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Rachio use in Europe

#1

After having strong difficulties to find the right power adapter to connect a Rachio Gen 2 Controller in Europe, I realized that my former power adapter (used in a 20 years old Toro Controller) has the appropiate requirement (see picture below)

IMG_5742.JPG480×640 98.2 KB

Nevertheless, due that the old power adapter is not compatible with the Rachio plug (a 2.5mm x 5.5mm Female barrel plug) I bought the appropiate barrel plug to solve the problem (see picture).

http://miniimg4.rightinthebox.com/images/384x384/201410/qtrrkk1412992714729.jpg

My question is, do I need to take care on polarity when connecting the old power adapter cables to the new barrel plug?

Thanks in advance for your help!

#2

@guixers - it is AC not DC, so shouldn’t matter.

#3

Very good news, thank you!

#4

If you would like to get in touch with support@rachio.com, we may be able to find or supply you with a 220 V version of our AC adapter.

#5

Not having seen the schematics for Rachio, nor having taken one appart, I can’t say for sure if there are any downsides to doing what I am about to say, use this knowledge at your own risk:

bad Idea, avoid

Theoretically it should be possible to connect the individual AC input cables to the SC and SP terminals of Gen 2 Rachio (polarity does not matter). This should theoretically be analogous to plugging the power into the unit, thus Rachio should power up and work as if nothing is out of the ordinary.

In this case, considering that you’ve already purchased appropriate barrel plugs, this will not be needed, nor advised. But I’m putting this idea out there so that @rachiosupport could let us know why it could be a bad idea :wink:

I’ve edited the post to get rid of this bad idea, due to the presence of low amperage components on the SC / SP path.

Cheers,
Gene

#6

Thank you very much but I solved my problem using an old AC adapter. Nevertheless I will appreciate if your are able to recommend me an AC adapter to be used in Europe. I haven’t been able to find a compatible AC in Amazon, EBay, etc… and, as far as I have seen in the support forums, there is other European users with the same problem.

Cheers,
Guixers,

#7

If you want to post a picture of the adaptor we would be happy to look it over to see if it fits the specs needed to run the device. Glad you found something that works for you though!

#8

I’m using Rachio 2nd Gen in Poland. I bought this AC 24V 1000 mA (1A) power adapter for 14 EUR + shipping cost.

#9

When will rachio official enter the europe market? I would love to buy rachio here in germany and use it with Amazon Eco.

#10

@ChrisM We have no current timeline for officially entering the European market, sorry.

:cheers:

#11

If you can, buy Rachio in US. It works without any problems in Europe (I use one in Poland). Everything what you need to do is to replace power adapter.

#12

Yes it works by putting water on the lawn… But the lack of Metric standard, 24h clock and now European users put out in the cold concerning HomeKit30 discount i would courage fellow EU geeks to look further for another brand controller.

#13

Hey @Arto,

Due to a radio in the Rachio 3 not being certified for use in any other country aside from the U.S. and Canada, we are technically not allowed to sell a Rachio controller or Wireless Flow Meter internationally through Rachio.com. We are working on that and hope to have a better option in the future, though we don’t have an official timeline.

Also, you can change your measurements to Metric by going to More tab > Account Settings > Measurement Units. Though there is a question regarding mm vs cm that was brought up in another thread that we’re looking into.

Sorry for the frustration and inconvenience!

Lo :rachio:

#14

I think the issue regarding metric vs imperial measurements is more likely to be plumbing related. Pipe diameters in the US are still measured in imperial dimensions whereas in Europe - even in the UK they are measured in mm i.e. metric.

Therefore the plumbing connection to the Rachio will be a little more difficult if it only accepts imperial diameter pipes. (There are adapters available.)

As some one who was born in the ‘Garden of England’ i.e. Kent and as England practically invented the lawn and did invent the lawn mower it is very disappointing not to be able to buy a smart sprinkler system like the Rachio 3.

It should be noted even in this ‘green and pleasant land’ of England we are experiencing global warming and this years exceptional summer would have benefitted from having a smart sprinkler system.