Seeding alarms: rate, skips, doubles, NOT UNDER CONTROL

What to do when a seed or fertilizer line of the Hectare Mini sows too little or too much, has too many skips or doubles, sows into a tramline — or when the panel is not controlling at all.

These alarms come from the seed sensors and the fertilizer sensors. The device line tells you which line — for example Seed sensor: #4. The limits are the settings of the group (Seed and fertilizer sensors). Check the speed first in every case: a wrong travel speed makes every rate per metre wrong.

NOT UNDER CONTROL

What it means. Not an alarm window: the seed diagram shows “NOT UNDER CONTROL”. Seed flows, but not through enough lines to meet the condition for control — fewer than “Percent of sowing,%” of the seed lines sow within the target. Until the condition is met the panel watches no seeding fault.

What to check, in this order:

1. The speed on the panel matches the real speed.
2. The target rate — in “Flow” the alarm level — on the home screen: is it far above what the machine really sows? — Change the target rate.
3. “Fraction” of the seed sensors — too high a value hides small seeds.
4. Enough seed in the hoppers.

“Under allowable rate”

What it means. A line sows less than permitted: in “Flow” below the alarm level, in “Hybrid” and “Precise” below the target by more than “Rate error,%”.

What to check, in this order:

1. The speed on the panel matches the real speed.
2. Enough seed in the hoppers.
3. The metering unit works and is set right.
4. “Fraction” of the sensors — it may have to be lowered.
5. The sensor itself — its state on the status screen (The sensor status screen).

“Over allowable rate”

What it means. A line sows more than the target plus “Rate error,%”. Only in “Hybrid” and “Precise”.

What to check, in this order:

1. The speed on the panel matches the real speed.
2. The metering unit works and is set right.
3. “Fraction” of the sensors — it may have to be raised.
4. The sensor itself — its state on the status screen.

“High % of doubles”

What it means. The share of doubles over the last stretch is above “Doubles error,%”. Only in “Precise”, and only if that setting is not “No”.

What to check, in this order:

1. The speed on the panel matches the real speed.
2. “Doubles error,%” of the seed sensors.
3. The metering unit: vacuum, singulator, disk for the seed.
4. “Fraction” — it may have to be raised.
5. The sensor itself — its state on the status screen.

“High % of skips”

What it means. The share of skips over the last stretch is above “Skips error,%”. Only in “Precise”, and only if that setting is not “No”.

What to check, in this order:

1. The speed on the panel matches the real speed.
2. “Skips error,%” of the seed sensors.
3. Enough seed in the hoppers.
4. The metering unit: vacuum, singulator, disk for the seed.
5. “Fraction” — it may have to be lowered.
6. The sensor itself — its state on the status screen.

“Seeding to tramline”

What it means. A line that should be shut off — in a tramline bout, or with “Product application” at “No” — passes more seed than “Toler.sowing to tramline,%” of the target rate.

What to check, in this order:

1. The tramline actuator of that line shuts off — see Tramline alarms.
2. The setting “Relation of sensors to actuators” — the right lines assigned to the actuator (Seeding machine parameters).
3. “Toler.sowing to tramline,%”.

“Old firmware! Wrong S&D calc!”

What it means. A fertilizer sensor running in “Precise” has firmware too old to count skips and doubles correctly.

What to check: run the fertilizer sensors in “Flow” or “Hybrid”, or have the sensor replaced or updated by the service.

Something your machine does that this page does not answer? Write to support@agriwelt.com — an engineer answers.