Data exchange with automatic calf feeder, farm PC and third-party software products

• 1: VCSynchronizer: base software for data synchronisation
• 1.1: Installation
• 1.2: Importing animals from the official national animal database
• 1.3: Export of birth notifications to national animal identification service
• 1.4: Maintenance and troubleshooting
• 2: Export of animal and measurement data to the farm management PC
• 3: Synchronisation with automatic calf feeder Alma Pro
• 3.1: One-time activation and configuration of VitalControl device in the settings of the automatic feeder
• 3.2: Data synchronisation between VitalControl and Alma Pro
• 4: Data linkage with management software DSP Herde Plus or Beef
• 4.1: Setup of Technology VitalControl:
• 4.2: Data exchange between VitalControl and herd management software Herde

1 - VCSynchronizer: base software for data synchronisation

VCSynchronizer version 0.9.12, released 2025-17-04

Download VCSynchronizer

1.1 - Installation

1. Download the installation file for VC Synchronizer software.

   Note

   The downloaded installer can be used for a new installation as well as for an updating an already existing VC-Synchronizer installation to a newer version. In both cases the installation process is identical.

2. Start the installation of the program by double-clicking the downloaded file SetupVitalControlSynchronizer.exe.

3. New installation only: a language selection window opens, leave the selection English as is and click OK to start the installation.

   

4. Click Next on the welcome screen of the installer. Then accept the given license terms.

   

5. In the screen for component selection, leave options unchanged and press Next. On the next screen, leave the suggested destination folder unchanged and press Install.

   

6. Click Next on the screen that informs you about installation success. On the final screen, press Complete without selecting any of the options offered`.

   

7. VCSynchronizer software is now installed on your computer.

1.2 - Importing animals from the official national animal database

1.3 - Export of birth notifications to national animal identification service

1.4 - Maintenance and troubleshooting

2 - Export of animal and measurement data to the farm management PC

Proceed as follows to export data from VitalControl to a mass storage device of your PC:

Connect VitalControl to PC

1. Connect the VitalControl device to your computer or laptop via the supplied USB cable.

   

2. Make sure your VitalControl device is turned on.

Perform data export

1. Press the Windows key to open the Start menu

2. Windows 11 only: Click the All Apps button

3. In the list of your installed applications, scroll down to the letter U. There you should find a menu entry Urban VitalControl. If necessary, expand this entry so that all submenu entries are displayed.

   Attention

   If you cannot find the entry Urban VitalControl in your applications list, you may have to install the software VCSynchronizer on your PC first.

4. Click on the menu item Data export (CVS).

   

5. The export process is started. Once data export is finished, an Explorer window opens which displays the local data directory with the four newly created export files.

   

   Note

   You can open each of these four export files in a spreadsheet program of your choice (such as Microsoft Excel or OpenOffice Calc) and perform advanced analysis of the data there. As an example, the view of the table animals.csv in a spreadsheet program is shown below:

   

3 - Synchronisation with automatic calf feeder Alma Pro

3.1 - One-time activation and configuration of VitalControl device in the settings of the automatic feeder

To activate and set up the VitalControl device, proceed as follows:

Navigation to settings menu VitalControl

1. In the left-hand side icon list of the touchscreen terminal, click on the bottom button Settings ➀ . If you are in the main menu where no sidebar is visible, press the button   Feeder to display the sidebar.

2. In the bottom icon bar of the touchscreen terminal, click on the second button from the left Settings Touchscreen terminal ➁.

3. A list of menu items now appears in the left half of the centre screen. Click on the bottom button Accessories ➂.

4. One (or more) menu item(s) will now appear in the right-hand half of the centre screen. Click on the top button VitalControl ➃. The button now changes position and is shown in the left half of the centre screen.

5. The button   Open settings ➄ is now displayed in the bottom of the right-hand side of the centre screen. Click on this button to open a pop-up window in which page 1 of the settings menu VitalControl is shown.

