Trimble EZ GUIDE 250 GETTING STARTED GUIDE

Version 2.00

Revision B

June 2009

Table of Contents
Introduction...............................................................................................................................................................	1
Legal Notices.................................................................................................................................................	1
About the EZ−Guide 250 System..................................................................................................................	1
Related Information.......................................................................................................................................	2
Technical Support..........................................................................................................................................	2
About the Lightbar...................................................................................................................................................	3
What's in the EZ−Guide 250 Box..................................................................................................................	3
Parts of the Lightbar.......................................................................................................................................	3
How the Buttons Work..................................................................................................................................	5
Optional Accessories......................................................................................................................................	7
Upgrades........................................................................................................................................................	7
Fuse Information............................................................................................................................................	7
Serial Port Information...................................................................................................................................	7
Installation.................................................................................................................................................................	9
Step 1: Installing the Antenna........................................................................................................................	9
Step 2. Attaching the Lightbar Cables...........................................................................................................	9
Step 3: Turning on the Lightbar...................................................................................................................	10
Turning off the lightbar................................................................................................................................	10
Connecting a Coverage Switch....................................................................................................................	11
Getting Started........................................................................................................................................................	12
Quick Start Wizard.......................................................................................................................................	12
Items on the Main Guidance Screen............................................................................................................	13
Status Indicators...........................................................................................................................................	14
View Modes.................................................................................................................................................	14
User Modes..................................................................................................................................................	15
Changing the User Mode.............................................................................................................................	15
Changing the Backlight Brightness..............................................................................................................	15
Changing the LED Brightness.....................................................................................................................	16
Getting GPS Corrections..............................................................................................................................	16
Easy Mode Guidance..............................................................................................................................................	17
Introduction to Guidance.............................................................................................................................	17
Following Guidance.....................................................................................................................................	18
Guidance Patterns........................................................................................................................................	19
Getting Guidance.........................................................................................................................................	31
Coverage Logging........................................................................................................................................	33
Creating straight sections on Headland or Curve swaths.............................................................................	34
Pause / Resume Icon....................................................................................................................................	34
Advanced Mode Guidance.....................................................................................................................................	36
Resetting Guidance......................................................................................................................................	36
Creating a New Field...................................................................................................................................	36
Creating a new line......................................................................................................................................	38
Selecting (Loading) an AB Line..................................................................................................................	40
Selecting (Loading) a Field..........................................................................................................................	41

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Table of Contents
Advanced Mode Additional Information..............................................................................................................	46
Views...........................................................................................................................................................	46
Panning.........................................................................................................................................................	46
Night Mode..................................................................................................................................................	47
Nudge...........................................................................................................................................................	48
Configuring the Lightbar.............................................................................................................................	50
Driving on Large Fields...............................................................................................................................	52
Driving Tight Turns.....................................................................................................................................	52
Configuring Coverage Logging...................................................................................................................	52
Adding a Time Delay to Coverage Logging................................................................................................	53
Setting the Look Ahead Value.....................................................................................................................	53
Enabling Speed Pulse Output (Radar).........................................................................................................	53
Recording Events.........................................................................................................................................	55
Restoring the Default Lightbar Settings.......................................................................................................	55
Advanced Mode GPS Corrections.........................................................................................................................	56
Configuring the GPS Corrections................................................................................................................	56
Configuring the GPS Limits........................................................................................................................	57
Configuring NMEA message output............................................................................................................	58
External Receiver Support...........................................................................................................................	59
Advanced Mode Data Management......................................................................................................................	62
USB Drive Compatibility.............................................................................................................................	62
Getting Data from the USB Drive................................................................................................................	63
Importing Data from the AgGPS FieldManager Display............................................................................	64
Sending Data to the USB Drive...................................................................................................................	64
Clearing Storage Space................................................................................................................................	65
Deleting coverage logging...........................................................................................................................	66
Exporting Diagnostic Logs..........................................................................................................................	66
Field Name Structure...................................................................................................................................	66
Default Field Names....................................................................................................................................	67
System Configuration Files..........................................................................................................................	67
Summary Report..........................................................................................................................................	68
Viewing/Editing Data with Office Software................................................................................................	69
Upgrading the Lightbar Firmware...............................................................................................................	69
Mapping...................................................................................................................................................................	71
Introduction to Mapping..............................................................................................................................	71
Mapping Features.........................................................................................................................................	71
Recording Position.......................................................................................................................................	73
Warning Zones.............................................................................................................................................	74
Displaying Feature Information...................................................................................................................	75
Deleting Features.........................................................................................................................................	76
Obtaining Information from the Lightbar...........................................................................................................	78
The About the EZ−Guide Screen.................................................................................................................	78
Information Tabs..........................................................................................................................................	78
Status Screens..............................................................................................................................................	79

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Table of Contents
Obtaining Information from the Lightbar
Warning Messages.......................................................................................................................................	79
Troubleshooting...........................................................................................................................................	79

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Introduction

Legal Notices

(c) 2007−2009, Trimble Navigation Limited. All rights reserved.

