Orbit Sprinkler Timer (Iris)

Devices & Integrations Connected Things
181

+1 to get this fix and supported in Smartthings.

3 Likes
182

I also got this device, and If it can work with the SmartThings hub, then I’d go buy one today! What’s the status, is this still not supported?

183

Still not supported :frowning:

184

booooooooooooooooooooooooo

185

I’ve ordered another timer from Lowes. I know, this one doesn’t even work properly and I’m getting another! I’ve “kinda” got it setup and working for my needs. I used one of the device types above. I then exposed the switch via the API. Then setup a cron job on my web server to run on the days and times, or to turn the device ON through the API. I’ve made it turn on every minute during the time period I want to water and the reason for that is to make sure it turns on because sometimes it does not, as people have noted above. I don’t have an off, because the timer only runs for 10 minutes. So by having the cron job run from say 4am to 5:50am means I should get the device on from 4am to 6am. Then because the device sometimes gets lost or others come onto the network I set an every 5 minute job to do a refresh call through the API, to wake it up. I have noticed battery % has gone down 20% in 2 weeks though. I also noticed every day 2 or 3 new devices popping up. Not sure what that’s about. The original entry works. I just add the new devices then remove them.

I’m hoping to get another one, on order, should be here in 2 weeks, and then have it setup similar to above for a different area of my yard.

Would be better to just do everything in SmartThings, and also have it run reliably. But for now I’ll have to make do with my cron jobs.

186

Any timeframe on when it will be supported, or work in-progress to get it supported?

1 Like
187

I have two of these orbit timers, one watering plants in the front of my house & one in the back. Since they water 6x a day on short cycles, if I miss one its no big deal.

They seem to work mostly reliably using a simple schedule & auto rain delay, but I keep getting new duplicate devices show up in ST randomly - sometimes after a hub reboot. If I delete them, new ones just start coming back eventually. Currently I have 17 “unconfigured” orbit timers in addition to the two working ones. :open_mouth: It appears that each new one is getting a different network ID.

If I could just work around this duplicate device problem so I could have a clean dashboard, I could live with the rest of the quirks. I understand there’s no official support yet, but any ideas out there on a workaround to prevent all the duplicates?

188

Now it doesn’t work at all! Last night my cron job switched it on 90 times (once a minute, from 4am to 5:30am) and it did not turn on once! Crazy!

I can’t seem to turn it on from the ST app, or the through the API. Then suddenly it goes on and I can’t turn it off.

I doubt this is going to be supported by the end of the season. We should form a betting pool. :wink:

189

I came to the conclusion that the physical Orbit device itself is not reliable and eats batteries. Even when using the manual timer controls on the device itself, every once in a while it would make a soft click noise but actually fail to turn on or, worse, off. It also needs new batteries every 6 or 7 weeks or so with relatively light usage. Unfortunate SmartThings never made the firmware update to support it, but I don’t think the Orbit is reliable or battery efficient enough for me to keep using. Still looking for an alternative


190

Can someone tell me how to put it into pairing mode. I can’t get it to be recognized as anything. I’ve had it in use for a few weeks without it being paired to anything.

191

it goes into pair mode when you put new batteries in it. Stays in pair mode for like 5 min

192

We have major water restrictions in-place. (Who would have thought in Canada!) Not even allowed to use my soaker hose.

Anyway, that’s bad news for me, but good news for SmartThings! They now have another year to sort this thing out. :wink:

1 Like
193

I have an orbit Drip System valve model 27087 and I have gotten it to work, at least during my testing. I will set up a new drip system later.

It connect to my ST Hub as a Zigbee Load Control Switch which is a device created by George Richards here: https://community.smartthings.com/t/leviton/15498

I have it running a schedule created by a smartapp based on the template “Smart Turn it on” which allows me to schedule it by day of the week, by hour and then the length of time. I removed the presence stuff in the template.

I like it! I have three non-wireless Orbits already and I will replace them as needed.

194

Nick, that link doesn’t work. Says I don’t have access. Weird. Could you post again, or a link to the source.

195

Realized could make a smart app for the current device. Basically if timer turned on, which sets the device to water for 10 minutes, make it that each minute while on, send an on to the device, until the device is turned off, and so if it runs again the following minute it will see the device is off so don’t turn it on. Thinking out aloud. :slight_smile: May need a virtual switch, or maybe not.

This way, when the device is turned on, it stays on until specifically turned off.

I could then get rid of my complicated crontab setup calling the API, and use the smart app mentioned above by Nick to schedule the timer all within ST.

196

I also cannot get to the link :frowning: It is getting to end of season here in Ohio, but would still like to have it working

197

Yeah, I found that out a few months ago - there’s a hidden forum that supposedly doesn’t have much, except when it has something you need. :smile:

@April - can you help here?

