Biocontrol VaDia User guide

VaDia Startup Guide v1.1 1/25 www.biocontrol.no/vadia

1. WELCOME

Thank you for using VaDia; BioControl’s instrument for logging vacuum during

milking (‘wet test’).

BioControl (www.biocontrol.no) provides technology for biology with focus on

hi-tech products for the livestock industry. We already do this for more than 20

years now and have gained great competence and skills in this specialized

area.

The name VaDia is short for ‘Vacuum Diagnostics’ and illustrates the value of

this hi-tech instrument for technicians, advisors and other professionals in the

dairy industry that want to understand and manage udder health and milk

quality problems.

VaDia has been developed by BioControl in close cooperation with the

International Dairy Federation (www.fil-idf.org) and Tine, the Norwegian dairy

farmers cooperative (www.tine.no).

We have designed VaDia to be the precision instrument that enables you to

get better understanding of the basic milking, give better milking advice and

achieve better udder health and milk quality results.

VaDia Startup Guide v1.1 2/25 www.biocontrol.no/vadia

Contents

1. WELCOME.................................................................................................1

1.1. Changes in this manual compared to previous version.....................3

2. PRODUCT DESCRIPTION........................................................................3

3. IMPORTANT! .............................................................................................4

4. PACKAGE CONTENTS.............................................................................5

5. HARDWARE OVERVIEW..........................................................................6

6. FIRST TIME SETUP ..................................................................................7

6.1. Install programs..................................................................................7

6.2. Power up ............................................................................................7

6.3. USB connector ...................................................................................7

6.4. Battery................................................................................................7

6.5. Battery charging .................................................................................8

6.6. Status LED .........................................................................................8

7. WORKING WITH THE VADIA....................................................................9

7.1. Starting a log session in normal mode (not Bluetooth)......................9

7.2. Starting a log session in streaming mode (Bluetooth mode) .............9

7.3. Attach VaDia to the milking cluster...................................................10

7.4. Connecting the vacuum sensors......................................................10

7.5. Start logging .....................................................................................12

7.6. Saving the log file on the PC............................................................13

7.7. Battery Capacity Indication...............................................................14

7.8. Work with the log files.......................................................................14

8. ADVANCED USERS................................................................................15

8.1. Make a Bluetooth connection (streaming mode)..............................15

8.1.1. Add a Bluetooth device to your PC (Win XP)...............................15

8.1.2. Add a Bluetooth device to your PC (Win 7)..................................17

8.1.3. Enter correct COM-port in VaDia Manager..................................18

8.2. Set VaDia ID (if more than one VaDia is used)................................19

8.3. Calibrate the vacuum sensors..........................................................20

8.4. Update VaDia firmware....................................................................21

8.4.1. Install the program VaDia Program Loader..................................21

8.4.2. Load new firmware into the VaDia...............................................21

9. TECHNICAL DATA ..................................................................................22

10. CE DECLARATION OF CONFORMITY ..................................................23

11. VADIA LIMITED WARRANTY & LIABILITY LIMITATIONS.....................24

NOTICE FOR BIOCONTROL CUSTOMERS IN THE EUROPEAN UNION ...25

VaDia Startup Guide v1.1 3/25 www.biocontrol.no/vadia

1.1. Changes in this manual compared to previous version

•Startup Guide v1.1 changes compared to Startup Guide v1.0:

- Added chapter 7.7 (elaborates on battery capacity indication)

2. PRODUCT DESCRIPTION

VaDia logs the vacuum during milking (wet test) at four points in the milking

cluster. It is battery operated and small and lightweight enough to be taped to a

teat cup during milking. VaDia works completely ‘standalone’ which enables

the advisor to forget about the actual measurement and concentrate on

observing milking routines. The logged data can be analyzed after milking with

VaDia Viewer, an easy-to-use PC-tool to view vacuum details and generate

summary reports.

A Bluetooth streaming mode is standard available for real-time in-parlour

diagnostics. This feature is especially handy for advisors, schools and practical

farmers who can use VaDia as a training tool for new milkers and students.

VaDia can be used on all brands and types of milking equipment, including

milking robots.

The vacuum logging points can be defined by the user

This manual is for VaDia Manager 1.06 and VaDia firmware 1.01.019

Visit the section ‘Community’ on www.biocontrol.no for latest software

and documentation.

VaDia Startup Guide v1.1 4/25 www.biocontrol.no/vadia

3. IMPORTANT!

VaDia is taped to the milking cluster for use during milking.

Note the ‘splash proof’ housing specification (chapter 8)!

This means that special attention is required to protect it from

water ingression!

The USB-port and the battery cover must be sealed with tape

before taping VaDia to a milking cluster

In applications where water contact is very likely (e.g. robots)

the VaDia should also be put in a plastic bag.

Failing to take these preventive actions will allow water and

moist to enter and this is not covered by the warranty!

VaDia measures vacuum

in reference to the air

pressure in its enclosure.

Therefore do not seal the

VaDia with tape until the

moment of using it.

Robots:

switch-off

steam cleaning!

The USB-port and

battery cover must be

sealed with tape before

taping VaDia to a milking

cluster

VaDia Startup Guide v1.1 5/25 www.biocontrol.no/vadia

4. PACKAGE CONTENTS

Check your package for the following items. Please contact your reseller if

anything is missing or different.

1. VaDia with rechargeable battery

2. Battery charger

3. USB cable

4. Startup Guide

5. Software CD

6. Needle tool

7. Silicon tube (2 m. roll)

8. Straw tube (1m. roll)

VaDia Startup Guide v1.1 6/25 www.biocontrol.no/vadia

5. HARDWARE OVERVIEW

1. Vacuum sensors

2. USB cap

3. Status LED

4. Rechargeable battery

5. Battery cover

6. Overheating sensor

7. Battery type selector

VaDia Startup Guide v1.1 7/25 www.biocontrol.no/vadia

6. FIRST TIME SETUP

Before using your VaDia, please follow these steps.

