Calibrate DIG™

The Ditch Assist® DIG™ Kit works out where the bucket's cutting edge is from the GPS position, the two sensor angles and a few measurements of your machine. Calibration gives it those measurements and records how each sensor sits. Small measuring mistakes turn into big grade mistakes, so measure carefully, measure twice, and finish with the block test.

Calibrate after the install, and again straight away whenever a sensor is moved or replaced or the machine is serviced. You do it on the DIG module's own web page, in a browser on the tablet.

Before you start

• The install is finished and final-welded, with the sensors, the ECU and the receiver back on (Mount the ECU and run the cables).
• The receiver sends GGA and VTG at 5 or 10 Hz, at 38,400 baud, and it has RTK corrections (What your receiver must send).
• The machine is on firm, level ground with room to move the stick and bucket.
• The tablet is charged. Any tablet or phone with Chrome or Safari can open the DIG page.
• Two people: one runs the machine, one measures and checks.

You need: a metric tape measure, a level long enough to reach across both dogbone pins, a weighted plumb bob (a pointed weight on a string) long enough to hang from the top of the stick to the bucket, a ladder, and a block of wood for the test.

How long it takes: most of the time goes into measuring. Measure everything twice, and allow time to repeat the angle steps if the block test is off.

Join the DIG Wi-Fi

The DIG ECU makes its own Wi-Fi network. It has no internet. The tablet must be on it to open the DIG page.

1. Power up the DIG ECU

   Turn on the power to the DIG ECU on the machine. Wait about 30 seconds: its Wi-Fi takes that long to start.

2. Open the tablet's Wi-Fi list

   Swipe down from the top edge of the screen to open the quick panel. Touch and hold the Wi-Fi icon until the list of networks opens. Help: the quick panel, Wi-Fi.

3. Tap the network that starts with MECU_Ditch_Dig

   The rest of the name is a code for your module. A box opens and asks for the password.

4. Type 12345678 and tap Connect

   Tap the password box to bring up the keyboard (typing on the tablet). Type 12345678, then tap Connect.

   You should see the DIG network at the top of the list, marked as connected.

5. If Android warns there's no internet, stay connected

   Choose to stay on the network. On a Samsung tablet with a SIM card the message says Internet may not be available: tap Always connect. Otherwise the tablet may leave the DIG Wi-Fi. More help: Join the DIG Wi-Fi.

Open the DIG page

1. Open Chrome

   Open the Chrome browser on the tablet (Safari on an iPad).

2. Type the DIG address

   Tap the address bar along the top of the browser. Type 192.168.22.3:8080/ditchassist.htm exactly as shown, then tap the Enter key on the keyboard (it may show Go or an arrow).

   

   You should see the DIG home page, with the DIG logo at the top in the middle.

3. Bookmark it

   Tap the star at the right-hand end of the address bar. Next time, open the page from your bookmarks instead of typing the address.

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Check GPS and sensors

1. Check the GPS readings

   Look at the lines of text in the top-left corner of the DIG page. You need two of them to read:

   • GPS State: Data Received. Positions are arriving from the receiver.
   • GPS Fix: RTK fix. The receiver has RTK, the accurate correction you need to dig to grade.

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2. No data, or no RTK fix? Fix it, then tap Refresh Connection

   If GPS State says No GPS, or GPS Fix isn't RTK fix, check these first:

   • the GPS cable is plugged in at both ends
   • the receiver sends GGA and VTG at 5 or 10 Hz, at 38,400 baud
   • the receiver is getting RTK corrections

   Then tap Refresh Connection, the small grey button under the GPS text. The readings update.

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3. Check the sensors

   Look along the top of the page, to the right of the DIG logo. It should say Sensor State: Sensors OK: both sensors are found.

   

   If it says anything else, check both sensor cables are plugged in. A sensor with power shows a pulsing red light: at the bottom of the stick sensor, and to the left of the bucket sensor.

Measure the machine

Do all the measuring before you touch the screen, and write every number down.

