Bauer presents irrigation electronics „Ecostar 6000“

Precise and safe irrigation with simple operation by the world market leader.

The Bauer Group from Voitsberg in Styria, world market leader in irrigation presents high performance „irrigation technology“ with simple operation at the Agritechnica 2015: the latest development is the irrigation electronics Ecostar 6000. „The Ecostar 6000 delivers the best conditions for a simple and targeted control of our irrigation systems“, says product manager Franz-Peter Roll. The electronic system guarantees precise control of the retraction speed, and optimum precision of different irrigation inputs for Bauer’s Rainstar range.

The 4.3-inch LED touchscreen makes control of the irrigation system as easy as a pie. The user can quickly access functions for an optimal irrigation of surfaces with just a few finger taps on the simple and logically structured screen. Basic functions such as „start“, „stop“, or retraction speed adjustment (or precipitation level) can also be selected using buttons. Ecostar 6000 users can store up to 12 different programs and predefine parameters for different surfaces. „As a result, one can individually define retraction speed, pre-irrigation, post-irrigation, and speed zones, and retrieve the settings immediately during operation“, says Franz-Peter Roll, describing the advantages of Ecostar 6000.

Recording water consumption

In modern agriculture, the collection of data for the evaluation of activities on a field is becoming increasingly important. Thanks to a digital input, the water meter in Bauer’s Rainstar models sends a signal to the Ecostar, which stores the amount of water consumed in each movement in a table, along with the date and time. „This data can be then transferred to a computer via USB“, explains Franz-Peter Roll. The screen on the device itself displays parameters such as water consumption since the last start, water consumption since the last irrigation, or overall consumption.

At the push of a button, farmers can switch system operation mode from retraction speed in meters/hour to precipitation amount. Moreover, a timer can be programmed to allow for the operation of an additional sprinkler, which is irrigating the area around the irrigation machine. Another feature is the possibility of programming a defined pipe length, which activates a signal lamp when the target length is reached at the pipe pull-out, warning the driver that the end of the pipe has been reached.

Operation via mobile phone

The Ecostar 6000 can be easily controlled via SMS, so that the farmer does not need to drive to the field for each adjustment of the irrigation computer. The farmer cannot only start/stop the machine or adjust the retraction speed from afar. He can also check the current status of the machine. All error messages are automatically forwarded to a mobile phone, and up to four different telephone numbers can be programmed. To allow for a precise error analysis, the control panel also stores the last operation steps. When the end of the PE-pipe is reached, Ecostar informs the user with a signal, helping him save time and optimize irrigation management.