six programs.
Watering calendar factory set at 7 days. For “skip day” scheduling (every
other day, every third day, etc.) the watering calendar can be changed to any
length between 1 and 32 days.
Single program option that gives you the flexibility of having two or more
programs scheduled, but limiting automatic operation to only that program
at which the dial is set.
Programmable delay of 1 sec. to 59 sec. between the time one station turns
off and the next one turns on during a watering cycle
System Check function programmable from 1 to 15 min. per station (or, op-
tionally, 1 to 15 sec. per station). The controller will advance through all sta-
tions beginning with the one chosen to initiate the cycle.

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9
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Percentage function to simultaneously increase or decrease the station
water time of all stations within a program.
Programmable Rain Off up to 14 days. The controller will resume auto-
matic operation on the day following the last programmed “Off" day.
Sensor feature that allows Program 6 to be activated by a “normally open"
sensor switch such as a thermostat. Optional Frost Override feature dis-
ables programs 1 thru 5 during operation of Program 6.
Loop watering in which a program’s watering cycle is continuously re-
peated for a desired period. Cycles can repeat immediately or after a pro-
grammable delay of 1 min. to 4 hours, 15 min.
Program-erase feature that allows existing programs to be erased individ-
ually or all at once.
For simplified program review, the following information can be scrolled
on the display: 1) watering duration of each station, 2) watering days, 3)
skip days, 4) cycle start/stop times, and 5) status of options (“On” or
“Of ”).
Single entry procedure for entering the same watering time in a block of
consecutive stations.
Master valve/pump start circuit can be disabled during operation of any
program.
Manual valve/pump start station can be turned on manually without an-
other station turning on.

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10
ERASING CURRENT PROGRAMS
All settings within each program (except for current day and current time) can be
erased with a single entry. Programs can be erased individually or all at once:
1. To Erase An Individual Program:
a. Turn dial to desired program.
b. Press the following keys in sequence:
Display will show a flashing “PE” to indicate that the program has been
erased.
2. To Erase All Programs At Once:
a. Turn dial to Program Erase/Calendar position.
b. Press the following keys in sequence:
Display will show a flashing “PE” to indicate that all programs have been
erased.
1
SUN 3 TUE 7 SAT 9ENTER
1
SUN 3 TUE 7 SAT 9ENTER

For misting applications, see instructions beginning in on page 29.
If you make a mistake while programming, the controller displays an error mes-
sage. Press the Clear key, then repeat correctly the last programming step.
Follow the instructions below to set your program(s); or to make changes, dele-
tions, or additions to the current program(s). Any program setting can be changed
without affecting the rest of the program. To erase existing pro-gram(s), follow
instructions on page 10.
To begin programming, turn the dial to a program (e.g., Program 1).
1. Set Current Time: Using the numbered keys, key in the current time. If it is
p.m., the next step is to press the PM/% key (the p.m. indicator will show up on
the upper left side of the display window). Next, press the Time key.
EXAMPLE A: Time is 11:38 a.m., press:
EXAMPLE B: Time is 4:35 p.m., press:
Note: Midnight is 12 00 am, Noon is 12:00 p.m.
2. Set Today: Key in the number corresponding to the current day of the week,
then press Today key.
EXAMPLE: Today is Tuesday, press:
Time and Today functions need only be entered once and will automatically apply
to all six programs. The remaining functions, covered in steps 3, 4, and 5 below,
apply only to the program indicated by the program dial and must be entered in
each program that is intended to operate automatically. Page
11
BASIC PROGRAMMING INSTRUCTIONS
1
SUN 1 SUN 3 TUE 8TIME
4
WED 3 TUE
3
TUE TIME
5
THU PM
%TIME

Page
12
3. Set Water Days: Key in a day of the week that watering is to occur and then
press the Water Day key. Repeat for all selected watering days.
EXAMPLE: Selected watering days are Sunday, Monday, and Wednesday. To
program, press:
To delete a programmed Water Day, key in that day and press Skip Day key.
When programming a Water Day, display will show “On” and the number cor-
responding to the appropriate day of the week (Sun. = 1, Mon. = 2, Tues. = 3,
etc.). To indicate a Skip Day, display will show “Of" and the day number.
Note: To Schedule watering to occur on other than specific days of the week,
such as every other day, every 3rd day, every 4th day, etc., refer to instructions on
page 21.
4. Set Station Water Time: To set the watering duration of each station to be
included in program:
a. Key in station number.
b. Press Stn. Water Time key.
c. Key in watering duration.
d. Press Enter key.
e. Repeat for all stations to be included in this program.
EXAMPLE A: Station 4 to water for 24 minutes, press:
EXAMPLE B: Station 12 to water for 1 hour 40 minutes, press:
To change the watering duration of a station, follow steps a thru d above enter-
ing the new duration at step c. To delete a programmed station, enter “0” at step
c.
Controller will skip unprogrammed stations.
WATER
DAY
1
SUN 2 MON WATER
DAY 4
WED WATER
DAY
4
WED
STN
WATER
TIME 2
MON 4 WED ENTER
2
MON
1
SUN
STN
WATER
TIME 1
SUN 4 WED 0ENTER