1. Stop the machine before anyone measures

   Lower the bucket to the ground and switch the engine off while people measure around the pins.

2. Find the eight points

   The DIG page names each measuring point with a letter. Find each one on your machine.

3. Measure the six lengths

   Measure each length from the centre of one pin to the centre of the other, never from their edges. Measure each one twice. Write it down in millimetres (1 cm = 10 mm, 1 in. = 25.4 mm).

   Length	Measure from … to …
   B–F	Bucket pin B to the GPS mount pivot F. With an offset mount, measure B–F1 instead (next step).
   B–E	Bucket pin B to the cutting edge E, or the tooth tips
   A–B	Dogbone pin A to bucket pin B
   B–C	Bucket pin B to link pin C on the bucket
   C–D	Link pin C to pin D
   A–D	Dogbone pin A to pin D: the dogbone's own length

4. Offset mount only: measure the offset with the stick vertical

   Skip this step if the GPS pivot F lines up with H and B. If it doesn't, have the operator set the stick straight up and down (check it with the plumb bob as in Angle 1), then stop the engine. Measure two things:

   • Offset: the level distance from F across to the line through H and B. Note which way F sits from that line: toward the cab or away from it.
   • B–F1: the straight-up distance from B to F1, the point on that line level with F. Use it as your B–F length.

Enter the lengths

1. Tap the Calibration icon

   On the DIG home page, look at the top-right corner. There are two square buttons side by side. Tap the right-hand one, the crosshair (a circle with a cross through it). The Calibration screen opens.

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2. Check the Link Lengths tab is open

   Under the row of buttons along the top are two tabs. Link Lengths should be green. If Angles is green instead, tap Link Lengths.

3. Set Sensor Location to Dog-Bone

   In the Sensor Location switch, tap Dog-Bone. It turns green. That tells DIG the bucket sensor sits on the dogbone.

4. Set the side the sensors are on

   In the Sensors' attached side switch, tap Left or Right: the side of the machine the sensors are on, as you sit in the cab. It turns green.

5. Type the six lengths

   Tap each box and type its length in millimetres from your notes, numbers only: B-F Distance(mm), B-E Distance(mm), A-B Distance(mm), B-C Distance(mm), C-D Distance(mm) and A-D Distance(mm).

   Not sure which length a box wants? Tap its label: the page shows a picture of that measurement.

6. Tap SAVE

   SAVE is the last button in the row along the top, with a green tick. The module stores your lengths.

7. Tap NEXT

   NEXT is the second button along the top, with a curved arrow. The GPS offset screen opens.

Enter the GPS offset

1. Lined-up mount: leave Aligned and tap NEXT

   If F lines up with H and B, leave GPS Mount Alignment on Aligned and tap NEXT. The Angles screen opens: go on to Set the four angles.

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2. Offset mount: tap Offset

   In the GPS Mount Alignment switch, tap Offset. It turns green.

3. Tap Away or Towards

   In Offset Direction (Relative to Cabin), tap Towards if F sits toward the cab from the H–B line, or Away if it sits away from the cab.

4. Type the offset distance

   Tap the Offset Distance(mm) box and type the offset you measured, in millimetres. Check the B-F Distance(mm) you entered is your B–F1 length: if not, tap PREV. to go back and change it.

5. Tap NEXT

   The Angles screen opens.

Set the four angles

On the Angles screen, DIG records each sensor's reading while the machine sits in four exact positions. Get each position right with the plumb bob or the level before anyone taps YES.

1. Angle 1: set the stick vertical

   The operator moves the stick until it hangs straight up and down. The helper hangs the plumb bob from F, or from H if your mount has an offset. The stick is vertical when the string passes over the centres of H and B.

2. Tap YES next to Is Stick vertical?

   DIG records the reading in Stick Sensor Angle(°).

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3. Angle 2: level the dogbone

   Keep the stick where it is. The operator curls the bucket slowly until the dogbone, the link from pin A to pin D, is level. Lay the level on the dogbone to check. If your dogbone is curved, level the line between the centres of its two pins.

