“Monster” Sprinkler Controller

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Monster sprinkler controller

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I made the controller for my own purposes.

Used code from discussion thread Simple, Reliable Sprinkler Controller with ESPHome

Sprinkler Controller “Monster”

by ZID

Monster: Your Autonomous Smart Irrigation Assistant

Monster is a smart ESP32-based device designed to manage irrigation with maximum autonomy and ease. It’s perfect for those who want their garden, lawn, or shrubs to stay well-maintained without constant attention, even without internet access. Featuring local control via buttons and an LCD display, built-in real-time clock, and additional options through a web server and Home Assistant integration, Monster blends reliability with modern technology.

Imagine you have a countryside home with a small garden, a neat lawn, shrubs along the fence, and decorative “Golden Smaragd” thuja trees by the entrance. You love keeping everything pristine but don’t want to spend time watering daily or worry about plants drying out while you’re away. That’s where Monster steps in — your autonomous helper.

How It Works

On-Site Setup

You install Monster near your irrigation system and connect the valves for four zones: “Golden Smaragd” (2 valves for the thuja), “Lawn” (3 valves for the lawn), “Garden” (1 valve for the garden), and “Bushes” (2 valves for the shrubs). No internet is needed — all control is local.
Using the “Button UP”, “Button DOWN”, and “Menu Button”, you access the LCD menu. First, set the time via “Time setting”: select the current year (“Year set”), month (“Month set”), day (“Day set”), hours (“Hour set”), and minutes (“Minutes set”), then save with “Set Manual Time”. The clock now runs independently, no network required.

Creating Schedules

Suppose the thuja need watering three times a week, the lawn twice, the garden once, and the shrubs every other day. You enter “Smaragd Schedule” and configure:

  • “Schedule 1” — watering at 07:00 on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays (“Smaragd Monday”, “Smaragd Wednesday”, “Smaragd Friday”), 15 minutes (“1 Duration”).
  • For the lawn in “Lawn Schedule”, set “Schedule 1” — 06:30 on Tuesdays and Saturdays (“Lawn Tuesday”, “Lawn Saturday”), 20 minutes (“2 Duration”).
  • The garden (“Garden Schedule”) waters on Thursdays at 08:00 (“Garden Thursday”), 10 minutes (“Duration”).
  • Shrubs (“Bushes Schedule”) — every other day at 19:00, 12 minutes (“1 Duration”).
    Each step is confirmed with a sound (if “Sound ON/OFF” is enabled), and the display backlight (“Auto Bright”) activates for easy evening use.

Autonomous Operation

You head to the city for a week. Monster follows the schedule: Monday morning waters the thuja, Tuesday the lawn, Thursday the garden, and so on. If it rains, you’ve pre-activated “24h Rain Delay” with a long button press — irrigation pauses for a day. The RGB LED glows blue on startup, then red, indicating Wi-Fi is off (you don’t need it).

Web Server Check

Back home, you connect Monster to Wi-Fi via “WiFi ON/OFF”. On your phone, you open the web interface using “IP Address” and see: “Smaragd Days Status” lists completed days, “Sprinkler Remaining Time Lawn” shows the lawn watering (5 minutes left), and “RAM Usage” and “Uptime” confirm stable performance. You can even manually trigger “Garden Active” to refresh the garden after a hot day.

Home Assistant Control

For added comfort, you link Monster to Home Assistant. Your smartphone now shows: “Smaragd Schedule 1 Time” (07:00–07:15), “Lawn Valve 2 Status” (on), “Sprinkler Remaining Time Bushes” (:hourglass_flowing_sand: 0:08). You can turn off shrub watering if the soil’s already damp, all from your couch.

Why You Need It

  • Time-Saving: Monster handles irrigation while you relax or work.
  • Flexibility: Tailor schedules to your plants — from rare garden watering to frequent lawn care.
  • Reliability: It runs on your settings even without internet or power (with a backup).
  • Convenience: Choose local menus, web server, or Home Assistant for control.

