Middlesex County, Ontario | WestMIguy - 9/7/2025 21:10
The 250 I believe outputs information on a CAN communication network, then the ez steer interprets the data on the CAN network to make corrections. I believe in the AgOpenGPS world, people using EZ steer motors open them up, find the two big wires to the motor and bypass the electronics to drive it with the AgOpenGPS controller.
That is incorrect. The 250 outputs information on a CAN network, which is received by the T2 terrain compensation box (which contains a gyro and motor driver), which then interfaces with the EZ steer motor. The EZ steer motor is just a motor and an encoder wired to a plug, the motor doesn't have a microcontroller or CAN. There is no need to open or modify the EZ steer motor to use it with AgOpenGPS. Just put a DB9 plug on your AgOpenGPS harness and it plugs right in. The EZ steer motor can be plugged right back into a Trimble system. Here's what's inside the motor if one was curious: https://discourse.agopengps.com/t/trimble-ez-steer-motor-specificati...
WestMIguy - 9/7/2025 21:10
What would be your plan for interfacing the 250 to the hydraulic valve? The 250 I believe outputs information on a CAN communication network, then the ez steer interprets the data on the CAN network to make corrections.
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You might have to do the opposite, sacrifie an EZ steer motors to rob the electronics out of it, then run the two heavy motor wires to your hydraulic solenoid valves instead of the motor.
I don't think there is a simple solution to using the 250 monitor with a hydraulic autosteer valve.
You cannot sacrifice (use) the Trimble T2 and run 2 wires to a valve. The T2 expects a motor encoder signal, that's the closest thing to a wheel angle sensor input that it has.
The Trimble T3 (used for Trimble AutoPilot) can interface with a hydraulic valve (and wheel angle sensor), but supposedly the 250 cannot control a T3.
Theoretically I believe the CAN protocol could be decoded. Or a bridge PCB could be made that tricks the T2 into believing a motor/encoder are plugged in, but are actually connected to a valve and wheel angle sensor. Who is going to put in th effort to make something like that happen? I don't think you'll find any volunteers.
I concur that those efforts are probably not worth it just to continue using a Trimble 250, just pull it all out and put in an AgOpenGPS system. |
Autosteer hydraulic valves
