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AG-NAV AgNav Platinum Operation Manual

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AG-NAV FLOW CONTROLLERS
Operations Manual for Use with AgNav Platinum
AGNAV FLOW CONTROLLER Guide
AG-NAV INC.
30 Churchill Drive
Barrie, Ontario
CANADA, L4N 8Z5
North America
International
Fax:
Revision:
1.0
1
1-800-99 AG-NAV
+1-705-734-0909
1-705-735-0880
Date: March 2019
AG-NAV Inc.

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  • Page 1 AG-NAV FLOW CONTROLLERS Operations Manual for Use with AgNav Platinum AG-NAV INC. 30 Churchill Drive Barrie, Ontario CANADA, L4N 8Z5 North America 1-800-99 AG-NAV International +1-705-734-0909 Fax: 1-705-735-0880 Revision: Date: March 2019 AGNAV FLOW CONTROLLER Guide AG-NAV Inc.
  • Page 2 AG-NAV Inc. AG-NAV Inc. provides this manual “as is”, without warranty of any kind and reserves the right to make improvements and/or changes to the product described in this manual at any time and without notice.
  • Page 3 In the event of a problem that cannot be resolved using the information supplied, please contact AG-NAV. You can also gain assistance through the User’s Area on our web page at www.agnav.com. For further assistance, contact the AG-NAV Technical Support Line by telephone, fax, or email.

  • Page 4: Table Of Contents

    Table of Contents AG-NAV FLOW CONTROLLER ..................5 Guía – Flow Controller Interface ................ 5 Flow Controller Settings ..................6 Test Flow Controller ................... 8 AG-FLOW Calibration ..................12 Flow Data Display ..................... 16 Granular Flow Controller .................. 20 Granular Flow Control Calibration ..............25 Granular Flow Control Display and Functions ..........

  • Page 5: Ag-Nav Flow Controller

    To improve the effectiveness and accuracy of your application, you can use your Guía system with the AG-NAV flow controller, the AG-FLOW. While the Guía system provides the pilot with accurate guidance, the AG-FLOW regulates and provides accurate and even application on the treated areas.

  • Page 6: Flow Controller Settings

    The settings for Flow Controller are for the communications or interface between Guía and your flow controller. To access the Settings editor, select “Application” from the Main menu. Select Settings Flow Controller. Figure 2 - 1: Settings – Flow Controller AGNAV FLOW CONTROLLER Guide AG-NAV Inc.
  • Page 7 If the flow controller is for liquid spray, for example Ag-Flow or Ag-Flow UFC, you can define a color for each range of application rates (GPA or LPH). This is for variable rate display. Figure 2 - 3: Application Rate Colors AGNAV FLOW CONTROLLER Guide AG-NAV Inc.

  • Page 8: Test Flow Controller

    Figure 3 - 1: Tests Menu c) Tap “Connect” to initiate the communications with the flow controller. If the connection is good, the Platinum will get the information from the AgFlow and show it on the screen. AGNAV FLOW CONTROLLER Guide AG-NAV Inc.
  • Page 9 The gauge at the right corner shows the target and actual flow rates. Note that the tank must be filled with water and the 3-way valve should be open for this test to function properly. AGNAV FLOW CONTROLLER Guide AG-NAV Inc.
  • Page 10 PPL. The PPL setting indicates how many pulses the flow sensor will generate for each liter of liquid flowing through the pipe. After a flight, if you find the amount of chemical actually sprayed AGNAV FLOW CONTROLLER Guide AG-NAV Inc.
  • Page 11 Update Pulses/Liter: To send the new Pulses/Liter value to the flow controller to • update the flow sensor setting. Test Motor: To test the flow adjustment based on the target flow rate L/M. • Exit: To exit the Flow Controller Test. • AGNAV FLOW CONTROLLER Guide AG-NAV Inc.

