ACC: Introducing Hunter’s Most Powerful Controller

For Command of Large and Sophisticated Sites

With the introduction of the new ACC, Hunter Industries has brought the convenience and versatility of modularity to the most advanced controller the company has ever created. The adaptable modular design not only allows configuration to the number of stations desired, it also makes it possible to easily upgrade to true 2-way communication with a Hunter central control system.

The new ACC allows the user to customize their controller in the field with the features they need. To a 12-station base unit, additional plug-in modules (in 6-station increments) provide the ability to add stations up to as many as 42 total stations.

The ACC also offers the opportunity to add central control communication capability. Simple plug-in modules can upgrade the ACC to hardwire, modem or radio control.

“What truly sets the ACC apart are its many features,” said Dave Shoup, Hunter product manager. “The most notable of these numerous features is real-time flow sensing. This feature allows the controller to dynamically respond to flow changes by station and track system water use.”

Real time flow sensing will identify a system’s low flow or overflow condition instantaneously, before resulting damage (to either the system or surrounding landscape) can occur.

The user determines the threshold for what will be recognized as a “highest flow rate” and “lowest flow rate.” In turn, the controller’s sensing mechanism will calibrate itself to automatically identify any flow below or above these pre-determined limits to be an incorrect flow condition. When the limits are exceeded, the ACC automatically shuts off that part of the system.

“Never before has a standalone version of a top-level controller offered so much modular expansion,” said Shoup. “With the ACC, Hunter brings features once considered elite to even small projects with limited budgets.”

By adding the optional ET system, the ACC is able to gather its own weather data at the site instead of having to depend upon data from a weather station miles away (which would be the case if info was gathered from the nearest weather station or off of a television newscast). This provides for a much more precise evaluation of the weather, accommodating the differences that each particular site’s microclimate offers and allowing the system to perform at maximum efficiency.

“Very few controllers have site specific ET capabilities or real-time flow sensing,” added Shoup. “Nobody offers both in a standalone system.”

The ACC also boasts a total of 6 independent programs, each with separate day cycles and 10 start times, plus 4 custom manual programs offering total flexibility for complex landscapes. There are independent day schedule options for each program, including maximum scheduling choices (choose from days of the week, true odd/even days, or skip days up to 31 days).

Large backlit LCD display easily steps the user through the programming process.

In addition, the ACC boasts the unique ability to assist the water manager in conforming to “watering windows.” The user can define the hours when no watering is allowed and the watering window manager will override any user-set programs that enter that time frame.

The ACC controller features non-volatile 100-year memory, Cycle and Soak capability by station, and is remote control ready (it’s pre-wired to directly accept the Hunter ICR and its up to two-mile range of communication).

Also of note, the ACC’s large backlit LCD display grants the user a convenient means to personalize on-screen station and program names—for example, it is possible to use identification such as “side yard, rose bushes, early evening” instead of the typical “station 12, program 3.”