The Challenge
The milking parlour currently in operation on a remote UK farm was no longer working effectively. The manufacturer suspected an EMC issue was the cause and therefore contacted our engineers for support. In addition, the farm manager had reported inconsistent recognition on livestock RFID (Radio frequency identification) tags which was causing data collection inaccuracies.
The Solution
Our team took their mobile EMC testing equipment to the farm location and began diagnostics. The assessment revealed that high emissions levels were being generated by an unfiltered inverter, causing the milking device to malfunction. They chose to install a KMF filter from Roxburgh EMC’s established mains filter range into the power control cabinet. Further testing proved that the inverter issue was resolved and now met relevant emissions limits.
To resolve the inconsistent recognition of livestock RFID tags, engineers reduced emissions limits by terminating the CAN bus system cable shields, installing clip-on ferrite beads at optimum locations and improving the earthing on the control cabinet.
Client Benefit
The farm manager now has a reliable piece of equipment and can reliably collect data to improve produce efficiency of the farm. In addition, the cows also heartily approved, since feeding times were now optimised and on-time.
