Hi, I’m fairly new to AgOpenGPS so I have a seemingly infinite bank of questions I could really use some help with.
#1 I have spent the day trying to figure out exactly what parts I need to order and have put together a list. I believe I have all the major components for my system but could be completely wrong. If someone who knows this system well could look over this list and let me know if I’m making any mistakes that would be great
Tablet: Panasonic FZ G1 with ethernet port
Standard PCB V4.5 and parts list ordered from JLCPCB
Wheel angle sensor: Land Rover ride height sensor
Wheel angle sensor wiring pigtail
GPS Board and antenna: RTK2B
Teensy board
IMU
Motor controller
Steering Motor
I’m sure I’m missing a bunch of stuff so please let me know what I need to add to this list.
#2 My goal is to have an auto steer system accurate enough for planting and cultivating repeatedly on the same beds so I assume I will need RTK. I operate on a farm that is split between 2 property’s in hilly terrain so a ground station that relies on line of sight is out of the question. I check the NTRIP map and I do have a government station about 75km away. Is that going to work for me? How do I know if its the right kind of station for RTK?
Thanks for taking the time, I’m super excited to start the build just need to work out the logistics.
Welcome to the dark hole. Your list is about right. There will always be something else. You will find them as you go.
As far as ntrip goes, 75 km is a little far. Most recommend 10 km. You just loose precision the farther away you are. I recently tried a location that was about this far away. I got a solid fix, but when I got under some trees, I lost it and couldn’t get it back. For your situation I would recommend setting up your own base station and broadcast your own ntrip through one of the services mentioned in the rest of the forum. But to test the parts listed in 1, you can use the government corrections. They need to be broadcasting rtcm 2 or 3. Sometimes you have to subscribe to the service and ping your location every few seconds. This can all be set in AOG.
Again, welcome. Don’t be afraid to ask questions. None of us, except maybe @BrianTee_Admin, are experts. We are all learning together. Good luck.
Sounds a very good start.
If your using the steer motor and cogs youll need the relay to disconnect power to the motor when not in use or are you doing the cytron mod
Also a few switches and fuses along the way.
Enjoy the project, there will be plenty of knowledge on here if you need help.
What tractor are you planning on putting autosteer on
Hi, thank you so much.
That is what I was afraid of, so if I do have to set up a base station does it mostly consist of a second RTK2b board? or are there other costly components I need to get for the base station? what is an average base station going to cost?
Like I said in the OP My farm is split and has hills and trees so does it matter how far the base station is from the tractor if I’m using an internet based system? For reference My furthest field is within 3 miles of a convenient location for a base station. Is that too far?
Thanks for the warm welcome!
No it’s fine. Theoretical inaccuracy is roughly an additional 1mm per Km from the base IIRC so negligible at your distance.
To get started a 75Km away base will possibly work ok. We’ve had successful RTK connections over much larger distances.
A separate gps board, antenna, a small computer ( many use a raspberry pi), access to the internet.
Ok, I am planning on doing the cytron mod. Do you have any experience with installing a hydraulic auto steer system? is the install difficult? looks like the valve block costs around $800 so seems to be significantly more money compared to a steering motor
Very basic guide for what’s needed in various situations here: kits · AgHardware/Boards Wiki · GitHub
No experience of the hydraulic valve myself but plenty of users have. Ive only done steer motor on 2
The cytron mod is a bit tricky,.ive only done the relay option.
Give us a clue on what tractor.
I’ve used 3D printed cogs and Phidgets motor, Keya motor, Canbus and Baraki valve.
The Baraki hyd valve is worth the small extra cost, so much neater, does U turns much better, super smooth and no cogs to get fingers trapped in.
Can be plumnbed in really easily, but let us know what tractor, is it OC, LS, reactive or non reactive orbital have you power beyond etc…
1 Like
The tractor it is going on is a JD 5425 i don’t know off the top of my head what the hydraulic set up is on it maybe someone has installed a system on this same tractor and can give me some pointers?
I would really like to go hydraulic straight away for all the reasons you mentioned, but from what I can tell its considerably more expensive but I’m open to being convinced if that’s not the case.