KIRINARA GOLF COURSE - SPRINKLER AUTOMATION PROJECT
SPRINKLER AUTOMATION CASE STUDY
THE PROBLEM
320 Sprinklers have to be turned on and opened manually by staff at 80 Points on the course involving a great deal of time and effort.
THE SOLUTION
Replace the existing Rainbird controllers with the BuildTrack activation nodes. There are 5 pillars around the course, so by using the BuildTrack nodes at these places the staff can now manually switch on all the sprinklers from these points.
BUT WAIT……
This is only the start .. The next step is to automate the whole watering process for maximum energy efficiency as well as reducing labour costs.
KEY POINTS ABOUT BUILDTRACK CONTROL
>>> Can be controlled locally by Switches
>>> Can be controlled anywhere by App
>>> Can be controlled by Voice
>>> Can be controlled by Timer
>>> Can be activated anytime . anywhere
>>> Can be expanded from a single ecosystem
>>> Control the Club house, Hotel rooms etc.
Replace the existing Rainbird controllers with BuildTrack Actuation Nodes
The existing sprinkler solenoids are activated using a 27vlt AC transformer. The nodes require 12vlt DC or 240vlt AC to power the WiFi module, however passing the current at a different voltage in AC is no problem with the BuildTrack Nodes.
The BuildTrack Nodes operate on 2.4 WiFi so each pillar has a modem router with a SIM card providing connectivity to the internet & cloud. The nodes will also operate manually or on the WiFi network if the internet is not connected.
An external antenna was attached to the modem to increase signal strength as the modems were mounted in the waterproof steel enclosure. If the area to be covered has an existing WiFi Network the modem routers will not be necessary as the BuildTrack Nodes will operate over the 2.4 WiFi
The existing wiring running from the control box to the solenoid valves was utilised so no new wires were required. The existing 27vlt AC transformers were replaced.
The control boxes were retrofitted inside the existing Rainbird casing, however this is not necessary and can be fitted to various casing in a bespoke design
So now the nodes have been installed, at these 5 points the sprinklers can be controlled. As the sprinklers will not be running all the time, we set a master BuildTrack node at the pump house. This controls 4 of the pillars that are scattered around the course. This enables the pillars only to be powered when required and saving energy by not having to power the transformers all the time as in the previous system
For the sprinklers to run, first the pumps need to be powered on and activated in their running sequence. In the past this was done manually. We fitted a single BuildTrack node to control the pump activation.
This now means that the total operation of watering the course can be controlled remotely and scheduled to run in off peak power times to save on electricity costs. The irrigation of the course will be more efficient as the sprinklers can operate overnight to reduce evaporation.
