Near Intersection of I-35 & I-90 Southern Mn. | I believe your system is wired correctly. It is not wired as you and I might have first expected. I applaud your efforts in trying to think through the logic and question the wiring. The mental exercise will be helpful if you should need to troubleshoot the system in the future.
Here's the story. The Ag Leader Clutch Control Module like most other clutch/sections systems uses power to STOP planting. This is the opposite logic of what one is used to using with a sprayer. With a sprayer and section valves the systems use power to ALLOW application.
This reversal in logic can confuse a person rather easily. There are few reasons this is done this way. 1) it is somewhat fail safe in that if the wire is cut, the section will still plant 2) power is only used or needed when the section is not planting meaning that the majority of the time no power is being used. You are able to plant by disconnecting it if necessary.
Ag Leader also does something else which confused me at first. I and you likely expected that the clutches (relays for you) would have a common ground and be supplied 12V when the system decided that a clutch or relay should be activated to STOP planting. They do not do it that way.
Ag Leader provides a common 12V to each clutch (relay) The section wires to STOP planting actually complete ground. This means that in normal planting each section would be receiving 12V at all times. When the system decides that a section should stop, it completes the Ground to that section. This causes the appropriate clutch to disengage. In your case it activates the relay in your drawing. So the fact that each relay coil appears to be connected to 12V at all times is correct. This means that terminal 85 of each relay gets 12V at all times.
The wires from the Clutch Module section outputs go to terminal 86 of each relay. This means that the Clutch Control Module CAN complete ground which will activate that relay.
The relay itself has 12V high current on terminal 30. This is the terminal that does the actual "work" of moving the Slectro arm and wheel. Since the relay is a double throw type, terminal 30 will be connected to terminal 87 or 87a. Terminal 30 will be connected to one or the other, always one, never both. This means the load of moving the Slectro arm is handled by the relay rather than the Clutch Control Module. This also allows a reversal of logic if necessary (use 87 or 87a to get the correct action).
One might ask why Ag Leader decided to use the make/break ground approach rather than the make/break hot approach that might seem more logical. I don't know, but they do utilize a method of checking the wiring which can be helpful but maybe confusing.
Since each clutch or relay is fed 12V at all times and each clutch or relay has a coil involved, 12V should be present on the other terminal of the coil if it were not connected to ground. After all the coil is just a really long piece of wire. Ag Leader uses this fact to check on the health of the wiring. Upon initial startup and at other times, the system "looks" for 12V on all the possible clutch ground wires. A single Clutch Control Module can handle 12 sections. Those that are connected to an actual clutch or relay should show 12V. Those that are not being used or have gotten cut etc. will not show 12V. The system consults your configuration to decide if the correct number and locations are found. If there is an exact match then things proceed otherwise an error message is presented.
Example. You have your planter setup in four sections. That means you would use four relays. You would create a planting configuration informing the system that you have four sections. Since the Clutch Control Module can handle up to 12 sections there are 12 sections wires. For correct operation there should be 12V returning on the wires for sections 1-4 and nothing of the others. If this does not agree, an error message reports what it found in an effort to help you troubleshoot the problem.
This check is helpful but not 100% foolproof. I have a single Clutch Control Module which can handle 12 sections. I have a 24 row planter with a 12 sections frame harness. This means that I have 12-2 row sections. Rows 1 & 2 cycle ON/OFF together, Rows 3 & 4 etc. Upon initial startup since my configuration calls for 12 sections, it looks for 12V returning on those wires. It will find 12V on those wires if both row clutches are plugged in and available which is normal. Even if only one of the pair is plugged in, the system will still see 12V returning and assume all is well.
If I tried to plant with one of each pair unplugged, the system would not complain. When I got to point rows etc, the Clutch Module would attempt to shut off rows in pairs but of course, the row that was not plugged in would continue to plant.
You mention that when you flip ON the Master and the the section switches are OFF you hear the relays click. That is correct. Because you have the Master ON, the system will consult the sections switches which are all off. That means no sections should plant, so the Clutch Control Module will complete ground to all sections. This will activate all relays to prevent planting.
Actually with the planter UP, this would happen with no regard to the switch settings. The implement switch is in control and the fact that the planter is UP will cause the system to prevent planting on all rows.
For the system to allow planting several things are involved: Implement switch must inform the system that the planter is down, Master switch says OK to plant, Sections switches say OK to plant, Auto swath says area has not been planted. Changing any of these will cause some or all sections to STOP planting.
I would check each section switch individually. With the planter down. Start with the Master and all section switches ON. Now flip off Section switch #1 and watch the Selectro Arms. I"ll bet you will see that half of the arms move to prevent planting, you may have been expecting only the Section #1 arms to move. Now flip Sections switch #1 back on and those arms should return the other way. Now flip Section switch #2 off. This time I'll bet that the other arms move to prevent planting.
That would be what I would expect. Auto Swath will still shut off the sections one at a time but by default only the Master and Section switches #1 and #2 are used for a manual override.
Many operators would expect that a section switch is used for each section This can be done by reassigning the switch inputs. For example, with a six section setup, the default configuration will assign Section switch #1 for the left half (sections 1-3) and Section switch #2 for the right half (sections 4-6). Auto swath will shut them off one section at a time. If the operator prefers this can be changed so that Sections switches 1-6 are used with a switch for each section.
I hope this helps, there are several areas where a reversal of logic gets involved.
Edited by tedbear 5/24/2020 08:51
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Slectro Row Shutoff with Versa and Clutch Control, DirectComman
