I had a bit of bad luck with a 12 station Orbit timer already reviewed elsewhere. This one by Rain Bird is similar to that in that it has 12 stations. But so far, that is about all it has in common.
The Rain Bird 12 station automatic sprinkler timer comes with an attached outer door that is “lockable” in that it has a place a lock can be attached (supplied by user). This door is heavy plastic, so it is not much of a secure lock. But then again, it is only a timer. They say this is suitable for outdoor use, and who am I to say otherwise? One thing, on this as others I have seen, there is no gasket on the door to ensure moisture will stay out. But, mine is mounted inside, so that is no concern for me.
The transformer is built right into the enclosure so it is as secure as other components. The transformer can be seen by pulling the cover plate from the lower part of the timer below the display and control panels. Inside you will also find the terminals for 12 sprinklers, including two common connectors and a rain sensor (purchased separately). This also has an extra terminal for a master valve-pump start also not included. Those are not used in my setup. I want to mention though that there is another version of this timer that includes a weather sensor to over-ride settings based on current conditions, but it is a bit more expensive than I wanted to do now.
One reason I chose this brand over a replacement Orbit controller is that Rain Bird unit says it has superior surge protection. My thought is that my house has issues with surges, so I want all the protection I can get. One other improvement over the previous controller I tried is that the Rain Bird claims to have complete back-up of all settings with no extra battery needed. Many other units I looked at have a battery back-up only, and those can fail. They say it "timer settings are stored indefinately" with no battery needed.
Sprinkler wires are easily connected to push-in terminals. You have to be sure you have stripped enough insulation, or connection may not be secure. Also you should use a needle nose pliers to push in wires as the terminal connectors are much closer packed than in other units I have tried.
This is pretty easy to set up using the main selector dial to set the clock time, date, and individual valve time positions. To increase or decrease values you use two up-down arrow buttons. There is a button for each day of the week to set up watering, and select frequency of watering. You can select one zone to water manually, or another for all zones. If you select one zone to run, you will have to re-set the unit to run all automatically. Rain delay can be set manually up to 72 hours. And there is a seasonal adjustment to add or shorten pre-set run times depending on seasonal needs from -90% to +100%. There is an Off selection to turn off all functions.
Display screen is a bit small for my taste, but it still is easy to see and readable. In use, screen will display current time and next zone scheduled to water. In rain delay, screen shows current time and remaining hours until schedule resumes. While watering all zones, display will show current time, which zone is ON and how long left on that zone. If you have an electrical problem in the system, the unit will tell you which station has a potential problem.
Note that this is a single program unit, with individual set start times for each valve, and with multiple possible watering times per day. If you need a unit with more than one possible program, this is not it.
I used Rain Bird timers almost 30 years ago in a retail nursery, and this has a similar feel to it even though technology is quite advanced from that earlier totally mechanical timer. Rain Bird has been around for a long time, and that has to be significant.
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