  • Page 12: Ag-Flow Calibration

    As an example, assume that we use 100 liters for calibration. e) Check if the flow valve is fully or partially closed, tap “Fully Open Valve”. You should see the following display. AGNAV FLOW CONTROLLER Guide AG-NAV Inc.
  • Page 13 When water is flowing, the flow sensor will output the pulses. The AgFlow will count the number of pulses and calculate the PPL based on the calibration volume. AGNAV FLOW CONTROLLER Guide AG-NAV Inc.
  • Page 14 “Close 3-way valve”. h) Check the calculated Pulses/Liter shown on screen, and compare it to the current Pulses/Liter. If you agree with the result, tap “Pulses/Liter”. Change the value to the calculated PPL. AGNAV FLOW CONTROLLER Guide AG-NAV Inc.
  • Page 15 Tap “Update Pulses/Liter” to change the PPL setting in the AgFlow. If desired, you can run the calibration again with the new PPL. When you finish testing and calibrating the flow controller, tap “Exit” to exit the Flow Controller Test. AGNAV FLOW CONTROLLER Guide AG-NAV Inc.

  • Page 16: Flow Data Display

    As shown in the picture above, “91” gallons has been sprayed on the area. The data is used to plot the vertical tank gauge to show how much material left in tank (green bar). AGNAV FLOW CONTROLLER Guide AG-NAV Inc.
  • Page 17 Figure 5 - 2: Flow Control Functions To change application rate during flight, tap the green button at the center of Control Menu or press on the remote switches until you see the function “AppRate” in the Control Menu. AGNAV FLOW CONTROLLER Guide AG-NAV Inc.
  • Page 18 If the change is big, tap the Keyboard button to show the virtual keyboard then enter the new application rate to be used on the area. Figure 5 - 4: Edit Application Rate When done, tap to accept the new application rate and continue. AGNAV FLOW CONTROLLER Guide AG-NAV Inc.
  • Page 19 TankFull is used to reset the tank gauge. You should do this when refill the tank. The amount of TankFul is defined in Settings Spraying. Figure 5 - 5: Tank Full Function AGNAV FLOW CONTROLLER Guide AG-NAV Inc.

  • Page 20: Granular Flow Controller

    To check and change settings, select Settings Flow Controller. Select “Ag-Granular” for Flow Controller Type. Figure 6 - 1: Settings – Granular Flow Controller AGNAV FLOW CONTROLLER Guide AG-NAV Inc.
  • Page 21 Spread Material: Enter the spread material name. The material name is used to save • and read the calibration information in the aggranular.ini file. Each material has its own calibration values, it’s very important that you select the right material before flight. AGNAV FLOW CONTROLLER Guide AG-NAV Inc.
  • Page 22 To select a material, tap the “Spread Material” box then tap the Notepad button. Figure 6 - 3: Select Spread Material The list of materials already calibrated for spread is shown. Select the desired one. Figure 6 - 4: Material List to accept the material. AGNAV FLOW CONTROLLER Guide AG-NAV Inc.
  • Page 23 RPM will be used. d. Speed Adjustment: During flight, the pilot can fine tune the calibration value (turns/lb or kg) by increasing or decreasing RPM. The increment/decrement step is defined by the Speed Adjustment %. AGNAV FLOW CONTROLLER Guide AG-NAV Inc.
  • Page 24 Figure 6 - 6: Calibration Chart The threshold RPM is the RPM at which the turns/lb or kg no longer changes. After entering the calibration data, tap accept and save the data to the calibration file. AGNAV FLOW CONTROLLER Guide AG-NAV Inc.

