Was about to pull the trigger on a premade setup, but after getting agopengps set up on our tractor, I think this is the way to go. I have a few specific questions on effectiveness in this scenario.
looking at a 10-11 ft wide spray path.
How do the hq cameras handle dust? Is it better to mount ahead of tractor for this reason? Would rather not drive through the spray.
Can agopengps coordinate the tractor speed? Or can a standalone gps sensor auto adjust spray timing?
Since this is vision based, are LEDs required for spraying in low light?
I want a nozzle to spray suckers growing from bottom part of the vines, will it skip only bark vines?
After hours of research, I have answered some of my questions.
My main question is about the dust factor. Does anyone run the Owl up front and then use a long (1.5 second) delay time to the nozzles on the back of a tractor?
Looking at the best 12v solenoids also. They aren’t easy to find online - is the Goyen the best cost effective unit? Or something like the Teejet echem saver? struggling to find a price on that one.
If you want to see what dusty/lens humidity pictures look like this dataset collected on a Swarmfarm robot is quite good. Dust will definitely reduce performance and I know JD do a lot of work to mitigate these issues with some interesting models/AI work.
So if the cameras are in front of the tractor then you mitigate the dust issue, but do create accuracy issues around timing/turns etc and lining the weed up with the nozzle. The rumex precision sprayer makes a front three point linkage version for to solve this problem somewhat. If you integrate GPS with the OWL you can do speed compensation so it will turn on after a set distance.
In saying that I think the dust risk is manageable without moving everything to the front. Most spraying systems the OEMs provide only put the cameras in front for the nozzles that are directly behind the tractor/vehicle primarily because there is no room to see the crop.
12V solenoids are a real challenge - not sure where you’re based but the eChemsavers in Australia from a place like SprayerSpares are in the order of 300 to 500 AUD. In Europe I’ve paid about 250 EUR for the same. For better value, the Capstan options seem decent or Goyen from SprayerBarn we have used as well. An eternal challenge!
I didn’t think about the issue of keeping the weed in the same zone after 15-18 feet. I will be using agopengps, so maybe it will be a non issue. My plan is to make a set up that could be moved to my front 3 point without much issue. I could easily lengthen the 12v wires to the solenoids if needed.
I also want to avoid driving through the spray as well. In the vineyard, the biggest issue is kicking up the dust that now has chemical and it getting on the plants. I could try various ceramic coatings on the UV lens possibly to help minimize what sticks.
I didn’t realize those Echemsavers would be $300+. Thats crazy. I’ll only need 12 total, but trying to minimize cost for this experiment.