4. Tap YES next to Is DogBone Horizontal?

   DIG records the reading in Bucket Sensor Angle(°).

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5. Tap SAVE

   The green tick at the end of the row along the top, as on the Link Lengths screen.

6. Tap NEXT

   The curved arrow along the top. The last two angles come up.

7. Angle 3: set the bucket vertical

   Keep the stick vertical, as in Angle 1. The operator moves only the bucket, until the cutting edge E hangs straight below the bucket pin B. Check with the plumb bob: F, H, B and E all on the string.

8. Tap YES next to Is Bucket vertical?

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9. Angle 4: set the A–B line vertical

   The operator moves the stick slowly until pin A is straight above pin B. Check with the plumb bob through A and B. The stick ends up a little off vertical; that's expected.

10. Tap YES next to Is A-B line vertical?

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11. Tap SAVE

    The green tick along the top. All four angles are now stored.

12. Tap the Home icon

    The house in the top-right corner of the Calibration screen. The DIG home page opens.

    

Prove it on a block

The block test shows whether the calibration is right before you dig.

1. Put a block in front of the machine

   A short piece of wood on firm ground works.

2. Set the cutting edge on the block

   The operator rests the bucket's cutting edge, or the tips of its teeth, on top of the block.

3. Tap the Grade icon

   On the DIG home page, top-right corner: the left of the two square buttons, with an angle drawn on it. The Slope Setting screen opens.

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4. Make sure Slope Value (%) is 0

   Look at the Slope Value (%) box in the middle of the screen. If it shows anything other than 0, tap it and type 0. (The picture shows 0.0500, a grade that would need changing.)

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5. Tap the Home icon

   The house icon takes you back to the DIG home page.

6. Tap SET TO GROUND

   The button with green letters near the top of the home page, left of the big number. A window called Set to the Ground opens.

   

7. Tap YES

   The window asks whether to start from this spot, with the grade and direction in square brackets. Tap YES, the left of the two buttons at the bottom.

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   You should see the lightbar settle in the centre band, at the grey bars in the middle of the column, not on the red arrows above or below them.

8. Move, then put the edge back on the block

   The operator lifts the bucket, reaches out or pulls in (or moves the machine), and sets the edge back on the same block. Do this at several reaches and bucket angles.

9. Read the guidance each time

   Red arrows above the grey bars mean the edge is above grade, one arrow per inch: 2.4 in. above lights two arrows. The arrows under the bars are labelled −1 to −4 in.: they are for below grade. On grade, the edge sits at the grey bars.

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   A good calibration stays within 1–2 in. of on grade in every position. A little wander is normal from the RTK, and a little more at extreme angles. If it's further out, or the error grows as the reach or the bucket angle changes, a measurement or an angle is wrong: measure again and repeat the angle steps.

Good to know

• Saved machines: from DIG firmware 1.7 the module can store up to 10 machine setups for quick recall. The steps to save and load one aren't published yet: ask Ditch Assist support.
• When to calibrate again: straight after a sensor is moved or replaced, or the machine is serviced. Check the sensors regularly for damage or movement.

Common mistakes

• Measuring to the edge of a pin instead of its centre.
• Typing centimetres or inches where the screen wants millimetres.
• Tapping YES by eye instead of checking with the plumb bob or the level.
• Forgetting the GPS offset, or measuring it with the stick not vertical.
• Tapping NEXT before SAVE.
• Moving the stick during Angle 2 or Angle 3: it must stay vertical.

If it doesn't work

• Can't join the Wi-Fi or open the page: wait 30 seconds after power-up and check the tablet is on the MECU_Ditch_Dig network. Then see The DIG web page won't open.
• No Data Received or no RTK fix: see Fix DIG problems and What your receiver must send.
• Sensors not OK, or the block test is off: see Fix DIG problems.

Next: dig with the Ditch Assist app

Day-to-day digging runs in the Ditch Assist app. Connect it to the DIG module (Connect to the DIG module) and work through the Excavation workflow. The web interface stays available for simple level or single-grade work (Use the DIG web interface).