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13
5. Set Cycle Start Time(s): The cycle start time is the time of day a program
will begin watering. For each cycle start time that is set (up to 9), all stations as-
signed to the program will water in sequence beginning with the lowest num-
bered station. To set the time a program will begin watering:
a. Key in the cycle number (1= cycle start 1, 2 = cycle start 2, etc.)
b. Press Cycle Start key.
c. Key in time of day that cycle is to start.
d. If cycle start is during p.m. period, press the PM/% key
e. Press Enter key.
f. Follow the same procedure for each additional cycle start. Up to 9 cycle
start times may be scheduled in each program.
EXAMPLE: Controller is to initiate two watering cycles on the scheduled
watering days. The first cycle is to start at 6:15 a.m.; second cycle to start
at 2:00 p.m., press:
To change a cycle start time, follow steps a through e above entering the new
time at step c. To delete a cycle start, enter “0” at step c.
Do not schedule a watering cycle to start prior to completion of the previous
cycle within the same program. The controller will ignore the subsequent over-
lapping cycle. To determine the end time of a cycle, key in the cycle number (1=
cycle start 1, 2= cycle start 2, etc.), then press the Cycle Start key twice.
To scroll through the start and stop times of all scheduled cycle starts, press the
Clear key, then the Cycle Start key.
CYCLE
START
1
SUN 6 FRI 1 SUN 5 THU ENTER
CYCLE
START
2
mon 2 mon 0 0 PM
%ENTER

Page
14
OPERATING THE CONTROLLER MANUALLY
INCOMPLETE PROGRAM ALERT: To check if programming is complete,
move the program dial out of its current position. A long beep signals that the
programming is incomplete and the program will not run automatically. Move
the program dial back to the position it was in to complete programming.
To continue programming, turn the dial to the next desired program and follow
steps 3 through 5 above. Repeat for all other programs to be scheduled.
After programming has been completed, move the dial to the Auto position. This
will lock the keyboard so that no unintentional program entries can be made. This
display will show the current time of day.
Manual operation allows you to perform a watering function without affecting the
programmed watering schedule. This section includes instructions for the fol-
lowing manual operations:
• Advancing to another station during a watering cycle.
• Terminating a watering cycle.
• Manually turning a station on and off.
• Manually turning master valve/pump start station on and off.
• Activating one station to water for its programmed duration.
• Activating a watering cycle.
• Activating a System Check cycle.
• Rain Off.
• Programmable Rain Off.

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15
Advancing To Another Station During A Watering Cycle
To advance to another station, first turn dial to program in operation:
a. Key in station to which advancement is desired.
b. Press Manual On/Off key.
c. Return dial to Auto position.
Terminating a Watering Cycle
Turn dial to program in operation and press Manual On/Off key Return dial to
Auto position.
Manually Turning A Station On And Off
To turn station on:
a. Turn dial to Manual position.
b. Key in station number
c. Press Manual On/Off key.
To turn station off, do one of the following:
a. Press Manual On/Off key; OR
b. Move dial out of Manual position; OR
c. Select another station for manual operation.
Note: A station turned on manually will automatically shut off at midnight.
Beep Alert: While a station is on manually, the controller will sound two short
beeps every 30 seconds.
Manually Turning Master Valve Pump Start Station
On and Off
To turn on the master valve/pump start station without other stations
turning on:
a. Turn dial to Manual position.
b. Key in 0.
c. Press Manual On/Off key.
To turn off master valve/pump start station, press Manual On/Off key, or move
dial out of Manual position.

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16
Activating One Station To Water For Its
Programmed Duration
To activate station:
a. Turn dial to program in which station is included.
b. Key in station number.
c. Press Stn. Water Time key.
d. Press Manual On/Off key.
e. Return dial to Auto position.
After watering, controller will not advance to the next programmed watering
station.
Activating A Watering Cycle
To activate the watering cycle of a program at a time other than its scheduled
start time(s), do the following:
a. Turn the dial to desired program.
b. Key in the first station intended to turn on.
c. Press Manual On/Off key (Display will alternately flash station number
and remaining water time.)
d. Return dial to Auto position.
Activating A System Check Cycle
This feature activates a watering cycle for a walk-thru check of the irrigation sys-
tem. The controller will advance through all stations in sequence beginning with
the station chosen to initiate the cycle. Station run time (same for all stations) is
programmable from 1 to 15 minutes.
To initiate watering at Station 1:
a. Turn the dial to System Check position.
b. Key in station run time (1 to 15).
c. Press Manual On/Off key.
d. Return the dial to Auto position.
To initiate watering at a station other than # 1:
a. Turn the dial to System Check position.
b. Key in station run time (1 to 15).