  • Page 25: Granular Flow Control Calibration

    Note: In the granular flow controller test, you can change a value or option by tapping icon on the selected bar. You can tap and hold the touch at the center of the bar for 2 seconds to invoke the virtual keyboard to enter a value or name. AGNAV FLOW CONTROLLER Guide AG-NAV Inc.
  • Page 26 Figure 7 - 2: Test – Granular Flow Controller c) Tap the “Material” bar . d) Tap and hold the touch on the Material bar for 2 seconds. The list of materials is shown. AGNAV FLOW CONTROLLER Guide AG-NAV Inc.
  • Page 27 Tap the “Add” button to add a new material. When the keyboard appears, enter the material name, for example “bti-corncob”. When done, the new material name should be in the list. Figure 7 - 4: Add New Material Name AGNAV FLOW CONTROLLER Guide AG-NAV Inc.
  • Page 28 RPM that the motor may run in the application. During the calibration, make sure the tank always has enough material. Tap the “Calib RPM” bar and enter the calibration RPM. You can start with 20. AGNAV FLOW CONTROLLER Guide AG-NAV Inc.
  • Page 29 When the motor stops, weigh the container with material. As an example, the weight is 10.5 lbs. o) Tap the “Gross Weight” bar and enter the gross weight. Remember you can tap and hold the bar to pop up the keyboard. AGNAV FLOW CONTROLLER Guide AG-NAV Inc.
  • Page 30 Figure 7 - 7: Calibration Result at RPM 20 The Platinum will deduct the “Tare Weight” from the “Gross Weight” to get the net weight. Then calculate the number of turns per pound. The result is shown in the “Revs/lb” box. AGNAV FLOW CONTROLLER Guide AG-NAV Inc.
  • Page 31 RPMs that you will run for your application. For example, you can start with 60 (min) and stop at 120 (max). Figure 7 - 8: Run Calibration at RPM 100 r) Repeat steps m) to o) 3 times for each RPM. AGNAV FLOW CONTROLLER Guide AG-NAV Inc.
  • Page 32 RPM used during the calibration. For example if you get turns/lb = 3.51, 3.55, 3.45 for RPM = 100, the average turns/lb will be 3.50. Find the threshold RPM at which the turns/lb remained the same when increasing RPM. Figure 7 - 10: Calibration Curve AGNAV FLOW CONTROLLER Guide AG-NAV Inc.
  • Page 33 Tap the “Calib Parameters” bar. The calibration parameter editor is shown. Figure 7 - 11: Enter Calibration Parameters v) Enter the Min, Threshold and Max RPM and Turns/lb for both motors 1 and 2. Tap to accept the values. w) Tap the “Save” bar. AGNAV FLOW CONTROLLER Guide AG-NAV Inc.
  • Page 34 The calibration results will be saved to the aggranular.ini file for use in the Settings Flow Controller Ag-Granular Settings. When you select the material name, the calibration values will be loaded and used for application. x) Tap the “Exit” bar to exit the Granular Flow Controller Test. AGNAV FLOW CONTROLLER Guide AG-NAV Inc.
  • Page 35 Tank Empty current, run the motor without material then check the value of Amp1 for motor1, and Amp2 for motor2. As shown in the figure above, Amp1 was 0.2. Motor 2 was not running. The value should be around 0.5A or less. The default current is 0.5. AGNAV FLOW CONTROLLER Guide AG-NAV Inc.
  • Page 36 Tap “Set to view mode” to exit the Update mode. • Tap “Exit” to exit the UFC Extra Parameters view. • Important note: Please do not change any other parameters. These parameters are for troubleshooting and can only be changed by AgNav. AGNAV FLOW CONTROLLER Guide AG-NAV Inc.

  • Page 37: Granular Flow Control Display And Functions

    Spread Material. This way the calibration values associate with the material will be loaded and used for granular flow control. During flight the Platinum displays applied and target application rates, actual and target RPMs for monitoring. AGNAV FLOW CONTROLLER Guide AG-NAV Inc.
  • Page 38 The second indicator shows “A” for Auto Spray or “M” for Manual Spray being used. When in Auto Spray mode, the Platinum turns the motors on when the helicopter is inside the AGNAV FLOW CONTROLLER Guide AG-NAV Inc.
  • Page 39 Figure 8 - 3: Tank Empty Warning When a tank is empty, Platinum will turn the motor of that tank off. When both tanks are empty, no more coverage painting is plotted. AGNAV FLOW CONTROLLER Guide AG-NAV Inc.
  • Page 40 : When you find the motor 2 dispensing less material than expected, use this function to increase the motor speed. This function increases the target speed of motor 2 by the percentage defined by Speed Adjustment in the Calib Parameters. For example 5%. AGNAV FLOW CONTROLLER Guide AG-NAV Inc.
  • Page 41 M2OnOff: Turn Motor 2 On or Off. During the mission, if the right tank or tank 2 is outside the treated area, you can use this key to turn off motor 2. Tap this key again to turn motor 2 on. AGNAV FLOW CONTROLLER Guide AG-NAV Inc.
  • Page 42 <M2SPD+ > for motor 2. The Turns/lb or kg will be increased as well. During the flight, if any motor is jammed, the Guia will show the warning “Check Motor n” where “n” is the motor number. AGNAV FLOW CONTROLLER Guide AG-NAV Inc.

