Amazone Amatron 3

[Ted]

We have a new Amazone ZA-V spreader which we will be using on a Fendt 724 with a Trimble receiver in the roof.
Does anyone use a similar setup and how have you linked the receiver to the Amatron terminal to work with the GPS switch?
Is there an AGCO harness to go from the GPS socket on the Amatron to the VarioGuide serial interface socket up in the roof ?

 

[Northern farmer]

We run the older setup, Amatron+ & GPS Switch for a sprayer. If you wanted to feed position data from the tractor to your Amatron3, a simple serial cable should be sufficient (cannot remember if it needs pins 2 and 3 reversed or not).

Is the ZA-V not isobus capable? You would not need the Amatron3 screen in that case, could control it directly from the VarioTerminal.

I could check the pin assignments but you should find them from the Amazone manuals too.

 

[Pheasant Surprise]

Our ZA-V is isobus capable and we simply use the VarioTerminal to control the spreader.

If you were using the Amatron3 as a non-isobus terminal, then to get your NMEA output from the Trimble receiver you simply connect your Amatron 3 box to the roof serial port with a direct male-DB9 to female-DB9 serial cable.

 

[Ted]

Thanks guys, always good advice and a wealth of knowledge on here.
The ZA-V is fully isobus capable, however one of the things I don't particularly like about our Fendt Vario terminals is by the time you run GPS and the machine through the one terminal it becomes very congested and tends to compromise the layout of either function.
I prefer to have the Amatron controlling the spreader via the isobus plug inside the cab and the VarioTerminal left for mapping.
As you correctly point out if I can get a serial cable for the roof port back to the GPS port on the Amatron I'll be sorted.
Nothing available from our AGCO dealer so hoping the Amazone dealer will be the go to men.
Thanks again.

 

[Pheasant Surprise]

The DB9 serial port on the roof is a standard 9-pin serial port pinout - you can plug in any standard serial cable to communicate with the Trimble receiver.

@Northern farmer (sorry to put you on the spot) should be able to confirm the DB9 connector serial port pinout on his Amatron+ box (it will be the same as the Amatron 3 because the latter is backward compatible). I'd be pretty certain again its just a standard DB9 serial port pinout - to that end you only need pins Rx (2), Tx (3) and Gnd (5) on that port to communicate.

 

[Ted]

That's very good to know @Pheasant Surprise because I'm sure Amazone here in NZ will want a Kings ransom for something a little less common.

 

[Pheasant Surprise]

I use these to test (got male and female variety off Amazon, note without an 'e' ) for a couple of squid here, to quickly change around pinouts.

 

[Robt]

yes but not all manufactures use the recognised 2,3,5 pin outs..... Amazone do so you will be ok

 

[Pheasant Surprise]

yes but not all manufactures use the recognised 2,3,5 pin outs..... Amazone do so you will be ok

Bewdy mate

 

[Northern farmer]

Just confirming the pin assignments. Fendt transmits from pin #2 and the Amazone screen receives via pin #2, meaning a straight cable is good (no need to swap 2 and 3). A two wire cable would be enough, ground from pin #5 and data on pin #2.

 

[Ted]

Great stuff @Northern farmer.
I have a basic DB9 male/ female cable I can try today.

 

[Ted]

Hmm,tried our dealer supplied cable from the Amatron 3 terminal to the roof serial port in the cab for our NMEA input from the receiver but the Amatron isn't picking up any signal.
Possibly the cable is incompatible or our serial port isn't linked to the Trimble receiver perhaps. I really need to get a pair of those connector signal modules to test the #2 pin.
Interestingly when we run the spreader on our John Deere 7530 we have the Amatron 3 plugged into the isobox socket in the cab and use the GS 1800 for mapping.
When you turn the spreader on and off via the Amatron this initiates mapping on the 1800 screen but on the Fendt set up in the same manner turning the spreader on and off has no effect on mapping coverage and there doesn't appear to be a trigger value relevant.
Out of interest how have you got your ZA-V configured @Pheasant Surprise ?

 

[Richard Smyth]

Bit late to the party here but do you have the nmea output turned on and configured on the varioterminal. There are various options for the signal type that need to setup for it to work.

 

[Ted]

Hi Richard,
We have the new Agco sourced Trimble receiver which was fitted in February and seems to work fine with the tractor to date.

 

[Richard Smyth]

Was this replacing a topcon unit?

On my last post I was checking if you have turned on and configured the nmea output for your amatron 3. If not you won't get a signal in the amatron

 

[Ted]

Just checked the NMEA settings and I don't think that has been turned on and configured. Is this something we can do or are we in the lap of the dealers?

 

[Ted]

Sorry, I was checking the Vario Terminal.

 

[Richard Smyth]

You do it from the screen.

 

[Ted]

It appears my NMEA is disabled as there is no function with it and it wont toggle between on and off.

 

[Richard Smyth]

That's odd. I haven't used my nmea output for 4 years but once turned n it worked flawless.

Perhaps dealer needs to activate it and it was missed with the Trimble receiver install