1.Electrical Connections

The YardsTech® Drafter has 3 external connections: Serial Data, Power and Gate Outputs.

1.1 Serial Data

Note that a serial cable is not supplied with the unit, but can be ordered separately.

PIN	FUNCTION	WIRE COLOUR
1	Tx	Yellow
2	Rx	Black
3	Gnd	Red

 

1.2 Power

The power cable must be fused with a maximum 3A fuse. Voltage must be a nominal 12V.

PIN	FUNCTION	WIRE COLOUR
1	+12V	Red
2	Gnd	Black

 

1.3 Gate Outputs

The gate output cable provides voltage to operate the gate solenoids/valves. The supplied voltage is 12V and should be referenced to the Gnd pin. 

PIN	FUNCTION	WIRE COLOUR
1	Gate 1	White
2	Gate 2	Brown
3	Gate 3	Blue
4	Gate 4	Green
5	Gate 5	Yellow
6	Front Gate / Gate 6	Orange
7	Rear Gate / Gate 7	Red
8	Gnd	Black
9	Unconnected

 

2. Remote Controls

The YardsTech® Drafter is supplied with a remote control. There is a switch on the side of the remote that will allow you to turn it on and off. When buttons are pressed (and the remote is powered on) a light will be displayed at the top of the remote keypad. 

2.1 Buttons

Buttons 1 through 5 operate the gates 1 through 5.

Button 6 is the override button. It will close all gates and send an override signal to the indicator. 

Button 7 and 8 operate the front and rear gates respectively. Note that buttons 7 and 8 can be configured to operate 2 additional draft gates instead of front and rear gates.

2.2 Pairing remotes

The remote supplied with the Drafter has already been paired to the Drafter. If any additional remotes are purchased, or if a new Drafter is installed then the remotes need to be manually paired.

NOTE: Batteries are NOT supplied with the remotes and must be provided by the purchaser.

To pair a remote:

1. Turn on the remote.
   
2. Turn on the drafter in hotspot mode (hold power button until the second beep).
   
3. Connect your mobile device to the YardsTech WiFi network.
   
4. Start the YardsTech® App.
   
5. Wait for the Drafter to appear on the device list and press the gear icon on the far right.
   
6. Tap on the Pair Remote button.
   
7. Press and hold the 1 button on the remote.
   
8. Tap OK to the message in the app.
   
9. Another message will appear once the remote has been paired. 
   

To unpair all remotes:

1. Turn on the drafter in hotspot mode (hold power button until the second beep).
   
2. Connect your mobile device to the YardsTech WiFi network.
   
3. Start the YardsTech® App.
   
4. Wait for the Drafter to appear on the device list and press the gear icon on the far right.
   
5. Tap on the Un-Pair All Remotes button.
   
6. Tap OK to the message in the app.
   
7. Wait 10 seconds for the unpairing to process.
   

 

3. Changing the Drafter settings

To configure the Drafter you must use the YardsTech® App.

3.1 Connecting the App to the Drafter

1. Turn on the drafter in hotspot mode (hold power button until the second beep).
   
2. Connect your mobile device to the YardsTech WiFi network.
   
3. Start the YardsTech® App.
   
4. Wait for the Drafter to appear on the device list and press the gear icon on the far right.
   

3.2 Connectivity Options

Connection Type:

This determines how the drafter connects to the outside world.

"Try to connect to Scales, otherwise create Hotspot / Access Point" - (default) the Drafter attempts to connect to the YardsTech® Scales and if it can't find them after a minute it will switch to hotspot mode. Note that briefly pressing the power button will switch between these two modes.

"Only connect to YardsTech Scales" - the drafter will only try and connect to the YardsTechg® Scales.

"This device is a WiFi Hotspot / Access Point" - the Drafter will start in hotspot mode.

"This device will connect to an existing WiFi network" - the Drafter can be configured to connect to an external WiFi network.

 

3.3 Drafter Options

Turn off sound:

When this is ticked the buzzer on the device will not operate.

Enable front / rear crush gates:

When ticked (default), the Drafter treats these gates as crush/weight box gates instead of as additional draft gates.

Close front gate when rear gates is opened:

This option will automatically close the front gate whenever the rear gate is opened. To open both the front and rear gates you need to first open the front gate and then manually open the front gate.

Close all other draft gates when one is opened:

When a draft is selected it will open the appropriate gate as well as automatically closing all other draft gates.

Open front gate when a draft gate is opened:

When a draft gate it selected it will automatically open the front gate as well.

Serial port baud rate:

Baud rate setting for the serial port. The value must match what the serially connected indicator is expecting.

Indicator type:

YardsTech - when connected to a YardsTech® Scales. Note that this allows WiFi connection between devices.

Tru-Test - enables Tru-Test/Prattley protocol and forces the Drafter into Bluetooth mode. Note WiFi mode is disabled.

Gallagher - enabled Gallagher protocol and forces the Drafter into Bluetooth mode. Note WiFi mode is disabled.

YardsTech Scale Options:

These are only applicable if you have selected YardsTech and the Indicator type.

Close the front gate on zero weight:

When the indicator measures no weight on the platform it will close the front gate ready for the next animal.

Open the rear gate on zero weight:

When the indicator measures no weight on the platform it will open the rear gate ready for the next animal.

Close rear gate when there is weight:

This option with close the rear gate (after the set delay) when weight is measured on the platform.

Gate/Remote Mapping:

This allows you to remap with remote button and gate identifier is mapped to which output from the Drafter.