ICD-HP - Diagnostics

The ICD-HP can turn individual station outputs on and off for diagnostic purposes (see special note for IDS and Viking systems). This function only works with decoders wired into the two-wire path, and will not operate when powered by the leads from the ICD-HP.

Note: ICD-HP can activate a station, but it will not turn on the Pump/Master Valve outputs for that station (if applicable). If the station requires a Pump/Master Valve for operating pressure, turn this on separately from the controller (or turn on another station that triggers the Pump/Master Valve, with a remote control).

Connect a decoder with the programming cup. Move the pointer to the Turn Station On/Off and press Next .

The ICD-HP will first connect to the decoder and display the first station output. If the decoder is a multi-station decoder, use the left and right arrow buttons to move to the station to turn on or off.

Press + to turn a station on. The station will run for approximately 1 minute if running alone, or 12 minutes if another station is running from the controller (see Important Notes in this section). The State will change from Off to On after a few seconds.

If the station is connected to a pressurized valve, the water will turn on. Take care to keep the ICD-HP out of the water from sprinklers.

Press – to turn a station off. The station will turn off and the State will change from On to Off after a few seconds.

Important Notes: The ICD-HP cannot set a run time for a decoder activation. The ACC controller will send an Off command down the two-wire path once per minute when no stations are supposed to be running. If you turn a station on with the ICD-HP, this controller command will turn that station back off within a minute.

If longer run times are required for diagnostic purposes, turn another decoder station on from the ACC controller or with a remote control (ICR, ROAM, or Maintenance Radio). As long as this station is running from the controller, the “off” command will not be sent every minute.

If another station is running from the controller as described, and a station in the field is turned on with the ICD-HP, it will run for approximately 12 minutes or until it is turned off from the ICD-HP.

Special Note for IDS and “Viking” systems: These earlier decoder controllers can operate ICD decoders via serial numbers. In these systems, there may not be station numbers programmed directly into the ICD decoders because those controllers do not use them. If you wish to activate stations in these systems from ICD-HP, program temporary station numbers into the decoder from the Decoder Programming menu. Turn the controller power off for approximately 15 seconds, then turn the power back on to allow the station address to set permanently in memory. The Turn Station On and Off commands will then work.

The ICD-HP will not work with older Viking style decoders, only with ICD decoders installed in Viking type systems.

This allows quick access to the same status matrix for outputs as the Get Decoder Status command from the Decoder Programming menu.

This can be used to view the current draw of a solenoid after it has been turned on with the Turn Station On/Off command from the ICD-HP. Turn the station or multiple stations on, then use Get Decoder Status to view the current draw on the decoder.

Test Sensors leads to two categories of tests: 1) tests for Clik^TM sensors, and 2) tests for Flow Sensors.

Test Clik Sensor Output: To test any Clik sensor or switch closure device, disconnect the sensor from the controller or sensor decoder. This test does not require the programming cup. The ICD-HP test leads are connected directly to the sensor outputs.

Note: This diagnostic test does not use the programming cup. The test leads are connected directly to the Clik sensor output wires.

From the Diagnostics menu, select Test Sensors.
Move the pointer to Clik Sensor and press Next .
Move the pointer to Clik Output Tester and press Next .

The on-screen instructions will state “Connect Clik sensor to blue and red leads on ICD-HP.” Connect one of the leads to each of the sensor’s click outputs and press Next .

The ICD-HP will check and display the state of the sensor as Open or Closed. If the sensor state is changed with a switch or sensor test button, the screen will show the new state.

Test Clik Sensor Input (Controller or Sensor Decoder): This diagnostic will test the Clik inputs to either an ICD-SEN sensor decoder, or a sensor input terminal in a Hunter controller.

From the Diagnostics menu, select Test Sensors.
Move the pointer to Clik Sensor and press Next .
Move the pointer to Clik Simulator and press Next .

The display will show the Unit Under Test selection. With the pointer set to Unit Under Test, use + and – to switch between “Controller” and “Decoder”.