198

How do you get access to the hidden forum. I have orbits timers and like them, but would like to move to the Iris timer.

199

FalcoGeorge has been communicating with me via the mail system on this forum.

It seems that others can’t access these communications. Sorry.

Here’s the device “driver” to add to your “device Types” in your IDE, developed by FalcoGeorge.

He cautions that it is a rough pass at the issue:

=================================================
metadata {

// Automatically generated. Make future change here.

definition (name: “Zigbee Load Control Switch”, namespace: “GR_Load_Control”, author: “George Richards”, oauth: true) {
capability “Switch”

command "on"
command "off"

fingerprint  profileId: "0104", inClusters: "0000,0003,0006", outClusters: "000A"

}

simulator {
// simulator metedata
status “on”:"on/off: 1"
status “off”:“on/off: 0”

reply "zcl on-off on":"on/off: 1"
reply "zcl on-off off":"on/off: 0"

}

tiles {
standardTile(“switch”, “device.switch”, width: 2, height: 2, canChangeIcon: true) {
state “off”, label: ‘Off’, action: “switch.on”, icon: “st.Outdoor.outdoor16”, backgroundColor: "#ffffff"
state “on”, label: ‘On’, action: “switch.off”, icon: “st.Outdoor.outdoor16”, backgroundColor: “#53a7c0”
}
main "switch"
details([“switch”])
}

}

// parse events into attributes
def parse(String description) {
log.info description
if (description?.startsWith(“catchall:”)) {
def value = name == “switch” ? (description?.endsWith(" 1") ? “on” : “off”) : null
def result = createEvent(name: name, value: value)
def msg = zigbee.parse(description)
log.debug "Parse returned ${result?.descriptionText}"
return result
log.trace msg
log.trace “data: $msg.data”
}
else {
def name = description?.startsWith(“on/off: “) ? “switch” : null
def value = name == “switch” ? (description?.endsWith(” 1”) ? “on” : “off”) : null
def result = createEvent(name: name, value: value)
log.debug "Parse returned ${result?.descriptionText}"
return result
}
}

// handle commands
def on() {
log.debug "Executing ‘on()’"
sendEvent(name: “switch”, value: “on”)
“st cmd 0x${device.deviceNetworkId} ${endpointId} 6 1 {}”
‘zcl on-off on’
}

def off() {
log.debug "Executing ‘off’"
sendEvent(name: “switch”, value: “off”)
“st cmd 0x${device.deviceNetworkId} ${endpointId} 6 0 {}”
‘zcl on-off off’
}

==================================================
As I said, it works for me on the Orbit valve.

I use a modified smartapp to turn the valve on for 2 minutes and then turn it off. I ignore the fact that when it is first turned on it starts a 10 minute countdown.

Here’s the app I modified:

/**

// Automatically generated. Make future change here.
definition(
name: “Schedule Drip System”,
namespace: “sidjohn1”,
author: "sidjohn1@gmail.com",
description: “Schedules drip system.”,
category: “Convenience”,
iconUrl: “https://s3.amazonaws.com/smartapp-icons/Convenience/Cat-Convenience.png”,
iconX2Url: “https://s3.amazonaws.com/smartapp-icons/Convenience/Cat-Convenience%402x.png”
)

preferences {
section(“Which Valve?”){
input “switchOne”, “capability.switch”,title:“Select Valve”, required: true, multiple: true
}
section(“On which Days?”) {
input “dayOne”, “enum”, title:“Select Days”, required: true, multiple:true, metadata: [values: [‘Mon’,‘Tue’,‘Wed’,‘Thu’,‘Fri’,‘Sat’,‘Sun’]]
}
section(“At what time?”) {
input name: “timeOne”, title: “Select Time”, type: “time”, required: true
}
section(“For how long?”) {
input name: “timeTwo”, title: “Number of minutes”, type: “number”, required: true
}
}

def installed() {
if (timeOne)
{
log.debug "scheduling ‘Drip System’ to run at $timeOne"
schedule(timeOne, “turnOn”)
}
}

def updated() {
unsubscribe()
unschedule()
if (timeOne)
{
log.debug "scheduling ‘Drip System’ to run at $timeOne"
schedule(timeOne, “turnOn”)
}
}

def turnOn(){
log.debug "Start"
def dayCheck = dayOne.contains(new Date().format(“EEE”))
def dayTwo = new Date().format(“EEE”);
if(dayCheck){
switchOne.on()
def delay = timeTwo * 60
runIn(delay, “turnOff”)
}
}

def turnOff() {
switchOne.off()
}

Hope this helps.

200

Just updated mine. The device works great! :slight_smile: Will report back on the app on the next automated run