One-time Activation and Configuration of the Device in the automatic feeder Settings

Requirements

We recommend using a firmware version 24-xx-xx or higher with the VitalControl device.
To check which firmware version is installed on your device:

• Navigate to the feeder’s home page by clicking the top Home button ➀   in the navigation bar in the left-hand area of ​​the screen.
• On the home screen, click the Help button ➁   in the top-right area of ​​the screen.
• The version number ➂ is now displayed to the left of the language switch button.

Navigation to settings menu VitalControl

1. Click on the bottom button Settings➀ in the left sidebar of the touch terminal. If you are in the main menu where no sidebar is visible, press the button  Feederto display the sidebar.

2. Click on the second button from the left Touch terminal settings➁ in the bottom toolbar of the touch terminal.

3. A series of menu items now appears on the left half of the central screen area. Click on the bottom button Accessories ➂.

4. A menu item (or possibly several) now appears on the right half of the central screen area. Click on the top button VitalControl ➃. The button now switches to the left screen half.

5. At the bottom of the right side of the screen, the button  Open settings➄ is now displayed. Click this button, and a popup window will open, displaying Page 1 of the VitalControl settings menu.

The VitalControl settings menu is spread across two pages:

VitalControl Settings Menu - Page 1

Page 1 of the VitalControl settings menu is presented as follows:

On this page, you can perform the following actions and settings.

Activation of the VitalControl Device

In the default state of the machine, the VitalControl is deactivated. Set the NO/YES switch ➀ to the right position YES to activate the VitalControl device. Subsequently, in the right sidebar of the feeder menu, below the icon(s) for the connected machine(s), the icon for the VitalControl device will be displayed (see Screenshot Feeder Menu, figure ➁ there).

Synchronisation automatic feeder 🠲 VitalControl

On the left side of the screen, there are two checkboxes:

• Checkbox Register new on VitalControl device ➁.

  This option controls the behavior in the event that animals are present on the feeder during synchronisation that are not yet known to the VitalControl device. This option is enabled by default and should generally remain set. If you register your purchased animals by scanning their animal passports, this option must be disabled.

  Enable this option:

  • if you have a brand-new VitalControl in front of you, onto which you want to transfer all animals from a feeder. After synchronisation, all animals known to the feeder will also be present on the VitalControl.
  • if you continuously bring new calves to the feeder during ongoing operations. These animals will then also be created on the VitalControl device during synchronisation.

  Disable this option:

  • if you have newly created animals on your VitalControl by scanning their animal passports, where

  • these animals have not yet been assigned a transponder and

  • these animals are already being fed at the feeder and are therefore registered there.

    Attention
    If the option remains set in the above configuration, animals will be present twice on the VitalControl after synchronisation.

• Checkbox Delete from VitalControl ➂

  This option controls whether animals that are only present on the VitalControl but not on the feeder are deleted from the VitalControl during the next synchronisation. If you use the VitalControl only during the animals’ milk period, this option should be enabled. If you want to track the animals beyond the milk period, you must disable this option.

  Enable this option:

  • if you only collect data for the animals during the milk period,
  • if you want the animals to be deleted from the VitalControl during the next synchronisation after they have been deleted from the feeder. This way, animals do not accumulate on the VitalControl over time.
  Attention
  If this option is activated and the checkbox ⑤ Register new on automatic feeder is also activated, no animals will be deleted that are younger than specified in the number field ➃ Do not delete animals younger than.

  Disable this option:

  • if you want to continue collecting data for the animals after the milk period, for example, during a weighing,
  • if you are willing to manually delete the animals from the VitalControl yourself.
  Attention
  If you disable this option, you must unlink the transponder for weaned animals on VitalControl device at the latest when the collar is removed from the weaned calf to another, younger calf. If the transponder is not removed, the data records of the younger animal -which is now wearing the former collar of the weaned animal- are incorrectly added to the weaned animals dataset.

Synchronisation VitalControl 🠲 Automatic Feeder

On the right side of the screen, there is a checkbox and two input fields:

• Checkbox Register new on automatic feeder ⑤

• This option controls whether animals present on the VitalControl, which are unknown to the feeder, will be created on the feeder during the next synchronisation. By default, this option is not activated.

  Deactivate this option or leave it deactivated:

  • if you use your VitalControl device on multiple feeders simultaneously,
  • if you bring your animals directly to the feeder without registering them via the VitalControl device first. Your animals will then be automatically created during registration when they are fed at the feeder for the first time.
  Attention
  If the VitalControl is used on multiple machines and this option is checked, animals will be unintentionally transferred from one machine to another during synchronisation.

  Activate this option:

  • if the initial registration of their newborn animals with the VitalControl takes place before the first feeding at the feeder.
  • if you record your purchased animals by scanning their animal passports on the VitalControl.
  Attention
  Activate this option only if you use the VitalControl on a single machine! If you want to perform synchronisation with multiple machines with this option set, you must use a separate VitalControl device for each machine.

• Dropdown menu ⑥ Feeding curve assigned to imported animals.

  In this drop-down menu, you can select the feed curve that is assigned to animals that are newly created on the feeder during synchronisation.

• Numeric input field⑦ Do not import animals older than.

  In this number field, you can specify the minimum age (in days) from which animals are newly created on the feeder during synchronisation. Animals that are younger than the specified minimum age are not created during synchronisation.

Press button ⑧ to switch to page 2 of the settings menu VitalControl.

Settings Menu VitalControl - Page 2

How to deal with data conflicts during synchronisation

Data conflicts can occur when synchronising the data between the feeder and VitalControl device. A data conflict occurs when the data contradict each other on the VitalControl device and on the feeder (e.g. concerning the Animal number ➁). On this page 2 of the settings menu, you can specify whether and if, how data conflicts are resolved during synchronisation. There are three options here:

• Priority is given to the feeder data, data on the VitalControl device are overwritten with that of the feeder. Activate this option by selecting the radio button in the left-hand column below the feeder symbol ➃.

• Priority is given to the VitalControl data, data on the feeder are overwritten with that of the VitalControl device. Activate this option by selecting the radio button in the left-hand column below the VitalControl ⑤.

• No changes are made, both the feeder data and VitalControl device data remain unchanged.
  Activate this option by selecting the radio button in the right-hand column ⑥.

By pressing the button ⑧ you will return to page 1 of the VitalControl settings menu.