Jenquip EC09 User manual
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Handbook
EC09 Electronic Platemeter
Jenquip Pasture Management Soware is supplied with your platemeter on a USB
sck. Manual entry of data is required, or users can enter data into 3rd party apps
or the Jenquip App, which may be purchased separately. Use of the Jenquip App
allows users to store paddock data for unlimited number of farms.
Contents
1. Introducon/ Important safety note
2. Assembly Instrucons
3. Top handle assembly instrucons /grooved rod extension
4. Operang the platemeter
5. Zero calibraon
6. Start up/self test
7. Selecng the factory default formula
7. Other formulas
8. Entering your own formula for displaying total covers
8-9 Entering your own formula for displaying available covers: Changes to
the EC09 model
10-11 Using your platemeter/taking paddock readings (the pasture walk)
12. Soware
12. Maintenance
13. Replacing the baery
14-16 Fault nding
16. Servicing
1
Introducon
Congratulaons on the purchase of your EC09 Platemeter. This platemeter is a
highly engineered precision device for measuring the average height of pasture
relave to density of the pasture.
This is directly relave to the quanty of dry maer present (kilograms of dry mat-
ter – kg DM/ha).
Your platemeter will become an invaluable tool in your farming operaon for day-
to-day feeding decisions and long term feed budgeng.
Important safety note
Read and understand all the instrucons before using the platemeter. A copy of
this user guide can be downloaded from www.jenquip.co.nz or www.nzagriworks.
co.nz
Your platemeter is designed only for measuring pastures. Use it for no other
purpose (e.g. it is not a walking sck.) This platemeter has been manufactured
using quality materials and techniques, however, if faults do occur, have them
corrected before you use the platemeter.
Be careful around electric fences. Parts of the platemeter will conduct
electricity!
Store the plate correctly. Be careful that the wind does not blow the plate away. It
is not to be thrown.
Water blasng or submerging the unit will void the warranty.
!
Assembly Instrucons
The platemeter is supplied in three parts:
The plate
The plate sits on top of the pasture to establish average height and density. The
area-to-weight rao of the plate has been carefully calibrated.
The rod with meter
The grooved rod allows pasture to be measured in 0.5 cm intervals (clicks). The
rod includes the electronic meter.
The handle
Aach top handle to the rod. Ensure that the rod does not fall through the coun-
ter as this will damage the gear and void warranty.
2
3
Top Handle assembly instrucons
Screw top handle onto the top of the
grooved rod where it comes out of
the counter.
Put 4 drops of thread locker into the
female end.
Screw threaded rod extension into grooved
rod and do up rmly by hand,
wiping o any excess thread locker that may
have leaked out with a dry cloth. Do not use
tools as this will damage the grooved rod.
Refer to the handbook for zero calibraon
before use.
Grooved Rod Extension (for the
400mm model)
Turn upside down and slip o the O ring.
Operang the platemeter
Switching the unit on and o
The platemeter is switched on and o using the
black switch at the back of the unit. O is in the
‘down’ posion. When the unit is o there are
no numbers displayed on the LCD screen.
Rubber Bung
On/o switch
Front display buons
The various funcons of the platemeter are ac-
cessed by the two buons on the front of the unit, labelled ‘Height/Reset’ and
‘Count/Formula’. The words in bold type are the primary funcons.
These are acvated by a short press of the
buon. The secondary funcons ‘Reset’ and
‘Formula’ are acvated by holding the buon
down unl the funcon operates. When the
unit is rst switched on, the display will show
the current formula in use and the calculated kg
DM/ha based on that formula, and any read-
ings in memory. Pressing the ‘Height’ buon will
briey display the average pasture height. This is
oen referred to as “clicks” (measured in 0.5cm)
and will be displayed to one decimal place (i.e.
0.0 or 12.4)
1 click = 0.5 cm
The number of readings is displayed when the
‘Count’ buon is pressed. The display will show
a ‘c’ on the le side and the count on the right. The display will return to normal
aer two seconds.
All readings can be cleared (reset) by holding down the ‘Reset’ buon for approxi-
mately two seconds, then the display will change to “0”.
4
5
Zero Calibraon
To ensure that the platemeter accurately measures the compressed height of the
pasture the platemeter must be calibrated. This requires seng a base level of
zero so that measurements can be benchmarked against this. If the counter does
not return to zero aer each “plonk” it will not record the measurement – hence
the counter will not beep.
If the counter is removed from the grooved rod or receives a severe knock it may
jump a groove on the steel sha which will put the counter out of calibraon.
It will need to be recalibrated.
To do this, work through the following steps:
1. Ensure the plate is fully down (place on a rm at surface) and the unit is
switched o.
2. Hold the “Count” buon while switching the unit on. The display will
change to “CAL” briey and display a colon (:) followed by a number. Let’s
assume you see “.5” when you switch on. Proceed as follows:
3. The colon signies that it is in ne calibraon mode. Remove the
protecve rubber bung by levering it out gently using a at-bladed
screwdriver. Use a at bladed screwdriver and
turn the plasc or steel sha within the cog
an clockwise, unl the display reads “0”.
