RobMan Feeder Control

User Manual
Username: admin
Password: admin
RobMan User Manual ver. 1.1.x

1. Overview
 RobMan User Manual ver. 1.1.x

2. Getting Started

2.1 System Configuration

Feeding method & Feed conversion

The first thing one has to configure is the kind of feeding that is used in the feeder and
what feed conversion is used. The feed conversion makes the controller adjust
the feeding amount depending on the density of the food in the feeder.

2.1.1 Configuring Feeding method & Feed conversion

1. From the Main menu line, click System  Configuration. The Configuration
dialog box appears.

2. To configure feeding method, select/deselect the rows for each silo in column
“Living feed”.

3. To configure feed conversion, click on the rows in column “Feed conv.”, so that
the value is selected. Then write in the preferred feed conversion value.

4. Click Update to save the new values.

2.1.2 System status

Network connections. Showing internet and controller connection status. Green
means ok, red means no contact. Last successful transmission is dispayed.
2.1.3 Users
Here you can add users and passwords or change existing users.

2.1.4 Reset configuration

Resets all feeding information to start a new feeding regime. Does not reset tank
setup/ information. Password: silo1
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2.2 Create New Tank

Note: There has to be at least one registered controller in the

system to be able to create new tanks.

1. In the Main tank window, from the dropdown menu in the upper left corner,
choose the controller you want to add tank to
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Click Add Tank.

2. In the Tank detail section at the bottom of the main window, enter preferred
values.

3. In the Silo/ feeder overview section on the bottom of the main window,
choose which Silos/ feeders you want to use.

4. Choose which “Feeding Profile” you want to use from the dropdown menus for
each feeder. (If there are no Feeding profiles available, you have to create new
profiles. See Create NewFeeding Profiles)

Note: If you choose no Feeding profile (None), then this will

prevent the program from calculating the feeding amount,
resulting in that no feeding data from the feeder will be
transferred to the controller.

5. Choose which Feeding Table you want to use from the dropdown menu for each
feeder. (If no feeding tables are present (besides Manual Feed), you need to
create new feeding tables. See Create New Feeding Tables)

Note: If the selected feeding table is other than “Manual

Feed”, and the Average weight or Temperature of the tank
is outside the values of the selected Feeding table, then the
calculation of the feeding amount will stop for that feeder. The
result will be that the feeding data for this feeder will not be
transferred to the controller.

6. At this stage you will have different options available that you need to configure,
depending on what choices you made earlier:
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Note: The term “silo” is originally used when referring to robotic feeders with
multiple hoppers. Here used for feeders. Normally there is one feeder per tank.

7.1.1.If the chosen Feeding Table is None, then you manually need to specify the
Feed Rate for the feeder.

7.1.2.Specify the percent wise feeding distribution between selected feeder. The
total distribution must be 100% in total.

7.2.1.If you have chosen a Feeding table other than Manual Feed and None, then
the Feed Rate will be set automatically.

7.2.2.Specify the percent wise feeding distribution between selected feeder. The
total distribution must be 100% in total.

7.3.1.If the selected Feeding table is Manual Feed, then you need to specify the
feeding amount for each selected feeder. The Manual Feed table overrides all
calculation in regard of feeding amount, which makes the controller feed exayctl
the amount from each feeder that you specify. (To set the feeding amount for
each feeder for Manual Feed, See Configuring Manual Feed)
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3. Using RobMan

3.1 Activate/deactivate Tank

1. In the Tank Overview window, right click on the tank that should be
activated/deactivated.

2. In the popup menu click Activate/Deactivate. On deactivating a tank, the row

will change color to red.

3.2 Copy and create new tanks

If many tanks need to be created, one can save much time using the copy function to
create many tanks in one operation. This operation uses the information of a previously
created tank, to create any given number of new tanks with the same configuration as the
original tank.

Note: This function works only if at least one tank has been
created beforehand. To learn how to create a new tank, see
“Create New Tank” under the “Getting Started” section.

Copy and create new tanks

1. Right click on a tank in the Tank Overview window.

2. Click on Copy tank information.

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3. Input the preferred number of new tanks that should be created.

4. Select “Create new tanks”

5. Make sure every checkbox is checked in the Tank info and feeder( silo) -tank connection
group boxes.

6. Click Save to create the new tanks.

3.3 Edit Tank

1. Select a tank in the Tank overview window.

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3. Confirm that you want to delete the tank.

3.5 Transferring Events

1. After entering the feeding information you want to change you must transfer this
information to the controller. The changes will take place from the next hour.
2. Click on Transfer events on the 2nd menu line in the top left corner. Or click
Functions  Transfer to PLS in the main menu line.

3. From the selection box in the upper left corner of the “Transfer Events” window,
choose which robot you want to prepare and transfer events to.

4. Click Prepare events.

The application will now generate the feeding events for each hour that day. You
can see these events in the list situated under the “Prepared events” tab.

5. Click Transfer events in the upper right corner.

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3.6 Monitoring Mode

Monitoring mode enables the application to receive feedback from the controller.
In the Tank Overview the rows will be highlighted in accordance with what tank the robot is
currently feeding.

All alarms will be logged by the system, regardless if the application is in monitoring
mode or not. To see the last alarms that have happened, click Report  Last alarms in
the main menu line. For more information look in the section “Alarms”

3.7 Feeding profiles

A feeding profile shows how the feeding amount should be dispersed through one whole
day. In the feeding profile you define percent wise how much should be fed each hour of
the total feeding amount that day.

To open the Feeding profiles window, click Functions  Feeding profiles in the main
menu line.

3.7.1 Create New Feeding Profiles

1. Click New profile in the upper left corner of Feeding profile window.
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2. Write a name for the profile in the textbox that appears.

3. Configure the percent wise feeding amount for each hour, by clicking on the red
columns. (Note: each column represents an hour during the day).

Right clicking on a column will increase the feeding amount for that hour. The
program will automatically reduce the feeding amount for all the other columns
so that the total feeding amount stays the same.

Left clicking on a column will reduce the feeding amount for that hour. The
program will then automatically increase the feeding amount for the other
columns.

4. Click Save to save the new feeding profile.

3.7.2 Edit Existing Feeding Profiles

1. Select the feeding profile that you want to edit.

2. Configure the percent wise feeding amount for each hour, by clicking on the red
columns. (Note: To learn more about how the configuration works, go to section:
Create new feeding profiles)
RobMan User Manual ver. 1.1.x

3. Click Save in the bottom right corner of the configuration window.

3.8 Feeding Tables

A feeding table defines percent wise how much the feeding amount should increase each
day based on the weight of the fish and the temperature of the water. In the feeding table
grid you define the preset wise increase of the feeding amount for a given temperature in
relation to the weight of the fish.

To open the Feeding tables window, click Functions  Feeding tables in the main menu
line.

3.8.1 Create New Feeding Tables

1. Click New table in the top left corner of the Feeding table window.

2. Write a name for the feeding table in the text box that appears.
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3. Configure the feeding table by inputting your preferred feeding amount increase
based on the water temperature in relation to the weight of the fish.

4. Click Save to save the new feeding table.

3.8.2 Edit Existing Feeding Table

1. Select a feeding table that you want to edit.

2. Configure the feeding table by editing the values in the grid.

3. Click Save to save any changes that have been made to the grid.

3.9 Manual Feed

Manual feed enables the user to bypass all automatic calculation of feeding amount, so
that one self can specify the feeding amount for each feeder. This exact amount will be feed
each day indefinitely until the amount is changed. The feeding amount calculation that
triggers everyday at midnight will not have any affect if manual feed is used.

3.9.1 Configuring Manual Feed

1. Click Functions  Manual feed in the main menu line.

RobMan User Manual ver. 1.1.x

2. Select which controller you want to view the tanks for.

After selecting a controller, a grid with all the tanks and feeders for the tank will appear.
The feeders that have been configured to use manual feed, will be enabled to receive
input values. All the other feeders will be disabled for input.

3. Input preferred feeding amount in the grid.

4. Click Save to save the feeding amount values in the grid

3.10 Alarms

The system will log every alarm that the controller sends. These alarms can be seen by
clicking Reports  Last Alarms in the main menu line. In the alarm window that
appears, you can see the last 5 alarms that have occurred. For each alarm there is a
description of the alarm and a timestamp for when the alarm occurred. If you want to see
more than the default last 5 alarms. You can specify how many alarms back in time you
want to see, and then click Update.