Core Features

  1. Fully Autonomous Irrigation Control
    Monster manages four zones — “Golden Smaragd”, “Lawn”, “Garden”, and “Bushes” — without needing a network. Set up to three schedules per zone:

    • Start Time: Pick hours and minutes.
    • Days of the Week: Choose days (e.g., “Smaragd Monday” or “Lawn Sunday”).
    • Duration: Set valve run times (e.g., “Smaragd 1 Run Duration”, “Garden Duration”).
    • Repeats: Define cycles (“Smaragd Repeat Count”, “Lawn Repeat Count”).
      It auto-starts irrigation, switches valves (e.g., “Smaragd 1 Active”, “Lawn 2 Active”), and supports sequential zoning (“Smaragd Auto Advance”), running flawlessly without Wi-Fi or servers.

  2. Local Display and Button Interface
    Control is at your fingertips:

    • “Menu Button”: Opens an intuitive LCD menu.
    • “Button UP” and “Button DOWN”: Navigate settings or pages.
    • Browse zones (“Smaragd Schedule”, “Lawn Schedule”), time (“Time setting”), or brightness (“Brightness”).
      The display shows the active zone, valve status (“Smaragd Valve 1 Status”), remaining time (“Sprinkler Remaining Time Garden”), and alerts like “WiFi on!” or “Rain Delay”.

  3. Internet-Free Real-Time Clock
    Monster’s built-in clock runs independently. Set it manually in “Time setting”:

    • “Year set” (year),
    • “Month set” (month),
    • “Day set” (day),
    • “Hour set” (hours),
    • “Minutes set” (minutes).
      Hit “Set Manual Time” to save, ensuring schedules work without external sync.

  4. Rain Delay Protection
    Prevent overwatering with “24h Rain Delay” or “48h Rain Delay”. Activate via menu or long button press, pausing irrigation for 24 or 48 hours before resuming automatically.

  5. Audible Feedback
    Actions come with sound (if “Sound ON/OFF” is on), making interaction lively and clear — think page switches or menu selections.

  6. RGB Status Indication
    The RGB LED pulses to show status:

    • Blue: Device booting.
    • Green: Wi-Fi connected (“WiFi is connected!”).
    • Red: Wi-Fi off or error.
    • Other hues: Home Assistant link or valve activity.

  7. Display Backlight Control
    Adjust “Brightness” manually (0%–100%) or enable “Auto Bright” for 10-second illumination on button press, saving power and enhancing usability anytime.

Menu Functions

Monster’s menu, accessed via “Menu Button”, is the core of local control, organized into handy groups:

Rain Delay Control

  • “24h Rain Delay”: Toggle a 24-hour irrigation pause for rainy days. (Hold Down button for 5s)
  • “48h Rain Delay”: Set a 48-hour delay. (Hold the Up button for 5s)
  • “ALL OFF”: if active then schedules are not executed. (Hold Menu button for 5s)

I have plans for a rain sensor, but I haven’t figured out how to implement it reliably yet. I am not entirely satisfied with what is on the Internet.

Irrigation Schedule Setup

  • “Smaragd Schedule” (“Golden Smaragd”):

    • “Schedule 1”, “Schedule 2”, “Schedule 3”: Enable/disable and set times (“Smaragd Schedule 1 Time”).
    • “Select days”: Pick days (“Smaragd Monday” to “Smaragd Sunday”).
    • “1 Duration”, “2 Duration”: Set valve run times.
    • “Repeat Count”: Number of cycles.
    • “Zone 1 Auto”, “Zone 2 Auto”: Auto valve mode.
    • “Smaragd AA”: Sequential valve switching.
    • “Smaragd Cycl”: Full cycle activation.

  • “Lawn Schedule” (“Lawn”):

    • “Schedule 1”, “Schedule 2”, “Schedule 3”: Times (“Lawn Schedule 1 Time”).
    • “Select days”: Days (“Lawn Monday” to “Lawn Sunday”).
    • “1 Duration”, “2 Duration”, “3 Duration”: Valve durations.
    • “Repeat Count”: Cycles.
    • “Zone 1 Auto”, “Zone 2 Auto”, “Zone 3 Auto”: Auto mode.
    • “Lawn AA”: Sequential switching.
    • “Lawn Cycl”: Full cycle.

