Rain+Birdt

ESP-TM2 Controller User Manual

STATION HOUR MINUTES

1 02
20
REMAINING
RUN TIME

Introduction..........................................2 Manual Watering Options.....................7

Welcome to Rain Bird.............................................. 2 Test All Stations........................................................ 7
Controller Features.................................................. 2 Run a Single Station................................................ 7
Installation............................................2 Run a Single Program.............................................. 7
Mount Controller...................................................... 2 Normal Operation.................................7
Wiring Connections................................................. 3 AUTO RUN.................................................................. 7
Connect Valves....................................................................3 OFF............................................................................... 7
Connect Master Valve (optional)...................................3 Advanced Programming.......................8
Connect Pump Start Relay (optional)..........................3 Odd or Even Calendar Days................................... 8
Connect Rain/Freeze Sensor (optional)......................4 Cyclic Days................................................................. 8
Connect Custom Wiring (optional)..............................4 Rain Sensor................................................................ 8
Controls and Indicators.........................5 Seasonal Adjust........................................................ 8
Special Features....................................5 Delay Watering.......................................................... 8
Basic Programming...............................6 Permanent Days Off................................................ 9
1. Set Date and Time............................................. 6 Options .................................................9
2. Set Watering Start Times................................. 6 Reset Button.............................................................. 9
3. Set Station Run Times...................................... 6 Remote Accessories................................................. 9
4. Set Watering Days............................................. 6 Troubleshooting..................................10
Custom Days of the Week................................................6 Watering Issues.......................................................10
Electrical Issues.......................................................10
Introduction Installation
Welcome to Rain Bird Mount Controller
Thank you for choosing Rain Bird’s ESP-TM2 controller. In this
manual are step by step instructions for how to install and
A Drive a mounting screw into the wall, leaving an 1/8 inch
gap between the screw head and the wall surface (use the
operate the ESP-TM2. supplied wall anchors if necessary), as shown.

B Locate the keyhole slot on back of the controller unit and

hang it securely on the mounting screw.

2
STATION HOUR MINUTES

1 02
20
1
REMAINING
RUN TIME

1/8 IN.
1/8 IN.

C Remove the wiring bay cover on the lower part of the

controller unit, and drive a second screw through the open
Controller Features hole inside the controller and into the wall, as shown.
Feature Description
Maximum Stations 12
Simultaneous Stations 1 plus master valve
3
Start Times 4
Programs 3
RESET 9 10 11 12

Program Cycles Custom Days, Odd, Even 24VAC SENS C M 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

and Cyclic
ACCESSORY

Permanent Days Off Per program CONNECT

Master Valve Control On/Off per station

120 VAC

Rain Delay Supported

Rain/Freeze Sensor Supported
Rain Sensor Control Global or by station
Seasonal Adjust Global or by program bb
NOTE: Choose a suitable mounting location close to a
120 VAC wall outlet.
Manual Station Run Yes
Manual Program Run Yes
Manual Test All Stations Yes
Station Advance Yes
Short Detect Yes
Delay Between Stations Yes
Accessory Port Yes (5 pin)
Save & Restore Programming Yes

2 ESP-TM2 Controller
Wiring Connections Connect Pump Start Relay (optional)
The ESP-TM2 can control a pump start relay, to turn the
Connect Valves pump on and off as needed.
A Route all field wires through the opening at the bottom
A Connect a wire from the pump start relay (PSR) to the
of the unit, or through the knock-out in back of the unit.
master valve terminal (M) on the controller. Then connect
Attach conduit if desired, as shown.
another wire from the pump start relay to the field
B Connect one wire from each valve to one of the numbered common wire, as shown.
station terminals (1-12) on the controller, as shown.
B To avoid the possibility of damage to the pump, connect
C Connect a field common wire (C) to the common terminal a short jumper wire from any unused terminal(s) to the
(C) on the controller. Then connect the remaining wire nearest terminal in use, as shown.
from each valve to the field common wire, as shown.
2
bb
NOTE: The ESP-TM2 controller supports one valve
solenoid per station terminal.

2 RESET 9 10 11 12

24VAC SENS C M 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
ACCESSORY

CONNECT

120 VAC
RESET 9 10 11 12

24VAC SENS C M 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
ACCESSORY

CONNECT

120 VAC

1
bb
NOTE:
Connection 2
3 to pump
and external 1
power not PSR
S 2 shown. Refer
to pump PUMP START
1 installation RELAY
MV instructions. C 1
MASTER
VALVE
C 4 bb
NOTE: The ESP-TM2 controller DOES NOT provide
power for a pump. The relay must be wired according to
manufacturer instructions.
Only the following Rain Bird pump start relay models are
Connect Master Valve (optional) compatible with the ESP-TM2:
D Connect a wire from the master valve (M) to the master
Description Model # Volts
valve terminal (M) on the controller. Then connect the
remaining wire from the master valve to the field common Universal Pump Relay PSR110IC 110V
wire, as shown. Universal Pump Relay PSR220IC 220V