Settings menu VitalControl - Page 1

Settings menu VitalControl - Page 2

3.2 - Data synchronisation between VitalControl and Alma Pro

To carry out synchronisation between the Alma Pro automatic feeder and the VitalControl device, proceed as follows:

Open USB port

1. Use a small screwdriver to loosen the locking screw on the flap of the USB port and fold it down:

   

Connect VitalControl

2. Switch on the VitalControl device by pressing the top centre On/Off button  .

3. Connect the USB-C socket of the VitalControl device using the USB cable supplied with the USB-A socket of the touchscreen .

   

Start synchronization

4. In the left side bar of the touch terminal, click the second button from the top Feeder . If you are in the main menu where no sidebar is visible, press the button    Feeder to open the feeder menu.

5. In the right sidebar of the touchscreen terminal, below the symbol(s) for the connected feeder(s), the symbol for the VitalControl device is now displayed. Click on this symbol.

   Attention
   If the symbol for the VitalControl device in the right sidebar not displayed, the device is still deactivated in the settings. In this case, follow the instructions for one-time activation of the device.

6. The synchronization screen will now appear. Click on the button Synchronize in the middle at the bottom to start synchronization with the VitalControl device.

   

   Attention
   If many animals need to be transferred, synchronization can take some time. You can see the synchronization progress on the display of the VitalControl device.
   

   

Close USB port

7. After successful synchronization, unplug the USB cable from the USB port on the touchscreen. Fold the protective cover of the port back up and secure it by tightening the locking screw using a small screwdriver.

   

   Note
   Make sure to close the flap of the USB port after each synchronization to prevent moisture from entering the port and to protect the port from the corrosive air present in your barn!
   

   

4 - Data linkage with management software DSP Herde Plus or Beef

4.1 - Setup of Technology VitalControl:

Prior to the first data exchange, the technology coupling to the VitalControl device must be created and set up once.

To set up the technology, proceed as follows:

Create new parameter set for data exchange with VitalControl device

1. Within the software Herde, open the Settings window. Depending on the configuration of your user interface, you can open this window via the menu item Organization in the main menu (top level item Settings), in the sidebar menu or in your customized toolbox (horizontal or vertical).

   

2. A pop-up window Settings opens, in whose left sidebar numerous setting categories are listed. Open the category Service ➊ and select the subcategory Technology ➋.

3. In the header of the right-hand main area, a dropdown now appears in which all defined technology parameter sets are listed. The number of set up technologies is shown to the right. Click on the button Create new technology parameter set ➌.

   

4. Another pop-up window opens. Enter VitalControl as Name of the connection and Urban VitalControl (Gen 2) as Type of Technology and then click the Accept button.

   .

   The parameter set for technology VitalControl is now created and must be configured in the next steps.

Configuration: Basic settings

Initially, the tab Basic settings is selected in the screen displayed, as shown in the figure below. Make adjustments there in the categories External program ➊, Animal data ➋, Locations ➌ and Leaving ➍ according to your farm-specific conditions.

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Category External program ➊

In order to perform data exchange between VitalControl and Herde Plus, basic software VitalControl Synchronizer is needed as external helper program. For the correct function of this program, some adjustments have to be made in the category External program ➊.

• Device name for data exchange:
  By default this field is empty. However, it is recommended to enter the name of your computer here. To do so, press the icon Arrow down at the right end of the drop-down field. Your computer name will now be determined and displayed for selection inside the drop down list. Once the field is filled with your computer name and this setting is stored, data exchange can only be triggered from your computer from now on.

• Execute in path: Please enter %LOCALAPPDATA%\Urban\VitalControl\Synchronizer into this input field. This is the absolute path to the program VitalControl Synchronizer (or more specifically to the file vcsynchronizer.exe). If the target directory for this program has been changed during the installation of the VCSynchronizer, please enter the selected target directory here.

• Program HerdePlus 🡒 Technology:
  This input field needs to be filled with the value vc_imp.bat. The correspondingly named batch file specifies the sequence of operations during data import.

• Technology 🡒 Program HerdePlus:
  This input field needs to be filled with the value vc_exp.bat. The correspondingly named batch file specifies the sequence of operations during data export.

Category Animal Data ➋

Further adjustments have to be made in the category ‘Animal data’ ➋ in order to get data exchange fully functional.