  • “Garden Schedule” (“Garden”):

    • “Schedule 1”, “Schedule 2”, “Schedule 3”: Times (“Garden Schedule 1 Time”).
    • “Select days”: Days (“Garden Monday” to “Garden Sunday”).
    • “Duration”: Valve run time.

  • “Bushes Schedule” (“Bushes”):

    • “Schedule 1”, “Schedule 2”, “Schedule 3”: Times (“Bushes Schedule 1 Time”).
    • “Select days”: Days (“Bushes Monday” to “Bushes Sunday”).
    • “1 Duration”, “2 Duration”: Valve durations.
    • “Repeat Count”: Cycles.
    • “Zone 1 Auto”, “Zone 2 Auto”: Auto mode.
    • “Bushes AA”: Sequential switching.
    • “Bushes Cycl”: Full cycle.

Display and Device Settings

  • “Display Settings”:
    • “Time setting”: Submenu for time setup:
      • “Year set”: Year.
      • “Month set”: Month.
      • “Day set”: Day.
      • “Hour set”: Hours.
      • “Minutes set”: Minutes.
      • “Set Time”: Save time.
    • “Brightness”: Adjust display brightness (0–100%).
    • “Auto Bright”: Auto-backlight on button press.
    • “Sound”: Toggle sounds on/off.
    • “WIFI auto”: Auto Wi-Fi connection.
    • “WiFi ON/OFF”: Manual Wi-Fi control. (Press Up 3 times - turn Wi-Fi on or off)
    • “IP: [IP Address]”: Current IP display.
    • “SSID: [Connected SSID]”: Connected network name.
    • “WiFi Signal: [WiFi Signal]”: Signal strength.
    • “Restart ESP”: Reboot device.
      Each setting comes with a beep (if “Sound” is on) and backlight for nighttime ease.

Web Server Features

Connect Monster to Wi-Fi (“WiFi ON/OFF” or “WIFI auto”) for a local web interface:

  • View zone status (“Smaragd Days Status”, “Lawn Schedule 1 Time”).
  • Manually control valves (“Smaragd 1 Active”, “Garden Active”).
  • Track remaining time (“Sprinkler Remaining Time Lawn”).
  • Check device stats: “IP Address”, “Connected SSID”, “WiFi Signal”, “RAM Usage”, “Flash Usage”, “Uptime”.
  • Reboot via “Restart”.
    It’s local and internet-free, preserving autonomy.

Home Assistant Integration

For enhanced control, Monster integrates with Home Assistant, offering “HA info” data for all zones (“Golden Smaragd”, “Bushes”, “Lawn”, “Garden”):

  • “Smaragd Days Status”: Days selected (e.g., "Mon Wed Fri").
  • “Smaragd Schedule 1 Time”: Start/end of first schedule (e.g., "08:00 - 08:30" or "OFF").
  • “Smaragd Schedule 2 Time”: Second schedule time.
  • “Smaragd Schedule 3 Time”: Third schedule time.
  • “Sprinkler Remaining Time (Golden Smaragd)”: Active valve time (⏳ "0:15" or ❌ "No time zone running").
  • “Smaragd Valve 1 Status”: First valve state (on/off).
  • “Smaragd Valve 2 Status”: Second valve state.
    This lets you monitor and manage remotely, though local clocks and autonomy remain the priority.

Why Monster is Perfect

Monster is built for independence lovers. It runs locally on your settings and clock, with a web server for monitoring and Home Assistant’s “HA info” for smart home fans. Flexible yet simple, it keeps your lawn to garden thriving effortlessly.
With Monster, your garden flourishes while you relax. Autonomy, style, and smart tech — all in one!

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Full details and code here Monster-sprinkler-controller

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