  • Page 43: Spray Modes

    Figure 9 - 1: Connection Diagram Mechanical boom switch or handle (S1), manual/auto mode switch (S2). Manual speed control potentiometer (R1), not provided by AG-NAV. DC motors with integrated optical encoders (M1 and M2) The wire and switch set up is as follows: Manual Spray Mode: Connect the Guia/Platinum boom switch wires to the money handle or mechanical boom switch S1.
  • Page 44 For both Guia Gold and Platinum, set UFC Auto/Manual switch to “Auto” mode. • The Guia/Platinum will not turn motors on/off automatically. The pilot will turn motors • on/off manually by using the mechanical boom switch. AGNAV FLOW CONTROLLER Guide AG-NAV Inc.

  • Page 45: E-Motor Flow Controller

    In order for the E-Motor flow controller to work properly, you have to select it in the Platinum Flow Controller Settings. To check and change settings, select Settings Flow Controller. Figure 10 - 1: Flow Controller Settings - E-Motor Select “Ag-Flow E-Motor” for Flow Controller Type. AGNAV FLOW CONTROLLER Guide AG-NAV Inc.
  • Page 46 It’s optional to use different colors for variable rates. If the “Vary Spray Color” option is “No”, the spray color will be defined in Settings Colors Spray On. Tap the “Settings” button for E-Motor Idle Speed. AGNAV FLOW CONTROLLER Guide AG-NAV Inc.
  • Page 47 50% does not give enough pressure to open spray nozzles, you should increase it to 75%. Use the to change the value. When done, tap to accept the value and go back to the previous page. again to exit Flow Controller Settings. AGNAV FLOW CONTROLLER Guide AG-NAV Inc.

  • Page 48: E-Motor Flow Control Test And Calibration

    Figure 11 - 1: Tests – Select AgNav E-Motor Flow Controller c) Tap “Connect EMotor” to initiate the communications with the flow controller. If the communications is OK, the EMotor information will be shown on screen. AGNAV FLOW CONTROLLER Guide AG-NAV Inc.
  • Page 49 Platinum will adjust the motor speed to meet the target flow rate. You can vary the LPM to see how fast the motor is adjusted to meet the target rate. To stop the motor, set the LPM to zero. AGNAV FLOW CONTROLLER Guide AG-NAV Inc.
  • Page 50 LPM. To know the maximum flow rate that the motor can put out, use the “Target LPM” function to increase the flow rate. At the same time the motor will run faster. Keep increasing the target LPM until the motor can not meet the target. AGNAV FLOW CONTROLLER Guide AG-NAV Inc.
  • Page 51 Flow Meter, PPL: The current PPL of flow meter. This is the value set in the memory of • flow controller and used to calculate the App Rate. Max Rate: The maximum flow rate LPM set in the flow controller. • AGNAV FLOW CONTROLLER Guide AG-NAV Inc.
  • Page 52 PPL. When the flow controller is shipped from AG-NAV, it is programmed with the default PPL from the flow sensor manufacturer. This PPL may not be accurate for the type of material you spray and/or your spray system.
  • Page 53 Tap the “Target LPM” bar. The motor should be running. When liquid is flowing through the sensor, the flow controller will count the pulses and calculate PPL. The calibration info is shown in the window at the bottom of screen. The display looks similar to this: AGNAV FLOW CONTROLLER Guide AG-NAV Inc.
  • Page 54 Now you have 3 PPL values. Average them. For example, if you get 164, 167, 165, the average value will be (164+167+165)/3 = 165.33. This is your PPL. m) Tap the “Pulses Per Liter” bar and enter the PPL value. AGNAV FLOW CONTROLLER Guide AG-NAV Inc.
  • Page 55 PPL value. If the spray coverage is more than the expected acres or hectares, you should increase the PPL value. AGNAV FLOW CONTROLLER Guide AG-NAV Inc.

