Providing that the controller can turn on multiple valves at the same time. Do you: 1. have enough pressure to run 5 valves at the same time? 2. have a transformer that can handle 5 solenoids at a time? Each solenoid can draw 250mA to 300mA, you'd need a transformer that is at least 2A rated!

Keep in mind that there really are only two major players in the irrigation business, Hunter & Rainbird. There are several others that compete heavily for 3rd through 7th including (but not in any specific order): Toro, Weathermatic, Irritrol, VirtualRain & Nelson. If you stick to one of the above companies listed, your odds improve that you will be happy with your product and it will perform the function that it was purchased for. In fact we are installing a temporary system tomorrow for a gentleman using the Hunter battery powered controllers while his home is being constructed. For what ever reason, he put a lot of landscaping in prior to construction on the house. Curtis Here is a link that might be useful: EvergreenSprinklers.com

Thanks everyone for the responses. We were able to get the Hunter Pro working again and in doing so discovered it has the 3 programs that mike mentioned is on the Rainbirds. This unit belongs to my DS so I was not familiar with it until I got hold of the manual. Still took mike's description for me to grasp the manual's instructions! There are 2 zones on the controller and the start time for one of the programs is determined by the other zone/valve. Because of this I was limited to 9 starts vs a max of 12 for the one zone. twolips......I've never heard of the propagation timer but will keep it in mind for future projects. Thanks! lehua......we have a total of 6 rotators on one zone. I wanted all of them to come on at the same time and run for a set time. They're now coming on every 1 1/2 hrs and running for 5 min. Sorry for the confusion. We're in the PNW so the climate is not arid but there are a number of windy days which make for dusty conditions in the paddocks and the barn. So far, the system is working perfectly and I can't say enough good things about Hunter MP Rotators.

I've had two different washing machine(Maytag 14 years then GE profile for 6 years) with electronics and they never failed, the mechanical parts did. I do have a Speed Queen washer now though that is very old school. No electronics. The reason I bought it though was to get adequate amounts of water for cleaning and rinsing and the general build quality. I would love to have my old Maytag back but love the Speed Queen. It still has all the wash speeds and cycles but all mechanical. Posted by gtadross I think you'd be more likely to run into problems with ranges in that their heat output could fry circuitry. The better ranges have no electronics like clocks, timers, digital temp readouts etc. Just get a kitchen clock, a manual timer, and an oven thermometer and you can avoid a whole host of problems. You also avoid a whole host of benefits. I guess the definition of "better range" particularly the oven is variable depending on how you cook and use your oven. While you may run an increased risk of problems mixing circuit boards with heat, there seem to be brands that are prone to this and brands that function well as they are designed to do. You just have to do your homework. In a well designed oven with electronics, the purpose is to provide a more specific, advantageous environment in which to bake and roast. For me this is the "better range". I love that I have modes that give you the ability to direct the heat and change the speed of the convection fans in various ways to give optimum results when you are baking/roasting. A "third element" is often incorporated around the convection fan(s) that keeps the temperature super even if your oven is fully loaded. I can put three racks of quiches or whatever I am baking in my 36 inch oven and it cooks evenly wall to wall. I can manipulate heat from the bottom for pies and cakes and mostly from the top for roasting and items that need to brown evenly. Miele has a huge number of modes that replicate brick ovens and all kinds of nuances that a baker would love. Electronics may give a very narrow temperature swing as little as 2 degrees. It may also be more specific and repeatable. You may be able to set the oven exactly in 5 degree increments and 285 will be exactly 285 each time. I have used my oven for a modified sous vide as I can set it for 135 and with convection. A normal swing with a thermostat is 25 degrees. Some people like to have a thermometer that shuts off the oven at the moment the meat is done, avoiding the risk of missing the optimum point of doneness or not hearing the beep. More people are using steam ovens, with electronics, which opens up another whole world of possibilities. Eventually we will probably have cvap for home use. My current ovens have been trouble free, even using self clean(another possible benefit) for five years as far as the electronics go. All these things may be important for some or you may only care that you oven stays somewhere around 400 to heat a frozen pizza. Most people fall somewhere in between. The key is understanding how you cook, what benefits you might get from what is available. I have made choices both ways looking at what is important to me. -