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17
c. Press Stn. Water Time key.
d. Key in number of station selected to initiate watering cycle.
e. Press Manual On/Off key.
f. Return the dial to Auto position.
To terminate cycle prior to completion, press Manual On/Off key while the dial
is in System Check position.
Note:
1. Cycle will include stations with no programmed watering time.
2. Station run times can be changed from minutes to seconds (1-15 sec.) by ac-
tivating Option 7 (see page 27).
Rain Off
To discontinue automatic operation without affecting the program(s), turn the
dial to Rain Off position.
To resume automatic operation, turn the dial to Auto position.
Programmable Rain Off
Use this feature to suspend watering for a specific number of days (1 to 14). The
controller will resume automatic operation on the day following the last Off day.
a. Turn the dial to Rain Off position.
b. Key in the number of Off days.
c. Press Enter.
d. Return the dial to Auto position.
In the Auto position, the display will indicate Off and the number of remaining
days to be off.
To cancel programmable Rain Off:
a. Turn the dial to Rain Off position.
b. Press 0.
c. Press Enter.
d. Return the dial to Auto position.

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18
PROGRAMMING WATER TIMES OF
CONSECUTIVE STATIONS USING ONE
ENTRY
This feature is a short-cut method for programming station water time of con-
secutive stations with the same watering duration. This procedure replaces step
4 of Basic Programming Instructions. With dial at desired program:
a. Key in number 99.
b. Press Stn. Water Time key. (“b” will appear on display.)
c. Key in number of the first station in the series.
d. Press Enter. (“E” will appear on display.)
e. Key in the number of the last station in the series.
f. Press Enter. (“D” will appear on display.)
g. Key in watering duration.
h. Press Enter. The number entered for watering duration will flash to indi-
cate that the entry has been accepted.
EXAMPLE: Stations 4 through 12 are each to water for 8 minutes in
Program 2. With the dial in Program 2 position, press:
4
WED
STN
WATER
TIME
99 ENTER 1
SUN 2 MON ENTER
8ENTER

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19
DISPLAYING CURRENT PROGRAM SETTINGS
Any program setting can be recalled without affecting the program. To display any
of the following settings, turn the dial to the desired program.
TIME
TODAY
WATER DAYS
SKIP DAYS
STATION
WATER TIME
Press Time key and the display will show current time. (The
current time is also displayed when the dial is in Auto position.)
Press Today key and the display will show the current calendar
day. Unless the calendar has been set at other than a 7 day cal-
endar, the number shown will correspond to current day of
week (Sun. = 1, Mon.= 2, Tues. = 3, etc.).
Press Water Day key and the display will scroll the water days
as On days.
Press Skip Day key and the display will scroll the days water-
ing will not occur.
Displaying Total Water Time For Program: Press Clear key
then press Stn. Water Time key. Note: Total water time shown
takes into account water budget percentage.
Displaying Individual Station Water Time:
1. Press Clear key.
2. Key in station number.
3. Press Stn. Water Time key.
Note: Water time shown takes in account water budget per-
centage.
Scrolling All Stations Included In Program And Their
Water Times: Press Clear key, then press Stn. Water Time
key twice. The controller will display each programmed station
in sequence with its watering time.
Note: Water times shown take into account water budget per-
centage.

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20
ADDITIONAL FEATURES
CYCLE
START/END
OPTIONS
Scrolling Cycle Start And End Times Of All
Programmed Cycle Starts: Press Cycle Start key and the
controller will display in sequence all programmed cycle starts,
first showing the cycle start number, then the cycle start time,
and then the cycle end time.
Note: Cycle end time will take into account the water budget
percentage.
If a loop cycle is programmed, “LOOP” is displayed as the
cycle end time.
To display the status of all 9 options, first turn the dial to Op-
tions position, then press Enter. The controller will scroll
through the options in sequence showing each as “On” or
“Of ” (Of = OFF).
Using Water Budgeting
This feature allows you to simultaneously change the watering time of all stations
within a program. The current settings can be increased or decreased within a
range of 1% to 255%, with 100% representing the programmed time.
For example, in the winter you may wish to water only 50% of the programmed
time.
To use Water Budgeting:
I. Turn dial to desired program.
2. Press the PM/% key. The controller displays the current water budget-
ing
% (e.g. 100 for 100%).
3. Key in the new percent value.
4. Press Enter key. The controller flashes the new percent value and an LED
located to the left of the display window illuminates to indicate that the
water budget percentage is other than 100.