What kind of Rain Bird controller?
Is it the Rain Bird ESPM?
You get an error, does it say Master Valve Error?
If this is the controller and the error says that, look behind the faceplate ( Where the wires are) And look at the ribbon cable that attaches from the board to the face plate. Can you take the ribbon cable off from BOTH sides? If not this is the issue and you will need to a get a Master Valve Error Strap Replacement
Other issues could be bad wireing connections, improper wiring, bad solenoid, short ect..