Trimble, AgGPS, EZ−Guide, and EZ−Steer are trademarks of Trimble Navigation Limited, registered in the United States and in other countries. Autopilot, Autoseed, FreeForm, OnPath, and SiteNet are trademarks of Trimble Navigation Limited.

All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

For Limited Warranty information, refer to the EZ−Guide 250 Lightbar Guidance System Release Notes.

About the EZ−Guide 250 System

The EZ−Guide 250 system is a GPS guidance system for agricultural vehicles. It helps you to drive the vehicle more efficiently by reducing skips and overlaps in the field.

The system includes the following features:

∙a color LCD screen

∙a lightbar with 15 LEDs

∙an internal GPS receiver

∙multiple field patterns for different field layouts

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About the Lightbar

What's in the EZ−Guide 250 Box

The standard components of the EZ−Guide 250 system are shown below.

ITEM	DESCRIPTION
1	EZ−Guide 250 documentation CD
2	Quick Reference Card
3	RAM mount
4	Antenna mount plate
5	Power cable (P/N 65168)
6	EZ−Guide 250 lightbar
7	Patch antenna

When you unpack the box, inspect all contents for visible damage, such as scratches or dents. If any components appear damaged, notify the shipping carrier. Keep the shipping and packaging material for the carrier's inspection.

Parts of the Lightbar

The following figures show the front and back of the lightbar.

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ITEM	DESCRIPTION	ITEM	DESCRIPTION
1	Action icons	4	Down button
2	OK button	5	Function buttons
3	Up button	6	LEDs

ITEM	DESCRIPTION
1	12−pin Deutsch power/data connector
2	Antenna port

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3RAM mount fixture

4USB port

How the Buttons Work

On the front of the lightbar, there are six buttons. The buttons on the left and right sides of the lightbar work in different ways.

Action buttons (on the right of the screen)

On the main guidance screen:

∙ Press	or	to scroll through the action icons.
∙ Press	to select the highlighted icon.

The following icons may appear to the right of the guidance screen:

ICON	DESCRIPTION		ICON	DESCRIPTION
	Reset guidance			Nudge left
	Set Point A			Nudge right
	Set Point B			Pause guidance
	Start headland			Resume guidance
	Complete headland			Change zoom scale
	Pause swath recording			Go to main Configuration menu
	Resume swath recording			Change view mode
	Recording FreeForm curve (press to stop)			Next FreeForm guidance line
	Not recording FreeForm curve (press to start)			Shift AB Line
	Display point, line and area mapping icons			Display panning icons

Note: Action icons appear only when they are appropriate. They are not all visible at all times.

The following action icons may appear on the right of a configuration screen:

ICON	DESCRIPTION		ICON	DESCRIPTION

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	Increase value / up to next option			Proceed to next screen
	Decrease value / down to next option			Accept settings
In setup screens, the icons match the buttons beside them.

Function buttons (on the left)

Beside each function button, there is an icon. When you press the function button, you select the feature that is shown on the icon.

ITEM	DESCRIPTION
1	Coverage logging icon
2	Middle function button

The following function icons may appear beside the buttons on the left of the screen:

ICON	DESCRIPTION		ICON	DESCRIPTION
	Display information tab window			Cancel changes
	Turn on coverage logging			Go up one menu level
	Turn off coverage logging			Return to guidance screen
	Zoom in			Move back one screen
	Zoom out			Display Help

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Getting help

The EZ−Guide 250 lightbar has built−in help that explains how to use the current screen. To access the help, press the function button:

Optional Accessories

∙Ag15 antenna upgrade (P/N 92010−00)

∙All−port cable (P/N 64045)

∙Suction cup (P/N 44922)

Upgrades

The EZ−Guide 250 lightbar guidance system can be connected to the EZ−Steer® 500 assisted steering system.

