Linking RDS Artemis ISOCAN to Greenstar for VRA

[Brisel]

I have an ISOCAN Artemis controller for my new Claydon drill. I need to do variable rate applications of seed & flat rate fertiliser. How do I link this to the Greenstar for mapping, shape files etc? I have a wiring loom for doing this with my old Vaderstad Rapid. Do I need a null modem ro will a straight connection via the RS232 lead suffice?

I have a radar fitted to the drill but would a GPS signal be more accurate?

@towns

 

[towns]

Hello @Brisel

It does depend on the wiring loom for the Rapid. If you PM me your email then I can share with you the Tx/Rx of the cable that is on the iSOCAN, you can then ensure that they match the Rapid loom.

With the iSOCAN, you cannot connect a GPS directly for forward speed, the modules on the drill need to see pulses. It is possible to use our SatSpeed 2 GPS unit instead of a radar, this will provide those modules directly with pulses (from GPS).

Hope that helps

 

[Camilla]

Did you find a solution for this in the end? Also looking to get a Claydon drill with Artemis controller set up for VR drilling in combination with John Deere Greenstar 2600. Would be great to get some pointers on what additional cables etc I need and set up

 

[Brisel]

Did you find a solution for this in the end? Also looking to get a Claydon drill with Artemis controller set up for VR drilling in combination with John Deere Greenstar 2600. Would be great to get some pointers on what additional cables etc I need and set up

You'll need the Precision Farming unlock code for the Artemis which isn't cheap, so make sure it's part of the deal with the drill. I have an Isocan box which is more complicated because I wanted 2 channel VR output for both the main metering system and the Stocks Rotor Meter I have when I want 2 products down the spout. In reality one is fixed rate (fertiliser in the main hopper) and the other is VR (seed in the Rotor Meter) or I'm only running one channel when doing VR seed from the main hopper & the other is a companion crop/sluggies or nothing at all.

Due to technical difficulties with the Isocan clipping field edges off which defaults the seed rate to zero I'm changing to the VR feed from the 2600 screen which is only one channel & won't be doing fertiliser through the main hopper again due to corrosion playing havoc with the blockage sensors. The 2600 VR files are much easier to work with. The RDS boxes work with shapefiles the same as Greenstar uses. I think Topcon & Patchwork boxes need different supporting files as well as the shapefiles.

SOYL supplied me with a little adaptor which switches the pins around so the RS 232 from the 2600 matches the correct pins in the Isocan. If you get it wrong the Isocan will send 12 volts back to the 2600 which won't be good for it! I had a wiring loom spliced into the Greenstar loom that connects the tractor to the 2600 Field Doc Connect pin. The 2600 instruction manual will tell you which pins you need but I got the JD dealer to make one up for me for the Vaderstad Rapid drill I used to run with VR seed before the Claydon.

In summary, talk to your JD dealer and Claydon before doing this. Talk to your precision farming map provider too - in my case this is SOYL who are very good on getting one brand to talk to another which can be fiddly initially. The team at Claydon are very good too but I haven't had much success with RDS at getting a few issues resolved though I've not tried doing battle with them again recently.

 

[Camilla]

You'll need the Precision Farming unlock code for the Artemis which isn't cheap, so make sure it's part of the deal with the drill. I have an Isocan box which is more complicated because I wanted 2 channel VR output for both the main metering system and the Stocks Rotor Meter I have when I want 2 products down the spout. In reality one is fixed rate (fertiliser in the main hopper) and the other is VR (seed in the Rotor Meter) or I'm only running one channel when doing VR seed from the main hopper & the other is a companion crop/sluggies or nothing at all.

Thanks very much for the information. Really helpful. I'll try speaking to Claydon to see what they advise re. the Artemis since they supplied it.

We don't use SOYL at the moment although we have had dealings with them for yield mapping on the CLAAS combine. Looking into some of the newer companies that allow you to generate your own VR prescription files using satellite imagery.

 

[Brisel]

There are lots of other providers of variable rate prescriptions. @Rhiza-UK is one.

