My latest (5 year old?) Orbit controller is failing (I think the contacts may be corroded) so I guess it's time to take the plunge. (it has had to hang out a window so we can reach it outside, but I can now move that car [a '72 Cadillac convertible] for access).
I'm in the desert, and have to restart my lawn (yet again) after last summer's untimely water line ruptures.
I have three banks of sprinklers in the front, and one more in the back. I also have three separate lines in the back for trees (pvc) to each site, general garden, and berries/grapes about the perimeter. Ultimately, potentially two more in the back, two more in the front (flowers and roses), and two on the side).
Experiences says that as I restart the lawn, I'll be lucky to get 70% coverage the first year, although I get a brief second shot in spring.
I'm thinking the controller and a Rasperri Pi 3? --or are there compatibility problems?
Long term, I'd like a handful of wireless moisture and temperature sensors. For the moment, I need to get seeding within a week or two. I can start with the lawn at a minute every two hours (actually skipping one or two during the night), but this uses all four still working banks, and all three programs (with four times each) on my dying controller.
Once the heat goes up, and until the roots are settled, ideal would probably be short hourly bursts. Once it settles, 3 minutes four times a day (oh, and we can't water at night here without getting mold, and regardless of what you see on gardening sites, you don't keep a lawn alive in 115F without multiple daily waterings). The lawn is roughly 50x50 in the front, with 1/4 near the door/garage missing. The lower two quarters are sloped (naturally) enough that even a four minute burst runs into the street.
Anyway, I'm thinking the controller with a pi3? Will the basic software let me connect by wireless? Does the sprinkler board take the 24v in and feed power to the pi, or do I need two power supplies.
The board would end up in the garage, which is insulated to the sides, but not the attic, and will spend extended periods above 100F in the summer (outside nighttime only dips to 85F-90F or so in the summer), probably occasionally hitting 120F in the garage.
I'm willing to be a guinea pig for the newer control if its helpful.
hawk