The Maxicom 4.4 Irrigation Central Control System may very well be the most advanced control system on the market. It is designed for multi-site commercial or industrial irrigation applications. Maxicom can monitor up to hundreds of sites and weather sources using a single device. With installations continually going in the ground, the need for this control system is flourishing.
Updated Features
The Maxicom 4.4 has the following updates:
- Microsoft® Windows® 8 compatibility
- Seek & Eliminate Low Flow (SELF) – Automatically diagnose a low flow problem
- Station Lockout – Quarantine zones that have had high/low flow alarms until the user takes action
- Station Priorities for Flow Manager – allows the user to alter the sequence of irrigation zones by assigning priorities when flow manager is being used
- Queued irrigation max run time limit increased from 99 minutes to 999 minutes
- Adjustable rain can settings
- Seek & Eliminate Excessive Flow (SEEF) improvement to account for manual adjustments
- Database trim setting is no longer fixed and is user selectable so users can decide how far back the records go
- Phone number/address field works with URL’s and longer IP Addresses
- Field Device Configuration Report now includes satellite names and sensor names
Maxicom Control Functions
Irrigation systems of multiple sites can be scheduled from one Maxicom Central Controller. Sites can be scheduled for days to water, run times, cyclical scheduling, linking schedules, sensor starts, cycle and soak schedules, and other settings. Irrigation start days and station operating times can also be scheduled.
Using this controller, irrigation and weather factors can be compared to determine the exact effect weather has on irrigation needs. The application of water on sites with poor drainage, slopes, and heavy soil areas is optimized with the Cycle+Soak™ feature.
Manual operation of irrigation and lighting systems can be made from the Central Controller or from the field Satellite Controllers. The Remote System Control is convenient, allowing the operation of the Maxicom from anywhere using the Rain Bird Freedom System. These control features are capable due to weather management and monitoring features.
Weather Management & Monitoring Features
The first weather management system applied to Maxicom 4.4 is RainWatch™. The system calculates daily ET and effective rainfall values then automatically adjust settings to optimize use. This system has a rain counting sensor and records rainfall. Allowing, for an automatic reaction to rainfall by interrupting irrigation, measuring rainfall and determining whether irrigation should be resumed or canceled.
The second monitoring feature in Maxicom 4.4 is Flo-Watch™. Flo-Watch™ monitors hydraulic conditions in the field. The system checks flow conditions caused by breaks or malfunctions in the piping or valve.
Automatically, the system will identify where a problem is located in the event of an overflow, low or no flow in the valves. When an issue is identified a valve or mainline shutdown is initialed in some cases. An alarm message identifying where the problem occurred and the action is taken to isolate the problem is also sent out.
Thirdly, the Flo-Manager™ in the Maxicom 4.4 provides real-time monitoring and sequencing of the order in which valves operate. This is put in place to maximize, but never exceed the system’s hydraulic capacity. Flo-Manager helps shorten the system runtime and watering window.
The fourth application, the ET Checkbook™, manages Evapotranspiration (ET) and automatically adjusts the Satellite Controller in the Maxicom 4.4. The controller station run-time or day cycle intervals are adjusted to match the landscape’s water requirements.
Lastly, in Maxicom 4.4, the Low Flow Alarm is designed to notify users when the flow of the irrigation system is wrong. The alarm is sounded when the set level of the irrigation system falls below or when there is no flow.
Your Irrigation Control
All the weather management and monitoring features allow for optimal irrigation settings and performance. Rainbird Maxicom 4.4 is held higher than any other irrigation control center due to constant updates and the effectiveness of the product.