3 ESP-TM2 Controller
Connect Rain/Freeze Sensor (optional) Connect Custom Wiring (optional)
The ESP-TM2 controller can be set to obey or ignore a rain If desired, the provided 120 volt power cord can be
sensor. removed and replaced with a custom wiring.
Refer to the Rain Sensor section under Advanced To remove the factory installed power cord and connect
Programming. custom wiring:

A Remove the yellow jumper wire from the SENS terminals A Ensure that AC power is disconnected.
on the controller.
B Remove the controller junction box cover and disconnect
B Connect both rain sensor wires to the SENS terminals, as the power cord to the unit.
shown.
C Remove the factory installed power cord by loosening the
2 screws securing the metal strain-relief bar, as shown.
2
D Connect the external power supply wires using the wire
nuts and then re-secure the metal strain relief bar by
tightening the 2 screws.
RESET 9 10 11 12

24VAC SENS C M 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
ACCESSORY

4
CONNECT

120 VAC

RESET 9 10 11 12

24VAC SENS C M 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
ACCESSORY

bb
NOTE: Do not remove the yellow jumper wire unless
connecting a rain sensor.
TO EXTERNAL
POWER SUPPLY

bb
NOTE: Rain Bird controllers are only compatible with
normally closed rain sensors. Power Wiring Connections (120VAC)
Black supply wire (hot) to the black transformer wire
bb
NOTE: For wireless rain/freeze sensors, refer to
installation instructions for sensor. White supply wire (neutral) to the white transformer wire
Green supply wire (ground) to the green or green-yellow

cc WARNING: Do not apply power until you have

completed and checked all wiring connections.
transformer wire

E Verify that all wiring connections are secure and then

replace the junction box cover.

dd
CAUTION: The strain-relief bar must be re-secured for
the unit to function properly.

cc
WARNING: DO NOT apply power until you have
completed and checked all wiring connections.

4 ESP-TM2 Controller
Controls and Indicators
Turn the dial to select programming features.

AUTO RUN DATE/TIME

Watering occurs Set the current
OFF automatically. Date and Time.
Disables automatic PROGRAM
irrigation. SELECT BUTTON
Select Program A,
B or C.
MANUAL STATION
Start watering
any or all stations
immediately. – / + BUTTONS
Adjust program
SEASONAL ADJUST settings.
Adjust Run Times
from 5% up to 200%.

BACK/NEXT
SENSOR BUTTONS
Set controller to obey or Select
ignore a rain sensor. RUN DAYS RUN TIMES START TIMES programming
Set watering day Set Run Times for Set up to 4 Start options.
options for each each program. Times per program.
program.

Special Features
llTurn the dial to the desired position.
llPress and hold and at the same time.

SAVE
SET INTERSTATION PROGRAMMING
DELAY
A station delay (from 1
second to 9 hours) ensures
RESTORE
that a valve has completely
PROGRAMMING
closed before the next one
opens.

RESET TO FACTORY SET MASTER VALVE

DEFAULTS BY STATION
All programmed schedules Allows a station to be
will be erased. controlled by a master
valve or pump start
relay.

SET RAIN SENSOR BYPASS

BY STATION SET TO ODD, EVEN OR
Tells a station to obey or CYCLIC WATERING
ignore a rain sensor. See Advanced Programming.

5 ESP-TM2 Controller
Basic Programming
1 Set Date and Time 4 Set Watering Days
Turn the dial to DATE/TIME. Custom Days of the Week
Set watering to occur on specific days of the week.
llPress or to select the setting to change.
llPress or to change the setting value. Turn the dial to RUN DAYS.
- +
llPress and hold or to accelerate adjustments.
llPress Program Select to choose the desired Program (if
To change the time format (12 hour or 24 hour): necessary).
llWith MINUTES blinking, press . llPress or to set the selected (blinking) day as either
llPress or to select the desired time format, ON or OFF, and to automatically move to the next day.
then press to return to the time setting. llYou can press or at any time to move the cursor to
the previous or next day.
2 Set Watering Start Times
Up to four Start Times are available for each program. dd
CAUTION: If Sunday is selected, will enter and
activate Cyclic Watering (see the Advanced Programming
section). If this is not desired, press the button to
Turn the dial to START TIMES. return to watering by Custom Days.

llPress Program Select to choose the desired Program (if

necessary).
llPress or to select an available Start Time.
llPress or to set the selected Start Time (ensure the
AM/PM setting is correct).
llPress to set additional Start Times.

3 Set Station Run Times

Run Times can be set from one minute up to six hours.