Controller Input: With Unit Under Test set to Controller, connect the red (+) and blue (–) leads from the ICD-HP directly to the + and – SEN terminals in the controller and press Next . Make sure the correct polarity is used (red to +, blue to -).

The display will show the current sensor status. Press + or – to open or close the sensor and observe the results at the controller. This simulates a Clik input to the controller and verifies whether the sensor input is working.

Decoder Input: Set Unit Under Test to Decoder (only for ICD-SEN sensor decoders). The screen will then show the Sensor Port (A or B).

Select Port: Move the pointer to the Sensor Port location and use + or – to change between Sensor Port A and B.

Note: Sensor Port A is the purple-and-white wire pair from the ICD-SEN, and can be either a Clik or a Flow sensor input. Sensor Port B is the orange-and-white wire pair, and can only be used as a Clik input.

Ports must be connected with the correct polarity (red lead to + port wire, blue lead to – port wire). Port wire polarity is marked on the decoder. The wires on the front of the decoder (with the Address label) are the negative or – lead after the loops are cut.

Select the port you wish to test and press Next .

The display will prompt you to first connect the sensor leads, and then insert the ICD-SEN into the programming cup. Press Next after each step.

The ICD-HP will communicate with the decoder and show the current status of the sensor.

“Sen Status” shows the sensor setting of the ICD-HP.

“Dec Status” shows the input state (Open or Closed) as seen by the decoder. There may be a slight delay before Dec Status is updated (this may show “?????” before it is updated), while the ICD-HP waits for the sensor decoder’s response.

Press + and – to change between Open and Closed sensor settings. This will simulate a switch opening and closing.

If the Sen Status is set to Closed, and the Dec Status remains Open:

• Check to make sure the ICD-HP is connected to the right port (A or B).
• Check the connection of the ICD-HP leads to the sensor decoder.
• Check the sensor decoder configuration using the Get Dec Info function in the Decoder Programming Menu.

With the leads properly connected and the correct port selected, if Sen Status and Dec Status remain in disagreement, the sensor decoder input may be defective.

Touch the sensor port wires together as an alternative test.

Flow Output Tester: To test the output of any HFS flow meter, or compatible “Other” flow meter such as IR220B, disconnect the flow sensor’s signal wires from the controller or sensor decoder.

Note: This diagnostic test does not use the programming cup. The test leads are connected directly to the flow sensor output wires.

From the Diagnostics menu, select Test Sensors.

Move the pointer to Flow Output Tester and press Next .

The on-screen instructions will state “Connect flow sensor to blue and red leads on ICD-HP. Note lead polarity.”

Connect the red (+) ICD-HP lead to the positive (usually red) wire from the flow sensor. Connect the blue (–) ICD-HP lead to the negative (usually black) wire from the compatible flow sensor. Press Next .

Set the Sensor type: For Hunter HFS flow sensors, use the + and – buttons to select the correct sensor. For “Other” sensors, select Other and the K-Factor, and Offset settings will appear. Use the arrow buttons to move the pointer to each value, and set the K-Factor and Offset to match the sensor manufacturer’s documentation for the pipe size and type. Use the numbers on the keypad to enter the values.

Sample Average sets the amount of time for the rolling average flow. The default setting is 5 seconds, which is recommended. To see minor variations in flow, use the + or – buttons to set a shorter sample time. To see a more controlled average with fewer fluctuations, set a higher sample time.

When the settings are correct for the meter you wish to test, press Next .

The screen will show both the sensor frequency and the calculated gallons or liters per minute (see ICD-HP Setup menu to change Units of Measurement). The sensor frequency shows the actual click output of the sensor. The Flow Rate shows the estimated (calculated) flow for the sensor settings, based on the click rate of the sensor.


 

Flow Simulator (Flow Input Tester): This test may be used with either a sensor decoder, or a Hunter controller flow  input directly (such as ACC Flow terminals on the controller master module). The programming cup is required when using it with a sensor decoder.

Note: ICD-HP is only designed for Hunter controller flow sensor inputs and is not tested with or designed for other brands of controllers.

From the Diagnostics menu, select Test Sensors.
Move the pointer to Flow Sensor and press Next .
Move the pointer to Flow Simulator and press Next .

