Sentinel™ Central Control
Sentinel™ Central Control
Making Sentinel Central Control Work for You
The Problems with
MaintainingLargeLandscapes
The Toro Sentinel System was introduced in 2002 and has established itself in the marketplaces as one of the leaders in wireless communication for central
control systems. Sentinel allows the user to communicate to up to 999 satellite controllers wirelessly rather than forcing the customer to install lengthy wire
runs that tie fi eld controllers together. Sentinel provides a variety of Central Computer to Satellite communication options, so you can choose the one that best
meets your site-specifi c needs or mix-and-match across multiple sites:
The global economy is rapidly evolving and companies,
as well as their employees, are being asked to do more
with less. In the landscape management business,
this means fewer resources available to work on jobs
such as mowing, trimming, and managing multiple
irrigation systems which are often miles apart.
RADIO COMMUNICATIONS
Radio communication from the Central Computer to Sentinel
Satellites allows you to install Sentinel at sites with little or
no disruption of existing landscapes and is ideal for single-
site installations. Sentinel can also utilize radio protocols to
communicate with MapTo Satellites, maximizing system
capabilities.
TELEPHONE COMMUNICATIONS
Because there are only so many hours in the workday
and only so many employees per staff, the scheduling
of automatic irrigation controllers is often overlooked
when maintaining large landscapes. While you might
have time to open up a controller and manually operate
stations to make sure they are operable, you probably
won’t have time to reprogram the controller each time
you visit the site. After fi xing clogged or broken nozzles,
fi ne tuning rotor spray patterns, and troubleshooting valves and solenoids,
no time is left for the controller.
When reliable communication to multiple geographically-remote
satellites is needed, standard telephone communications can
meet your needs. Installation can be accomplished anywhere
a standard telephone line can be run to a Sentinel Satellite.
A standard internal or external phone modem – used to
communicate with a commercial-grade modem in the Sentinel
Satellite – is all that is required.
CELLULAR COMMUNICATIONS
When remote-access benefi ts of telephone communications are
needed, but a phone line is not available at the Satellite location,
cellular networks provide a wireless communication option. By
installing a cellular IP modem in the Sentinel Satellite, the user
FOUR ENCLOSURES TO CHOOSE FROM
can communicate wirelessly from anywhere in the world.
ETHERNET COMMUNICATIONS
The irrigation business has been trying hard to educate contractors and end
users on the necessity of applying the right amount of water to each type
of plant material – no more, and no less. Historically, this has been diffi cult or
impossible to accomplish, since it required constant, manual reprogramming.
Run times must be adjusted daily to refl ect dynamic weather patterns, so this
should be an automatic funtion. When left to maintenance contractors or agency
staffs, this is rarely done and ends up wasting signifi cant amounts of water, labor,
energy and most of all money. But there is a solution…Irrigation Central Control.
In an increasingly “wired“ world, Ethernet/Internet is one of the fastest growing segments of central control
communications. The simple combination of an IP address at the computer and an Ethernet adapter in the fi eld can allow
for network access and control of your Satellites.
Sentinel also provides the widest array of standard Satellite enclosures in the industry, ensuring system installation meets
the requirements of your site. Enclosure options to choose from include:
• Small Metal Wall Mount Cabinet
• Stainless Steel Wall Mount Cabinet
• Stainless Steel Pedestal
•
Plastic Pedestal
With communication and enclosure options, modular station counts in 12-station increments, and sensing and fl ow
monitoring inputs that do not require additional interface components, a Sentinel system adapts to meet your specifi c
requirements instead you adapting to the capabilities of the system.
WhatisCentralControl?
Key Features
MULTIPLE SITE APPLICATIONS
SENSOR INTEGRATION
The main concept of irrigation central control is to allow a user to have operational control, system monitoring, reporting
functions and multi-level programming abilities in one location. In this instance, location is not so much defi ned as a physical
location, but as a PC or laptop computer. The computer may remain in one place, or be mobile and continually moved from
place to place.
A central control system provides the ability to program, control,
and monitor multiple remote controllers from one location. Whether
controlling one large, contiguous site like a sports complex or housing
association, or multiple remote sites like a school district or parks &
recreation department, a central control system provides easy, rapid
access to the irrigation system from a computer.
Central control systems can incorporate many different sensors,
including fl ow sensors, tipping rain cans, wind sensors, freeze
sensors, and full weather-stations. These sensors and instruments
monitor site and climatic conditions and report to the central
computer. Runtime adjustments are automatically made based on
these inputs and combined with information on plant material and
soil types. Sentinel Satellites can react automatically to readings
outside of pre-defi ned limits set by the system operator, like isolating
stations when excessive fl ow indicates a piping break.
Unique central control software allows the user to construct and download complete, automatic, irrigation programs, or to
manually operate satellite functions and valves. A modern central control system, operating with ET input, can automatically
adjust irrigation run times in response to current weather conditions in each microclimate within the system. Real time climatic
conditions are not static, and a central control system should be the user’s tool for an automatic response to dynamic weather.
SYSTEM CONTROL
A central control system allows all irrigation control actions to be
carried out easily and effi ciently from a central location. Control
actions such as adjusting runtimes to changing weather conditions
or stopping irrigation in the event of rain or high wind can be
automatically accomplished without requiring a technician to visit
individual controllers. However, if a technician is on-site and sees a need
for programming changes, like shortening runtimes after a grow-in
period, true two-way communications allow changes to the program
at the fi eld controller on-site and can also be uploaded to the central
computer.
MULTIPLE COMMUNICATION OPTIONS
A central control system consists of a central computer, irrigation
controllers, sensors, weather stations, and a communication system that
ties it all together. No matter whether the central computer is located on-
site or at a remote location, communication options like radio, telephone,
cellular, and Ethernet can be mixed and matched to meet system needs.
Central control systems also store historical data with regard to run times, hydraulic fl ow, and water usage. Irrigation system
troubleshooting can be assessed at the computer screen as fi eld level alarms are detected and displayed in the central computer.
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| Categories | Sprinkler and Irrigation Manuals, Toro Sprinkler and Irrigation Manuals |
|---|---|
| Tags | Toro Sentiel |
| Download File |
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| Language | English |
| Product Brand | Toro. Customer Service Representatives are available by phone:
Monday - Friday 7:30 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. (CDT) - Saturday 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. (CDT) - Sunday 10:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. (CDT)
Canada 1-888-225-4886 USA 1-888-384-9939 |
| Document File Type | |
| Publisher | toro.com |
| Wikipedia's Page | Toro Company |
| Copyright | Attribution Non-commercial |
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