Electronic Cow Management
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Catalog excerpts

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1. Introduction eCow pH Bolus The eCow pH bolus is the market leader for longevity, size and stability of results in the area of dairy cow rumen monitoring. The pH and temperature sensors reside in the punctured metal end cap. The bolus is uniquely weighted such that it stands upright in the rumen, thereby allowing for full immersion of the sensors and improved data readings. At the top of the bolus there is a metal loop. This is included for the convenience of our research customers, allowing for easy retrieval of the bolus. eCow farmBolusTM The inner workings of the bolus are securely...

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Client Software File Edit Help Date View: 0 Day Q Week o All Shov. Events Reset Zoom Event Diary Plot daily pH profile The eCow client software gives you easy access to your data. Available for Windows and Mac this software allows you to import data you have stored locally or login to view uploaded and archived data. Shown above is the raw pH data, however you can also view temperature and the cow's average daily pH profile.

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2. Getting Started You will receive your boluses in our customised protective packaging. There will be a small amount of water in the bottom of this box, this is to keep the sensor head hydrated. As such it is recommended that you keep this box upright. If you need to store the boluses please keep them in this box. By default the boluses are shipped with a 24 hour radio on time window, unless you specify otherwise when you order. To maximise battery life it is recommended that you change this to a shorter time window to match when you will typically be performing downloads (more detail to...

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Hathor To start the download software (named Hathor), plug the micro usb wire that protrudes from the bottom into the socket at the bottom of the phone. Upon plugging the wire in you will be see the Hathor main page. At the top of this page there is a scrolling list of all the Boluses installed on the phone and underneath this there are 4 buttons. The down arrow is the download button. Pressing this button will start a download from the bolus highlighted at the top of the screen (Note: the boluses must be above 32°C for a download to be possible). The set of scales is the calibration...

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find them. If it cannot find them then you may input them manually by following these steps: 1. Press the home button to return to the home screen. 2. Tap “Settings”. 3. Scroll to the bottom of the list and tap “Date and Time” (fourth up from the bottom). 4. By default the phone will have the “Automatic date and time” option ticked. Underneath this option it displays what it thinks the correct date and time are. If the displayed date and time are correct then proceed no further, if not go on to step 5. 5. Untick the Automatic date and time box by tapping the tick. 6. Tap on Set date and Set...

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boluses will take up to an hour to warm up after being placed in a cow. Once the boluses have warmed, to set the time window: 1. Press the configuration button. 2. You will now see a list of all the boluses installed on your handset. Tick the boxes next to the bolus numbers you wish to configure. 3. Tap “OK”. 4. Tapping “Set Time Window Start Time” will bring up the time selection box. Swipe the time values up or down until they reach your desired time then tap “Set”. 5. Tapping “Set Time Window Duration” brings up a list of possible time window durations. Select your desired duration then...

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Using Hathor to Download To make the software download from the bolus: 1. Plug the antenna into the bottom of the handset, this will start the Hathor software 2. Choose the bolus you wish to download from by scrolling to its number. 3. Tap the download button. 4. The software will now attempt to establish a connection with the bolus. 5. Once a connection has been established, the handset will begin downloading data. 6. Once the download is complete the handset will set the time and date settings on the bolus to ensure accuracy. Please ensure you maintain proximity to the cow even once the...

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Downloading may take longer when the cow is laying down due to the bolus being engulfed by the stomach contents. However, standing the cow up may stress her and cause her to walk away. As such it is usually best to leave the cow undisturbed during downloads Downloading is made easier when the cow is locked in a yoke. Here, a student performs a download using a handset positioned by the cow's left point of elbow. Troubleshooting Downloads I can't get the handset to connect to the bolus, what should I do? A) Has the cow calved recently? After calving the rumen expands to refill the space left...

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which signal strength will be the strongest. The download has frozen halfway through A) This is most likely due to a sudden loss of signal during the download. Cancel the download by pressing the back button (to the left of the home button) and start again. To prevent this from happening, ensure you maintain proximity to the cow. Uploading Data When you unplug the antenna after having downloaded new data the software will ask you whether you would like to upload the data now or postpone the upload. This feature was included since, at most farms, there will be no internet connection around...

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Getting to Grips with Client When you open the Client software you will see that it may be divided into roughly 3 main The Farm and Bolus Selection Box This is at the bottom left of your screen. Once you have imported data from your handset or server you will be able to choose what Farm and what Bolus data you wish to view. If you only have access to data from one farm then the Farm list may not be necessary for Selecting a Bolus from the bolus list will display that bolus's data on Analysis Event Diary ; Plot daily pH profile Daily Mean This section has two tabs at the top, one marked...

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| Analysis | Event Diary Event Description: Click on the diary entry to Selecting the Events Diary tab brings up the events view. In this view you can add and remove events to be plotted on your data graphs. This can be used to add events such as calving or illness to a graph which can help identify anomalous pH or temperature pH plot from dd/mm/yyvy to dd/mm/yyvy Data View: Q Day Q Week o All This is the section in which you will see your data displayed. Starting at the top, you have the Graph title which is shown as "Bolus c, Cow c (Farm f)" in this is example. On the graph there is a red...

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