Topcon announces new rate controller solution for sprayers

LIVERMORE, Calif. – February 9, 2016 – Topcon Precision Agriculture announces the latest addition to its Apollo ECU (electronic control units) line of application rate controller solutions — Apollo ECU for sprayers.

“When combined with Topcon’s suite of growing solutions, the new features and industry-proven functionality of the Apollo spraying application controller create one of the most advanced systems on the market today,” said Nathan Watkins, product manager.

The controller supports Topcon Horizon software, running on the X30 and X25 consoles.

“The Apollo sprayer application is fully configurable to support all types of boom sprayers on the market including both flow and pressure-based liquid control and proportional and servo-based regulation drive options,” said Watkins.

The Apollo ECU solution includes multi-line support for up to four lines with automatic “on-the-fly” switching between lines.  “This allows a wider range of application rates while keeping the desired droplet size of the spray pattern, thus limiting the potential off-target drift and undue environmental issues. Dedicated fence-jet nozzle support also allows the system to compensate for the additional fence-jet or end-row nozzles, so the correct rate is applied across the entire boom,” said Watkins.

A user-defined chemical mix system allows for tracking and application reporting paired with a new “recipe wizard” that calculates chemical proportions for each tank, removing the need for manual calculations. “With the Apollo ECU, the farmer has the ability to save chemicals and mixtures to be reused later and is also a great time saver for repeated applications.”

Apollo supports 100-plus sections, which is designed to improve the accuracy of the auto section control (ASC) to better match the needs of wide swath widths.

“The ability to directly drive both two- and three-wire section valves, as well as balanced-section valves provides confidence that the Topcon Apollo system can meet all sprayer configurations with the same hardware,” said Watkins.

Additional features include the ability to use the Topcon VDC (vehicle display controller) for section switching, which allows the operator the ability to pre-assign buttons and the rotary knob — eliminating the need to reach to the touchscreen to control the sprayer. The Topcon KP-12 keypad can be installed externally on the sprayer or in the cab with dedicated keys for each sprayer function, allowing the user control from outside the cab.

About Topcon Positioning Group
Topcon Positioning Group is headquartered in Livermore, California, USA (topconpositioning.com). Topcon Positioning Group designs, manufactures and distributes precise positioning products and solutions for the global surveying, construction, agriculture, civil engineering, BIM, mapping and GIS, asset management and mobile control markets.  Its brands include Topcon, Sokkia, Tierra, Wachendorff Elektronik, Digi-Star, RDS Technology, NORAC and 2LS. Topcon Corporation (topcon.com), founded in 1932, is traded on the Tokyo Stock Exchange (7732).