Hi team
Just wanted to let u know how things turned out.
Thanks for all the advice and helps guys. Ended up getting it fixed via Gene’s suggestions for using zone 16’s mv16 to replace the destroyed mv18 surge suppressor. Got around the filter coil by splicing the American input plug to a kiwi ac adaptor plug. Now up and running and working beautifully.
Marty - yes took original American version in with me to jaycar, but must been a mix up somewhere along the line.
Cheers
Owain
Hey there Marty,
We are in New plymouth.
Your post has been very helpful to us.
The general electric adapter that you have in the picture is a very neat looking one from general electric, I have googled the model but can not find a similar one in NZ, would you be so kind as to let us know where we could purchase the same/similar transformer. We will have 6 PGV hunter 24vac valves(Heavy-duty solenoid: 24VAC (475mA inrush current,
230mA holding current, 50 cycles) (370mA inrush
current, 190mA holding current, 60 cycles)).
OR would anything on ideal electric work?
Kind regards,
Dave
Hey there Gene,
You are such an inspiration, blessing to the Rachio community.
Your post has been very helpful to us.
The general electric adapter that you have in the picture is a very neat looking one from general electric, I have googled the model but can not find a similar one in NZ, would you be so kind as to let us know where we could purchase the same/similar transformer. We will have 6 PGV hunter 24vac valves(Heavy-duty solenoid: 24VAC (475mA inrush current,
230mA holding current, 50 cycles) (370mA inrush
current, 190mA holding current, 60 cycles)).
OR would anything on ideal electric work?
Be greatly encouraged in what you do
Kind regards,
Dave
Hi Dave,
I don’t have the Rachio anymore as we sold our house and left the Rachio behind.
Do you need a DIN rail (mounts on the rail in a switchboard) transformer?
Basically, you need a reasonable 24v AC power supply.
I’m sure you should be able to find something at an irrigation shop as most irrigation systems use 24vAC.
E.g. HR-Hunter and Orbit Plug in Transformer - 750ma - Irrigation Express
24VAC 1A Unregulated Power Supply BareEnds | Jaycar Electronics New Zealand
Not sure exactly how much current you need. 230mA x 6 if all solenoids are open at once I guess. BUt usually people don’t run all zones at once due to water pressure issues.
M
Thanks for the reply Marty,
I hope you are enjoying the house you are currently in now.
I had a look at irrigation express it is a 26V and not a 24v transformer.
The jay car one is noted. I would like a DIN transformer. ( as it will be neater).
However, most DIN I have come across have a higher amperage.
I checked online, and some people seem to think that the device will only pull out the amps it needs.
So even though the amperage of the original rachio transformer is 1A, a third party transformer with 1.5A would be fine( so long as they are the same voltage).Do you believe this?
Would hate to fry my controller.
Kind regards,
Dave
I think that link you posted is to a DC power supply.
Also, 26VAC should be fine and there is usually a slight voltage drop along a length of wire. I would imagine that the Rachio has some sort of voltage regulator in it anyway.
And yes, a device will draw only as much power as it needs. The voltage is fixed, but the current depends on how much the device draws. So you need to have a power supply capable of supplying the combined current of all the devices drawing from it. So using a 1.5A supply for a 1A device is perfectly fine provided the voltage is fixed. Hope that makes sense.
That is very helpful.
Makes a lot of sense, thank you for your wisdom.