• Animal number:
  This setting determines which ID animals receive for display on VitalControl device:
  • If you have assigned short IDs (Barn no., 2 to 6 digits) to your animals, you should select the value ‘Barn number’ here: the displayed ID of an animal on the VitalControl will then correspond to the barn number assigned to the animal.
  • If you do not have assigned short ID numbers to your animals - this is common in the fattening sector, for example - then you should select the value Tag no. (5 digits) here. The displayed ID of an animal on VitalControl device will then correspond to the last 5 digits of the ID printed on the yellow ear tag of the animal.

• Transmitter no.:
  This setting determines the number expected for an animal during RFID scan:
  • If you put a collar with a transponder on your animals or put an ear transponder on your animals -for example for identification at the automatic feeder-, you should select the value ‘Transponder’ here.
  • If your animals or calves carry electronic ear tags encoded with the official national 15-digit identification number of your animal which will serve for the identification of the animal throughout its whole life, you should select the value ‘Tag no. (15 digits)` here.

• Minimum age for transfer:
  If 0 is entered as value for this input field, all animals will be transferred to the VitalControl device, regardless of their age. A value greater than 0 defines the minimum age (in days) for the animals to be transferred. For example, if only cows are to be transferred to the device, a value of 600 days (= 20 months) must be entered here as the minimum age.

Category Locations ➌

Use this category to exclude animals at certain locations from data transfer to the device. To do so, remove the checkmark from the location(s) for which you do not want to transfer the animals housed there to the device.

Category Leaving ➍

Tick the ‘Leaving in HERDEplus’ option here. This way you specify that animals that left the herd are also deleted from VitalControl device during synchronisation. Also tick the ‘Does not exist in stock’ option. This way you specify that animals on the VitalControl that are not known to Herde software are deleted from the VitalControl during synchronisation.

Configuration: Technology-specific settings

Next, click on the Technology-specific settings tab to determine the scope of the data exchange. It is recommended to check all check boxes listed there except for the checkbox Save import file after processing. The latter checkbox is meant for diagnostic purposes and should be selected only if demanded by service personnel.

• Maximum age for transfer:
  If 0 is entered here as the value, all animals will be transferred to the VitalControl device, regardless of their age. A value greater than 0 defines the maximum age (in days) for the animals to be transferred. If, for example, only calves are to be transferred to the device, a value of 90 days (= 3 months) must be entered here as the maximum age.

  .

Save data exchange settings

Press the Save (F2) key after you have configured all configuration parameters appropriately. The parameter set for data exchange to VitalControl device is now saved and ready for use.
Perform a data exchange now to check whether the stipulated settings are valid so that you successfully can exchange data to and from VitalControl device.

4.2 - Data exchange between VitalControl and herd management software Herde

Follow the steps below to synchronize data between the software Herde and VitalControl device:

Connect VitalControl to PC

1. Connect the VitalControl device to your computer or laptop via the supplied USB cable.

   

2. Make sure your VitalControl device is turned on.

Perform data exchange

1. Within the software Herde, perform a full data exchange. Depending on the configuration of your user interface, you can invoke this exchange via the menu item Full data exchange in the main menu (top level item Technology), in the sidebar menu or in your customized toolbox (horizontal or vertical).

   

2. A pop-up opens, listing the stipulated technology couplings in the sidebar to the left. Click on the button labeled VitalControl in order to start the data exchange:

   

3. On first time data exchange a warning appears, indicating that there are no animals registered on the VitalControl device yet. Acknowledge this notice with Yes. Data exchange is started then.

   

4. Data exchange is a two-step process: In the first step ➊ the animal data are transferred from software Herde to the VitalControl. In the second step ➋, measurement data collected with the VitalControl are transferred into software Herde. The number of imported data sets (animals, calvings, alerts and weights) is listed in the pop-up:

   

5. Successful completion of data exchange is signalled via a pop-up with a success message.

   

   Attention

   If many animals are registered on the VitalControl device, data exchange may take some time. The progress of the data transfer can be seen on the display of the device.