Converting Intermatic Mechanical Timer to Electronic with Battery Backup

Homeowner wants to replace mechanical 4-zone Intermatic timer with electronic controller but has indexing valve requiring 1-minute off-delay between zones. Orbit electronic controller couldn't provide this delay.

Solution: Zone Skipping on 8+ Zone Controller

1. Purchase 8-zone controller (Rain Bird ESP or Irritrol Rain Dial) with battery backup
2. Wire valves to ODD terminals only: Valve 1→Zone 1, Valve 2→Zone 3, Valve 3→Zone 5, Valve 4→Zone 7
3. Program EVEN zones (2,4,6,8) for 1-2 minutes each
4. Result: 1-min delay between actual valve operations

Why This Works

Controller runs zones sequentially. Empty even zones create the required off-time for indexing valve to switch. No solenoid additions or pipe changes needed.

No Battery Backup for Mechanical Timer

No add-on battery backup exists for Intermatic mechanical timers. Full replacement is required.