Near Intersection of I-35 & I-90 Southern Mn. | In some posts below a problem was discussed concerning the apparent loss of the coverage map when using an Insight. I reported that I had observed a problem of this type ocassionally with my bench simulator setup.
Yesterday I was finally able to get to the field and plant some corn (until it started raining). My setup consists of an Insight with an App Rate module. The App rate module is connected to both an implement switch and a flowmeter in the starter fertilizer line. The starter fertilizer is delivered and controlled by a ground driven pump. The planting setup is for a single variety.
Since I have multi-product unlock, I can use a compound configuration where I record information concerning the planting of the various varieties and also monitor/log/map the starter fertilizer. I am not using Seed Command for section shutoff nor Direct Command liquid control on this planter. The Insight is also the display/interface for my Trimble Autopilot.
I have used this tractor and planter with this equipment for the past two years with excellent results.
Yesderday I planted the ends and the far side of a basically rectangular field. I then started planting on the near side. All indications on the Insight were as expected.
After making the first two passes on the near side, I decided to use autopilot with last years AB line to straighten things up and proceed with autopilot doing the driving from then on. This meant that I needed to back up into a corner a bit since the field edge was not very straight at that point. This meant that the rows would overlap for a while.
I noticed as I got down the field a bit that the onscreen mapping for the varieties had ceased recording. All other indications seemed as expected. When I checked the map for the fertilizer, it was correct. In the Zoomed in view (the view I normally display) I could clearly see the large arrow which was on top of the current guidance path.
I then remembered the posts from earlier this week that indicated a similar situation. I was able to get the map going again by doing the following: I raised the planter and switched fields to a test field, accepted the configuration and selected both a corn variety and a fertilizer product and then accepted that information. These are the steps that would be done if one were actually switching to a different field.
I then switched the field again back to the real field that I was in and accepted the configuration and selected the variety and fertilizer that I was really using. The system asked if I wanted to make a new map or add to the last map. I chose add to the last map so that the planting would all be on one map.
I then lowered the planter and once again started planting. From then on, the mapping operations returned to what I would expect. My onscreen variety map has the "hole" in it where logging was not taking place but the fertilizer map is complete.
I have not noticed this problem in the past two years of operation with this equipment. I am speculating that this slight problem has come about due to some changes in the firmware that may have been implemented to take care of other problems.
In my setup, the implement switch starts/stops the variety logging. The implement switch and flowmeter together start/stop the fertilizer logging. When the problem occurred, my implement switch LED was lit indicating that the switch was working properly. The screen showed "blue" on both the planting and fertilizer tabs. All this was to be expected and proper. Again the problem was the coverage map for the varieties.
Edited by tedbear 5/7/2008 07:22
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Insight- Coverage Map Confusion