Fuse Information

The EZ−Guide 250 lightbar has a 10 A glass cartridge fuse located in the cigarette lighter plug. This fuse can be replaced by the user.

Replacing the 10 A fuse

1.Locate the cigarette lighter plug holder on the end of the cable.

2.Unscrew the end cap where the spring−loaded pin protrudes. Be careful not to lose the pin after removing the end cap.

3.Remove the old fuse.

4.Insert the new fuse and then screw the end cap back onto the plug.

Serial Port Information

By default, the lightbar does not have a serial port.

However, the following optional lightbar functions require a serial connection:

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∙Outputting simulated radar to send speed to another agricultural device, such as a yield monitor or a variable rate controller.

∙Outputting NMEA messages to an external device.

To add a serial port to the standard lightbar cable:

1.Do one of the following:

♦Order the EZ−Guide 250 all−port cable (P/N 64045).

♦Order the serial port add−on cable (P/N 63076).

2.Identify P2 on the power cable (P/N 65168). It is the black 12−pin Deutsch connector.

3.Pull out the connector wedgelock with a pair of needlenose pliers. The wedgelock is the piece of orange plastic with four square holes.

4.On the other side of the dust cover, remove the sealing pins from cavities 5, 6, and 7.

5.Insert the labeled contacts on cable P/N 63076 into the specified cavities:

♦Yellow − Cavity 5

♦Violet − Cavity 6

♦Green − Cavity 7

6.Replace the wedgelock.

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Installation

Step 1: Installing the Antenna

Note: To minimize any interference to the GPS signal, make sure that the GPS antenna is at least 2 m (6 ft) from any other antenna (including a radio antenna). You may experience interference if you operate the vehicle within 100 m (300 ft) of any power line, radar dish, or cell phone tower.

Installing the Patch Antenna

Find the mounting location for the antenna at the front of the vehicle roof, centered from left to right.

1.On the mounting plate, remove the protective covers from the adhesive strips.

2.Attach the mounting plate to the vehicle roof with the adhesive strips. Ensure that the mounting plate is centered along the vehicle roof.

3.Place the antenna directly on the mounting plate. The magnet on the bottom of the antenna will hold it in place.

4.Route the antenna cable into the cab.

Note: For optimum performance, always use the metal antenna mount plate.

Installing the Ag15 Antenna

If you have upgraded to the Ag15 antenna, find the mounting location for the antenna at the front of the vehicle roof, centered from left to right.

1.On the mounting plate, remove the protective covers from the adhesive strips.

2.Attach the mounting plate to the vehicle roof with the adhesive strips. Ensure that the mounting plate is centered along the vehicle roof.

3.Connect the antenna cable to the antenna.

4.Place the antenna directly on the mounting plate. The three magnets embedded in the bottom of the antenna will hold it in place.

5.Route the antenna cable into the cab.

Step 2. Attaching the Lightbar Cables

The lightbar with the basic antenna and power configuration:

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ITEM	DESCRIPTION
1	EZ−Guide 250 lightbar
2	Patch antenna
3	12−pin Deutsch power cable (P/N 65168)
4	To power (cigarette lighter)

1.Connect the power/data cable (P/N 65168) to the power port on the back of the lightbar.

2.Connect the other end of the power/data cable to the vehicle cigarette lighter.

3.Connect the antenna cable to the antenna port.

Caution: If you are using the EZ−Seer system, do not disconnect or connect any cables to the system while the lightbar is running. To connect or disconnect cables, first turn off the system with the button.

Step 3: Turning on the Lightbar

To turn on the lightbar:

1.Plug the power cable into the cigarette lighter. If the cigarette lighter is wired through the vehicle ignition using the optional power cable, insert the key and then turn on the vehicle ignition.

2.Press the button (the top button to the left of the screen). The lightbar turns on.

Turning off the lightbar

To turn off the lightbar, press and hold the button.

The lightbar will begin to turn off (this takes about 5 seconds). To stop the shutdown sequence, release the button before the lightbar turns off.

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You can leave the lightbar connected to the cable when it is turned off. It may draw a small amount of current, but it will not drain the vehicle battery.

If the lightbar loses power but then receives power again within 15 seconds, for example when cranking the vehicle starter, the lightbar will turn on automatically.

Connecting a Coverage Switch

To install the coverage switch, refer to the instructions provided with the coverage switch.