  • Page 56: E-Motor Flow Data Display

    Since both AgFlow and E-Motor flow controllers are used to control the flow rate of liquid chemical, the flow data display is the same for both flow controllers. All functions used for AgFlow can be used for E-Motor flow controller. Figure 12 - 1: Select Old Area AGNAV FLOW CONTROLLER Guide AG-NAV Inc.
  • Page 57 (green bar). Functions: The functions related to E-Motor flow controller are the same as the functions of Ag-Flow. Please refer to Chapter 5 for the description of these functions. AGNAV FLOW CONTROLLER Guide AG-NAV Inc.

  • Page 58: Ultra Low Volume (Ulv) Flow Controller

    Guia Gold or Platinum must be set properly. To check and change settings, select Settings Flow Controller. **The instructions below have been displayed on an Ag-Nav Guia Platinum system** Figure 2: Platinum Navigate Settings AGNAV FLOW CONTROLLER Guide AG-NAV Inc.
  • Page 59 ” button to change the Flow Control Type to “ Ag-Flow ULV”. “Flow Rate” (LPM or GPM) will be automatically calculated based on the target application rate and speed of aircraft during flight. to accept the changes and exit the Flow Controller settings. AGNAV FLOW CONTROLLER Guide AG-NAV Inc.
  • Page 60 If you spray the areas at variable rates, a prescription map in a shape file or variable rates defined in a vfr file must be selected on the Application page. In this case, the value in the Application Rate box is the default. AGNAV FLOW CONTROLLER Guide AG-NAV Inc.
  • Page 61 The green disk inside the circle should be flashing on/off slowly. If it is solid on or off, there is no communication. APP: shows the actual application rate in oz/acre, gals/acre, or liters/ha. TAR: shows the target application rate. AGNAV FLOW CONTROLLER Guide AG-NAV Inc.

  • Page 62: Ulv Flow Controller Calibration

    ULV Flow Controller Calibration Tests To test and calibrate the ULV flow controller, run from the Main Menu. On the Tests menu, select “UFC”. Tests Menu Figure 6: Select “AgNav ULV”. Figure 7: Test UFC Menu AGNAV FLOW CONTROLLER Guide AG-NAV Inc.
  • Page 63 With ULV Flow Controller connected to the Platinum, tap “Connect ULV”. The Platinum will interrogate the ULV for information. If the communication between the Platinum and ULV is successful, the information will be shown on screen. Figure 9: ULV Information AGNAV FLOW CONTROLLER Guide AG-NAV Inc.
  • Page 64 The accuracy of ULV depends significantly on the accuracy of PPL. When the ULV is shipped from AG-NAV, it is programmed with the default PPL from the flow sensor manufacturer. This PPL may not be accurate for the type of chemical you spray and/or your spray system.
  • Page 65 Tap the “Start Calibration” bar. v) Tap the “Target LPM” bar. The motor should be running. When liquid is flowing through the sensor, ULV will count the pulses and calculate PPL. AGNAV FLOW CONTROLLER Guide AG-NAV Inc.
  • Page 66 This is your PPL. bb) Enter Pulses Per Liter: Use the Left or Right Arrow on the “Pulses Per Liter” bar to change the PPL value. You can double tap the bar to show the virtual keyboard. AGNAV FLOW CONTROLLER Guide AG-NAV Inc.
  • Page 67 Save Calibration: Tap the button “Save” to save the PPL to ULV flow controller memory. This value will be used for measuring flow and regulate flow rate during flight. Figure 14: Save Calibration Setting AGNAV FLOW CONTROLLER Guide AG-NAV Inc.
  • Page 68 • Enter the New PPL for “Pulses Per Liter:” in step n) above. The New PPL becomes the default PPL for calibration. • When the measured volume is very close to the calibration volume, i.e. within 3% error, you can save the calibration by doing step o) above. AGNAV FLOW CONTROLLER Guide AG-NAV Inc.

  • Page 69: Troubleshooting

    Then run the motors idle to see what current is shown on screen. Adjust the Tank Empty Current in the UFC Extra Parameters. The best way is to use the proximity sensors provided by AgNav. AGNAV FLOW CONTROLLER Guide AG-NAV Inc.

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