 

[Rhiza-UK]

Thanks @Brisel, yes our software allows you to apply any product variably based on satellite imagery, and on your own parameters. We're moving onto daily scans this spring which guarantees the best available coverage, along with our groundbreaking SAR imagery which provides growth stage, biomass, LAI, GAI and yield forecasts. Also includes precision weather data (up to 1km accuracy) to aid with operations planning.

More details here : http://contour.Rhiza-UK.com/

 

[Mc Baler man]

I have an ISOCAN Artemis controller for my new Claydon drill. I need to do variable rate applications of seed & flat rate fertiliser. How do I link this to the Greenstar for mapping, shape files etc? I have a wiring loom for doing this with my old Vaderstad Rapid. Do I need a null modem ro will a straight connection via the RS232 lead suffice?

I have a radar fitted to the drill but would a GPS signal be more accurate?

@towns

I’m looking for a wiring loom to link vaderstad to green star gps, where did you get yours from or would you still have it to sell? Thanks

 

[Robt]

Vaderstatt sell the cable to go from the back of their box to a 9 way plug ( commonly called RS232 style) john Deere will sell you the equivalent for their box if you haven’t already got it

 

[Brisel]

I’m looking for a wiring loom to link vaderstad to green star gps, where did you get yours from or would you still have it to sell? Thanks

I've still got mine & have no use for it. The biggest pain and source of connection problems are the multiple adapters to change plug genders for the null modem required to link Greenstar and the LH5000 Vaderstad box.

 

[Matt77]

@Brisel you mentioned a few posts up that the Artemis needs an unlock code? Would you know what that does if that makes sense, my Mzuri Artemis box has a setting that says turn on PF module (I think it said) which when you select that it puts the SD card icon on in the top middle of the screen, wondering if you knew if that meant it was unlocked, I’ve now some variable rate maps to put on an SD card to put in the front, but it’s so wet I can’t test yet, I’ve also failed to make my tractor screen pass a GPS signal to the Artemis, when you used your 232 cables did the GPS signal in the top corner come straight on, I’ve set the baud rates the same I think.

 

[Brisel]

Umm. This was a while ago. I specced an Isocan Artemis unit with my drill. I wanted to do VR seed from day one & my dealer rep just forgot to price it in, so looked a bit sheepish when I pointed it out on his spec sheet. IIRC it was around £600 for the unlock. I needed the PF unlock to do VR regardless of whether the shape files were coming from the Greenstar or just the NMEA signal from the SF receiver and the shape files were running on the Artemis. A quick call to RDS techs whilst you're sat in the cab will tell you whether you can do VR or not.

Getting the Greenstar to "shake hands" with the Artemis was a real ball ache which is putting it mildly. Getting the basics right like matching baud rates is important but there is a lot of other things you'll need too. On the GS screen make sure GGA and VTG are selected. You don't need to tick all the boxes but I don't think it matters of you do.

 

[Matt77]

Umm. This was a while ago. I specced an Isocan Artemis unit with my drill. I wanted to do VR seed from day one & my dealer rep just forgot to price it in, so looked a bit sheepish when I pointed it out on his spec sheet. IIRC it was around £600 for the unlock. I needed the PF unlock to do VR regardless of whether the shape files were coming from the Greenstar or just the NMEA signal from the SF receiver and the shape files were running on the Artemis. A quick call to RDS techs whilst you're sat in the cab will tell you whether you can do VR or not.

Getting the Greenstar to "shake hands" with the Artemis was a real ball ache which is putting it mildly. Getting the basics right like matching baud rates is important but there is a lot of other things you'll need too. On the GS screen make sure GGA and VTG are selected. You don't need to tick all the boxes but I don't think it matters of you do.

Yes sorry about that but thanks, I’ve been on the phone to RDS about cables and fully explained what I was up, I kind of hope they would have mentioned it as your post is the first time I’ve seen unlock codes mentioned for the drill box.

 

[Brisel]

Who did you speak to at RDS?

The Isocan box needs unlocks for variable rate and if you wanted it, guidance. Which box do you have?

 

[Matt77]

Who did you speak to at RDS?

The Isocan box needs unlocks for variable rate and if you wanted it, guidance. Which box do you have?

Spoke to Steve at RDS.
Sorry I think I misunderstood your old post, ignore me. I thought you meant the Artemis PSI in that post not the isocan.