Enabling the switch on the lightbar

From the main guidance screen:

1.Press until you have selected the icon.

2.Press . The Configuration screen appears.

3.Make sure that the User Mode field is set to Advanced.

4.Select System / Guidance. The Guidance screen appears:

5. Select Coverage Logging and then press

. The Coverage Logging screen appears:

6. Press

until you have selected Switch and then press

.

7. If necessary, set the user mode back to Easy.

Coverage logging is now set to start when you press the switch.

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Getting Started

Quick Start Wizard

When you turn on the lightbar the Welcome to EZ−Guide screen appears automatically:

Press . The Quick Start Wizard appears.

The wizard has several setup screens that enable you to configure important settings before you begin driving.

During the Quick Start Wizard, you can press the function button to exit at any point. The system uses any settings you have entered; for any settings that you have not yet entered, the system uses the settings from last time.

The first time that you run the lightbar, complete the whole wizard.

ITEM	DESCRIPTION
1	Quit wizard
2	Built−in help
3	Skip the wizard and begin driving

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To adjust a setting:
1. Press	or	to select the correct value.
2. Press	to enter the selection and proceed.

You can select whether or not the Quick Start Wizard appears next time you turn on the lightbar. If you choose to hide the wizard at startup, the lightbar skips the wizard and starts on the main guidance screen.

To alter these settings after startup, run the Quick Start Wizard from Configuration / Quick Start Wizard.

Once you complete the Quick Start Wizard, the main guidance screen appears.

Items on the Main Guidance Screen

	ITEM	NAME	DESCRIPTION
			There are two status text items on the main guidance screen. The item on the left
	1	Status text	shows the distance that the vehicle is from the guidance line. The item on the right
			shows the current vehicle speed.
	2	Action icons	See How the Buttons Work
	3	Tips / Message	The Tip / message panel explains the icon functions and shows driving tips.
		panel
	4	USB drive	Shows the current status of the USB drive.
		status indicator
	5	Function icons	See How the Buttons Work
	6	GPS quality	Shows the quality of the GPS signal.
		icon

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Status Indicators

On the main guidance screen, the lightbar has two status indicators.

The color of the USB drive icon shows the status of the USB drive:

ITEM DESCRIPTION

The USB drive is connected and ready

Green

Orange The USB drive is connected, but currently loading

The USB drive is disabled due to an error

Red

The color of the satellite icon shows the status of the GPS signal:

ITEM DESCRIPTION

The GPS signal is strong

Green

The GPS signal is outside acceptable settings

Orange

There is no signal

Red

View Modes

There are two views when you are driving in the field:

PERSPECTIVE MAP VIEW	PLAN MAP VIEW
A 3D view of the field	A bird's eye view of the field

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By default, the view switches from plan view to perspective view when you enter the field. You can change the view mode in Advanced mode.

User Modes

The EZ−Guide 250 lightbar guidance system has two user modes:

MODE	DESCRIPTION
	Limited to accessing the most simple features.
Easy	Fewer action icons are available.
	Simplified driver options (for example, creating a guidance line is easier).
Advanced	The user can access all of the settings.

Use Easy mode if you want to select a swath pattern and quickly begin driving.

Changing the User Mode

To change between Easy mode and Advanced mode:

1.Press or until you have selected the icon and then press . The Configuration screen appears.

2.Select User Mode. The User Mode screen appears:

3. Select Advanced or Easy and then press

. The main guidance screen reappears, with the lightbar in

the selected mode.

Changing the Backlight Brightness

To change the strength of the screen backlight, select Configuration / Backlight.

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Changing the LED Brightness

To adjust the brightness of the LEDs on the lightbar, select Configuration / LED Brightness.

∙In bright sunlight, increase the brightness to make the LEDs more obvious.

∙In darker conditions, for example driving at dusk, you can lower the brightness settings so the LEDs are less intense.

Getting GPS Corrections

By default, the EZ−Guide 250 lightbar is configured to receive the following free corrections:

REGION	CORRECTION
North America	WAAS
Europe	EGNOS

These corrections provide submeter accuracy with the patch antenna, or 15 cm−20 cm (6 in−8 in) pass−to−pass accuracy when using the optional Ag15 antenna.

To change the GPS corrections (for example, to configure external GPS), select Configuration / GPS Setup / GPS

Correction Source.

For more information, see Advanced Mode: GPS Corrections.

