Most sprinkler valves I have seen are 24v AC (Alternating Current) like the power in your house. The robot runs on 12V DC, and the power distribution board also has a 24V DC power supply built in to run the cRio.
I did do some searching around, and it appears that there are AC valves that actually work with DC, but may or may not work with the valve you have. (
http://www.avrfreaks.net/index.php?n...wtopic&t=75553)
(Remember applying voltages to components outside their specifications you are risking failure, and if on a production bot, would not pass inspection) This is not a smart decision, but it may work.
So you can test straight with 12v or 24v dc power and see if it works, if it does, then you can look at making it work from the bot.
As for wiring with a spike, review team 358 documents here.
http://team358.org/files/pneumatic/P...RIOversion.pdf
I could cut and paste the diagram here, but they have done the hard work and deserve the credit.