6.1. Install programs

The CD contains a set of programs. Do the following:

•Run the program ‘Install VaDia Manager’ to install this on your PC.

Do not connect the USB cable (2-3) until instructed by the install wizard.

•Run the program ‘Install VaDia Viewer’ to install this on your PC.

Latest program versions can be found in the chapter VaDia/software in the

Community section at www.biocontrol.no.

6.2. Power up

The VaDia is supplied with a charged rechargeable battery (3-4). A plastic tab

between battery+ and compartment prevents battery draining during transport

and storage. Remove this plastic tab. Startup sequence is:

•The status LED (3-3) will flash red 5 times.

•Then the status LED will flash green 7 times.

•There will be a pause of 15 seconds without any light.

•After this 4 green flashes every 15 seconds to indicate ‘idle’ status (waiting).

See table in 6.6 for more details on this status indication. Charge the battery

and check the battery connection if this status indication doesn’t happen when

the plastic tab is removed. See below for battery charging.

6.3. USB connector

The USB connector is used for both connection to the PC and for

battery charging.

Use USB cable 4-3 to connect to the PC and Charger 4-2.

6.4. Battery

The supplied battery is rechargeable (NiMH). On a fully charged NiMH battery,

the VaDia logs approx. 10 hours, it typically takes approx. 5 hours to recharge.

If the NiMH battery is empty and the VaDia must be used, you can also use

standard alkaline batteries (1.5V AA-type), but you must set the battery

switch (5-7) not pointing at NiMH! Do not forget to replace the alkaline

battery by the NiMH again and set the switch to NiMH position again

before connecting to the charger!!

It is always handy to have a pack of 1.5V alkaline batteries with you while on

the job to deal with unexpected battery-empty cases.

VaDia Startup Guide v1.1 8/25 www.biocontrol.no/vadia

6.5. Battery charging

Charging is performed trough the USB-cable 4-3, power can be taken from the

provided Charger 4-2, a USB-port on a PC or a USB hub. As the charging is

electronically controlled, there is no need to unplug the USB when charging is

complete. Leaving the VaDia on the charger means that the battery will remain

fully charged until the next time you use the VaDia.

6.6. Status LED

The status LED (3-3) shows the current status of the VaDia.

Status

Function

Off

Battery discharged

Red, short flash once per s

Battery too low to start

Green, 4 flashes once per 15 s

Green, 1 flash once per 15 s

Green, 2 flash once per 15 s

Green, 3 flash once per 15 s

Green, 1 flash per s

Blue, 1 flash per s

Red, one flash once per 15 s

MODE is IDLE; VaDia not started yet

MODE is LOG or LOG BT; wait for vacuum

Same as previous; battery level low

Same as previous; battery level very low

MODE is LOG or LOG BT; vacuum present

MODE is LOG BT; streaming mode active

Mode is STOP; Logs have been stored

While charging, the LED is yellow instead of green and violet instead of blue.

VaDia Startup Guide v1.1 9/25 www.biocontrol.no/vadia

7. WORKING WITH THE VADIA

7.1. Starting a log session in normal mode (not Bluetooth)

•Connect the battery

•Connect the VaDia to the PC with USB cable 4-3.

•Start the program VaDia Manager (should be installed, see 6.1)

If there is still data from a previous logging session stored in the VaDia

memory, save that log to a file first. When a new logging session is started, the

old data will be lost! See chapter ‘Save logging file’ for how to save a log.

Make sure the Bluetooth checkbox is NOT checked when

initializing a logging in normal mode.

Click “Start” to start a new logging session. By doing so, the

log memory is deleted and the clock-calendar is set equal to

the PC clock

After the VaDia logging mode is initialized, click “Status” to

confirm that the initialization was successful. The clock should

be equal to the PC-clock, and the mode should be “LOG”. The

battery voltage should be 1.3 V or higher.

Example 1 Example 2

In the above Example 1, the battery is too low (1.16V). There will be a risk of

power loss during the milking session! Charge the battery first or replace it with

a fully charged one. NB! After replacing the battery, the VaDia will enter IDLE

mode and the clock setting will be lost. It must be initialized again to enter the

LOG mode.

As soon as the VaDia is initialized, disconnect the USB cable and close the

USB cap (5-2). Now the VaDia is ready for work!

7.2. Starting a log session in streaming mode (Bluetooth mode)

As in 7.1, but now select the Bluetooth checkbox. See above Example 2.

In this case the battery is sufficient (>1.3V), the status is indicated as LOG BT.

Note that the streaming mode (BT) consumes quite some more power than the

normal mode. So VaDia operational time will be significantly less.

Note: It is presumed that the Bluetooth connection between the VaDia and the

PC is setup correctly. See 8.1 for setting-up the Bluetooth connection.

VaDia Startup Guide v1.1 10/25 www.biocontrol.no/vadia

7.3. Attach VaDia to the milking cluster

Use PVC or duct tape to attach the VaDia to the teat cup. Duct tape is often

selected for fast working and to prevent for leaks.

Note: don’t be afraid to install VaDia ‘upside-down’.

7.4. Connecting the vacuum sensors When the VaDia is attached to the teat cup,

the vacuum sensors (5-1) must be

connected to the vacuum sources by

means of the supplied silicon tube (4-7) and

straw tube (4-8)

Slide the straw tube over the supplied

needle tool (4-6) and cut it to the desired

length with a side cutter or strong scissors.

Do not use more than 30 mm of this tube!

The length is actually given by the length of

the needle of the pierce tool.

Note: the needle tool in the pictures is

different from the supplied needle tool (4-6).

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