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Easy Mode Guidance

Introduction to Guidance

The EZ−Guide 250 lightbar uses onscreen lines, either straight or curved, to guide you. These are called the guidance lines. The most simple form of guidance line is a straight AB Line. To create an AB Line, you define a start point (the A point) and an end point (the B point). Once you define the A and B points, a straight line is drawn between them. This is your master line.

When you define the first guidance line, the lightbar copies it to create additional guidance lines.

Distance between guidance lines

When you begin to define the line, you specify the width of the implement attached to the vehicle. This width is used to calculate the distance between the guidance lines. If you do not want the guidance lines to be exactly one implement width apart, you can set an overlap or skip.

Headlands

You can record a headland boundary and get guidance to it, or you can work without a headland.

Onscreen appearance

When the main guidance screen shows the perspective view, the lines are tagged with flags that describe them.

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ITEM DESCRIPTION

The master line that you created, and that the swaths are based on.

The A (start) and B (end) point on the master line.

The first swath to the left of the master line. (The direction "left" is relative to the direction the master line was drawn, not the vehicle's current position).

The current swath and tag are orange.

Note: On a Pivot pattern, the swaths are numbered out from the center, not from the initial swath.

The second line to the left of the master line.

Following Guidance

The lightbar displays guidance in two places:

∙On the LEDs

∙On the screen

Guidance on the LEDs

The term LED refers to the row of 15 Light Emitting Diodes (LEDs) that are located above the screen. The LEDs that are lit up show the position of your vehicle relative to your intended guidance line. As your vehicle position changes in relation to the guidance line, the lit LED moves left or right. Use the lightbar to obtain accurate guidance, if an implement offset or implement draft is set, or for fine guidance on straight swaths.

VEHICLE POSITION LIGHTBAR APPEARANCE

Vehicle is directly on the guidance line

The three center LEDs (green) show that the vehicle is online.

Vehicle is off the guidance line

A single lit LED has moved right. This shows that the vehicle is offline to the left.

Note: This assumes that the LED Mode is set to Chase (the default). If the LED Mode is set to Pull, the LEDs move left when the vehicle is offline to the left.

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Guidance on the screen

The lightbar screen shows the position of your vehicle in the field, the guidance line, and the offline distance, so you can tell how much you need to correct your position.

ITEM	DESCRIPTION
1	Offline distance
2	Guidance line
3	Vehicle position

Guidance Patterns

The EZ−Guide 250 lightbar has seven guidance patterns so you can create guidance to suit your field layout:

Straight AB

A Straight AB is the most simple form of line. Use a straight AB Line when you do not need to define headlands and you want to drive the field in parallel straight lines.

To create a straight AB Line, define a start point (A) and an end point (B). The Straight AB Line then appears as a straight line between the two points.

PATTERN	EXAMPLE

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Note: When the vehicle is on a guidance line, the line extends 1 km (0.6 miles) before Point A and 1 km beyond Point B. This makes it easier to see where the next swath is, and to get online after the turn.

Mapping an AB Line

1.Drive to the start point of the master line.

2.Set the A point:

a.Press or until you have selected the icon.

b.Press . The A point is set.

3.Drive to the other end of the line.

4.Ensure that the icon is selected and then press . The master AB Line appears.

5.Turn left or right for the next swath. As you move toward the next swath, it appears on the screen and turns orange to show that it is selected.

A+ line

An A+ line is also a straight line. It is defined by a single point on the line (the A point) and the heading of the line.

PATTERN	EXAMPLE

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When you choose to create an A+ line, you enter the heading.

The default heading is the same as the previous AB Line. This pattern is useful for when you need guidance exactly parallel to the last AB Line, for example when:

∙driving adjacent fields

∙mapping the AB Line on a road down the side of the field

∙skipping an access road in a field

The A+ line extends 1 km (0.6 miles) before and after the A point.

Mapping an A+ Line

1.Drive to the start point of the master line.

2.Set the A point:

a.Press or until you have selected the icon.

b.Press . The A point is set. Because you have already set the line heading, your master AB Line appears on the screen.

3.Follow the AB Line for guidance down the first swath.

4.Turn left or right for the next swath. As you move toward the next swath, it appears on the screen and turns orange to show that it is selected.

Identical curve

The identical curve pattern records your exact route between the A and B points, instead of a straight line.

All of the guidance lines will match the master curve, regardless of where the vehicle has driven. Use the curve pattern when you want to work the field with gentle curves.

PATTERN	EXAMPLE

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