NB: the cog and steel sha must remain
staonary. DO NOT TURN THE SHAFT BEYOND
THIS POINT OR YOU MAY DAMAGE THE
POTENTIOMETER. Once the counter reads
zero, move the counter up the full length of
the sha. The colon will disappear once it
passes 9 and enter “clicks” mode. At the full height the display should
read approximately “50” which is 50 half cenmetres. The counter has
now been calibrated successfully.
4. Switch o when you have nished, and then back on again without
pressing any buons.
5. Test the zero calibraon by raising and lowering the plate several mes.
A beep should sound and the kgDM/ha displayed as the plate falls. If it
does not, repeat the steps above and retest.
If calibraon fails to hold, then the potenometer, which the cog drives, may
be damaged and will need replacing. This can occur with excessive wear, oen
compounded by dust and dirt entering the dry bearing of the potenometer.
6
Start up/self test
1. Switch on
The platemeter will beep and display the current formula seng.
The formula will be displayed next with the ‘+’ part of the equaon rst
(default 500) and then the ‘x’ part second (default 140.)
2. The display will then show the kg DM/ha calculaon based on that
formula and any readings stored in memory.
3. To clear the readings, press and hold the ‘Reset’ buon unl the display
shows ‘0.0’ There is one default plate equaon and one custom
(user editable) equaon. The former is built into the chip and cannot
be replaced or modied. This equaon is typically used between April
and September in New Zealand.
During start up, if the baery charge is low it will display “lo” and give two beeps.
It will sll work for some me, however it would be a good idea to take a spare
baery with you on the farm walk.
The original formulas developed for use with the platemeter were:
Dairy Pasture (reasonably consistent rainfall areas height reading x 158 + 1000 •
= Cover (kg DM/ha)
Dairy Pasture (moderate rainfall periods height reading x 158 + 200 = Cover •
(kg DM/ha)
Sheep pastures: height reading x 158 = Cover (kg DM/ha)•
The platemeter also provides an opon for selecng your own equaon or those
recommended by consultants. Your platemeter will be set up for the Dairy NZ
recommended equaon for the autumn winter/months.
Selecng the factory default formula
(This is not normally required, as this is set as the default formula)
While the platemeter is switched on, hold down the ‘Formula” buon. The display
shows “F--d” Press the ‘Reset’ buon briey. The display will then show (500) and
then (140). The default formula has now been loaded and saved to memory.
Other formulas:
To beer reect the growth stages of pastures, these formulas were derived:
Seasonal variaons of formulas
1 Winter & early spring - before stem growth x125 + 640
2 Late spring & early summer - during stem growth x130 + 990
3 Mid summer x165 + 1480
4 Early autumn - before autumn rain x159 + 1180
5 Late autumn - aer rain x 157 + 970
The above formulas are industry published. Jenquip does not provide agronomy
advice.
Entering your own formula for displaying total covers
To enter your own cover equaon or one that may have been recommended by a
third party, such as your consultant or industry body, do the following:
While the unit is switched on, hold down the “Formula” buon. “F--d” 1.
will display on the unit window. Press the formula buon again briey,
then change the “d” (default) to “c” (custom). Press “Reset” briey. “0---”
will be displayed. This is the rst of two numbers to be entered. The rst
number is the equaon “add” number and the second the “mulply number.
E.g. in equaon two above, the rst number (115) is the “mulply” number
and the second (850) is the “add” number.
The “add” number is four digits long, and can range from 0 to 9999. Starng 1.
with the rst digit, press the “Formula” buon to change this digit to a value
from 0 to 9. Press the “reset” buon when it is correct. E.g., 850 would be
7
2.
8
entered as (0850). Enter the next digit. Repeat this process unl all four digits
have been entered. The display then changes to the “mulply” number.
The “mulply” number has three digits and can range from 0 to 255. The rst 1.
digit will appear. Press the “Formula” buon to change this digit to a value of
0, 1, or 2. Press the “Reset” buon when it is correct and the next digit will
appear. Repeat this process unl all digits are entered and the display returns
to its normal state.
3.
Entering your own formula for displaying available covers: changes to
the EC09
Displays “Available” cover required in some markets.
All the current features of the EC09 are sll there and funcon in exactly the same
way.
There is now an extra opon in the menu called “A---”
This is to allow the user to input a number that the platemeter will treat as a
negave number.
The procedure for entering a number here is done in the same way you would
enter a custom formula (same buons pressed.)
For example: if the current formula was (h x 140) + 500 and the negave number
entered was 1,000, then the new formula would be: “available cover” in kg = (h x
140) + 500 – 1000”
Where “h” equals the average height recorded by the platemeter.
Each model will leave the factory with the “A---” set at “0000”
This means that the EC09 will funcon straight out of the box exactly as they do
now and this feature will have no eect, unless acvated.
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