Timers are a rule type that allow for a device to be activated for a specified length of time (duration) and a set period of time (frequency) between activation events. This rule type is primarily used for setting up irrigation events, since irrigation event phases typically have a set cadence between individual irrigation events.
Timer Form
When creating a Timer within Portal 2.0, a form will populate to build the logic for the desired rules. These fields and their definitions are listed below for ease of use:
Display Name – An Optional field where one can name the rule to easily identify the rule. If nothing is input in this field, the name of the rule defaults to the devices being triggered in the rule.
Devices – A required field that designates what device(s) are to activate when the timer’s events are triggered.
Time of Day – The Time of Day field determines when the rule will be active. The options are ‘Day Only’, ‘Night Only’, or ‘Custom Time’. Day Only rules only activate during the controller’s Day Range, Night Only rules only activate outside of the controller’s Day Range, and Custom Time rules activate between a start and end time specified by the user. The Day Range can be specified in the Controller’s Profile setting. The article below goes over where one can locate the Controller Profile and update the Day Range accordingly.
Controller Profile Settings
Sync Time – Determines when the first irrigation event of a timer will start. For ‘Custom Time’ timers, this sync time should match the start time of the rule. For ‘Day Only’ or ‘Night Only’ Timers, the sync time should be set to when you want the first irrigation event of your timer to activate within your day or night time range, respectively.
Start Time (when using Custom Time ‘Time of Day’) – A required field that determines when the timer rule is allowed to be active when paired with the ‘End Time’ field.
End time (when using Custom Time ‘Time of Day’) – A required field that determines when the timer rule is allowed to become inactive when paired with the ‘Start Time’ field.
Duration – A required field that determines how long a device activates during each timer activation.
Frequency – A required field that determines the amount of time between the start of each irrigation event within a timer.
The article below goes over how to setup Custom Time timers within Portal 2.0, which is the most common setup for setting up irrigation events with the default rules engine: