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2. Commissioning 

Step 1. Switching on your PlantControl  

1.

Withdraw the safety film to activate the factory-installed and charged 8 AA batteries. 

2.

Press the ON button 

3.

Press the MENU button 

4.

Check, if the battery status symbol on the display shows at least one bar. Otherwise charge up the 
batteries either with a mains plug or, if ordered along with the PlantControl, the solar cell. 

Step 2. Configuring your PlantControl central unit 

Settings > Controller > OK button

Press the 

-

  cursor keys in a sub-menu to scroll up or down and then select with the 

OK button

. Use 

the alphanumeric keypad for your input. 

* Device name:

 

The controller can be allocated a specific name or location. The unit name will also 
appear in data files exported. 

* Measure cycle:  

Your entry specifies the time between two measurements (minimum: 5  

sensor

  

minutes/maximum: 360 minutes). 

* Time:

 

Enter hours, minutes and seconds 

* Date:

 

Enter day, month, year 

Network number:

 

Automatically allocated. The network number is determined by the system with a 
random generator and also transmitted to all sensors linked to the PlantControl unit. 
This prevents any mutual interference from neighboring networks. 
Recommendation: Do not change the network numbers allocated by the system.

 

Radio channel:

 

The factory setting for the radio channel is  5. Channels 2,3,4 and 5 can be 
selected. The channel number should only be changed if there is radio-frequency 
interference from a neighboring installation. If you change the channel number, the 
corresponding sensors must be initialized again.

 

Frequency band:

 

The factory setting for the frequency band is 868 MHz. Two frequency bands are 
available. The 868 MHz waveband is permitted and standard in Europe. 915 MHz is 
permitted in the US and certain other countries. Your national telecommunications 
authorities can provide information on which frequency band is allowed in your 
country. You can then adjust the factory setting as needed. However, all the 
allocated sensors will also need switching to the frequency band selected (q.v. 
Operation > Sensors). 

 

If your system has already been initialized at the factory and you change the 
frequency band, the sensors will require initializing again. 

* Language: 

 

Choose between German and English. 

* LCD contrast:

 

The contrast of the LCD display can be optimized by entering a higher or lower 
number. 

* LCD light on:

 

Here, you can select how many seconds the background illumination will stay on. 
Recommendation: Set as short a period as possible to conserve battery power. 

AC Input:

 

AC Input display 

 
 

*   O N L Y   T H E S E   A D J U S T M E N T S   M A Y   B E   M A D E !  

 
 
 

11 

 

 

Summary of Contents for PlantControl CX

Page 1: ...er and Soil Moisture Sensors Operating Instructions Ver 3 46 P O Box 4 6987 ZG Giesbeek Nijverheidsstraat 30 6987 EM Giesbeek The Netherlands T 31 313 880200 F 31 313 880299 E info eijkelkamp com I ht...

Page 2: ...mmissioning 11 Step 1 Switching on your PlantControl 11 Step 2 Configuring your PlantControl central unit 11 Step 3 Initializing a repeater 12 Step 4 Repeater settings 16 Step 5 Initializing the senso...

Page 3: ...the display and analysis of the measured data Optional accessories Solar cell with cable connection to the Data Logger PlantControl D central unit External antenna for enhanced signal reception Plant...

Page 4: ...e sensors require no maintenance and have no corrosion prone parts In developing the Plant Control D performance the ease of use and reliability were given the greatest priority General Features Up to...

Page 5: ...Soil temperature 0 1 C Sensors for soil moisture measurements at soil temperature range between 2 C to 50 C on request 5 Quick start guide At the office 1 Connect cable for mains connection or solar c...

Page 6: ...export functions via USB interface 11 Alarm LED 12 GPRS Terminal LED Flashes every 3 seconds when network connection is established 13 Busy LED Lights up when the central unit is busy operating panel...

Page 7: ...icture above shows the connection terminals for the mains Besides the phase P and the neutral line N a ground wire has to be used The power cable is fed through one of the cable entries and connected...

Page 8: ...l Switching on switching off checking power supply Please note that repeater are usually delivered with built in rechargeable batteries 8x AA 1 Unscrew the 4 screws and remove the front cover 2 Attach...

Page 9: ...ately CAUTION When you remove the sensor cover take care to put it back on the same sensor Sensor operation Please note that the sensors are usually supplied without installed batteries Switching on s...