The display will show the Unit Under Test selection. With the pointer set to Unit Under Test, use + and – to switch between “Controller” and “Decoder”.

Controller Input: This will test the flow sensor input to a Hunter controller.
The programming cup is not used for this test. The test leads will be connected directly to the controller’s flow input terminals.

With Unit Under Test set to Controller, connect the red (+) and blue (–) leads from the ICD-HP directly to the matching polarity Flow Sensor terminals in the controller and press Next .

Set the Sensor type to match the setting in the controller to be tested with the + and – buttons. If the type is Other, the K-Factor and Offset settings will appear. Enter the calibration factors to match the controller settings and the sensor manufacturer’s documentation. Use the numbers on the keypad to enter the values.
 

When the sensor selection is correct, press Next .

The display will show the default click rate as “Test Freq”. Use the + and – button or number keys to change the click rate to any desired setting.

The Calc Rate will show the estimated (calculated) flow for the sensor settings, based on the click rate.

Check the controller flow display to verify that the flow rate is approximately the same. Due to variations in components, flow readings are unlikely to match exactly between the ICD-HP and the controller. They should be within a reasonable range.

As the Test Freq rate is changed on the ICD-HP, the readings on the controller should also change to approximately match the calculated rate. Allow the controller a few seconds to catch up to ICD-HP changes, as they read a rolling average.

If no flow input is detected at the controller with the test in progress, verify that the controller has a flow meter configured, and that the location setting is for “Controller”.

Decoder Input: This will test the flow sensor input to a Hunter sensor decoder, and the programming cup will be required. The controller’s flow sensor should be set to “Location: ADM” for flow to be read via a sensor decoder.

With Unit Under Test set to Decoder, press Next . The screen will prompt the correct connections.

Connect the programming cup to the sensor decoder, with the decoder powered on the two-wire path. Press Next .

Connect the red and blue leads from the ICD-HP directly to the Flow Sensor leads on the sensor decoder. The leads must be connected with red to positive (+) and blue to negative (–) because this is a DC signal. Flow input polarity is marked on the sensor decoder label. Press Next .

The Sensor type setting will be read from the sensor decoder. This cannot be changed at this screen because the ICD-HP is reading the configuration information from the sensor decoder.

The flow simulation will begin with the pointer set to the Test Freq rate of 10 Hz. The test frequency can be changed with the + or – buttons during the test, or a new frequency can be typed in directly from the numeric keypad.

The “Calc Rate” is the estimated flow calculation, based on the sensor settings and the click rate (frequency). The “Read Rate” is the value from the output of the sensor decoder to the controller.

When the test frequency rate is changed, the calculated rate will change immediately. The read rate will increase more slowly, as the rolling average increases, but will display the new rate after a few seconds. Generally, the output of the sensor decoder will match the flow rate shown at the controller very closely.

Check the flow at the controller, to verify that it is similar to the flow Read Rate from the sensor (on the ICD-HP).

If no flow is detected on the ICD-HP in Read Rate, check the polarity of the sensor leads.

If no flow is detected at the controller with the test in progress, check the Sensor Decoder configuration information.

The ICD-HP can function as a voltmeter for decoder line voltage. The ICD-HP is designed to measure 50V or less, and is not designed for high voltage measurements. The meter is protected with a resettable circuit breaker, but avoid contact with primary AC power lines (120/230 VAC).
 

The multimeter function can be used to verify the presence of voltage on the two-wire path, and to measure whether a long path of unknown length still has sufficient voltage (> 20V) to activate solenoids.

This measurement does not use the programming cup. The wire leads are connected directly to the two-wire path.

From the Diagnostics menu, move the pointer to Multimeter and press Next .
The display will show Dec Line Voltage. Press Next .
Connect the blue and red leads from the ICD-HP to the blue and red wires on the two-wire path and press Next .

The line voltage will be displayed. This display will not show the pulsing that is characteristic of decoder line voltage, but will show the average peak voltage. Some minor fluctuation of voltage within a volt is normal. The voltage will change as the decoder output turns on and off.