Turn the dial to RUN TIMES.

llPress Program Select to choose the desired Program (if
necessary).
llPress or to select a Station.
llPress or to set the Run Time for the selected Station.
llPress to set additional Station Run Times.

6 ESP-TM2 Controller
Manual Watering Options Normal Operation
Test All Stations AUTO RUN
Start watering immediately for all programmed stations. During watering, the display shows a blinking sprinkler
symbol, the current Program and the Remaining Run Time.
Turn the dial to MANUAL STATION.
llPress or to set a Run Time.
llPress and hold or turn the dial to AUTO RUN to start
manual station test.

Run a Single Station

Start watering immediately for a single station.

Turn the dial to MANUAL STATION. OFF

llPress to display the MANUAL STATION screen. Turn the dial to OFF to stop automatic irrigation or to
llPress or to select a Station. cancel all active watering immediately.
llPress or to set a Run Time.
llPress and hold or turn the dial to AUTO RUN to start the dd
CAUTION: Watering will NOT occur if the controller
remains in OFF.
selected Station.

Run a Single Program

Start watering immediately for one program.

Turn the dial to AUTO RUN.

llPress Program Select to choose the desired Program (if

necessary).
llPress and hold to start the selected Program.
During Manual Watering:
The display shows a blinking sprinkler symbol, the active
Station Number or Program, and the Remaining Run Time.

llTo cancel manual watering, turn the dial to OFF for three
seconds until the screen shows OFF.

7 ESP-TM2 Controller
Advanced Programming
Odd or Even Calendar Days Seasonal Adjust
Set watering to occur on all ODD or EVEN calendar days. Increase or decrease program run times by a selected
percentage (5% to 200%).
Turn the dial to RUN DAYS.
Example: If the Seasonal Adjust is set to 100% and the station
llPress Program Select to choose the desired Program (if Run Time is programmed for 10 minutes, the station will run
necessary). for 10 minutes. If the Seasonal Adjust is set to 50%, the station
llPress and hold will run for 5 minutes.
and at the same time until ODD or
EVEN is displayed.
Turn the dial to SEASONAL ADJUST.
Cyclic Days llPress or to increase or decrease the global
Set watering to occur at specific intervals, such as every 2 percentage setting.
days, or every 3 days, etc. llTo adjust an individual Program, press Program Select to
choose the desired Program (if necessary).
Turn the dial to RUN DAYS.

llPress Program Select to choose the desired Program (if Delay Watering
necessary). Suspend watering for up to 14 days.
llOn the Custom Days screen, press until the Cyclic
screen is displayed (after SUN). Turn the dial to AUTO RUN, then press and
hold
llPress or to set the desired DAY CYCLE, then press
llPress or to set the DAYS REMAINING. The next
llPress or to set the DAYS REMAINING before the cycle
watering day will update on the display to indicate when
begins. The NEXT watering day updates on the display to
watering will resume.
indicate the day that watering will start as shown.

llTo cancel a Rain Delay, set the DAYS REMAINING back to 0.

Rain Sensor
Set the controller to obey or ignore a rain sensor. bb
NOTE: When the delay expires, automatic irrigation
resumes as scheduled.
When set to ACTIVE, automatic irrigation will be suspended
if rainfall is detected. When set to BYPASS all programs will
ignore the rain sensor.
Turn the dial to SENSOR.
llPress or to select ACTIVE (obey) or BYPASS (ignore).

bb
NOTE: See Special Features to set Rain Sensor Bypass
by Station.

8 ESP-TM2 Controller
Permanent Days Off Options
Prevent watering on selected days of the week (for Odd,
Even or Cyclic programming only). Reset Button
Turn the dial to RUN DAYS. If the controller is not working properly, you can try
pressing RESET.
llPress Program Select to choose the desired Program (if llInsert a small tool such as a paper clip, into the access
necessary). hole and press until the controller is reset. All previously
llPress and hold Program Select. programmed watering schedules will remain stored in
llPress to set the selected (blinking) day as a Permanent memory.
Day Off or press to leave the day ON.

RESET 9 10 11 12

24VAC SENS C M 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
ACCESSORY

CONNECT

120 VAC

Remote Accessories
A 5 pin accessory port is available for Rain Bird approved
external devices.