Page 10: ...nsor has not been initialized yet LED stays on continuously Error The frequency band switch on the sensor has been changed and no longer matches the frequency band on the PlantControl unit switch off...

Page 11: ...e network numbers allocated by the system Radio channel The factory setting for the radio channel is 5 Channels 2 3 4 and 5 can be selected The channel number should only be changed if there is radio...

Page 12: ...unit Repeater 1 Repeater 2 Input 0 Input 2 Repeater 5 Repeater 4 Repeater 3 Input 3 Input 4 Input 5 1 Select Initialize Repeater OK button 2 Before initializing a repeater you must first make the foll...

Page 13: ...with repeater number 6 Example repeater number 3 Enter under in direction of Controller the number 1 as repeater number 3 is connected with the PlantControl central unit via repeater number 1 Enter un...

Page 14: ...ting removing repeater number 9 1 Switch off repeater number 9 by removing the battery connector from the battery holder It is not enough to just pull out the AC adapter or solar cell cable 2 Deactiva...

Page 15: ...of repeater configurations 15 PlantControl Central unit Repeater 1 Repeater 3 Repeater 2 PlantControl Central unit Repeater 1 Repeater 2 PlantControl Central unit Repeater 1 Repeater 3 Repeater 2 Rep...

Page 16: ...16 Step 4 Repeater settings Settings Repeater OK button Number of repeaters This is automatically assigned based on the number of initialized repeaters For this reason the figure should not be changed...

Page 17: ...the system so that clear allocation is later guaranteed between the sensor and the data record You can then initialize the next sensor If a sensor is not recognized fail will appear in the display In...

Page 18: ...sensor Deactivate OK button Use the cursor keys to move to the next or previous sensor and to deactivate another sensor If you want to initialize again a deactivated sensor proceed with steps 1 to 8 a...

Page 19: ...OK key 3 Email send To test your settings or to manually initiate a transmission select Email send followed by the OK key only after entering all the parameters The GPRS Modem will immediately transm...

Page 20: ...s PlantCare settings Data retrieval by SMS In addition to automatic data transmission the data required can also be sent to any e mail address by sending an SMS to the GPRS Modem Use the following pro...

Page 21: ...ically remove the SIM Card from the GPRS Modem insert it in a mobile phone and make a phone call Some providers also accept an outgoing message as an outgoing call If this is the case with your provid...

Page 22: ...nsor at least 1 yard from the controller and briefly press the sensor s On Off button After a few seconds the PlantControl unit s display will show the full identification of the corresponding sensor...

Page 23: ...reset so that the sensors will not require initializing again Initialize Code Input OK button Enter here the code obtained from the manufacturer for the activation of additional functions Alarm text D...

Page 24: ...s Areas of shade should be avoided To avoid erroneous measuring results caused by water logging the sensor should not be positioned in dips in the ground If a sprinkler system is used ensure that the...

Page 25: ...sensor tip yellow part in water felt must be wet 4 Insert the sensor cautiously Never rotate the sensor when inserting or pulling out as this may unscrew the yellow sensor tip 5 Water the area around...

Page 26: ...advisable to use several dripper with a correspondingly lower water outlet per plant in order to achieve a better distribution of water Plants are very adaptive and the roots will grow into those are...

Page 27: ...wireless sensor the radio link between the sensor and Plant Control D CX or FA central unit should not be disturbed Since the radio transmission can be disturbed by the water in the leaves or any oth...

Page 28: ...ber endings H n m n m t K 1 1 1 1 1 Standard soils from the Agricultural Research Institute LUFA Speyer n m 1 1 28 Standard Soils Analyses Data Sheet 9 11 Mean values of different batch analyses stand...

Page 29: ...ard soils 5 1 6 2 3 fine textured soils medium textured soils coarse sand 4 European Union soil texture pyramid classification German soil texture pyramid classification FAO soil texture pyramid class...

Page 30: ...inserted into the USB port of the PlantControl central unit By selecting the command Firmware update the firmware is automatically installed This can take up to 10 minutes Firmware Update GPRS If a n...

Page 31: ...6 Troubleshooting The numbers and values used in this table are only examples Content coming soon 31...

Page 32: ...signed matches the number on the sensor cover 8 Warranty Your dealer will issue a two year warranty for this product from date of purchase This warranty covers all substantial defects of the unit that...

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