Near Intersection of I-35 & I-90 Southern Mn. | I have used Ag Leader's Application Rate Module with an Insight, Integra and now InCommand 1200 through the years. Most of the time this has been to monitor my starter fertilizer on a corn planter. The fertilizer rate is determined by a setting on a ground driven pump. The fertilizer passes through a Raven flowmeter then splits through Wilger flow monitors on its way to each row. The configuration in the Ag Leader uses the meter cal for the flow meter to convert the pulses it receives from the flow meter into usable units of gallons. Thus the Ag Leader is able to display gallons/minute. Since it also knows the ground speed and implement width, the Ag Leader can display the gallons/acre being applied. Besides showing this rate, it creates an application map.
I use this to monitor the rate/acre and make adjustments to the pump if necessary. According to my display comparison chart the Versa should be able to do this as well.
I have also messed with the Arduino concept some over the past two winters. I have not tried using one as an input to an Application Rate Module but it seems very possible to me. The device whether it is a flow meter or shaft sensor needs to "short" the signal line to ground creating a logic "low" and then allow it to return to a logic "high". A pullup resistor may be needed to help return to logic high.
If I were going to try this (I might next Winter), I would first setup a common momentary pushbutton switch on a breadboard with a 10K pullup resistor between the Power source and the signal line. I would put the pushbutton switch between the signal line and ground. No Arduino would be involved at this stage. I would connect this to the Ag Leader display and Application Rate module on the bench. I would create a test configuration and a self test speed. I would need to enter a test meter cal into the configuration.
Then pushing the switch button should cause the signal line drop to a logic low, releasing it should allow it to return to a logic high. Pushing and releasing the button at a fairly steady rate hopefully will produce some action on the Ag Leader. If this happens one could move on to using the Arduino. There would be limits on the rate of these pulses. I have no idea what the rate limits would be. If the pulse rate is too slow then the rate would drop out. If the pulse rate is too high, the module may not be able to keep up and would miss some of the pulses making the results inaccurate. My guess is this range is fairly wide.
The Application Rate Module can communicate with other third party devices through a serial connection. I have done this in the past and successfully used an Ag Leader/Application Rate Module with a Raven 440/450. A special cable is needed to mate the two devices. Serial communication with other devices depends on a common communication protocol. By choosing the type of device you are going to work with in the configuration, the Ag Leader then "knows" what communication protocol to use. In the case of the 440, it is the protocol that Raven decided to use with their products. Although this is probably possible for your project, it seems much more complex to me. You would need to pick a communication protocol that Ag Leader supports and then have the Arduino follow those "rules" for its output.
I would investigate the direct approach first. I'm curious as to the need for the Arduino since a common flow meter or shaft sensor could be used for the applications I can think of.
Keep us informed. Good Luck. |
Using an Arduino and interfacing with AG leader