RESET 9 10 11 12

24VAC SENS C M 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
ACCESSORY

CONNECT

120 VAC

9 ESP-TM2 Controller
Troubleshooting
Watering Issues
Problem Possible Cause Possible Solution
Watering icon on the Water supply issue. Verify there is no disruption to the main water line and that all other water supply lines are
display is flashing, but open and functioning.
the system is not watering Wiring is loose, not properly connected Check that wiring is securely connected at the controller and in the field. Check for damage and
or damaged. replace if necessary. Check wiring connections and replace with watertight splice connectors if
needed.
Automatic and/or Manual Connected rain sensor may be activated. Let the rain sensor dry out or else disconnect it from the controller terminal block and replace it
Watering will not start with a jumper wire connecting the two SENS terminals.
Jumper wire connecting the two SENS Jumper the two SENS terminals on the controller terminal block by connecting them with a
terminals may be missing or damaged. short length of 14 to 18 gauge wire.
Solenoid or master valve is shorted. Confirm short message on the display. Correct the issue in the wiring. Clear the message by
testing watering at the shorted valve or by pressing the button.
Excessive watering Programs may have multiple start times Programs (A, B or C) only require a single start time in order to run. Separate start times are not
that were set unintentionally required for each valve.

Electrical Issues
Problem Possible Cause Possible Solution
Display is blank. Power not reaching the controller. Verify the main AC power supply is securely plugged in or connected and working properly.
Verify the orange power supply wires are connected to the controller “24 VAC” terminals.
Display is frozen and An electrical surge may have interfered Unplug the controller for 2 minutes, then plug it back in. If there is no permanent damage, the
controller will not accept with the controller’s electronics. controller should accept programming and resume normal operation.
programming. Press and release the RESET button.

Safety Information Disposal of Electronic Waste

cc
WARNING: This appliance is not intended for use by persons In compliance with European Directive 2002/96/CE and
(including children) with reduced physical, sensory or mental EURONORM EN50419:2005, this device must not be thrown
capacity, or lack of experience and knowledge unless they away with household garbage. This device must be the object
have been given supervision or instruction concerning use of of an appropriate, selective removal procedure in order to
the appliance by a person responsible for their safety. Children recuperate it.
should be supervised to ensure that they do not play with the
appliance.
bb
NOTE: Date and time are retained by a lithium battery
which must be disposed of in accordance with local
cc
WARNING: Special precautions must be taken when valve
wires (also known as station or solenoid wires) are located
regulations.
adjacent to, or share a conduit with other wires, such as those
used for landscape lighting, other “low voltage” systems or Questions?
other “high voltage” power. Scan the QR code
to visit www.rainbird.com/esptm2 for help
Separate and insulate all conductors carefully, taking care not setting up and operating the Rain Bird
to damage wire insulation during installation. An electrical
ESP-TM2 Controller
“short” (contact) between the valve wires and another power
source can damage the controller and create a fire hazard. Call Rain Bird toll free Technical Support at 1-800-724-6247
(USA and Canada only)
cc
WARNING: All electrical connections and wiring runs must
comply with local building codes. Some local codes require that
only a licensed or certified electrician can install power. Only
professional personnel should install the controller. Check your
local building codes for guidance.

dd
CAUTION: Use only Rain Bird approved accessory devices.
Unapproved devices may damage the controller and void
warranty.

For a list of compatible devices go to: www.rainbird.com

10 ESP-TM2 Controller
 Rain+Birdt
FCC Part 15
This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits for a Class B digital device, pursuant to Part 15 of the FCC Rules. These limits are designed to
provide reasonable protection against harmful interference in a residential installation. This equipment generates, uses, and can radiate radio frequency energy
and, if not installed and used in accordance with the instructions, may cause harmful interference to radio communications. However, there is no guarantee that
interference will not occur in a particular installation. If the equipment does cause harmful interference to radio or television reception, which can be determined by
turning the equipment off and on, the user is encouraged to try to correct the interference by the following measures:
llReorient or relocate the receiving antenna.
llIncrease the separation between the equipment and receiver.
llConnect the equipment into an outlet on a circuit different from that to which the receiver is connected.
llConsult the dealer or an experienced radio/TV technician for help.
llChanges or modifications not expressly approved by Rain Bird Corporation could void the user’s authority to operate the equipment. This product was FCC
certified under test conditions that included the use of shielded I/O cables and connectors between system components. To bin in compliance with FCC
regulations, the user must use shielded cables and connectors and install them properly.
llThis class B digital apparatus meets all requirements of the Canadian Interference Causing Equipment Regulations.
Cet appareil Numérique de la classe B respecte toutes les exigences du Règlement sur le matériel brouilleur du Canada.

Rain Bird Corporation Rain Bird International, Inc. Rain Bird Europe Technical Services for
970 W. Sierra Madre 145 North Grand Avenue 900, rue Ampère, B.P. 72000 U.S. and Canada only:
Azusa, CA 91702 Glendora, CA 91741 13792 Aix en Provence 1 (800) RAINBIRD
USA USA CEDEX 3 FRANCE
Tel.: (626) 963-9311 Tel.: (626) 963-9311 Tel.: (33) 4 42 24 44 61

2016 Rain Bird Corporation

Registered trademark of Rain Bird Corporation
www.rainbird.com www.rainbird.eu 690299-01 Rev.05/16